Smoke on the water, fish in the cooler....

It remains brutally dry here in NW Ontario, with another 20 fires reported just the other day alone, bringing the active fire total to 140 in the Northwest Region. Most of the activity is well north of us, so when the winds shift from the N or any variation thereof, we are seeing lots of smoke. We continue to be in desperate need of rain and hope we start getting some soon.

Smoke on the water the evening of August 2

On a brighter note, perhaps the smoke has made it easier for guests to "sneek up" on the fish, as fishing continues to be excellent for all species. First timers, veterans, pro's, novice it really hasn't mattered. Even the perch, which some guests have struggled to find, were no match for Norm's crew as they got about 130 of them in two days when they weren't limiting out on walleye that is. Here is a picture of the smaller days catch.



Persistence pays off!

  August and September, if at all like the norm, should continue to provide some excellent multi species fishing with bigger walleye becoming more common again too. That trend seems on the rise also, as many guests have released walleyes 20-25" in the past couple of weeks.

We will begin our bear baiting soon for our first hunters this year that will be arriving September 3rd. With all the heat this year I realize more than ever why we don't start our hunts until September. With it being so warm and dry this year the blueberry crop is very thin and that should lead to a very productive bear hunting season for us this year.

I can also tell that July is over as the big smallmouth that were hanging under the docks all month have now seemed to move on. It sure is fun catching and releasing these hogs while it lasts. I will leave you with a picture of Allison with one of the last one's caught before they moved on.

Allison Peffley with one of many smallmouth she caught this summer from the docks

Until next time, good fishing!

Vermilion Bay Dining Options

Since the Village Corner burned last fall, and with no plan to rebuild in the near future, dining options have become even more limited in Vermilion Bay for those guests who are looking to grab a quick breakfast or lunch/dinner on their way up or on the way home. Busters Barbeque (just west of the junction of Hwy's 17 & 105 about a mile and just past Bobby's Corner) is now open for breakfast. Because of limited space and high demand we recommend calling in advance to make a reservation for any meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner). You can reach Busters at 807-227-5256 to make a reservation.

Restricted Fire Zone

For those guests who will be staying with us from July 16 and later, you should be aware that as of July 16 our area was designated by the MNR as part of a restricted fire zone. This means that no open fires are permissable for any reason. There are currently 92 active fires in the province.

Shore lunches over a camp stove are still allowable, so if you are planning to shore lunch during your stay, we suggest you bring a portable cook stove. How long this fire restriction lasts is indefinite, pending a change in the extremely hot and dry weather NW Ontario has been experiencing. Please e mail us in advance of your trip if you would like additional information or reference the MNR's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services webpage at http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/268862.html

Kids Rule-the week of July 2nd at Peffley's Camp

What an awesome week in camp it was for everyone this past week. Ten of our guests were kids ranging in age from 6-17 years old. Include our daughters and we had a whopping 14 kids in camp this week! (most likely a new camp record)  Also, my apologies in advance to the teenagers for referring to them as "kids".

Although the grownups had quite a bit of fun during the week, it was the youngsters that made camp a special place to enjoy the simple life. Late night fires, smores, games of tag and ghost in the graveyard kept the nights fun and exciting, while swimming, playing catch and fishing from the docks during the day helped occupy their interests when not in a boat. Many new friendships were made during the week and it was great to be reminded by the youngsters just how easy it can be to make a new friend in camp.

Five of the more adventurous girls (along with some supervision from myself and another father) piloted two rafts and paddled their way from camp out to the island for an exploration mission. It was fun walking the island with them and seeing their excitement over finding some of nature's trinkets and just another reminder that there really is a lot more to do here than just fish.

Ready, set.....



GO!!!!!!!

Special friendships, summer memories, and new adventures. There really is more to a Canadian "fishing" trip after all.....

Seriously? Week 6 already!

Every year we talk about how fast the season goes by and that we should be used to it. Well here we are starting week 6 and I can't believe the season (by weeks end) will be 1/3 over already.  As usual, lots of great memories again for many camp guests and us too. It's easy to stay motivated when you hear guests saying things like "I had the best day fishing of my entire life", " I caught the biggest walleye, northern etc. of my life", " I can't believe how quiet and peaceful it is here". We look forward to the last two-thirds of the season with great anticipation as this is the time of the year where we have more of our newer bookings and the opportunity to host and make friends with our "newbies". This is also the time of season where we will have more and more youngsters (the future of our sport) in camp with us too. In addition to providing some playmates for our girls, it is always a treat to see how much fun the kids have while in camp. Makes us think back to our own summers as a kid and all the special memories from those summer trips and vacations.
Enough general rambling for now, we'll leave you with just a few of our favorite pics from 2011 so far.

The Zimmerman/Weaver shore lunch

John Rules with two HOGS

Micah (L) and dad Scott Vande Griend with two dandy smallies

The Vande Griend family

Payton Vande Griend hopes the tooth fairy has a boat to reach us out at camp



Ed Flynn with the largest walleye of his life on his first trip to Canada



Mary and Dave Earll

CJ Widmer-the smile says it all

Don Strafford (L) on his 50th consecutive season to camp with buddy Pete Greendyke

CJ Widmer (L) and Austin Countryman from opening week

Corky Branda and a trophy pike

Jon Earll

Another week goes by....

and we say goodbye to another campful of happy fishermen/women and kids. The last two weeks have produced both excellent weather and fishing despite being a little on the breezy side this week. In fact, if you previously subscribed to the old adage "Winds from the East, fish bite the least" you most likely would have changed your mind had you been here this week. If the winds weren't blowing East, they were blowing Northeast and yet I would have to say this was probably the best week of fishing we have had overall this season.

A veteran crew of returnees showed their experience fishing Wabaskang, Lost, Wine, Dowell and Mud lakes and reported excellent fishing everywhere they went. Minnows caught fish, crawlers caught fish, crankbaits took fish, twister tails produced...it was one of THOSE weeks. This comes on the heels of last weeks 993 fish effort from Bob Stromberg's Seneca, South Carolina crew of four. Just when you thought fishing couldn't get any better....

No signs of mayflies yet, water temps near 70 degrees and plenty more great fishing ahead this summer. We did have one cancellation for the week of July 9-16th if you know someone who is still looking for a last minute trip have them give us a shout!

It's about to get a little crazier here as Megan, Emily, Sara and Allison will be arriving early next week. I will try not to fall too far behind in the blog updates!

Until next time, farewell from the distant shores of Wabaskang Lake.

Fishing is great, and the weather? Well not so much.....

To be quite honest they have both been a little on the streaky side. Although it seems both are getting a little more consistent now. Not to imply that the fishing has been bad by any means, but a little more up and down than we are accustomed to here on Wabby.

We had two groups back in camp this year after having to miss last year (quite a painful experience I was told) and we welcomed them back with some pretty good fishing. Cory Dauner and his father Roger brought a friend and newbie with them this year and after shaking off the rust put together a very solid trip. Scott Vande Griend returned with his family after suffering through WLSWD. For those who don't know the acronym it stands for Wabaskang Lake Smallmouth Withdrawal Disorder. Between the excellent walleye fishing on Wabaskang and their great trip to Lost, it wasn't until late into the week before they found a cure. I am happy to report that a fully recovery has been made and we expect to see them again next year.

Joining us for their seventh consecutive season was Mike Yates "the Chief" and Steve Pike "the Scout". What a hoot it is to have these two characters in camp! Pete Paruch from St. Joseph, Michigan was in camp again for over his 20th year with his brother, nephew, two sons and family friend. Last year we had blogged about Pete and Randy's father who at 90 years old was making his last trip with the boys. Just want to let you know we missed you Ed, but I am sure the boys will regale you with their many tales of excellent fishing this week.

Two new groups (both from Indiana) were also with us this week, comprising two of only a small handful of new bookings for the entire month this year. Devon Sherer's crew from the Rochester area made the 18 hour ( I won't go into their travel misadventures that added a BIT to this time) trek north for their first ever Canadian fishing trip. For first timers they did a pretty good job getting past the learning curve...GOOD JOB guys, and see you next year. Same can be said for Bob Cuskaden's crew from northern Indiana. After a slower start they put the pieces together and left camp extremely happy and looking forward to next year. I guess 51 smallies over 16" in just a couple of days will do that to you!

Dave, Mary and Jon (son) Earll were with us for their third year and as always had a great time and continue to be one of our favorite family groups of the entire season. Already looking forward to seeing you next year.

Finally our long time guests and great folks from Wisconsin-Bob and Sandy Bowen and John and Cathy Connor were with us again this year. Unfortunately, Bonnie and Charlie Sparr the other third of the regular group had to miss because of a granddaughters recital. We missed you guys this year, but look forward to your return next year. In their absence, four other family (in-laws) and friends joined the crew and quickly found out all the stories at home through the years from Bob, Sandy, Cathy and John weren't just "fish tales". Now if you guys can just cut the gear back to just one semi load that would be great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 4 of the season is already here with many great memories from the 2011 season already with us, and many more await.....

Until next time,