Greetings, Followers.
First I’d like to thank everyone for their kind words and support during this past week. Adjusting to life without Stinky LaRue has been difficult. You’ve all been very sweet and we truly appreciate it.
There’s been a lot going on around here. Fishing two weeks ago was probably the worst we’ve ever seen. Our guests were great, though, and made the best of things. Everyone was finally able to catch something but they really had to work for it. Gruper released a 19″ bass but could not buy a walleye. Perhaps it was due to the previous week’s mayfly hatch(?) Perhaps it was a change in the weather(?) Who knows? May we never see a week like that again!
Last week’s fishing was much better. Weather conditions were awful for fishing–bright, hot, windless, etc., but folks were able to get on all species. Bruce released an 18.5″ smallie. I’ve put his photo and Rhett’s from a few weeks ago on the Conservation Awards page of our website (www.tallpinescamp.com) Bruce and Debbie also got onto perch, especially on Friday, and walleye. Brian’s family did well on perch and northern. Larry and Ruthie found some walleye as well.
We went out today. Water temps on 2nd Lake are at 70. We caught several walleye (I got first and most, Gruper got biggest) in around 15′, though one was at 21′. David and Nora caught walleye yesterday and today. David was here just a few weeks ago with the guys so he may have a slight advantage. However, conditions are significantly different than when he was here last.
Weather everywhere has been wicked this summer. We have been no exception! Last week saw four days near 100 with heat index. It was miserable. We have been as hot and dry as we’ve ever seen. Fire restrictions include no charcoal grilling. There are 100+ fires being fought in NW Ontario as I type. Here’s a shot of a smokey sky last week:
That fire was north of Red Lake! Our guests came in from the Lake because they couldn’t see much of anything. Some said it was difficult to find the narrows leading to Camp. We finally got some rain last night–a welcome shower. We sure could use more.
Hot, dry conditions tend to bring out the animals. A bear did a drive-by visit last Friday night. He got into some garbage, walked along the shore line (Larry didn’t take his picture, though), and walked on some guests’ decks looking for more garbage. He left a couple of deposits
and welcomed Brian’s family in a big way
before moving on. We’ve not seen him since and hope he keeps meandering along.
Four straight days of extreme heat brought out the fun in Brian’s family! Austin and Dad played catch,
went tubing,
and went fishing with Mom
Not satisfied with bear prints on their car, they took a drive and found some night eyes:
belonging to this
Bruce and Debbie LOVE the heat! They enjoy time in Florida and Mexico when they’re not home in Illinois or hanging out at Tall Pines Camp (Bruce enjoys a guy trip every June). They braved the heat and fished up a storm:
They took pictures of babies,
spotted a rare headless goose,
taught everyone in Camp how to make bulldogs from towels,
and considered shearing their sheep
Lucky for the sheep, the weather turned downright cold on Friday. We went from near-naked to fully layered in July!
And that sucks
But seriously folks, I should probably get some work done around here. I have a TON of photos to share with you (thanks to everyone for sending me good stuff). I’ll try to catch up on them next week. Until then, here’s a sunset I caught this week (we had many from which to choose):
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