Painting Party at Kapikik

It's been a while since I've been able to write about Kapikik Lake! I hadn't been there since Easter weekend. Shortly after that, the ice began to deteriorate. Ever since ice out, the cabin has been rented every week! We've had nothing but fantastic reviews from the guests who have stayed at Kapikik this summer. The cabin was beyond expectations and the fishing has been off the charts! One group of nine guys pulled in over 6,700 fish in one week.

It was so great to bring my husband, Devin (who hadn't seen the cabin since it was just a shell last fall) and some of my friends to this special place where I spent lots of time over the winter. It was different landing there with greenery everywhere and no snow on the ground!

We weren't exactly there just for fun... we brought with us lots of paint and deck stain. On day one we had beautiful weather so we got started on the painting right away. As we were painting away (about an hour into it) a fish actually jumped out of the water and was flopping on the dock! Adam went down to release it back into the water. We quickly wrapped up our painting for the day and jumped in the boat.

The wind was so strong that day. The lake was all white-caps. We took our boats behind the island where it was a little more sheltered. We caught a few walleye, a few northern, and two sauger. I had never seen a sauger before... I thought it was just an oddly-colored walleye. We hadn't caught enough for a meal yet, but we'd had enough of the wind so we headed back to camp to try our luck off the dock.

Turns out - the fishing off the dock was incredible! Despite the rainy weather, we caught lots of walleye for dinner.

The rain hung around for the rest of the trip. Whenever there was a break in the clouds, we would hurry outside and paint. We managed to get the first coat of paint on the cabin and we got a good start on the fish cleaning house. We ended up running out of paint so we decided to do some yard work. We had a campfire on our last evening and of course we did some fishing off the dock for dinner.

We woke up early the next day to find the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. After 4 days of cold weather and rain, it was hard to believe our plane was coming in an hour to pick us up. My Dad brought my Grandma and Grampa with him. It was there turn to stay for a few days and they lucked out with great weather.

I hope to get back there soon... summertime or winter - love that place!

Until next time,

Meagan

Great Friends & Great Fishing: Upper Wapesi July 2014

After sending off many groups to our fly-in lakes this summer, on July 5th it was my turn to go! Three friends of mine, Kyle, Anna, and Drew drove up from Northern Wisconsin to fly out early the next morning with my friend Erin (who also works at camp), myself, and my husband Devin. This trip has been in the works for almost a year and it was finally here! We flew out on Saturday morning at 5:00 a.m. to Upper Wapesi, which would be our home for the next 4 days. Wilderness Air picked us up at the dock at Northern Lights Resort. It was a gorgeous, calm morning, and our flight was great!

By 6:00 a.m. we had already settled into our cabin and we were out in the boats looking for the hot spots!  The 3 girls jumped in one boat and the 3 guys in the other. The guys immediately found a sand bar in the middle of the lake, which was marked with a milk jug. I would say that's cheating, but man did they catch fish! In the girls boat, we trolled the shoreline finding fish the entire way. We found a couple "hot spots" that we came back to throughout the trip.

We all fished using 1/8 oz. jigs with minnows (provided by the Clark's) and found that the Walleyes were still in pretty shallow. By 9:00 a.m. we had caught and released hundreds of fish. Many were over 20". We kept enough smaller ones for lunch and headed back to the cabin.

We feasted on fish, played games, relaxed, napped, and fished some more. We ended the day by sitting around the campfire reflecting on our day, reminiscing, and sharing stories. The next few days that followed were much the same as the first. We caught more fish than we could have imagined, even catching some nice ones off the dock. We did some swimming despite the cooler temperatures, and just enjoyed spending time together.

One day, we ventured over to Pusher Lake where we have another outpost cabin. Dad said to just boat down the river - it was easy! That turned into quite the adventure as we had to get the boats through some very shallow water and over a beaver damn! We did make it, but not without a little struggle and a lot of laughs. The ride down the river was beautiful and the cabin on Pusher Lake was great. It is in a really neat spot, situated on a gorgeous point. We sat in the sun, fished off the dock, and ate lunch. Our day spent at Pusher Lake was awesome.

The next day, when the airplanes came to pick us up, we were all sad to have to go home. We had such a good time together and the days flew by too fast. There is just something about being in the wilderness, with no one around but your best friends, no contact with the outside world, and that peacefulness that cannot be found anywhere else.

Hopefully we can do this again sometime soon. There is no better way to make memories that will last a lifetime! 

Until next time,

Meagan

Outpost Fishing Reports June 13th - July 2nd

Here are the rest of the outpost fishing reports that I received for June! Enjoy!
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Dobie Lake June 13th - June 20th

L&M would be proud of how the Clark's are continuing their tradition. Weather was tough, but the fishing was great. We are impressed with the Clark's attention to all phases regarding our fishing trip!

Thank you.

- The Wenten Group

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Kapikik Lake June 14th - June 21st

Unbelievable fishing for our group of nine! We caught 6,707 total fish, with three guys catching over 200 each in a day, and one boat bringing in 417 (2 people) in a day. Big Northerns were; 43", 42.5", 42", 41.5", 41". Big Walleye were; 29", 27.5", 27", 26.5". The cabin was awesome, equipment worked well, and the fishing was fantastic. The Clark's run a top notch camp!

- The Wuestenhagen Group

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Fawcett Lake June 21st - 27th

Great weather! Great week of fishing - 1,894 walleye caught. Biggest walleye 27", lots over 20". Bonus - pair of loons with 2 babies on backs! Girls rule once again in games.

- The Oran Group

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Otatakan June 27 - July 2

Great trip! Countless walleye & pike each day. Cabin and facilities outstanding. Weather came in and blew a couple of trees down, but fish still bit. Otatakan is just as good as always!

- The Richards Group
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Until next time,

Meagan

Indian Lake Chain - Shore Lunch

Last Friday, Jimmy planned a shore lunch for both camps on the chain, Clark's Camp and K.C.'s Landing Resort. He invited me to come along as well! It had been years since I'd been in a boat on the Indian Lake Chain so I was very excited.

Ted & his Son, Anthony.

Nice Walleye for Lunch!

We took off around 10:00 a.m. and cruised along from lake to lake. I had almost forgotten how beautiful each and every lake is on that chain. Jimmy said the guests had been doing fantastic this year. Lots of walleye caught just on Edward and Indian Lake alone, without having to travel far from camp. That day, however, our shore lunch was going to be on Boulder Lake, so we continued all the way down to Cobble to do a little fishing.

Fathers & Their Sons... New to Camp!

Jimmy and I tried a couple of his favourite spots on Cobble Lake. Within a couple of casts, we were boating some nice walleye. We caught up with the other boats from camp and showed them our spots and told them to each keep a walleye or two for lunch. The walleye were still very shallow and were biting on a 1/8 oz. jig with a minnow.

Catching Some Walleye on Cobble

One of Jimmy's Favourite Spots

Beautiful 25" Walleye Caught & Released on Cobble!

Everyone had a great morning of fishing. There was not much of a wind that day and around noon the sun came out. It was the perfect day for a shore lunch.

Myself Cleaning the Fish

Jimmy Getting the Fire Going

We filleted the fish and Jimmy got a fire going. Jimmy cooked us a wonderful lunch of walleye, fries, and beans. He cooked over the open fire on a huge cast iron fry pan. Walleye somehow taste better when cooked on the shore over a fire.

Anthony Breading the Fish

Jimmy Cooking Up a Delicious Lunch

Everyone enjoyed their lunch and swapped stories about their time spent at Clark's Resorts. The next day, everyone would be starting their long drives home. It sounded like everyone had a great week fishing the chain and very much enjoyed their time spent at Clark's. It sounded like Jimmy took good care of everyone as always! The young kids were trying to talk their Dads into staying another week... no such luck I guess... I'm sure they will be pushing for two weeks next year!

Swapping Fishing Stories

Thank you to Jimmy for a wonderful day on the water! It was much appreciated by myself and the guests!

Until next time,

Meagan

More Outpost Fishing Reports for First 2 Weeks of June 2014

Hello everyone!

I have some more outpost fishing reports and pictures to share with you. Thank you so much to those who write reports and share pictures!
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Here is one that I missed from the week before last:

Fawcett Lake "Home of the Flying Eyes" June 1st - June 7th

Excellent, gluttonous, over the top fishing. Landed 2,154 fish. Largest "Eye" was 28". Largest Pike was 40". Total weight - 2 tons. Super service. See you next year.

-Kirsch Group
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Here is a great report from the Voelker group who stayed at McVicar from June 7th to the 14th. Love the detail in this fishing report and really appreciate the feedback!

McVicar Lake June 6th - June 14th

Our intrepid group of eight experienced six days of outstanding fishing. Walleyes topped the list, but Northern Pike accented each day with takes of 36-40 inch fish most days. Weather impeded our efforts on Thursday, but an afternoon outing proved entirely successful. Minnows on slipbobbers proved to the the most productive method for harvesting both Walleye and Northern.

All members of our group took advantage of the opportunities to explore and fish all of the lakes in the McVicar chain. However, more information/history of the various sites mentioned on the map would be greatly appreciated. The areas labelled on the maps to identify fishing areas were helpful, but we all tested new areas with substantial success. A message board could be a great tool to pass along info and tips to subsequent groups. We harvest no fish over 18" and consumed all fish that were harvested.

Several of the group members had fished these and nearby waters over the past 20 years and all agreed this was the most enjoyable and productive trip ever (thanks primarily to the good luck I brought the group).

- Dean Knight

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Here is a report that I received from a "regular" Kapikik crew, who was anxious to get back to the lake after there being no cabin there for a couple of years.

Kapikik Lake June 7th - June 14th

Absolutely superior (microwave, toaster, etc) generator is great, really appreciate the water and spacious cabin. Wayne finally delivered the steak knives as we were getting ready to cook steaks - great week of fishing and being back at Kapikik made the week fantastic. Loved the place and the week of fishing! Thanks to Wayne, Karla, Meagan & others.

- Bertinetti Group

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Lastly, a report from one of our "regular" groups. Sounds like they had another great trip with us! :)

Antenna Lake June 7th - June 14th

We fished Antenna Lake last week and it lived up to its reputation for Big Northern's. Caught numerous fish over 34" with the biggest being a 44" (20+lbs). Even better was all the walleye's we could catch right off the dock. Caught hundreds during the week after our evening dinner. Great service once again from the Clarks.

We fished Grace Lake last year and had the same great fishing and service. Talked to several other groups at the dock who were coming and going to other outposts it is obvious you can not make a bad decision on any of their lakes.

- Theisen Group

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Until next time,

Meagan

Fishing Report for May 25 - June 7, 2014

Between Cedar Lake, the Indian Lake Chain, and our fly-outs up North... this has truly been an incredible spring for fishing. Many of our "regulars" claim this is one of the best years yet. Catching and releasing hundreds of fish daily, and boating a couple of real trophies - this has been one year for the books!

We had about a week of scorching hot weather, which brought our water temperatures up a little. The weather has cooled off now into the 50's and 60's and looks like it will be cool for another week at least. There is lots of rain in the forecast, which will make it interesting with our already very high water levels. On average, the water temperature is below normal. The cooler water is keeping the walleye shallow and active coming off of their spawning beds. The fishing will be good still - just need to bundle up and wear those rain suits!

Smallmouth Caught on the Indian Lake Chain

On Cedar Lake we've had guests catching lots of walleye in the upper twenty inch range. One guest caught a really nice 28" 8-pound walleye last week. Fishing on the chain has been very impressive this year as well. At K.C.'s Landing Resort on Edward Lake there was a 32.5" walleye caught off the dock and a 44.5" muskie caught on a fly rod off the dock. There were multiple 28"+ walleyes caught off the dock as well just this year already.

Filleting Some Nice Walleye At K.C.'s Landing

Here are a few written reports that I have received from some fly-in groups:

Meen Lake May 26 - May 31, 2014

Great hospitality, accommodations, and fishing. All supplies, gas, and equipment worked fine. Fishing was good, but the big fish sure were not biting yet - one more week for that to happen. Caught 650 fish.

- Snover Group

Antenna Lake May 25 - June 1, 2014

The cabin was very comfortable. Even thought the temperatures were 80+ degrees, it stayed cool. The windows provided great ventilation. Everything worked great. The shower was wonderful! The fishing - ice had gone out the previous week. Fishing started slow, but each day it improved. We caught a total of 324 fish (201 Walleye and 123 Northern) with 100 fish caught our last day. The service provided by Northern Lights Outposts was excellent. We hope to return. We have been on over 20 outpost fly-in trips. Antenna ranks as one of our best!

- The Morben's

Pusher Lake May 29 - June 7, 2014

Walleye fishing was excellent! Caught roughly 2,000 Walleye, 3-4 hundred Pike, Largest Pike was 33" and largest Walleye was 26". Fished points and shoreline. Beautiful lake, great time!!

- The Missouri Boys

In general, talking with the groups as they are flying in, it sounds like the fishing has been exceptional. We have almost a full change-over this weekend for the fly-ins, so we are gearing up for a very busy Saturday. I am looking forward to talking to everyone as they get back from their fly-ins. I will try and check back in a week or two as I have more to report!

Here are some groups that left last Saturday:

Good luck on the water, everyone!

Until next time,

Meagan