Well, into July we go and that means more families and kids are now fishing at Tall Pines. We added the kids category to the leaderboard and they gave the adults a run for their money!
Water temps hovering around 70 degrees right now; mayflies have all but done their thing and water levels remain at a comfortable high.
So many fish caught and pics to share...
Colten came back this year and crossed smallmouth, perch, walleye, and pike off his list:
Imagine having neighbors that love fishing as much as you- Rusty, Blake, and Chris all live in the same subdivision in Indiana, and had a great guys trip with their boys and caught lots of fish:
Longtime guest Craig, came for years with his Dad, who came with his Dad, and he's been continuing that tradition with his sons and Jeff Houker. They enjoyed some shore lunch along with potluck, sunsets, and many fish moments as well as time in Mud Lake reflecting on Dad.
Phil and Jen were back with Hunter catching his big smallmouth and Hayden landing this nice pike. We love how this family specifically targets pike, muskie and perch and this year did not disappoint. They each had some big ones, with Dad catching a 41.5" muskie on their first day:
Mike wanted to bring the whole fam with him this year for a family fishing vacation- notice the Tall Pines spirit they have all wearing different Tall Pines apparel!
Granddaughter Hannah really took to the fishing, and even wanted to go out in the rain with Uncle Keith and Grandma and Grandpa. Wendy got to fish with Dad, Tim took in all the Canada nature along with a beauty of a walleye, and they trooped it out in all the weather of the week:
Jonny brought his family and proved that you can still catch big fish with the whole family on the boat:
We love it when guests catch their PBs. Keegan caught his personal biggest walleye, at 25 inches, on his first day back!
But day after day, he was landing every species he targeted. Keegan caught so many fish, he made it look easy. He even helped his Dad, letting him catch a nice walleye or two:
Dave "Bender" brought two Wabby newbies, since fishing buddy Frank couldn't come this time around. Dave and Don caught some real nice walleye and enjoyed some cribbage games during downtime:
With just a little bit of a beach left due to the higher waters, the kiddos had fun on shore, the boat, and docks while parents could kick back a little:
And the sign of some true angler kids- still fishing in the rain after Dad goes in to dry off:
Paging Mr. Earl...you are needed in the fishhouse:
Brad had been up with older son Holden and this year brought up youngest Hudson who took in all the fishing with Dad and caught some dandy fish with Uncle Opie. Hudson's first ever walleye (a 24.25" beauty):
Hudson made many fish and camp stories to take home, and now we hope to get his older sister Hadley up next time:
Mike has had an amazing week fishing with his boys while also topping the leaderboard with this 43.25" pike:
Pete, up for his third year in a row, knew where to take Will to land some big pike, walleye, and smallies; he could always be found on the docks talking fishing with any guest and sharing his latest adventure:
And finally, the last pictures to roll in, are from Nick who you may remember from last fall. Nick brought Sarah and the kids back but also brought additional family too- they celebrated 4 birthdays, caught incredible fish, played games on a rainday, and just had a great, and much needed, family vacation. They caught 7 lake trout, including Max's and Nick's 2 giants:
And even with 7 people on a boat a couple times, through the heat and the cold, the Celeste crew showed us how its done:
With such longer evenings, guests enjoy time on the docks soaking in that last bit of sunlight:
Week 6 we were able to grill out for potluck; this past week due to rain, we had an indoor potluck with some spectacular food and visiting, and enjoyed a beautiful 4th of July:
The last two week's leaderboard winners:
We had a guest recently Ron Lumsden, who made us some thoughtful gifts. One was a personalized cribbage board (he wanted me to play with him and Jim, but I haven't learned how yet). He, being an engineer, explained all the components and planned every little detail from felt on the bottom to having the deck of cards in their own case and laminated instructions.
The other was a hand-made lamp filled with coffee beans. I remember Ron saying how the lamp could be our sign of redemption when we don't get a chance to go to church on Sundays during camp season.
Well, sadly, Ron passed away the day after he left camp. He didn't quite make it home to Tennessee. Our condolences to his wife Diana, his family, and his fishing buddies Paul, Jim, and Larry on their loss. Ron was already excited about making more cribbage boards for Tall Pines, and was one of those that enjoyed the cabin and potluck activities almost as much as the fishing. We will keep the cribbage board in our library/game room for guests to enjoy for years to come.
As Bob Marley said, Redemption songs are about freedom, and we hope you feel some redemption on the Wabaskang. Til next time )
This Redemption blog is in dedication to Ron Lumsden.