It would have been a great week for kite flying or windsurfing. There is no way to paint the picture other than conditions were tough, an arctic cold front came sweeping down to chill the water and with it came the wind…. lots of wind. The 25 intrepid anglers gave it their all, casting, trolling and jigging up catches under close direction from our guide team. This is where a professional team of guides really shines, prime conditions and easy fishing, can make anyone look good at the tiller, what sets our group apart is their ability to produce when things get tough. Day 1 (the nice day!) showed a promising start to the week with 23 “overs” hitting the nets, pike were shallow and soaking up the sun, Lakers were ready biters down deep and gave the lucky guests a work out. Joe Velas led the pike charge on the first day with a giant 45” pike, caught while fishing with his long-time guide Biff. The sunny skies unfortunately didn’t last into the next few days. Big fish were hard to come by but the crew worked tirelessly to make great days out of nothing.

Everyone caught fish, bears and moose were sighted and even in one case decided to join shore lunch with Nuggs and his anglers Pete and Pat. The trio decided lunch was best shared from the comfort of the boat while the bruin ate his share on the beach. Through the wind and waves some big fish came to the net. Jon Wolfe was the lone Trophy Triple recipient, hitting the mark with a 41” pike, a 35.5” lake trout and a beauty 17.5” grayling. Jon and Warren Sekino enjoyed some phenomenal grayling fishing on the Dubwant River with guide Cory under sunny skies on day 5.

Now in the midst of trout season, the guides have their sights set on these denizens of the deep. On day 4 Paul Hamilton put his guests on some giants, Mike Rosenberg was forced to release a beauty 38” with little fanfare because his boat mate Ralph Russell had something serious on the line. Ralph battled, gained line, lost some and eventually brought to net a MAMMOTH 44x 26.5” trout. The trout crew got some great photos and sent her back to be enjoyed by another angler. Day 4 also had the lodge hit a milestone for the year. Ken Williamson Sr. was kind enough to land our 1000th trophy for 2017, a 41.5” northern pike. Halfway through the season and 1000 pike, trout and grayling exceeded our trophy specs. A job well done by both the guides and anglers.

As we move into the second half of the season it is exciting to wonder what is in store for the anglers in July and August. The cold weather should keep some big fish shallow, stay tuned for next week’s report. Better yet, come visit us and see things first hand!