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Week One
Group One
One Master Angler
Jenness Party May 2010
That's Gerry Gienger of Waterloo, Iowa holding his 27 inch Master Angler Walleye in the photo just above. The top photo is the Jenness party, the first official group of 2010  to ZigZag Lake. 

The group caught lots of walleye and pike - one pike at 39 inches just one inch short of the Pike Master Angler class.

Gerry also had a scale in the boat and reported the trophy walleye  weighed in at 7.2 pounds. He released the fish alive and scored another Master Angler Pin.

Last year Gerry also had a big walleye. 

He says he doesn't catch the most fish, but he does catch the biggest:)

 His secret is a slow deep presentation of a jig and yellow twister tail.

Congrats Gerry...see you in 2011.

Ontario Outdoors Card
Canadian Outdoor Card
It was new for 2009. The Ontario Outdoors Card. Together with your fishing license - it's now the law of the land.

The card is good for 3 years and will cost you about $9 USD.

If you purchased an Outdoor Card last year and have lost it, you will need to purchase a new one, since every license must now have an Ontario Outdoor Card number on it.

 More information about these cards is available by clicking here or by listening to our podcast with the MNR officials.



 
First Week And First Trophy In The Books for 2010!
...by Alan CheesemanAlan2009YCX

Canadian Flag 

With the same determination that keeps them coming back each early spring, the Jenness party, of Waterloo, Iowa,  took on the hot weather and very low water levels at Zig Zag this past week,  and came back with success stories and our first official WALLEYE MASTER ANGLER of the 2010 season. (See sidebar on the left.)

They remembered last year and shivering in their boats, compared to the 30+ degree (c) temps and wild spring storms that were part of this year's adventure. The lower lake levels meant cautious boat operation and helped to concentrate the fish. They reported both large numbers and one very big walleye. 

This "concentrated fishing" idea was mentioned to me just a few days ago as Eli Baxter, now beginning his 40th year of guiding on the Albany River told me, "This could be the best year of fishing in a decade...I like the low water. I drive the boats slower - I get more fish." Eli is a man a few words and you can meet him at our Makokibatan Lodge.

So the Jenness Party more or less proved his prediction.

Rest assured our Wilderness North team can and will meet the challenge of launching boats and welcoming airplanes in the low water world. Right now the season is off to a good start. 

I always value your comments and questions. Send them to me by clicking here or call at 888 465 3474.

Alan


Trophy?...Let Me Tell You
About Mine & Potentially Yours

  
...by Joe Pichey
Joe Pichey Trophy Pike
This past January, I met a couple of guys at the Chicago All Canada Show who create replica game fishing trophies.  They are from Hawick, Minnesota.

Well I was still feeling the warm afterglow of catching my 47.5 inch Pike up at Whitewater Lake last summer, so I had to wipe the drool from my chin as I looked at their work: in a word - fantastic.

So I said, OKAY let's make one and placed my order.  Well, I was wowed again this past week on my way to base camp when I picked up my very own replica.

The idea of the replica fits into our support of "catch and release" angling. The big fish is still out there and I have the true to life memory for my wall.

So here we are on week one of our fishing reports...and already a trophy Master Angler in the books...so I thought I would share the contact with you.

The company is Perma Trophy and their specialty is game fish replicas. Click here for their website.

I love hearing from you and will be meeting many of you this summer as you have your adventure here in the boreal forest of Northwestern Ontario... or you can e-mail me. I always love to chat about fishing.
 

Joe
This Crazy Weather...Part One
...by Graham Saunders
Saunders w/Logo
By now most of you know that we had a very "low snow - almost NO snow" winter. Often the spring rain makes up for the lack of moisture. Not this year.


Technically it is still spring, however another week of summer-like conditions prevailed around Lake Nipigon and the Albany/Ogoki River systems. Thunderstorms in the last two days caused a few more forest fires, but showers in some locations reduced fire danger to moderate. Elsewhere, the hazard remains extreme. There was some hail associated with these storms, and straight line winds actually did some minor damage to cabins on Ogoki Lake. The chance of more seasonable temperatures and conditions is pretty good as we move toward the weekend.

Forecast
Temperatures in the mid to high 80s (f)through Thursday.  Light winds generally; however potential strong and gusty winds associated with thunderstorms may occur.
Mainly sunny and somewhat cooler (70s f) in the following days with occasional cloud and brief afternoon showers likely.

Low water levels
Northern lakes and river levels are well below seasonal averages. Record low snow amounts during the winter did not "recharge" waterways and this has been compounded by less rainfall than normal in recent weeks. Lake Nipigon is three feet below its usual level in late May. Some other smaller lakes are four to nine feet below average. Abnormally dry conditions are expected to persist during the next two weeks.


Wilderness North Weatherman Graham Saunders teaches meterology at Lakehead University and writes weather columns for The Thunder Bay Chronicle.