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Bait Suggestions For Your Next Great Catch:
orange jigheads
yellow twister tails
black bucktail
flicker shad crankbait | |
sculpin fly
punk rocker fly (PHW)
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Krista's Recipe of the Week: |  | |
Striker's Famous Seafood Chowder
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive oil
4 oz bacon, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1 tbsp garlic
2 lbs fresh mixed fish (walleye, and pike)
*shrimp, and 1 can wild sockeye salmon can also be used*
3 red potatoes cubbed
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup white wine
8 cups 2% milk
Freshly chopped chives
pinch of chili flakes
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Heat butter and oil in large skillet. Add bacon, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook on medium high, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 min or until onions are soft. Add in seafood
2. Deglaze the meat and vegetable mixture with white wine. Let the wine cook out for a bit while you enjoy a glass yourself.
3. Add water, potatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 30 min or until potatoes are cooked and liquid has reduced by ¾.
4. Add milk, season with salt & pepper and chili flakes. Reduce again until chowder reaches desired thickness
Enjoy!
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Great Fishing and Large Catches...
What About Next Year?
With so much great fishing already under our belts this summer and more still to come, the question that might come to mind is, will it always be this good? The short stereo typical answer is, it's called fishing JI thought this would be a good time to touch on a bit of science to help answer that question, and understand how year class and environmental characteristics play a role in the great fishing we are experiencing.
Year class strengths indicate how successful spawning was in a particular year. The higher the number, the greater percentage of young of the year (or fry) were able to survive. In 2002 for example, yearlings made up for 20% of the Fall Walleye Index Net Catch (FWIN) at one of our local lakes. This means that 2001 was a very successful year for fry. Some of you may be wondering what 2001 has to do with 2012 or 2013. I know it seems like a while ago, but when you consider the average walleye takes 5-8 years to mature and close to 20 years to reach full size it is important.....I didn't realize they get that old! So having a successful year in 2001-2002 means a greater chance for bigger fish in the future.
As with many species, surviving the first year is only half the battle in the life of a walleye. There are other factors such as temperature, water quality, and availability of food that impacts a walleye's chances of reaching maturity. Luckily for our guests, Northern Ontario has the ideal conditions required for walleye: moderate temperatures, an abundance of clean fresh water, and plenty of natural food. The optimal temperature for walleye growth is 18-22°C much like the average summer temperatures for our lakes on the Ogoki and Albany watersheds. Spawning occurs in water temperatures between 5-8°C and requires well oxygenated water with low to moderate currents. The deep cool waters and moderate temperatures of Northern Ontario also support a wide variety of food sources, from insects like burrowing mayflies to bait fish such as sculpin and yellow perch, creating the perfect habitat. The ideal walleye habitat also creates the ideal environment for northern pike.
As some of our guests found out at Striker's this past week, where there are big walleye you will find big northerns lurking close behind, waiting for the right moment to strike. Thanks to responsible conservation fishing practices carried out by our guests, the likelihood of anglers continuing to land trophy walleye and northerns at "our lakes" for many years to come is quite high. The rest is up to you J
Congrats to a fresh class of master anglers, and, as always, it's nice to hear from you!
Keep in touch, | |
 Alan Cheeseman, President Wilderness North Ontario, Canada
1-888-465-3474 (F-I-S-H)
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Reports From the Wilderness
Striker's Point Lodge... Never a dull moment
Fishing at Strikers has never been better, with many of the groups reeling in large catches before lunch and landing some beautiful master anglers. This past week at strikers we had a change from the usual groups and entertained several guest from China. For most of them, it was their first time fishing, and their first time staying at a Canadian fly-in fishing resort. We topped off their list of firsts with a shore lunch around nice campfire where they had their first taste of roasted marshmallow. What a wonderful privilege to be able to offer an authentic Ontario wilderness experience to overseas visitors.
Towards the end of their stay, we also welcomed the Wenzel brothers, Dick & Doug, along with the Brosted father and son duo. Eric's 12 yr old son thoroughly enjoyed his first trip to Canada, and is already hinting to his dad about planning their next venture north. The action the two experienced this trip will be hard to beat -thanks to Deb and Butch for making this trip so memorable.
The Wenzel's found a sweet spot off the left side of the point going into the river. Using orange jigheads with yellow twister-tails in 20 ft of water they caught a 26in walleye in the morning, and came back that evening to land a nice 29.5 incher (header pic).
The Wenzels and Brosteds gave way to the Bergstrom party who continued on the trend of excellent fishing. Chris Dimmer from the Bergstrom party caught a 41+in pike on a black bucktail in 6 ft of water off the coast of Best Island. Aside from great fishing, the Bergstrom party was also granted with a spectacular display of pristine Ontario wilderness as they witnessed a bear and caribou swimming across the narrows. For a big animal, bears are surprisingly fast swimmers -must be all that great fish in the water.
The Bergstrom's were followed by the Renninger's and our newest arrivals; the Hendry's and friends, who make up the 31 Inc. team. The Renninger Party took full advantage of their trip to Strikers and thoroughly enjoyed their stay at our first rate facility. Despite having some nasty weather there was not one bad day of the trip and they fished every day. Larry, the early riser of the group, got up each morning at 4 a.m. to enjoy the scenic wilderness over a fresh cup of coffee and plan the days fishing. His morning ritual paid off as both he and Keith caught their largest pikes ever in their many years of fishing. Keith landed his master angler jigging with a worm, while Larry reeled in his using a walleye... well, while reeling in a walleye his 40in pike jumped out of the water and latched on with a death grip. Two for the price of one! ...or so the story goes.
The 31 Inc. team of 8 got off to a great start with Monte Doerr reeling in a 42in Northern on Tuesday just before supper in 18ft of water with flicker shad crankbait on 10 lb test line -What a beaut! Billy followed soon after, landing another magnificent 42in northern on Wednesday. With two master anglers already these boys are off to a good start. If this hot streak keeps up, next week's fishing report should be a good one.
Action returns to Zig Zag
Although absent from the fishing reports for some time, Zig Zag continues to be a site for spectacular fishing for those willing to "rough it" at our Outpost Camps. The Peaster party had a blast fishing for both walleye and pike, landing several walleye measuring over 27in and earning multiple master angler pins. Mike was lucky enough to reel in two northerns measuring 38.5 and 40.5in on Johnson Silver Minnow "Five of Diamonds", just enough to secure his 3rd master angler of the trip. The walleye were caught on purple jigs with leeches. Congrats on some awesome catches boys.
The Perona's take over Miminiska Lodge
Travelling from Peru IL with 8 passengers each, two Wasaya Pilatus aircraft circled the 2500 ft. grass landing strip in the heavy rain before landing at Miminiska for the annual Perona family& friends fishing trip. The Perona's have been coming to Miminiska for fifteen plus years, making the journey north from La Salle, IL and surrounding areas. Dr. Paul, Paul Sr., Paul Jr, PJ, Uncle Rich, Father Paul, and the rest of their family & friends came to Mim to not only share their love of fishing but also a wonderful faith. On Saturday at 5 pm, Fr. Paul celebrated Mass in Cabin 2, where they all gathered to give thanks for life. Starting the trip off with mass proved to be a good omen as the fishing was outstanding! Hitting all the great spots from "walleye mine" to the "honey hole", the Perona's caught enough to enjoy amazing shore lunches every day with Dan and Jake -Fresh fish at its best! Amidst all the great fishing, Father Paul landed a 40in Pike on a jig, receiving both his master angler pin and the annual Perona award. Congrats Father! A friend of the family, John got lucky his first time out at Mim reeling in the "Catch of the Day"... an 8in rubber boot. We always enjoy the fun times brought by the Perona group and look forward to seeing them again.
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Krista's Corner
Now chowder is a great must have on any rainy day or cooler evening, but with this heat we have been experiencing, who wants hot soup? As the temperatures continue to reach their record highs, I find myself escaping the kitchen and using the grill more and more. We have grilled a lot of things this summer...steaks, potatoes, veggies, flat bread...you name it. So what goes good with a perfectly grilled steak? ...You got it, a nice red wine! This past week Alan and I had company over for supper and I decided to grill some steaks and the works (veggies grilled with roasted garlic & pepper seasoning, salt & pepper, and a touch of olive oil). Not being one to miss an opportunity to be a good hostess, I went out to get a bottle of wine to go with the meal and found this week's find. Zig Zag Zin. I originally bought it because of the name, it sounded fun, but it turned out to be quite good. The zinfandel went nicely with a seasoned steak-grilled with fresh cracked black pepper, and pink sea salt. | |
Happy Cooking!
Krista |
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Scott's Words of Wisdom
 Changing Colours, Changing Tactics
As August progresses, brook trout begin to transform into their full spawning colors. Male brook trout display the most vivid red bellies, dark backs, and brilliant spots. They also develop a kype (pointed and curved lower jaw) much like salmon. During this period I find streamers that incorporate orange and red, as well as some gold flash, trigger aggressive takes from brook trout.
A little secret about brook trout fishing: When you first cast into a pool or run, expect the best fish in the pool to strike first. You will likely have good action in that piece of water for several casts. Often after you've hooked two or three fish the activity seems to wane. Don't move on just yet. Try switching streamer patterns to a totally different color scheme. You'll likely catch one or two more trout.
Changing colors can often be a game saver for all species of fish. I've had days where I just couldn't seem to get a hook up - assuming that the fish were just not active. Then in a moment of clarity I switched fly patterns and next thing you know I was netting a nice fish.
On a recent trip to Makokibatan Lodge on the Albany River, I was again reminded of the importance of changing colors. Two gentlemen from Alabama were my guests and they were learning how to fly fish. They had hooked several nice brook trout. Then the action seemed to take a plunge. But another two boats with guests that were very experienced fly anglers seemed to be doing much better. I assumed that their experience was the reason for their continued success.
Back at the lodge I chatted with these fellows at supper time and discovered that they were having great success on any streamer pattern that was black. This seemed counterintuitive to me as the Albany is the color of black coffee. But when I thought about it more I realized that a lot of the food sources in the river -leeches, baitfish, stonefly nymphs and sculpins - were primarily black in color.
So two lessons here: Never make assumptions, and always think outside the box when it comes to colors. This methodology applies not only to fly fishing but spin fishing as well.
Hope you enjoy the rest of this great summer.
Tight Lines!
Scott Earl-Smith |
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Ontario Weather - Graham Saunders
Beyond the "Dog Days of Summer"
The hot and humid weather that sometimes occurs at this time of the year is often called the "Dog Days of Summer". The expression dates back to ancient Egyptian and classical Greek civilizations who believed the seasonal appearance of the brightest star, Sirius, brought additional heat to their daily weather.
The thinking behind this mythology is different now, but the expression lives on. This past week featured several warm and sunny days but cooler nights which resulted in easy sleeping, and paled in comparison to the temperatures of July. July was the warmest month on record for much of the Northwest region in about a century of instrument data collection. August can still feature very warm temperatures, especially during the first half of the month.
A ridge of high pressure will determine most weather features in the coming week for those fishing on the Okogi and Albany River systems. Mainly clear skies with some later afternoon cloud buildup are likely. Temperatures will reach 23 to 26º C(mid-70's) during the afternoons but cool off overnight to around 10º C(50º C).
So, the "Dog days" of summer are in the past, but the dry conditions for at least the next week may raise some concerns about fires in those dry forests. Extra caution is advised when planning campfires.
Wilderness North Weatherman Graham Saunders teaches weather at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, and writes a weather column for the Thunder Bay Chronicle. |
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