After two years of flying in for MY Canadian fishing trip (haha), I returned to a boat-in camp for this year’s trip. Trust me when I say that there was NO ONE happier than me to see Wabaskang Lake completely ice free when I arrived here last Wednesday, May 6th. As usual, there were some minor snafus (boat trailer tire was flat again this year), but otherwise it was a smooth ride out to camp with enough time to get the power on and get settled before some rain moved in. Perfect timing!
Mel and Karen arrived the next day, so I got them picked up and moved into camp (again just before some rain showers hit). Overall, camp weathered winter very well, a few small signs of some damage here and there but thankfully nothing major. We went right to work and had our water up and running, docks back in the water and boats done in a few short days. The permanent dock in front of the motor did require a little bit of repair and the “wing” where the big boats are moored is going to require some attention too, but I have been holding off on that project for a little better weather day as the past couple of days here have been cold, windy, and wet.
Some things you might be interested in: The lake water temperature on Sunday when I checked it was 43 degrees and with some sunshine in the forecast again between now and Saturday, I would guess that opening week guests in the camps on Wabby will be fishing water in the mid to upper 40’s. Not bad for opening week and should result in some fairly aggressive walleye and of course pike. You may have been hearing across other on-line forums that the water levels across NW Ontario are low. This is no rumor as the water here on Wabaskang is down significantly from our high water levels most of last year. That said, I have seen it much lower here, but we are hopeful for some spring rains to give us a little more water to work with. Gas in Dryden when I went through on Wednesday last week was $.96 a liter compared with $1.36 when I went home last fall. Everyone is happy about that, as are they about the returning strength of the US dollar which has been hovering around $1.20 Canadian now for the past couple of weeks.
We still have cabins open for the opener so it’s never to late to call up and get in on what looks to be a great opening week on Wabaskang Lake at Bear Claw Camp. Looking forward to seeing everyone throughout the course of the 2015 season. We’ll be in touch!