Hot-n-cold

Bridget
2 hours ago
3 min read

Hot-n-cold. Water temps in 70's then dropped to mid 60's, then back to low 70s and now dropped again to low 60s. Air temps mostly in 70's all August long; then 80's the first part of this week down to 40's by Thursday. Fishing action is hot one day, and cold the next. Fish are shallow one day, then deep the following. Fish are on the surface one day, then the bottom the next. And the fish are in a spot one evening and out of it the next morning. That's the theme of the last few weeks. And I think I jinxed the rain by writing about it in the last blog, cause we've hardly had any since then! Water level has dropped quite a bit in the last two weeks.

Our fishermen and women have been great at adapting to all these ups and downs. From adding then stripping layers of clothing and rain gear, to changing fishing tactics and gear, to even switching target species for a day, fishermen by nature are pretty good at going with the flow knowing we can't control nature.

Vince's smile says it all. This retired football coach could be heard at camp all the way from 5th lake when he had a victory on the water:

McGuire's Boys- these three knuckleheads provide entertainment for whoever is around them. Friends for years, they get together at Tall Pines and in Florida each year. If you've been to McGuires you may have run into them

Bruce was back for his second trip this summer- this time with family. He once again got into some dandy smallies and walleye, and partnered with Ryan in bean bags to beat his brothers during potluck:

Jim made the leaderboard his week with this 19" football of a smallie:

Colton and brother Conner got some bro time on the water:

while Andrea was determined to get her time on the water too to catch some quality multi-species:

But this was also a family vacation for Colton and Andrea- Nora's second trip to Tall Pines, and Henry's first. Grandma Dixie and Uncle Conner helped with the kiddos and they all left happy and exhausted:

Greg and Lee, part of the Wisconsin "Red Hat Gang" shared some great pics of fish they caught and released:

Ben hadn't been fishing on the Wabaskang since he was a little kid. Now living in Texas, he returned this August with his parents. He caught and released this nice 22" walleye, but they also enjoyed a few fish fries- including one with this perfect eater size northern:

Ryan's dandy walleye catch of the week:

Recent Leaderboards:

And Ryan's mom Joyce visited. As we see so many Mothers/Sons up here, it was nice that they got that time together too. We kayaked and fished together, and she created this watercolor drawing while enjoying the views from the deck.

Joyce was really taken with all the nature and peaceful surroundings- here's a few others captured:

Tess, has become our Tall Pines model. Here she wears our "Fishing Buddy" doggie bandana in the medium sized red and yellow plaid. It comes in many colors/sizes and is great for photo shoots and a conversation piece, though your doggie may or may not love it :)

And our island friends saw Tess wearing one, so Emma had to get some for her Peaches and Polly:

Colin wrapped up his season as the Tall Pines dockhand after working 16 weeks with us. He rarely took a day off, and always wanted to be busy doing something. We appreciate his work ethic, and wish him well in marine mechanics. Here's a few pics from his last day:

And some recent camp social nites- the Hodag Legacy crew was back and we love it when campers like Laura and Marji become friends and return the same week each year to pick up where they left off: