Mid-summer is a great time to think about testing the waters at one of our fabulous lodges or outposts. Contact Krista or Meryl to book a fall fishing trip or moose hunt now. September is a great month to explore the weedy bays of Whitewater Lake for a trophy northern and it's a perfect excuse to get out and enjoy the fall colours.

Fair Weather and Great Fishing

The weather is warm and the fish are biting. As those guests who have stayed with us in the past few weeks know, the fishing has been great! The numbers are not quite like the walleye bite of May or the Northern feeding frenzy in September, none-the-less you will read about big walleye in the Striker's Point report below and the trophy northern pike at Miminiska Lodge in next week's newsletter.

This past week we have found the pike are out feeding off new growth, in deeper holes, near the weed beds. Unlike the pike, the walleye have left their warm spring hideouts and are now established in the cooler deeper waters of their summer homes. Although the humps, sunken islands, sand bars, and under water structures may wreak havoc on your equipment, the reward of a beautiful catch is well worth it - what's fishing without a bit of a game of hide and seek? Other sweet spots for walleye include steep drops and transitions from gravel or rocky to sandy muddy bottoms.

This coming week a few soldiers, with Project Healing Waters, will join us again....this time at Striker's Point. We are looking forward to welcoming the soldiers to Thunder Bay and here at Wilderness North. The mission of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is to assist in the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans. This year's "Healing on Ogoki" starts Tuesday afternoon, July 24th, I will be sharing some of their stories with you in the weeks to come.

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Inc. was established in 2005 by retired Navy Captain Ed Nicholson at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. His passion for the water and combined with partnerships between the Federation of Fly Fishers and the National Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited have allowed the program to grow. Today this program helps facilitate the rehabilitation of veterans from across the United States and, as of 2008, Canada.

We are proud of our involvement with PHW and are pleased to be able to open our doors to these fallen heroes for the fourth year....and grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a beneficial program. I would like to personally thank all of our guests and community partners who have so generously contributed to Project Healing Waters and helped ensure this event continues to be successful. If you would like to contribute to this worthwhile cause, send me an email.

Keep in touch,

Reports From the Wilderness

The Miles party from Thunder Bay thoroughly enjoyed their first time here at Strikers Point Lodge. The couple enjoyed some amazing fishing and great shore lunches with their new friends from the Weber party. The Miles's had a blast catching some fair sized pike and walleye.

Lady Luck seemed to be on the side of the Weber party as Doc Syers reeled in a beautiful 30in walleye in the eddies down river from Strikers. Like a true master of his craft, the Doc kept his fishing secrets to himself but thankfully shared the photo included in the left of the header. The Weber party also managed to catch a rock bass of all things.

Although not native to the area, rock bass have managed to occasionally surprise our avid anglers every now and again. Zach Huffman, for example, caught the unusual specimen while fishing off the rocks on "shore lunch" island one sunny afternoon in mid-July of 2008...

Since we seem to be heading down the path of nostalgia it might be a great time to enjoy a ...

Blast From the Past 

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On July 16th 2008, Jim Gray from Meaford Ontario shocked the angling world by reeling in a 36in pike from the pencil weeds by using......wait for it......a piece of a chocolate chip cookie -apparently cookie monsters also live in the waters near Miminiska lodge, who knew?

That same week, 13 year old Anna-May Modruson from Glen Ellyn IL, obviously a descendant from a long line of master anglers, managed to land the biggest catch of the week at Mim with a gorgeous 40in pike.

Tim Crane and Al Taylor caught some nice "trophies" out at Strikers with a 26in and a 24in walleye, both taken on jigs

Ending off that week in 2008, Dallas Bergl, CEO of Inova Federal Credit Unions helped kick off our first Project Healing Waters event with a generous donation of $5000.00 and a large cheque for all the soldiers to sign

During the week of July 23rd 2008, Brad Robinson received more than he bargained for out at Zig Zag. Brad earned his Master Angler status for both pike and walleye, and was rewarded with a celebratory dinner served by a bear.

Krista's Corner
 

Simpler is sometimes better...

It's hard to believe we are half way through July already -Where does the time go? This past weekend Alan and I took an opportunity to enjoy a little time off and regroup. We loaded up the mountain bikes and kayaks and headed east to our favourite bed and breakfast, Rossport's Island Shores B&B. Rossport, ON is nestled in a sheltered bay about 2hrs east of Thunder Bay on Hwy 17 along the north shore of Lake Superior. Well known for its quaintness, the Village of Rossport boasts several B & B's, a gift shop, and the Serendipity restaurant locally referred to as the "Dip". It has become an annual tradition of ours to escape there and just take some time to enjoy life. This year we decided to try our hand at sea kayaking. It is safe to say we are by no means kayaking experts, but we managed to get out for a few hours and survive the adventure.

The "Dip" is open daily for lunch and dinner and is a must for anyone visiting the beautiful Village of Rossport. Serendipity is famous for their generous portions of perfectly cooked prime rib, and of course fresh local lake trout. After enjoying another great meal at the "Dip", it got me thinking about this week's edition of Krista's Corner.

Often, when we are preparing food, we are too concerned about what we are dressing it with. Take fish for example, there are hundreds of batters, dry mixes, seasonings etc. that we can coat our shore lunch fish with; Cajun, Buffalo, Italian, you name it, it is out there. Too often we lose sight of what we are eating and worry more about the bells and whistles accompanying it. Remember, the fish is the star of the meal. Instead of seasoning it to death, it can be simply seasoned with salt & pepper and rolled in cornflake crumbs (see recipe below). This is what I appreciate when eating at the Dip; you are tasting the fish-fresh and delicious.

Something to keep in mind, next time you are having your shore lunch, or just enjoying a fish meal at home. Thanks to those who sent me in fish recipes this past week, keep them coming!