Fly in Fishing Report 2009
Welcome to the
Winter 2008/09 Update!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Welcome to our Fall 2008/Winter 2009 Newsletter
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2008 Biggest Fish Contest Winners!
Biggest Walleye 2008
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Biggest Northern Pike 2008
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Biggest Smallmouth Bass 2008
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1st place winners will receive a FREE sweatshirt!
2nd place winners will receive a FREE hat and t-shirt!
You can pick these up on your next Kashabowie Outposts fishing trip.
2008 Winning Picture:
Every year we have given away a free fly-in trip in our annual best picture contest. It is not easy to pick the best all around picture: whether it is nature, fish or just a good cabin shot. This summer we asked you to take pictures of the cabins with a bit of the lake in the picture. We have chosen the moonlight photo of the Bemar Lake cabin taken by the Gary Mortag group.
"Moonlight Over Bemar Lake"
Upgrade Report 2008
Since the floor for a new cabin at Kershaw Lake has been built, we hope to send a work crew up to work on the cabin as soon as it fits their schedule. If all goes well the new cabin, along with a new motor shed, should be up and running for the 2010 season. But we will have to see how things go.
"If the fishing is good, what else matters"
We are planning to put in new flooring at Gridiron Lake. With all the sandy soil around the cabin, a type of hardwood will hold up better than the painted floors. This will be completed for the 2009 start up.
Generally all the cabins need regular maintenance throughout the season, such as docks, walkways, boat ramps, outhouses, etc.
The McGinnis Lake cabin will be set up and running for the 2009 season. This is a good opportunity for all of you smallmouth bass fishermen.
"So Clean, You Can Eat Off The Floor!"
In the spring the ice, high water and strong winds did major damage to the dock at Gridiron Lake. After two days of work and a few walleye caught, the dock was rebuilt along with the sauna being finished.
At Mosher Lake the cabin footings seem to need to be replaced every 4 - 5 years. This year they were due for repair after the heavy spring run off sank them even further into the ground.
At Bemar Lake the bears finally tore down the old outhouse. I guess it had seen better days anyway. That same day a work crew flew in and put up a new biffy while the fishermen were out on the water. I guess they never heard the plane coming in or leaving, so it left them wondering how that change happened!
Fishing Report 2008
May 17th was opening day for the 2008 walleye season. With the ice going out later than normal on Eva Lake where our base is located, we had to fly out of a neighboring lake that had opened earlier just to get operations underway. Eva Lake did not open until May 15th, a record late ice out for us since 1996. This spring we were flying in guests to some cabins without having them set up as well as we normally would.
The Kashabowie Outpost crew was off to a very late start. The water levels were mostly high this spring. The dam above Mosher Lake was left closed until we received a couple of major rain falls. The dam was then opened and water levels rose 5' in two days. The Firesteel River that flows into Mosher Lake had excellent fishing during the first few weeks of the season. As the water levels receded, the fish went into deeper water throughout the lake.
The late spring kept water temperatures below normal. The north side of the lakes warmed up much quicker from the sun. Kershaw Lake was a good example of how the walleye schooled in the warmer waters.
Here is a picture of a Blue Northern
that are specific only to Mosher Lake
MNR Fish Studies
The Gridiron/Sassafras Lake chain produced some big fish this season. There were northern caught in the upper 40" range with walleye exceeding 10lbs. During the last week of August, the Ministry of Natural Resources did some fish studies on Grew, Wapikaimaski and Loganberry Lakes. All bodies of water were very healthy. Northern size ranged from 15" - 40" and walleye size ranged from 8" - 28". The biggest walleye were in Grew Lake, that measured up to 32".
Mountairy Lake was a busy lake this summer. Many trophy northern were caught in the spring and 1 1/2 - 4lb. walleye were consistent all season. The last group fished Mountairy Lake in early October. Ninety-six year old Dave Wertzberger and his 3 sons challenged the elements and the tougher fishing, but still had a great time!
Not many people can claim the fame of having taken a remote fly-in outpost fishing trip at the age of 96, but Dave Wertzberger from Dubuque, Iowa can! Not only that, but this was his 2nd trip, he was with us when he was a young lad of 94! I said to him on the flight out, "Dave, I can't believe that you are 96 years old". His response was "Don I'm not 96, I've been 96 and now I'm working on 97"!
We hope that you enjoy many more fulfilling years Dave!
The "catch and release" policy is a positive solution to excellent fishing. With all the fishing activity on the Bemar Lake chain, it produced a lot of smallmouth 16" - 20", northern greater than 40", and 30" walleye caught on Ross Lake.
The over all weather this summer was on the wet side. Water levels were higher than normal, which resulted in less damage to the outboard motor propellers. The forest fire hazard was very low during the 2008 season as a result of high rainfall.
So all in all the fishing was a success for 2008. The kids kept up to the adults with landing some of the biggest fish in all categories. Thanks again for your dedication and loyalty. We could not do it without you! See you next season!
Moose Hunt 2008
Each year the archery hunt starts on the 3rd Saturday of September. This year September 20th was opening
day. The weather before Saturday was perfect, calm and cold. We figured this would get the bulls thinking about their girlfriends early. Well, we were in for a big surprise. Once the hunters showed up, so did our Indian summer, with warm southerly winds. This lasted for about a week. There was very little response from the bulls, maybe a grunt here, a grunt there, the swamp donkeys would not come into bow range.
As the hunt went on, the archery hunters at Mosher Lake had a great opportunity and bagged a 50" bull by the end of their week. Another 2 1/2 year old bull winded the hunters, so he will still be around for next year.
On the 26th of September the first bull was taken with help from guide Dave Maynard. The Loberg group arrowed a unique looking 48" bull. Both Loganberry and Gridiron Lake hunters are old rivals of the sport. After 10 days with the weather not cooperating, they had plenty of action, but just could not put a bull on the meat pole.
Fern was out every chance he could get. He too was having very little response. On the rainy night of the 29th, the message on the GPS Spot was "moose down". By noon the next day, the 44" bull was being transported to the truck with the 4-wheelers. The wind never seemed to die down during the hunt. On the 27th, Jim had two mature bulls wind him. Once in the morning and again that same evening, a bull in the high 50"s winded him. On the morning of Oct. 1st, Jim was positioned down wind and arrowed a respectable 40"+ bull with the black widow.
Fern's 2008 Trophy
The same evening, an archer from St. Paul took a spike horn that swam out into a lake, which made retrieval a little more difficult. On Oct. 3rd the mature bulls were still vocalizing with the cows. With some challenge calls and thrashing, an aggressive 52" walked into a fight with the hunter. The last bull was taken on Oct. 5th. With Fern being the caller and camera man, another satisfied hunter took his first archery moose, a mature 46" bull. Overall the peak of the rut was a week later this year. The archery hunt is always a challenge, but a lot of fun!
Jim's 2008 Trophy
As the rifle hunt approached, the Indian summer kicked in again. The moose did not move at all. So the fishing rods came out and walleye were on the menu. Three days into the hunt, the temperatures started to drop and moose hunting improved. Bemar Lake hunters shot a 45" bull and spotted other cows the same day. A rutting 56" bull at Mountairy Lake came out to a challenge call and was taken by the hunter.
The Mountairy boys also took a 2 1/2 year old by the end of the week. Five miles away is the famous moose sanctuary, Gridiron Lake. Cows, cows, cows! Finally the boys filled their bull tag on the last day. Two hunters had some great action on Loganberry Lake with different sightings of moose, but they could not get the perfect shot.
Guide Paul Duquette flew into Wapikaimaski Lake with 2 hunters. Close to the end of their hunt, they shot a trophy 54" bull and passed up a 3 1/2 year old bull.
During the second week of the hunt, the moose started to move away from open water.
"Mike Little's 2008 56 1/2 in trophy"
In the second week of the rifle hunt the two hunters at Bemar Lake ended up with a cow moose during their one week stay.
Over all the 2008 hunting season was a challenging one but still considered a success. I guess that's why they call it hunting and not shooting!
Moose hunt hits the spot for widow
Mary Brucker was successful in her 1st moose hunt ever,
at McGinnis Lake.
Here is an article that was printed in The Pantagraph (Bloomington,IL) on Nov. 16, 2008:
| Bloomington Pantagraph
Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL) November 16, 2008 Moose hunt hits the spot for widow Author: Scott Richardson Edition: Main Section: GO! Page: E1 Article Text: Mary Brucker, 62, of Bloomington, didn't want to sit at home after her husband, Roger, died two years ago. But rather than join a club or take up bridge, her answer was to go moose hunting. She bagged an 800-pound yearling in the woods of Canada in October. "I wish I could knit or something," said Brucker, a life member of the National Rifle Association and a retired federal worker with the Department of the Treasury. "Shooting is my passion." Brucker, who is active with the Illinois State Rifle Association, started shooting at age 15. She was supposed to go to church one night. But when her dad, former Bloomington Police Chief Frederick Giermann, asked if she'd rather go to the shooting range at the Armory with him, she jumped at the chance. She became a crack shot with handguns. She enjoyed being one of the few females in the sport, where she could compete on par with men. "It kept me out of trouble as a teenager," she said. Today, she's a certified NRA training counselor who teaches experienced shooters to become training instructors. "It's about the sport of having a fun, but it can promote so much for a quality of life," she said. Brucker's husband didn't shoot, but he supported her interest. About 15 years ago, she picked up a shotgun for the first time to hunt deer. She's harvested several whitetails since then. All were does. "I've been out there when it was 10 above in a tree stand 18 feet high," Brucker said. Not long after Roger died, a former co-worker of hers from the Chicago area, Joe Billmeier, telephoned and asked if she'd like to go moose hunting. "He said I was the only friend of his who could shoot straight," Brucker recalled. "I said, 'Oh, no, they are way too pretty.' " But on a trip out West to be a crew member on a hot air balloon, she was in a restaurant in Colorado with several sets of antlers on the wall. One was very large. She assumed it was a moose. "Oh, that's a beautiful moose rack," she said. "My dear, that's an elk," was the answer. Nevermind that she got it wrong. The antlers gave her an idea of what she might expect from a moose. She changed her mind about going north. "Once I was determined, I gave it 150 percent," she said. She bought her first rifle, a .308-caliber Winchester equipped with a scope. Billmeier contacted Kashabowie Outpost, Ltd., in a place in Ontario called Atikokan, which translates as "caribou bones." But it was a moose they were after. The outfitter supplies the tags for the hunt, which Canadian game officials monitor closely. "The rules are adhered to the ninth degree. That's the way I like it, and they should be... You do it the right way. That's the true meaning of the sportsmanship of hunting," she said. From town, they flew to an outpost where Brucker quickly learned what was really important to her. "I slept with a roll of toilet paper, a flashlight and my ammunition," she said. She was paired with guide Rob White. Billmeier was set up on his own while Brucker and White explored the shore of McGinnis Lake by canoe. Being taller, White could see a moose in the grass of the black spruce swamp. He urged Brucker to fire. But her scope wasn't set right, and the close-up she had was just a patch of color in the dim evening light. Not convinced of her target, she waited. The moose backed up and circled. This time she got a side view. It stopped and turned its head toward her. She shot twice. She soon learned one pierced the heart, the other the lungs. Both were fatal. "It was magnificent," she said. "He is 800 pounds, a yearling born in May of 2007. I wanted the big bullwinkle one (rack), but I'll take what I can get. I was so happy."  Word spread through the area that, "Mary got a moose." Her friend was very pleased. After a woman pilot (Liz) ferried them back to town, Brucker loaded the meat and the head in her pickup truck and headed for the border. After customs officials made sure all was correct, she dropped the meat off in Minnesota for processing and went home. Rocke Taxidermy in Eureka is finishing the head. The trip cost was $5,000. "I'm looking for work," she joked. That amount may climb even higher because the finished mount will be huge. "I have a small house. I thought I might need to buy a bigger one," she said, laughing. But her time spent in the Northwoods is a priceless example to everyone, particularly women. "When Roger died, I could have given up, I could have sat down and cried," she said. "But I wanted to show you can go for your dreams. You can do anything you want to do. Life is good if you give it an opportunity." Copyright (c) 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. Record Number: 081814483 |
2009 Sport Show Schedule
December and January remind us how bitterly cold Northern Ontario can be. This morning, Dec. 10th, as we write this, it is -28C or -20F! We always enjoy our visits south to somewhat warmer weather, since the summer season has come and gone so quickly.
Come out and see us at the Sports Shows and talk about next season.
View our 2009 Sport Show Schedule
Fern, Don, Jim, Carol, and the rest of the Kashabowie Outposts Crew would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2009.
See you at the Shows!
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