God- Family-Country-Fishing

Its officially a wrap for the 2025 fishing season. After nineteen weeks of guests coming and going, we closed 'er up. Where did summer go? Where did the time go? For so many of you, your one or two weeks fishing at Tall Pines was just a part of your summer. It may have been the highlight, but you came back home and went to work or mowed the lawn or fished other lakes near you or got ready for your next trip. For Ryan, Colin, and I it was more of a work/fish/repair/entertain/clean- repeat. Each week's guests had their own routines and flow and energy, but we were in a groove where each week just rolled into the next and we weren't really paying attention until- wham here we are. The end. And with the end of anything comes a chance for reflection. Let's pause that for some September highlights- and then we'll pause for some reflection.

Bob, "the Mayor of Tall Pines" was back and left just short of celebrating his 81's birthday with us. He brought grandson Matthew with him this year.

They re-created a pic from 19 years ago next to the eagle carving, and Bob's 22" walleye this trip:

Craig and Angie love the fall fishing atmosphere and got into numerous fish including this huge pike:

Mike returned this year took the season leaderboard with this one:

Conner caught and released this giant walleye:

Marji generally outfished Neal most of their month long stay in terms of numbers, but Neal, "the camp Sheriff" did catch and release some of the bigger ones:

This Southsiders of Chicago group had a ball with all the species, making up contests and selecting buddy Scooter to be honorary judge for any debates on interpreting their category winners:

And some more pics they shared; this group appreciated the unique scenery on the water, the tradition of WhiskeyJack comfort food, and good talks on the docks, amongst all the fishing:

Sharon caught a lake trout, while her husband Mike needed her help landing this GIANT pike:

They did the Shore lunch experience most days having this view for lunch:

Smallmouth action has been big in September:

And Ally had some fun action trolling for walleye - excited to see these ones grow and mature:

Nice keeper size ones being caught too:

And fellow camp owner Nick teamed up with Ryan to find some crappie:

September was also the last month to target lake trout. We had an opportunity to catch numerous ones both on Wabaskang and a remote fly in lake:

I think these pics grasp the essence of September trips at Tall Pines. Evenings come sooner- so we have a chance to visit with guests around the campfire, and those filleting fish can watch the sunset:

We had a potluck in the Bears Den and a breakfast on the last week of our camp socials:

Some beautiful reflection and sunset views that Tess, the campground dog, particularly enjoyed:

Leaderboard Updates:

Mike Lynch, an Ontario favorite of musicians, came out for a concert at the WhiskeyJack:

Guests Spencer and Taylor just got married and sent in this honeymoon pic of them at Mount Rushmore representing. Congratulations!

Tall Pines hosted the Cedar River Watershed Association meeting recently (also called PFAA). It was a great opportunity for locals and outfitters to work together on preserving our fisheries as well as looking out for one another/being neighborly. The group is making strides in getting more camp owners on board each year and has some great new ideas moving forward.

We actually have been working at camp too- really- maybe- okay, just a little bit. With incredible weather these last few weeks its hard to not want to be out there all the time; we did manage to get second docks moved, powerwash all the decks, winterized and stored all the camp boats, about half the cabins deep cleaned and shut down, and some miscellaneous projects like deck maintenance work started. Our plan is to tackle some indoor projects when the weather breaks.

The walleye bite did pick up the second half of the month, but bottom bouncing seemed to work best ranging from 10-15 feet of water. They continued to change locations like reported in the last blog, so guests were in a game of hide and seek, and thus spot fishing deeper areas proved challenging. Perch, smallmouth, and pike were abundantly caught with the lake trout caught when targeted. The water temps hovered in the 60's most of the month- Jimmy "Frost" and I even took a dip off the docks one day and it wasn't that cold. Likewise, grouse hunting got better that last week of September as the fall cover has been late to fall.

Has anyone else's heart been heavy lately? We are in a bubble here up North, hearing Eagleman's chirp as our daily background noise rather than television news. But that bubble burst when hearing the news of yet another shooting on a college campus. Charlie Kirk was a loving husband and father above all, but he was also an evangelist of sorts on college campuses. He stirred crowds up for sure, but the root of his messages was that if you have God in your life, that will fill the void of whatever you feel you are lacking. He brought so many vulnerable youth to find God. He also loved America. God-Family-Country was his motto in that order. I beg to say if he had found time to fall in love with fishing as you all have, he'd have added that at the end. He was passionate about life. Nothing will bring this father and husband back to his family, and I find utter sadness in that.

When something bad happens in your life, who is there to support you? Just as it harder to net a fish when you are fishing solo, it is harder to get through life alone. When its small hurdles, you can get through them. When its a small fish you can easily get it in the boat and maybe even get a quick selfie with you and the fish.

But when its a big one...oh boy..."Grab the net!" You need your net man, your wing man, as its a team effort. When its a big fish, it can be almost impossible to land without assistance. If you're solo, you're lucky just to get a huge pike or walleye to the edge of the boat. Whose in the boat with you? Who is standing by you? This is true of life too. Who is in your boat of life? God can definitely be one to turn to to be by your side. But I pray you also have family, friends, neighbors, and/or a church community that can give you physical support too.

I'll hope to do one last blog this year, and look for a holiday newsletter as well. We are officially taking bookings for all of 2026 as of now. If you had inquired earlier and I said we had to wait to see who re-booked, please reach out again and we'll see whats open.

Also, it is not too late to share any pics and videos! If you didn't see yours used in any of the season blogs please re-send, and I'll be working on the 2025 Big Fish Page for the website- so please send yours if you haven't. As always we appreciate all your word of mouth and social media shares in keeping this Tall Pines passion alive. God Bless.