Nice size walleyes are being caught

What does a 25.5-inch walleye weigh, Troy wondered?

Jane's fish shows dark golden colour

Troy and Jane Bechtel show off some of the big walleyes they have been catching and releasing this week. There have been a lot caught in the mid-20-inches.
What do they weigh? You can figure the weight of Red Lake walleyes from their length. Twenty-four inches is four pounds, 25 inches is five pounds, 26 is six pounds, etc.
Troy said he has never weighed any of the walleyes before and wondered if the 25.5-incher he holds up in the top photo would hold true to the above estimates. Sure enough, it was 5.5 pounds.

A great technique for walleye fishing

Greg Tanko back trolls with drift sock in place

Roy Windhorst with 25-inch walleye taken this week

For years Roy Windhorst, Dennis Egge, Bob Edwards and Greg Tanko have used drift socks tied to the bows of their boats to slow down their backtrolling speed for walleye fishing. To my knowledge, they are the only Bow Narrows anglers to use this clever but simple technique.
The drift sock, also known as a sea anchor, drags in the water, reducing their speed. They call it a "parachute."
 The drift sock accomplishes the same thing as an electric trolling motor, without the 60-pound lead-acid battery, 30-pound electric motor and 10-pound battery charger. It weighs virtually nothing, and takes no space in the car trunk. It is a far-more environmentally-friendly option than an electric motor. It costs a fraction as much and will probably last forever.
Our 20 hp Honda outboards troll exceptionally slowly all by themselves but the "parachute" takes them down to crawl. On windy days you can use the sock to slow down your drift too.
You can buy drift socks through outfits like Cabela's. Get the largest one available.
Incidentally, some people use electric trolling motors because they think the fish can't "hear" you. This is an example of anthropomorphizing. Unlike humans, fishes' lateral lines lets them feel movements in their environment. The turning of the electric trolling motor propeller is every bit as detectable to them as the sound of an outboard motor is to humans.
The point is that neither the propeller action nor the outboard's sound frightens them anyway. That is just something imagined by anglers.

What's for supper

There's something different each night for supper but chicken cacciatore and Caesar salad are usually  favourites each week.

Cool nights and mornings great for sleeping

Morning in the lodge dining room

We've had some mildly hot weather with daytime temps in the low 80s but then almost every night is deliciously cool. There has also been some nice winds that keep everything cooled off.
It looks like there is a good chance of rain most days this week. We have had very little rain this summer so far. Fortunately, we also have had only a few thunderstorms which would certainly have started forest fires. One batch of lightning two weeks ago has ignited a bunch of fires to the north of us. The largest of these is about 35,000 acres. None is a threat to us as they are at least 20 miles away.

Sample of the size pike anglers are catching

I certainly don't show photos on this blog of all the big fish people are catching. If I did there would be nothing else but a photo of virtually everybody who comes here, holding up a big one for the camera. But I do include photos of fish from time to time as an indication of what is happening. These three shots are a good example.
Al Andrin had not been to our camp in many years after coming here yearly as a kid with his dad. This time he brought his wife, Sandi, and family to see what fishing is all about.
As usually happens, Sandi caught the biggest fish -- a 44-inch pike. Son Ethan got a 38-incher in town before they even came out to camp! Al got a 32-incher which is also a great fish.
Everybody who spends time at pike fishing seems to get some in the 30+inches and some even in the 40s.
Fishing the entire summer has been some of the best we have ever seen. Lots of walleyes, including big ones, and lots of pike like these in the photos.
The weather has been beautiful. We are having mostly dry weather with daytime temps 70-80 F and nighttime temps in the 50s.

Loons are hatching in good numbers

For the second consecutive year, loons are having a great hatch. The eggs started hatching last week and most pairs of loons with territories can now be seen with young loons beside them or catching rides on their parents backs.

Lots of moose being seen by our fishermen

Kleve Granger snapped this shot of a big bull

This cow with twin calves was photographed by Bill Baughman

The warm temperatures last week brought lots of moose out to the water for a drink and to cool off. We saw these largest members of the deer family on almost every bay.
Mostly we see cows and calves as the bulls are more secretive.

Temperature and pike fishing both hot

Our friend Dan McConaughy snapped this Disney-like scene of a mother and her cubs eating wildflowers along Highway 105, the Red Lake Road, on the way to camp this week

Kleve Granger watches chopper working on the fire east of Sadler Bay

This is our Family Week where we are closed to all but our family and friends.
We have been reveling in the sunny weather and having a ball fishing for northern pike which are our favourites for eating.
Pike fishing has been exceptional. The average size is much larger than normal and all of the fish are very muscular and powerful.
No sooner did a thunderstorm pass yesterday evening then we smelled fresh wood smoke. Within 30 minutes there was an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources helicopter on the scene, just east of Sadler Bay. A lightning strike had started a forest fire there, a few miles from camp.
We all moved closer to see the action but alas, it was far back from the waterline. All we could see was the helicopter, apparently keeping an eye on ground crews that were extinguishing the blaze. They had it out within an hour!
Everything is very dry and with the hot temperatures we have been getting, I expect the MNR to call a fire ban any day now.

Marking and recognizing rocks and reefs

Bleach jug marks reef that is far from nearest shoreline

The reef is also shown on the map we provide

We advise all our boaters to idle away from the shore to a distance of at least 100 feet before picking up speed. That way they will be assured of being in deep water.
The west end of Red Lake where we do our fishing is generally very predictable for rocks and reefs. If you see a long, flat point of land, you can expect the water to be shallow at the end of the point. Give these places a wide berth. Shorelines with steep rock faces are deep.
There are a few places, however, where there are "surprise" hazards. I try to mark these with white bleach jugs in those places where boats are likely to travel.
It is impossible for me to mark every rock in the lake, especially the hundreds within 100 feet of shore. However, all the hazards are show on the maps we provide to our guests.
If you are new to our camp, always check your planned travel route beforehand for hazards.
If you avoid boating near shore, cutting between islands and taking "shortcuts" across points, you will be in the clear.

Pinch-down barbs; carry side-cutters

Cut the split ring, not the hook off the treble as shown

We've needed to remove a few hooks from anglers' hands already this year, including this one today.
It's a great idea to pinch-down the barbs on all treble hooks on lures like Rapalas. These will still catch and hold fish as long as you keep a tight line and are simple to remove from your own skin -- just pull them out.
It is also a great idea to carry medium-to-large-sized side-cutters. Use these to cut the split ring that holds the treble to the lure. Don't cut the single hook off the treble! If you do it is far more difficult to remove. In the case above we used the string method and the hook was out in an instant.
This is done by holding down the shank of the treble and giving a quick tug with a string on the hook parallel to the skin in the opposite direction. The hook just pops out as the barb is pulled through the opening stretched by the curve of the hook before the elastic skin can close.
No matter how careful we are, sooner or later we all get a fish hook in ourselves.
Side-cutters are also handy in case you catch a big pike and cannot get the hook out of some far recess of its mouth without killing the fish. With side-cutters you can snip off the hook from the treble and get the big fish back into the water before it's too late. Of course, it is always preferable if you can remove the hook entirely but sometimes it would just do too much damage to the fish.
Several cabins are reporting that they are doing better on walleye with artificials such as Rapalas than with live bait!

What to do on a "hot" day

Bow Narrows angler Mark Noll got this photo today of a cow and twin calf moose

We just had our first "hot" day. It was 80 F or about 27 C -- shorts weather, in my opinion. But it can feel like you are in a reflector oven out in the boat, especially if there is no wind, which was the case.
All around us, of course, is the lake: the nice, cool, refreshing, rejuvenating lake. Even a moose knows what to do when it wants to cool off.

Wish you were here

Tennessee's Hunter Billings and Hannah Bradley show off a 39-inch northern pike that had grabbed a small fish Hunter was reeling in yesterday.The big fish just wouldn't let go and both fish were netted. The big job was released after a few quick pics.
We are so busy I simply don't have time to write on the blog. In short, the fishing is fantastic, especially for walleye. Our anglers are catching unprecedented numbers of walleye. The most I've heard is 350 for a single boat in one day. There not only are lots of walleye, there are lots of big ones as well. Just about everybody is getting a bunch in the 25-inch range.
Virtually all of these fish are released unharmed. Most people just keep one "eater" a day for lunch and a couple of "eaters" the last day of the week to take home.
The weather has been spectacular with temperatures in the low 70s F and no rain to speak of.
If you ever wanted to come to Bow Narrows Camp fishing, come this summer!

My Father's Day outing

I took up the offer of our son, Josh, to let him do my chores at camp yesterday afternoon while Sam and I went fishing. It was the first time I wet a line this year.
As usual, I spend as much time photographing nature as fishing and was lucky to see this black bear feeding on grass along the shore.
I got snagged on a bush and when I went near shore to get free discovered a small patch of pink Lady Slipper orchids.
In another instance I moved close to shore to inspect some grass flowers and saw that the entire bog was covered with newly emerged dragonflies, drying their wings. As far as I can determine, these are Spiny Basket Tail dragonflies.
Oh yeah, I also caught 10 northern pike and two perch.

Burich brothers hit the walleye again

Walleye anglers: Denny, Bill and Wayne Burich

Wisconsin's Burich brothers, from left, Denny, Bill and Wayne, just finished another fishing trip to Bow Narrows Camp on Friday. Their group has fished at camp every year since 1977 and has caught about a trillion walleye over that period.
This year was no exception. Denny reports the six fishermen in his cabin probably boated and released over 1,000 walleye last week.
It was a spectacular week for everyone. Not only were lots of fish taken but lots of big ones as well.

A day in the life at Bow Narrows Camp

Another beautiful day starts at sunrise

Breakfast is prepared in the lodge kitchen

Unusual hummingbird moth samples dandelions in the yard

Stack of walleye fillets makes a dandy lunch

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Whitefish join walleye and pike in the catch

Lake whitefish

Turned-down lips

Anglers are picking up whitefish while fishing for walleye.
As you can see from the close-up, whitefish have a turned-down lip -- sort of an overbite.
Walleye continue to hit well. Everyone is eating walleye for lunch.
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The walleye bite is "on"

Very large catches of walleye were taken today.
One boat reported catching about 100 in a few hours.
Anglers are reporting that the walleyes they are catching are all sizes with plenty of near-18-inchers for eating and lots in the 20s that they are releasing.
Favorite live baits are worms and leeches.
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It's been the spring of the big pike

Bob Preuss displays a beefy 39-inch northern pike before releasing it back to Red Lake this week.
I don't know when we have caught so many really large pike. I would wager in our first three weeks of operation our anglers have boated a couple of hundred pike that were slot size or larger.

Two new members of the "Moose Club"

Doug Oslund, top, and Earl Vorpagel joined the Bob Preuss group "Moose Club" by each boating northern pike greater than 33 inches in length this week.
A regular member of the club watched from the shoreline.
Fishing has been more difficult this week than last although far more walleye are now being caught. I believe the difficulty in catching pike this week comes from the fact almost no one is using dead bait. Last week everyone fished with frozen ciscoes.
The water is still colder than normal for this time of year and that has meant the pike aren't as aggressive and not striking artificials as much as stationary dead bait. Still, as the photos above attest, many large pike are still being caught.

Cool photos and people

You will probably need to click on the panorama photo supplied by Chad Dercks to enlarge it and get a better view of this beautiful scene. Chad was here last week with eight other members of the Dercks clan. Many of them contributed photos from their trip to Chad's computer montage.
This was the Dercks family's first trip to Bow Narrows and they reported on leaving that the nine of them had boated 90 northern pike that were 30 inches or longer. That is very impressive and speaks to the fishing ability of this family.
The second photo shows long-time Bow Narrows angler Steve Ozark showing his affection toward a beautiful lake trout, one of many taken at camp last week. Steve and his family also caught a lot of fish -- lake trout, pike and walleye. Steve left a comment about their trip on the previous blog entry.
Last week ended with a ferocious spring storm that saw temperatures plummet to near freezing. There was also a hard, driving rain. The weather seemed to stun the fish for a couple of days; however, yesterday and today were sunny and warmer and the fish are starting to bite well again.
Overall it has been a sunny spring but cooler than normal. I don't think we have reached a normal daytime high since we have been in camp.
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