As any angler knows, controlling the uncontrollable is a lot like trying to catch fish on dry land… IT AIN’T GOING TO HAPPEN! So last week when Wednesday brought our 6th straight day of high winds and rain, the new guests in camp were, understandably, getting a little restless. It was hard to believe the record breaking rains and flooding that was happening in Thunder Bay and throughout Northwest Ontario. It was ugly and there ain’t no candy coating it! When things finally broke, there was fire burning in the tire tracks of anglers getting out to the lakes.
Despite the weather, I always look for the silver lining in any bad situation. 2012 marked the 3rd year in a row for the Nuss group from Iowa. Having stumbled on to us back in 2009, Ken and Gary have made Pasha Lake Cabins their home away from home. In fact, they plan two trips every year, one in the spring and one in the fall. What really makes these guys unique is that they downright shun walleyes in a relentless pursuit of trophy pike. These guys are so serious about pike fishing that they spend all winter hand carving their own lures. Serious anglers is an understatement!
Knowing this, when I saw their vehicle parked in front of their cabin on Tuesday, I was floored. Weather had kept these hardcore gator chasers beached in their cabin. That’s the equivalent to Tiger Woods not playing golf. Michael Jordan not being able to play basketball. James Holst not fishing…. but they weren’t held at bay too long. By week’s end, they had boated some respectable trophies and over 150 pike on Onaman alone.
Conditions after that cold rain last week dropped our surface temps a little, resulting in loose schools of walleyes, but an ever increasing good pike bite. People who found success, didn’t hang out in one area too long. I call it “stick and move”. Also, Lake Nipigon Brook Trout fishing is through the roof and I am getting sketchy reports of Lake trout surface feeding on bugs. I saw a nice 20lbs’er when we were coming off the lake on Friday. Also, Friday was a Pasha Lake Cabins record breaking day, it included 2 trout doubles and an absolutely gorgeous 22.5 incher that will be forever displayed in one of our guests man cave.
Looking forward, if the weather man is right (clear my throat) we are suppose to have consistently good weather this week. That should bring those walleyes into a predictable pattern. And since Onaman opened on June 1st, I am sure to be posting those Kodak moments of walleye hogs that lake is famous for.
Until next time…