It's finally happening! We have a date to re-open! August 9th we welcome you back.
This has been an announcement we've been waiting 17 long months for. It is a sigh of relief, a time for a happy dance, a time to do a couple shots, and of course the "Is this for Real?" questions running through our mind. More on border later...
Wabaskang Update: water is extremely low, about 12-16" lower than normal. We'll be marking some boulders in the next couple weeks, and will advise guests on where to watch out for weeds. It is low, but still extremely fishable. We need rain. Lots of it. Quite the contradiction to those in the Midwest where we're hearing there's been too much rain this past month. Fire ban is still on, and we did end up taking a couple cabins of Red Lake evacuees. It wasn't a mandated evacuation, but the breathing conditions got pretty bad up there. We've met some real kind folks who loved it here, even though they didn't fish.
Fishing info:
Fishing mostly 10-13' right now; temps are in mid 70's (77 was highest); water clarity is super clean due to lack of rain and wind.
Lots of fishing research these last two weeks "Ryan's Birthday Week" was successful on the water. He definitely outfished me most days, but he had some work to do to catch up to me from last year, so I let him have his week and enjoyed being his boatmate and netting.
Experimenting with some new tactics and spots has been our theme- we even tried live bait for the first time since '19. We focused on trying to get some bigger walleye in some new areas to us, and we caught good numbers in our go to spots. Here's some of what we got into:
a 26.5" beauty that is the current high that took our breath away
the larger northerns are still aggressive
I love it when the same lure will catch 3 species back to back to back
the perfect fishing weather day produced this 25.5" in one of our new spots
One day I stayed back and Ryan had a field day with walleye in lake 2 as well as landing this muskie in our lake 1!
Below: We are becoming more passionate than ever about catch and releasing ALL walleye over 18". We did bring back these 17 and 17.5" fat eaters and treated our Red Lake evacuees to a fish fry:
As our days to ourselves dwindled, we got out a few times...
Birthday "week" festivities included visiting Whiskey Jack night (Graham and Laura are truly the best!), and cookout with some incredible friends, and the first batch of raspberries and blueberries for his cake
And an afternoon break from fishing was spent island exploring- hiking up to the top of an island and enjoying the perfectly clear water
Earl's back!! He's just as excited to be here as you are all, and he's ready to fillet your fish and greet you at the docks. We had pre-arranged Earl's start date before we knew the border would open, so its been perfect timing; we look forward to having Patsy join us next month as well.
Back to the border...I am reminded of an incredible historical WW2 book I recently read, Ghost Soldiers, about what happened to the soldiers who survived the Bataan Death March but endured captivity under Japanese control for years. When they were finally rescued, the prisoners of war were leery of leaving the prison gates, and thought it was a trap or that they were hallucinating. Their brains had conditioned themselves to that way of life for so long, that they didn't know what to do when they were given the chance to leave. This is in no way a similar comparison of the life and death situation those soldiers faced, but there is a parallel in the mindset. We, as well as many others we've talked to, were initially kind of hesitant to accept that it is real. Month after month we have been told no, and so now, we have to re-condition ourselves of what true freedom is- and live it. Yes, it is true- yes the border is opening August 9th to tourists/visitors. Yes, we are more than ready for you! (Side note: Sadly, Biden's administration did not reciprocate and is continuing the US border closure to visitors. While Americans will be able to return to the US after their fishing trip, Canadians have to wait another month before hopefully being allowed to travel. Hopefully this clears up any confusion on that.)
So, the first thing Ryan wanted to do after getting the announcement that we can open was to hang up all the tackle in our store lol. We've go you covered:
After letting it sink in on Monday, we've been on the phones and emailing this week for hours. There is an instant buzz and positive energy. The feeling of new bookings is incredible after hundreds of cancellations and re-scheduling. Some of you have re-scheduled 3 or 4 times by now, so it is such a relief to finally get back to business.
I've compiled an info sheet that I'm sharing with all our August/Sept. guests (check your email for that on Monday) that will go through the process of getting here- from this "ArriveCan" app/website, to the negative-Covid test, to the minor changes at camp. We apologize for these inconveniences but are relieved that so many of you are willing to do whatever it takes to get back up here. There is also updated info on the website under "border crossing info" with link to official details. As more info comes out, I will continue to update that as well.
We recognize the vaccination issue is controversial and each family needs to make the best decision for them. We are sorry that the border is currently preventing those not vaccinated to cross and hope that restrictions continue to ease over the course of the year. Know that we feel you. We also want to thank those that have prayed for this announcement, those that emailed and messaged support, those that have already called and said- "Get me in- I'm packing my bags" for a last minute trip. Those that are trying to fit it in as I write this. We are so ready to welcome you back with open arms.
Now is the moment for the die-hard fishermen to Carpe Diem. There is room for one more boat on the Wabby, though not gonna lie- we've grown pretty protective of it over the last year and a half of having it to ourselves. If you can do some re-arranging with your schedule, lets make that fall trip happen. If you're concerned that the bite will be different than your usual time of year, don't be. These fish are AGGRESSIVE this year, and Ryan will share some of his spots with you if your usual go-tos aren't producing. Call or email to secure a cabin. For those that can't get here this season, at least you can look forward to seeing other peoples' fodder soon, as I'm sure you've seen our faces enough :)
Opener Week Special:
August 9- 14 (5 nights) arrive as early as you want/can
Cabin only: $400 per adult
Deluxe Package: $475 per adult that includes standard boat/fuel
all upgrades and extras will be regular pricing (i.e. upgraded boat will be additional $100 per person using deluxe package)