Whitefish Bay Camp has closed another season on Lake of the Woods. Now, where in the world did that go?  It always seems to stretch out with such exciting promises when we go in to open up in the Spring.  This year was no exception!!  The promise was fulfilled.  But we do have to say that it was a very strange year.  Cool, wet and windy just about says it all.  I think we had about three weeks of Summer weather and that came in September!  The really weird thing was that the fishing was terrific!  That really was a pleasant surprise as the temperature of the water, at least in Whitefish Bay, never really warmed up to the levels we are use to seeing.

The largest fish in each species that our guests boated are as follows:

Northern Pike 41 1/2 inch         Sept. 19   

Walleye 28 1/2 inch        Aug. 10    

Small-mouth Bass 19 inch                 June 9

Large-mouth Bass 20 inch                June 25

Lake Trout 34 1/2 inch         May 25

Muskie 54 inch                 Sept 5

Crappie 14 1/2 inch        June 11

Many if not most of these fish were released.  We are so pleased to be able to say that over the years we have seen the trend of Catch andRelease really become the norm for our guests.  People seem to realize that a meal or two of “eating size” fish is more than enough.  This new attitude can do nothing but enhance fishing as time goes on…..the whole process serves to protect the precious resource of fish for future generations.

We left ONTARIO, CANADA, on Oct. 21.  Hoping to miss the bad weather that we had heard was moving in, again!  Instead we drove right into a snow storm which left us with four inches of the pretty white stuff in our front yard when we awoke Thursday morning.

It wasn’t the first snow we had seem for the Fall season.  Our rough and tough October fishermen and hunters experienced several days of wet, heavy snow in early October……stayed around for several days and then left us with mud that sort of hung on….humidity stayed up and the sun did not shine to dry the land out. The duck hunters managed to find a few as the ducks were beginning to move down.  The lack of wild rice in our area made it somewhat less attractive as a stopping place but there were enough around to make it successful for those who were willing to search, settle in and wait!  The winners in the Whitetail Hunt were definitely  the wolves!  We saw and heard more wolves this year than ever before.  Two of our hunters were on a small island very near us and were enjoying the afternoon in the wilderness when all of a sudden the wolves began to howl!  They said the only thing between them and  packs were the bushes.  There were two groups,one on either side of where the hunters were situated and they reported that it sound as though  they were howling back and forth to each other.  We could hear it on Calvert Island.  There really isn’t anything like that sound!

Bob and I are saying that we are going to kick back for a few days and relax a bit but so far we keep thinking of things we want to get done!  Working on plans for the web-site, writing the newsletter and closing out the financial books for the accountant and getting everything in order for the Sport Show Circuit takes time for now then the fun part which for us will be planning for the 2010 season!