Well we officially wrapped up the '24 season with out last round of fisherman and grouse hunters- wow. What a season. This past week has provided time to take a deep breath and let it sink in. This sunset pic was taken on Sept. 28th- our first Saturday since May 18th where we weren't welcoming a new round of campers. We took advantage of it by taking to the Wabaskang until the lights went down.
Our last weeks of guests were fortunate to have some extremely pleasant weather, and the fishing "picked up" the last couple weeks with numerous groups limiting out on walleye. Lots of big smallies, crappie, perch, the occasional whitefish, and the usual pike fest. Definitely not a boring time of year to be up here. Still tons of 10" walleye being caught including this one I reeled in:
Jason fished for 4 days and caught and released plenty of fish including these thick walleye:
Owner of Wine Lake Camp has been dying to fish the Wabaskang all year; for once he was able to hit the water with Ryan and enjoy a day out:
Terry Michaels came up with son Nathan, and they caught multiple species, but this bad boy muskie topped the cake for them:
Nathan says this one is for "Ole Biddy" (his Grandma Suzie who was up here earlier this year)
Look at that gorgeous walleye!
And smallies too!
Byron, new to Tall Pines this year, had a blast fishing with buddies all day and then hanging around the campfire, in the fishhouse, and on their cabin 3 deck in the evenings:
Tom Sullivan brought his two brothers along this year and caught ant released a lot of nice fish including this 36" northern:
One of his brothers, Jim, who had never been to Tall Pines before, had some beginners luck with this big 27" walleye:
Some pics that were sent in after the last blog, Eric returned for a second trip this year; this time he brought his sweet daughter Emily with to experience what he loves about being up here. They did not disappoint:
Danny brought his wife and daughter up for their first time at Tall Pines and they had fun learning the lake; Rachel was a hoot:
And of course, Ryan loves the fall fishing bite, so he snuck out there a couple times:
The final week I made a breakfast for guests to give them sustanance for a full day on the water:
Earl's last couple days, he was still needed quite a bit for dock duty, and assisted Ryan with some dock repair (that is still ongoing)
Please keep Earl and his family in your prayers. Earl, Patsy, and the grandkids were in a car accident while visiting daughter/family near the Winnipeg area. He's bruised quite a bit and sore, the kids and Patsy had minor pains, and their car is totaled. So they are looking into transportation home and recovering a bit before making the long 5 day drive home.
And the final two leaderboards of the season:
A touch of relaxation thrown in the mix of shutdown week:
A toast to celebrating all of you who made this season such a fulfilling one.
One of our first "free days" we road tripped it to International Falls to pick up supplies for more projects. (Contrary to what some may believe, there are no lumber yards and hardware stores close by for a one stop shop). It was quite the undertaking, but we stayed overnight at the Cantiliver Boutique Hotel and that made it into a fun trip. (Another overnight option that is worth looking into- though parking lot is a little tight if you are pulling a boat, so I'd recommend only for couples that are renting one of our boats, and want more of a "high-end" stay)
Back at camp, the leaves are falling, the temps have dropped, the grouse are more easily seen, and life is good...
Last fall Ryan was voted in as President of the Perrault Falls Adventure Area/ Cedar River Watershed Association. So this year we hosted the annual meeting to discuss policy and philosophy of our membership guidelines of releasing breeders and mature fish with the Ministry of Natural Resources. Though there is still lots of work to do, it was a productive meeting and we appreciate so much all those that have embraced this- both from other camp owners and locals to all the tourist fishermen- You can read more about the practices and vision here.
We'll be sticking around for awhile, so look for 1 more blog. Til then, enjoy the fall everyone.