May ’26 Fishing Report…

Big fish, burlap sacks & the cabin mystery solved!

It seems it’s a recurring theme, but it has to be said that “opening week is not for pussies!“ Plenty of firewood was used in the lodge during the week with the occasional snow periods and general dismal conditions. A couple years back we decided no more opening week except for those hardy enough to withstand weather extremes. A private club where folks are screened before admittance…

Plenty of small fish with assorted salads were available for those brave enough to tough out the weather….

Susanne seemed to have the touch though with some of the bigger fish……..

A 24 inch walleye and a nice 38 inch pike.

Bill Natkin and a decent opening week walleye…

…….an interesting looking pike..

Winter wear was the fashion of the week…

Conditions improved towards the end of week one, while fishing was sporatic, the trout were shallow and feisty.

Week two took a turn with warming temperatures into the 80’s!

A very nice Eagle Lake trout, still shallow and roaming the back bays……Nice fish Rene!

Rene was on fire with 29 inch walleye!

Craig and Ray were locating some walleye as well……..here Craig showing off the “Joe Bucher pose”.(crossed arm hold).

Brad with a future lunker. This picture reminds me of why smoking and wearing underwear on your head can create self esteem issues.

Here’s a better look for Brad……..a nice pike to remember the trip by…..

….and a nice bass too!

Speaking of bass here’s Ray with a dandy.

How about that John Bailey……83 and double fisting the fish.

Here John outdoes himself by catching the biggest northern of the week…..estimated 43 inch plus…..a real fatty to boot!

John’s partner Craig was keeping busy netting John’s fish and battling a few of his own as well.

Jon Vanator taking “Fish, Relax, Unwind” to a new level….

Relaxed, but still able to show off the biggest walleye of the week…..a personal best at 31 inches!

….this one deserves another pose with a different presentation.

So let’s take a break from fish pictures…..

I was reflecting on the history of burlap sacks and fishing lodges in our area….

Long before the advent of live wells and bigger camp boats, most cooler space in lodge boats was dedicated to an ample supply of stubby beer bottles, which seemed appropriate at the time (not recommended today!) The preferred fish handling method was the damp burlap sack…..a surprisingly effective way to keep fish cool. Even today I stock a few of these for my own quick trips out, or when folk want to do some portaging. Why Gord are you thinking of burlap sacks? Not sure, but that’s how my brain works, now back to the last week of May fishing. Our lone “new group”, the Villarreal gang put in a good effort……with Rene being the star. Some of the 80 degree days with glass like water was challenging but here’s some of the results…….

It’s always tough to start out on new waters with rapidly changing water temperatures and conditions. Putting in the time is always a good strategy! Here’s some of the other highlights from last week……

Over 40 inch pike seemed to be in the mood perhaps because of the water temperature and a late spawning year?

Whatever the reason, some of the younger guys had them dialed in……

….as well as the not so young.

…now he’s just showing off.

Disclaimer: When I do a post like this, firstly thank you to all the guests who provided me with their photos and feedback…….I do feel like “is this a realistic representation of the fishing?”. Well it is the actual pictures, there’s no denying that, but even with the great shots of dandy fish people need to realize that there were plenty of times that the fish just didn’t cooperate. There was some hard work and effort put into being at the right place at the right time…………speaking of hard work……….

The cleaning crew which you seldom see……..L to R……Mary, Susanne, Heather and Leanne.

So what’s with the cabin mystery?

Over the years I’ve mentioned to many guests that some or all of the log cabins here originally were located on an island in the very west end of the lake. Some of you may have boated that far and seen that there is still a log cabin located on that island…….near Buzzard Falls. Well this week a fellow dropped by for a visit and cleared up this bit of history for me……

Here’s Ray Neilsen who back in 1953 worked for the original owner Arnie Bratland, of what was then known as Little Norway Camp. In the winter of 1953 Ray and Arnie moved what is now cabin 3 from the island over the ice to it’s present location. The cabin was jacked up and set on two boom logs, which were cross braced, winched off the island onto the ice and towed with a Jeep to VBL. There it was winched up the hill and set in place. Ray, who came from Denmark when he was 19, is a retired teacher who now lives in Dryden. It was great to finally get some of these facts straight….thank you Ray!

Anyways, another May is added to the books. Water temperatures have soared and my impression is the fishing is really ramping up…….I think the coming week will be a good one. One downside is the blackflies and now mosquitos are coming out of hiding. We will survive……..stay tuned!

Lilly says hello……….