Vessels

The weather has finally "stabilized" up here, and its been the most pleasant weather of the season. The water temps have stalled in the upper 60's to low 70's; the water level is still about a foot higher than same time last year; weeds are taking longer to emerge; seeing some small mayfly hatches in certain parts of lake system. Overall, guests are catching plenty of species and having fun as you'll see.

Fishermen's vessels on the Wabaskang come in all shapes and sizes. Some have big tanks of a boat with a 150 or even 250HP motor, windshields and consoles, and others have Lund 18' fishing boats with tiller motors. And on the rare occasion you may encounter a small boat on the water- like back in the day using 10HP kickers that the ole-timer Wabaskang fishermen talk about. Some bring their own boat, some rent camp boats...

and yet some (yes that is Ryan and Gerry) like to use the peddleboats:

Many fish two out of a vessel, while some grandkids like to do boat rides with Grandma and Papa to fill the vessel:

Some vessels come with all the bells and whistles,

and some vessels may be looking for a missing electronic:

Some vessels may look like destroyers, some like big canoes, or- as recent Bears Den guest Jeremy prefers- the little canoe.

Regardless of what vessel you use, your goal is the same: to catch fish and create memories. Here's some of our recent guests on their vessels, reaching those goals:

Tucker has been coming with family for about 4 years now, and his passion and enthusiasm for fishing is paying off. He was all over the leaderboard, landing a 36.5" pike and 20" smallmouth:

Lots of small and oversize walleye caught and released over the last several weeks. Mark landed this 26" beauty, while first-timer Trae caught and released some nice ones as well:

Zach sent some pics in from his group's fishing adventures: he landed some nice walleye and smallmouth, while Sam, Brett, Ian, and Holmes caught a mixed bag:

Cabin 6 guys fared pretty well too! John landed the biggest musky of the week at 41"; Tom had some nice smallies, and Craig also got a musky:

From above, the cabin 5 crew of six were back; lots of smallies, pike, and perch caught- and yes Gordon even landed a largemouth bass! Very rare here. They traditionally do shore lunch and this time represented, all sporting their TPC shirts:

Mark, Jeff & Sherry, and Bailey caught lots of walleye, smallies, pike, and were determined to find crappie:

Some random fish pics sent in from Bill, Keegan, Trae, and Caden:

Gerry and Al were back for their 5th year in a row! They had fun on the water for 2 weeks. One calm day they even changed it up and Al caught a walleye fly-fishing:

They even stole Ryan for a few hours of shenanigans:

Mike's group of hockey buddies and fire-house mates always has a fun time on and off the water:

Our "Six-Seven" crew had some good laughs at the docks and camp fish fry amongst all the fishing both on the Wabaskang and also nearby lakes. As group leader Jeremy said- dock fishing with a few drinks and liars dice is always a good way to end the day:

Our recent Eagle's Nest crew had a blast fly-fishing, and loved getting back on the Wabaskang after years since the border shutdown. Here's some of the pics from Jon, Matt, Mike, and Scott:

So the leaderboards for the last three weeks:

More rain taunted us on Wednesdays, but finally skirted around us for potluck. Last year we were on a fireban this time of year, so guests have been enjoying the campfires to go along with the good eats, and we celebrated Shiann's birthday:

Bears Den crew traveling from Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma got real good use of the grill and their fish fryer- southern comfort food galore!

It sounds like there's been a lot of crazy thunderstorms in the midwest this summer. We had one a couple weeks ago that knocked a tree on our power line (thank you Hydro for such a quick response!), and a guest captured this in the aftermath. It brought a smile to our faces to see this rainbow - right over our Tall Pines:

Ever wonder what our camp looks like to the Eagles soaring above us? Brody shared some aerial snapshots that show just how nestled we are in the wilderness:

Wow- thats a lot of photos sent in. As I wrap up, I still try to wrap my head around where we are at and the beautiful surroundings- both in nature and the people around us. The lyrics to Garth Brooks song "The River" ring so true and has been a song we have listened to countless times since our Tall Pines journey began. No matter what your vessel, may you sail it. Sail your vessel. Take those chances, cause you'll never go anywhere if you don't try.

"And I will sail my vessel

'Til the river runs dry

Like a bird upon the wind

These waters are my sky

I'll never reach my destination

If I never try

So I will sail my vessel

'Til the river runs dry"