Week 4- I need to sigh as this was quite a week. Camp was filled – cabins and campsites- with guests. Some anglers were old-timers fishing the Wabaskang with plenty of years under their belts, and a handful were brand new guests that were eager to learn the waters. The nights were super fun as we saw guests fishing off the dock, hanging out watching the late sunsets, some smores being made over campfire, and a general happy ambience.
Water temps are pushing the mid-sixties. Smallmouth are on their beds, and the perch are done spawning as well as the crappie. Sanctuary zones are lifted as of Saturday, so guests are excited with even more spots to fish.
Ryan and Earl were super busy helping our guests with their boats, bait, and of course filleting fish. I, in my first full week at camp, jumped in where needed, and attempted a few organization projects (attemped being the operative word). I’ll have to wait for a slower week to unpack lol.
Guests were having success in Ruby, Keynote, Gawley’s Bay, the Fifth Lake, right out in the first lake- basically all over; locations varied throughout the week, and while not every venture out produced, numerous guests said the fish were basically jumping into the boat! One newbie crew to Wabaskang reeled in over a 100 walleye on Friday alone.
The above was the norm for groups: this was a new group from the Illinois (Thanks Carter for referring them; we enjoyed having them despite them being Cubs fans)
Anne and Jerry, a fun couple we met at the Madison fishing show and who were so nice in bringing up some Wisconsin cheese for us, caught these nice crappie:
Scott sent this pic of Brennen with a 35″ northern:
Some wildlife pics:
So Ryan’s first “business” as a 12 year old kid was mowing lawns with a riding mower similar to this- thought his Mom would get a kick out of this one.
Here, newcomer Ryan leads his Dad and sister to epic days and a shore-lunch on the Wabby:
Here Dan a Wabby newbie is living the dream.
Mark and Sandy killed it with this crappie and perch bunch!
Bridget captured this one of the fun Bruce, Wayne, and Scott’s crew staying in the Bear’s Den as they enjoyed a nightcap while watching the sun set:
Ronan, an incredibly positive young man, caught this beauty, a 26″ walleye:
I believe this bucket came from Ryan, Kerry, and Danica’s boat- some entertainment during potluck!
We had previous week’s Fin send a pic to add:
And John sent this one of Marie with a 25.5″ walleye!
Below, Carol’s pic that is the Instagram pic of the week:
Gone are the days when I could start and complete a blog in one sitting from home. Now, I start it one day, and four days later I’m trying to finish- with I’m sure a few mistakes. So, I’m putting a disclaimer now that it is what it is. What I’m learning is that being at camp beats just writing about it, even if there is less time to try and make it perfect.
And we are making a point to make sure this new lifestyle has some play-time too:
I will say a huge thank you to Erin and Ronan for helping Bridget set up new router- Erin has a bright future in computer engineering. We are optimistic that internet may be a little faster at camp now (or at least work well enough for me to do this blog- last week’s took forever to upload!) And thanks to Scott from Week 1 on his generosity with tech advice and equipment!
This, to me, is what it’s all about. Jon Pickelmann shared this recently with me- a pic of his family hanging out on the porch of one of the old cabins. Tall Pines Camp is where families have been coming for generations, and though owners change, the memories and traditions can last a lifetime:
This pic is not from Tall Pines but is a homage to all the fathers out there, and particularly my Dad as this is Father’s Day Weekend. Here, my Dad is teaching my nephews to love fishing in Indiana, and I’m hoping for the family to make it to Tall Pines next year to continue the fishing tradition. Fishing is one of the best hobbies to pass down from father to son and grandson. I am so grateful for my Dad and late Grandpa for sharing their passion for fishing:
And folks, that’s a wrap…
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