Worth the Wait

It seems like forever since the last blog and we may have been just a little preoccupied withour guests over the last several weeks. Immersed in July camp life ourselves, we apologize for making you wait for more pics. But with so so many to share, we hope you'll agree it was worth the wait.

So many guests were waiting 51 weeks to get back to Tall Pines, and some were waiting to experience everything for their very first time. All that anticipation building causes some of you to get antsy, anxious, and even worked up. Some of you pack your gear months in advance and are waiting and waiting and waiting to get to use it. But when you finally get to the Tall Pines Road gravel driveway, and finally get that boat in the water, you can say to yourself It was worth the wait.

And once you're on the water, some fishermen have those times where the fish seem to be jumping in the boat. But more likely, an angler has to play the waiting game. Cast after cast, troll after troll, anchor and pull- anchor and pull, watching the bobber for so long sometimes that you find yourself imagining that it did get pulled under- your mind playing tricks on you. But when you feel that tug on the line and the fight begins, you know it was worth the wait.

Part 1:

Keith and Luann were back and Keith had some bigger fish caught including these lake trout and smallmouth:

Greg returned to Tall Pines after many years and brought his family- they were all quite the fishermen! Dad hadn't lost a beat since he was here long ago, and wife Laura who was a first timer caught on very quickly to the Canada bite. Little Greg is following in Big Greg's footsteps with that drive to fish every chance you get:

Bruce was back again with buddy Ryan and his Dad Warren, and brought along a newbie Scott. Its a wonder they got out fishing amongst all the napping and cabin activities:

But get out they did, and caught lots of dandy fish:

Tony and Linda had some quality Mother-Son time on the water and got into some dandy fish as well:

Alex has been to Tall Pines three years now, and the fish he catches seem to get bigger each year as well:

More potluck and camp life from weeks 7/8/9:

And leaderboard updates:

Part 2:

The July 19th week group already sent in over 300 pics, so to try and narrow it down has been challenging. We had quite the week with this group of customers mixed in with family and friends- we tried to warn Colin what would be in store- but nothing can quite prepare oneself for this kind of week:

The fish:

Brotherly Love:

Ryan's brother Mike came up for his third fishing trip, and boy was he on fire! They got some bro time on the water and had lots of family fun back at camp:

Four sets of multiples this week! These brothers share unique bonds only they quite get:

And non-blood related bro moments of boys getting to be boys. Only a few were clean enough to post:

Father & Son/Daughter Time

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Too!

Bridget's niece Mikayla has grown so much since she came 6 years ago! We had so much fun doing yoga, playing with sparklers, painting, and of course playing with her new toad friends. These girlfriends and my Mom got lots of fishing time on the boat, but also enjoyed walks and sitting with that cocktail enjoying the view.

Camp Fun:

From Coach Paul leading another wiffleball game to fish filleting and fishfry, painting, swimming, and campfires, this was all so worth the wait:

The leaderboard:

Weather/water update:

Little rain has fallen- maybe a couple hours a week- so the water level continues to slowly drop. We're now recommending guests slow down at all the narrows; water temps are hovering around 70 degrees now- warm enough for the kids to take a dip, but cool enough for the fish to be active.

Weather wise, its been a great mix of calm days, some windy days to create that walleye chop, different wind directions, and mostly in the comfortable 70s and a handful in the low 80's. We could count on one hand the humid days, so most guests say thats been refreshing coming from those high heat indexes where most of you are from. We have had some wildfire smoke off and on. Not enough to keep you inside, but definitely enough to create a foggy-looking haze and smell.

Fields have not been bursting with blueberries this year due to the lack of rain. There are pockets of them, but they are quite small compared to the usual ones.

Wrapping it Up:

It was a great week to be up at Tall Pines for all those visiting in July. Ryan, Colin, and I have had so many good laughs, potluck meals, and memories made with those that made the trip. We kind of felt like we were on vacay too, thus thats why I got back logged with pics and have been trying to play catch up this week. You get it- so many of you go through the same thing returning to work after a week up here- maybe you're still playing catch up too. And now, to those that rebooked and have to wait a year to return...don't worry- it'll be worth the wait.