Contact Us
Contact Us

HIGHLIGHTS

Tangamong Lake - 2003

Net Lake - 2005

Tomiko Lake - 2008

Lang Lake - 2010

West Shining Tree Lake - 2011

Lake Windermere- 2012

Lake Windermere - 2013

Lake Windermere- 2014

Lake Windermere - 2015

Wawang Lake - 2016

Lake Windermere - 2017

Wawang Lake - 2018

Wawang Lake - 2019

Wawang Lake - 2021

Wawang Lake - 2022

Wawang Lake - 2023

Wawang Lake - 2024

Wawang Lake - 2025

  • Good luck boating northern by a forest of lily pads at the south end of the lake.

  • The deepest part of the lake is on the other side of the freeway. Our hosts say we can have good luck trolling for lake trout over there. They lied.

  • Take the boat to a landing a little way out from camp. A treacherous 1 mile hike leads to another lake. Decent place for northern.

  • Matt's working on an 0-fer. Joins Dan for one last try on the morning of the departure home. Matt boats the largest northern of the trip.

  • Even though the competition's over, the rest of the group graciously lets Matt win the "Biggest northern" category.

Scott

"The Quartermaster"

  • The guest of the group. Scott proves that having the right gear does not guarantee success.

  • Scott takes his boat to college so he can leave to join the group immediately after his last class of the summer.

  • Scott loses all fishing wagers.

  • Scott leaves bitter about losing all fishing wagers, vows never to join the group again.

  • No one is injured by a casting misfire.

  • No hot running water. Soap on a rope during nightly bathing in the lake in lieu of showers.

  • John refuses to bath in lake...pays money for a hot shower.

  • OUTHOUSE... need I say more?

  • No electricity.

  • The secret fishing hole is so secretive we NEVER found it!

  • John hooks a lunker, but fails to boat the bass when the net malfunctions. Dan?

  • Despite Matt's antiquated gear, with which he can barely cast a .75 oz. spoon 40 feet, he boats the largest northern of the trip.

  • A remote section of the lake cut off by a beaver dam. The section is accessible, but you need to use a winch to elevate your boat past the dam.

  • The winch lets go as Dan tries to haul the boat past the dam. He injures his thumb.

  • Bry and Matt spot a moose grazing in the remote section.

  • Dan is almost shut out until he boats a few walleyes on the last day. He finally gets to see the inside of the cleaning hut.

  • First trip with the Rinker.

  • Precarious floating boat launch. Only a few inches to spare between the trailer and the edge.

  • Dan and Matt have a competition to decide who gets the third room to himself. The first one to boat a keeper gets the room. Matt wins.

  • Smoke billows from the engine compartment after the power steering goes. Piloting the rest of the trip is a bit more challenging.

  • Remember, DO NOT flush your paper!

  • Lots of large interconnecting lakes.

  • Navigating the narrows required a spotter on each side of the boat. They pointed out hazards like Mark Twain on a paddleboat.

  • We have lots of luck boating Northerns in a small bay at one of the far lakes.

  • Great success with red and white spoons, but John keeps using his hula-popper and Bry insists his rubber mouse will be the ticket.

  • Booked this trip late in the season.

  • Cold, cold, cold, wet, and cold.

  • Sun came out on the last day, made for the best fishing.

  • The narrows were so shallow we actually dragged our boats over the gravelly bottom. We broke a few paddles in the process.

  • Several additional lakes in the area. Accessible by a short walk or drive.

  • Matt almost had an O-fer for the entire trip. Finally boated a few northerns on the last day.

  • Bry boated a Whitefish. No one in the group had ever nabbed one of these before.

  • Dan suspended the tradition for this year.

  • A red fox came to visit our cabin on the last few days.

  • It started snowing as we headed back home.

  • Fishing results

    • Most Bass: 3 (Bry and Matt)

    • Largest Bass: 17.5 inches (Matt)

    • Most Northern: 2 (Dan and Matt)

    • Largest Northern: 23.5 inches (Matt)

    • Most Walleye: 9 (Dan)

    • Largest Walleye: 18 inches (John and Bry)

  • Golf results (The Hawk)

    • Matt: 11 points

    • John: 10 points

    • Dan: 7 points

    • Bry: 6 points

  • The largest lake we've fished. Very remote. We needed to program the GPS to find our way back to the cabin.

  • Absolutely no cell phone coverage at the camp so Dan ventures into town (45 minutes away) to insure his big international vinyl siding deal is on track.

  • Cold water lake. Great for Walleye and Bass, not so much for Northern (but we did catch a few).

  • Catch and release for the breeder size fish (not that we had to put too many back).

  • Bry and Matt spot a lone gray wolf that's been roaming the camp.

  • Saw an otter on the shore close to us. Since it was a slow day fishing, tried to follow the otter to garner some secrets on how to fish these waters.

  • The matriarch, Darlene, once again thinks of and packs everything (food wise) including wine for our traditional surf & turf dinner.

  • Dinner menu included Matt’s brauts and chilli, John’s NY strip steaks (for surf & turf) & perogis, Bryan’s teriyaki chicken, our traditional fish dinner (which consisted of walleye, bass & pike), and this year we forgo (or is that forwent) Dan’s Baked Ziti for a second fish dinner (unheard of).

  • The rain holds off enough (although we dodged a few downpours) to get in 18 holes at Black Bear Golf Club in Vanderbilt, Michigan on the way up. Crazy greens, 3 putting is not an embarrassment.

  • Bry has the best golf round of the group, but brings up the rear in the golf competition.

  • Dan multitasks as the group drifts over structure. He lunges at his snagged line as it goes over the bow. In the blink of an eye he makes the prudent decision to NOT jump in after it.

  • Bry and Dan grab paddles to avert drifting onto the rocks. Matt is ready at the helm. With the crises averted, Matt notices his rig has disappeared.

  • Dan checks the depth finder as he cruises through Musk Bay. He mistakes 3.2 feet for 32 feet...prop destroyed. Engine stalled. Dan and Bry paddle against the wind out to the center of the lake, Matt sends SOSs on the horn. Thankfully, another group is in the area. Why are they coming this way so slowly? Can't they hear our distress call? Ah, they've fished this lake before, and would never move quickly given all the submerged rocks. Towed to camp, prop replaced, engined checked, back out the next day.

  • Bryan snag’s a good size pike who wrestles his favorite lure away from him in clear shallow waters. The pike pauses to turn around and gloat. Bryan calls for an excessive celebration penalty.

  • Bryan rules in winning every "Chinese-Rummy-Trouble" (?) game played this week. OK, we only played 2 games.

  • The celebration continues as everyone wins their Fantasy Football game.

  • A few delays on the trip home. Long lines getting back into the United States, and a blown trailer tire on the interstate.

  • Bry emerges as the 2013 fishing champ. He boats the first three days in a row, lands the most walleye, and shares the titles for biggest walleye, most pike, and biggest pike.

  • Dan's bid to repeat as fishing champ falls short. His slow start creates a deep hole that his strong finish cannot overcome. His effort to overtake the bass lead falls one catch short, even after an evening stop at "Bass Alley".

  • Matt builds a big lead early with the biggest and most bass on the first day, boating fish with whatever he has on the end of his line. His success returns to earth for the the rest of the trip, but hangs on to win the bass champoinship.

  • John keeps his heavy-action topwater jitterbugs in his tackle box in favor of the more popular bottom-bouncers and floating jigs. The combination proves to be a winner, leading John to an award winning bass and a tie for the biggest walleye.

  • Overall fishing results

    • Most Bass: 8 (Matt)

    • Largest Bass: 18.5 inches (Matt)

    • Most Northern: 1 (Dan and Bry)

    • Largest Northern: 24 inches (Dan and Bry)

    • Most Walleye: 21 (Bry)

    • Largest Walleye: 19 inches (John and Bry)

  • Much to everyone's surprise, Dan's trolling motor mount works superbly throughout the trip.

  • Our second trip to Lake Windermere (our first ever repeat). We're learning the lake somewhat, and it doesn't seem as big anymore. No new colors flying on the bra tree.

  • The matriarch (Darlene), anticipating our success, packs enough wine for two fish dinners.

  • Dinners: Bry's somewhat soggy Mexican lasagna (what? no Teriyaki chicken?), bass and walleye plus leftovers, John's steaks and perogis, bass and walleye plus Dan's ziti, bass and walleye again plus Matt's rice. Never had the chance to have Matt's chili and brauts.

  • The group lets Matt pick a spot, and he does not disappoint. Three fish on the lines at the same time? We need more net men. Looks like we found Walleye Way.

  • In pursuit of the big catch, Dan, Bry, and Matt head up the Windermere River. Dan and Bry both boat 24 inch Northerns. It's a tie for the biggest and most pike. Dan protests the ruling on the grounds that his pike looks like it swallowed a squirrel.

  • Dan, Bry, and Matt try trolling with deep-diving Rapalas (which is the method du jour of other groups at the camp). Never can tell if were getting the lures deep enough. STOP THE BOAT...Matt is snagged. Never mind, it's coming up. Must be a big stick. No, wait, it's a pike. Dang, he snapped the bill of the lure and swam away. Probably should have waited for a net man instead of trying to haul it in unassisted.

  • The skies clear before we reach the bridge, making 18 holes on the way up possible. The early word that a tee time at Crimson Ridge would be "no problem" proves false. Scrambling to find an available course, we settle on The Mackinaw Club (John and Matt's first choice). Matt repeats as golf champ, winning the evil 666 round-robin format proposed by Dan. Results:

    • Matt: 8 points

    • Bry: 6 points

    • Dan: 4 points

    • John: 0 points

  • Once again the weather forecast is off. Rather than overcast in the high 50's, it's sunny in the low 50's. Good enough for 18 holes at The Mackinaw Club on the trip home. Dan wins round 2 of 666. Results:

    • Dan: 11 points

    • Matt: 8 points

    • Bry: 7 points

    • John: 4 points

  • The boat motor sounds funny and loses power. After adding gear oil and power steering fluid it sounds much better...until the next day. After much inspection and discussion, we conlude the problem is water in the fuel tank or a fouled plug. Nothing too serious. The boat sounds great as we start our evening excursion to Walleye Way, but our max speed quickly drops by 40%. As we approach the bra tree...BANG..."Cut the motor"...billowing smoke...metal chunks and oil fill the bilge. Passers-by offer a tow back to camp, which we decline in favor of trolling the nearby shore. We quickly decide this was another "not-too-smart" decision. We jump at the next offer for a tow, which takes is to the jug buoy near camp. After trolling around the buoy until dark we decide to head in; but by then the trolling battery is almost dead. Thank goodness we had a spare battery. At least we made one good decision that evening.

  • Given a decent weather forecast, we rent a boat for the final day. It's a late start, so we take our lunches with us. After one more trip to Walleye Way, we stop for a shore lunch at a remote beach. Dan spots a big walleye patrolling the shore, but cannot entice it with a jig lunch. The backside of the island is blocked, so we reverse course and take the long route to Wayland Bay. Where did that rock come from? Bry joins Dan in the Prop-Killer club.

  • The wolf pack has moved on, clearing the way for a lone fox that roams the grounds looking for a easy meal.

  • No need for a spare trailer tire for this trip, but the same is not true for the truck. Our hosts take the punctured tire to town for repair, but the tire's still low the next day. Matt drives through puddles so Bob (our host) can find the leak. Bob finds and plugs the puncture, which is still holding today.

  • Bry retains his title of "Chinese-Rummy-Trouble" Champ by default. After reeling in all the lunkers, we were too exhausted for evening board games.

  • Matt assumes the title of reigning fishing champ. He boats the first qualifier three of the five days, the most twice, and the biggest twice. He also lands the largest pike, northern, and bass, nets the most walleye, and ties for the most pike.

  • Bry's attempt to hang on to the fishing title proves unsuccessful. His flurry of catches late each day do not offset his slow starts. However, he does boat the most bass on the trip, one of which qualifies as a trophy. His success in the category is curious, given that smallmouth is the one fish he is least interested in catching.

  • Dan is still waiting to revisit the success he had in 2012. He and Matt were tied for the most walleye going into the final day, and Dan starts the day by boating a 23 inch pike early. The promising start is followed by a long drought, and Matt's four walleye and 25 inch pike on the last day dash Dan's last ditch hopes for glory.

  • John stays steady with the bottom bouncers, but sometimes replaces the floating jig with Rube Goldberg setups. Despite the occasional tangle, the setups help John stay in the fishing hunt with the biggest catches twice and the most catches once.

  • Overall fishing results

    • Most Bass: 6 (Bry)

    • Largest Bass: 19.5 inches (Matt)

    • Most Northern: 3 (Dan and Matt)

    • Largest Northern: 29.5 inches (Matt)

    • Most Walleye: 26 (Matt)

    • Largest Walleye: 22.5 inches (Matt)

  • Our third trip to Lake Windermere, and our performance keeps getting better. We (well, at least Matt) has a pretty good sense of how to navigate the lake, and we're able to reach our fishing destinations fairly quickly with minimal damage to the boat. The bra tree "flags" are really faded.

  • The group ventures out on day four despite severe weather warnings for the region. It's a (negative) trifecta! Cold air, strong wind, and steady rain make for frozen digits and miserable fishing. The early end to fishing that day is followed by Scotch doubles while watching the Tiger game in the camp game room.

  • The group concedes to Matt's request to try deep water trolling for trophy walleye and lake trout. Two mornings wasted!

  • Bry and Matt never make it to Goldie Lake to do some casting for pike and bass. Wading through 60 degree water on a rainy and 40 degree day for a little fishing variety just ain't that appealing.

  • The group never makes it to the "Northern Nook" to cast for pike (Bry's favorite type of fishing). But the northern were hitting on floating jigs in other parts of the lake.

  • Bry learns a proper way to tie fishing line.

  • Matt never gets to use the bimini top he packed in the back of the boat.

  • New places found: "Diversity Drive" and "Jumbo Point".

  • John's quote of the trip, "I'm marking a ton of fish...and I've got one of them!"

  • The excitements starts early when, before the group leaves Michigan, Dan exclaims, "I'm an idiot." After calls to the boarder patrol and home, Dan obtains a scanned copy of the passport he left at home. The group decides they will press on without Dan if the unofficial documents do not prevent the border patrol from taking Dan in for water-boarding. No such luck...the crossings are uneventful.

  • The police were as accommodating as the border patrol. The Ontario police officer told us to use our hazard lights after stopping us for pulling a trailer with no tail lights. The Michigan police let Matt slide after stopping him for pulling a trailer with no license plate.

  • A beautiful day for 18 holes at The Mackinaw Club on our way up. Everyone has 0 points going into the final 666 pairing. The Dan-Matt final 6 pairing outscore the John-Bry group, leading Dan and Matt to tie as golf champs. Results:

    • Dan: 5 points

    • Matt: 5 points

    • John: 0 points

    • Bry: 0 points

  • A late start and cold weather on the trip home lead to a cold and dark finish to the 18 holes at The Mackinaw Club on the trip home. Not a problem for Bry, whose stellar golfing mocked the difficult conditions. Even though paired with Matt in the final group, Bry cruised to an easy win in round 2 of 666. Results:

    • Bry: 10 points

    • Dan: 5 points

    • John: 3 points

    • Matt: 2 points

  • Dinners: Matt's lasagna (compliments of Cathy), Dan's pulled pork sandwiches, Bry's chicken teriyaki, walleye, and John's steaks and perogis (thanks Darlene).

  • Our final two meals are complimented with wine furnished, once again, by the group's matriarch (thanks again Darlene).

  • Dan continues the "the tradition", but the rest of the group doesn't seem to notice.

  • A pair of foxes roam the camp this year, one red and the other calico colored. Our neighbor tells us they are cubs of last years visitors. The calico fox nabs the last corner of Cathy's lasagna.

  • No major damage to the boat, trailer, or truck this year. But Matt destroys the trolling motor battery by inverting the polarity for the overnight charge, the trolling motor lock-down mechanism falls apart, and the prop and skeg suffer minor damage after hitting a submerged rock by the grassy point. The trolling motor is usable when we tie the motor and place and hook up a loaner battery (thank's to Bob and Sondra).

  • A moose casually crosses Esher-Healy road in front of the truck on the trip out..."that was cool."

  • Once again, the group never gets around to playing "Chinese-Rummy-Trouble" or cribbage. Too many fish to clean.

  • John's absence is deeply felt. He opts out of this year's trip in favor of the warmer weather south of the border. The decision guarantees the group will have unseasonably balmy temperatures this year. Thanks to John's aversion to cold weather fishing, the group enjoys temperatures in the 80's to start the week.

Tim

"Shatterman"

Tim fills in admirably for John, frequently remarking "The barn is calling" and "20 feet...not marking any fish." Tim earns his nickname by displaying a remarkable knack for breaking light bulbs and coffee mugs.

  • Matt captures the fishing championship, making him the first to win back-to-back titles. He boats the first qualifier three of the six days, the most three times, and the biggest three times. He also lands the largest walleye, and nets the most walleye and bass.

  • Bry frequently eschews bottom bouncers in favor of castings with spinners. The different style of fishing leads to a different type of fish. He boats the largest and most pike during the week. He also nabs the first qualifier once, the biggest twice, the most once, and ties for the most on another day. The combination allows him to eke out a second place finish in the competition.

  • Dan's new "max-time-in-water" strategy threatens to be a game changer when it yields 4 fishing competition points on Day 1. He follows up his Day 1 points for the first and most fish, and the biggest and most (and only) whitefish with only 2 more points the rest of the trip (the biggest bass and the first fish on Day 6). The drop-off causes him to tumble from first place on Day 1 to third place after Day 6.

  • Tim patiently learns fishing techniques and strategies from the rest of the group. It takes him a few days to master tangle-less bottom bouncing, snag-freeing, rig-tying, and hook-setting. His newly learned skills lead to success later in the trip. He boats the largest fish on Day 4 and ties for the most on that same day.

  • Overall fishing results

    • Most Bass: 11 (Matt)

    • Largest Bass: 18.5 inches (Dan)

    • Most Northern: 5 (Bry)

    • Largest Northern: 26 inches (Bry)

    • Most Walleye: 32 (Matt)

    • Largest Walleye: 22.5 inches (Matt)

  • Total qualifiers boated:

    • Matt: 45

    • Bry: 39

    • Dan: 36

    • Tim: 35

  • Group totals:

    • Walleye: 119

    • Bass: 25

    • Northern: 10

    • Whitefish: 1

  • Tim, Dan, and Bry all net Ontario Angler bass on Day 2. Could this be the year Matt doesn't get a sticker for his side of the boat? No, he comes through with an award bass on Day 5 and another on Day 6.

  • Matt's boats his first Angler Award bass while casting by Tim's Turnaround, but he didn't catch it casting. He tucked his non-casting rod in the corner of the boat, and let the minnowed jig float on top of the water. Bry gets an assist for letting Matt know it hooked something.Tim's quote of the trip (while motoring through heavy chop around Bass Alley), "Now I know what a bottom bouncer feels like!"

  • First time ever...everyone in the boat has a fish on the line at the same time!

  • "We always pass that island on the rights side"..."No, we always pass on the left side". Our fuzzy familiarity with Lake Windermere is getting us into trouble. Twice we tried to venture through waters we thought we knew, only to collide with submerged rocks. A little more of the skeg is missing.

  • Dan surveys the landscape before casting. He notes the location of Tim and Bry, and identifies a clear path for his backswing. Oops, he failed to spot the extra rods in the boat. As Dan lets loose with the cast he snaps the tip off Matt's pole.

  • Bry attempts to nab a massive 10 inch bass in Diversity Drive. When he tries to set the hook, the monster fish shatters his rod. Matt loans Bry one of his spare poles for the rest of the trip.

  • Dan attempts to outdo last year's forgotten passport performance by failing to stretch before teeing off on #1 at Oak Tree a few months earlier. The resulting ligament damage means surgery, and recovery time covers this year's trip. No stopping for golf at The Mackinaw Club on our trips up and back this time.

  • The teams enter the final night tied in the euchre tournament. The Tim/Dan team bests the Bry/Matt crew in both games, giving Tim and Dan the reigning euchre champs title.

  • Meals: Dan's steak and fries, walleye, Bry's chicken teriyaki and rice, Matt's chili (compliments of Cathy) and brats, walleye, and Tim's big breakfast (we are extremely grateful for the many pigs who sacrificed themselves for this meal).

  • Dan continues the "the tradition", but the 80 degree temperatures and warm lake water diminishes the event's significance.

  • Bry occasionally breaks into his B.J. Thomas impersonation, belting out the modified chorus "I..II…II

  • ...I’m hooked on a feelin’, that I’ll be a reelin’, that great big pike of mine". He learns that the "feeling" lure is less effective than a spinner.

  • We do not see any foxes roaming the camp this year. Apparently, the bear we spotted loping across the road to the camp is keeping them away. We did watch a pair of moose swimming across the lake by Diversity Drive, a couple of bald eagles gliding overhead, and an angry beaver slapping his tail on the water to scare us off.

  • We were inside the game room playing doubles when Bob lets us know we may hear a loud "bang". He warns us he's going to fire his cap gun to scare away the bear loitering just outside.

  • No major damage to the boat, trailer, or truck this year. But, a sluggish boat motor means all passengers must move to the bow to get the boat to plane. The trailer has some electrical issues, blowing 4 fuses along the way and requiring some wiring repair in Wawa (Bry was right about running the wires OVER the hitch). The battery Matt ruined last year was successfully repolarized and worked swimmingly this year. The new trailer license plate holder works, and causes no personal injuries or damage to other vehicles.

  • Walleye Way did not yield the success the group enjoyed in previous years. However, we did add the following locations this year:

    • The Quad

    • Beaver Place

    • Tim's Turnaround

    • Grassy Knoll

    • Jig Joint

    • Walley Island

    • Whitefish Bay

  • Bry becomes the new reigning champ despite catching the fewest qualifiers for the week. He boats the biggest fish on three days, the first twice, and the most once. His affinity for northern shows with the biggest and most pike for the week. His strong finish on the final half day at Pike Pond was enough to overcome a miserable first half of Day 5 (1 walleye) and an awful Day 2 (only 1 fish boated).

  • Matt held the early lead with the largest walleye and pike after three days. Both records disappeared during the final two days. He wound up with the most qualifiers on two days, tied for the most on another, the biggest fish twice, and the first fish once. He also netted the most walleye for the week, which was enough to give him second place.

  • Dan was in the driver's seat for the championship going into the second half of the final day. He was hanging on to the largest fish for the day and most pike after the morning session. Both records fell, causing Dan to tumble from first to last place in the competition. He finished the week with the first fish on 2 days, the most on 1 day, tied for the most on another, and the biggest walleye for the week.

  • Overall fishing results

    • Most Northern: 13 (Bry)

    • Largest Northern: 39 inches (Bry)

    • Most Walleye: 37 (Matt)

    • Largest Walleye: 28 inches (Dan)

  • Total qualifiers boated:

    • Matt: 46

    • Dan: 43

    • Bry: 34

  • Group totals:

    • Walleye: 89

    • Northern: 34

  • Dan, Bry, and Matt all nab Ontario Angler fish awards on the trip. Dan and Matt both net qualifying walleye and northern, while Bry's winning northern earns the award. Matt maintains his 3 sticker lead over Dan and Bry.

  • No smoking power steering pump, no inverted impeller, no bent props, no shorn skeg, no group efforts required to plane out. For the first time ever, the boat works like a charm for the entire trip.

  • Also worked well:

    • Dan's rebuilt trolling motor mount. It's heavier, sturdier, and easier to install than the previous.

    • Matt's drag setting contraption. The initial "What the heck is that?" was followed by "Set mine." which was in turn followed by "It's taking out my line!" Fewer monsters lost perhaps?

    • Dan's iteration of Matt's rod holders. Using vinyl seawall instead of plywood makes them less susceptible to winding up at the bottom of the lake next to two rods and reels.

    • Matt's trailer rewiring. We had trailer running, braking, and turning lights until a pinched wire blew the truck's turning/braking fuse between Michigan and Pennsylvania on the return trip.

  • Did not work so well:

    • Dan's boat launching ramps. Preliminary confidence exceeded eventual performance. One ramp snapped under the weight of the truck bed, and the spinning truck tires ripped the wire mesh off both ramps. After fiddling with large grates by the launch, we asked Jim for a tow. He graciously delayed retiring for the evening to assist. We also gave him a chuckle when Matt started driving up the hill with Dan running beside holding the chain still attached to the truck frame.

    • The trailer tires. One blew in Michigan and the spare went flat just before the Canadian border. Our arrival at the camp was further delayed by a stripped lug stuck in the drum. A local mechanic cutting off the rusted lug and nutf. We finished the trip with one tire attached by 4 lugs, and picked up a spare tire and rim in Thunder Bay.

  • Dan continues the "the tradition" in night time 59 degree lake water. Bry and Matt are disappointed that he forgot to take his soap on a rope with him

  • The planned trip is pushed back one day so we can all attend the return of retired player John's Honor Flight. It's a long overdue recognition to those who served our nation. John, you are a true American hero!

  • Pike Pond delivers many memories over and above Bry’s massive northern. From, pike surfacing to attack the lures, sometimes 3-4 times until that caught it, to Dan’s pike actually jumping out of the water over the net, to Dan’s tired and injured pike kicking its tail fin to surf he water for a yard or so after being released back to the pond, to 2 big pike destroying 2 of Bry’s treble hooks, to Dan losing a pike because Bry took forever to de-pike the net when he landed the lunker.

  • While the group was quite successful in Pike Pond it was not without a battle. When Bry nets his big lunker, the fish inflicts a couple of nice gashes on Bry’s hand drawing lots of blood to make sure he knew he was in for a fight. Not to be outdone, Dan’s lunker, possibly witnessing the bloody battle Bry had, decides to one up his counterpart and drive a deeper gash into Dan’s hand that had him bleeding for the rest of the day.

  • We had more success trolling than on any previous trip, even though two charged batteries are insufficient for a full day of trolling.

  • Dan opts for numbers rather than size on the Day 4. He bottom bounces for walleye while Bry and Matt cast for pike. The strategy paid off and moved Dan to 1/2 point off the lead going into the final day.

  • Matt almost duplicates his pike on walleye on jig double play, but Bry is too slow on the net. Moments after boating Matt's solo walleye Bry nabs a pike. Conspiracy?

  • Meals: Walleye, Matt's jambalaya and cornbread (compliments of Cathy), Walleye, Bry's chicken tacos (assist to Allison), and Dan's brats (delays in pulling the boat from the lake on the final day left too little time for Dan's planned beef and peppers dinner).

  • Cathy’s jambalaya was so good that Bryan and Matt forgo sandwich lunches for jambalaya on subsequent days until the well runs dry. Bry pontificates on numerous occasions “this stuff is fantastic”.

  • Wildlife was plentiful for the viewing during the trip. On the drive to and from camp the group saw black bear, fox, coyote, wolf and bull moose. While fishing the group had numerous sightings of bald eagles, osprey and massive turkey vultures.

  • Matt saves Bry from potential future digestive issues when he inquires “you planning to eat that?” referring to the blueberry muffin with mold growing on the top that Bry was about to devour.

  • The group passes the evening hours by retooling numerous fishing apparatuses for the next day and relaxing to a few games of backgammon and/or 3 handed cribbage.

  • We lost a bucketful of minnows during a hurried departure from shore on Day 3. Many thanks to those who donated their leftover bait to our cause.

  • We had a whole new lake to label. Notable locations at Wawang include:

    • The Cliffs

    • Pike Pond

    • Weed Bay

  • We used the camp's equipment this year. Matt put the final nail in the Rinker's coffin last fall when he went for an afternoon of pleasure boating and forgot to put in the drain plug. The boat could have been salvaged had he taken it for service before taking it out on the lake again. It's been donated to charity.

  • The camp's equipment worked great, but we needed to be frugal with the trolling. The batteries never lasted for a whole day of fishing.

  • Lake Windermere is still producing trophy sized smallmouth, and the pike and walleye are getting bigger. It looks like the Happy Day plan to increase the number of breeders is working.

  • This may have been our last trip to Windermere. The camp is reluctant to rent a four person cabin to three people. What a shame.

  • First trip with Matt's new bass boat. Too bad it's not big enough to handle all three of us.

  • Matt and Bry head out on the first day in the new boat while Dan opts to be the sole occupant of one of the camp's two person boats.

  • When using one of the camp's two person boats, make sure you have two persons in the boat. One person, one motor, one gas tank, one cooler, and fishing gear all loaded in the stern makes the bow point skyward like a rocket and almost impossible to pilot.

  • Thankfully the weather was calm enough during the week that Matt's boat was never swamped.

  • Matt boats the largest pike of the week, but after official review the pike is disqualified. Turns out you have to catch a pike using a rod and reel. You can't just scoop up a northern with a landing net as it's eyeing the walleye on your stringer. Who knew?

  • Bry and Matt spent the morning of the last day on Pike Pond. Matt successfully extracted a swallowed spoon from a northern only to have the hook pierce his glove and embed securely in his thumb.

  • Unable to remove the hook from Matt's thumb, he and Bry headed back to the boat launch so Matt could get some assistance from the camp personnel. While trolling back to the launch, Matt hooks another pike, much bigger than the last. But, like the last, this one swallowed the lure as well. With one hand out of commission, Matt is unable to extract the lure from his latest catch. They finish the trip to the launch with the new northern in tow, extract the lure from the lunker, and then get the camp handy man to extract the hook from Matt's thumb.

  • All's well that ends well, except for Dan. The pike Matt towed to shore stole points away from Dan and handed the fishing contest championship to Bry. Oh so close!

In Loving Memory

John G. Berent

  • Our first trip since the barn made its final call to our our beloved father, mentor, example, and confidant. The man who inspired and nurtured our love of fishing. Dad, you are missed!

  • Dad probably would have enjoyed fishing from Dan's new boat. Plenty of room for four, protection from the elements, comfortable chairs, and no mechanical problems.

1930-2019

He fed us for a lifetime

  • Bry emerged as 2019 champ! Despite capturing 0 points on the first day, his performance improved throughout the week and he finished with one half of all avalable points. Here are the results:

  • Bry - 11.0 points

    • First - 4 point (Days 2, 4, 5, and 6)

    • Biggest - 1 points (Day 3)

    • Most - 3 points (Days 4, 5, and 6)

    • Most pike - 1 point (18 for the week)

    • Most walleye - 1 point (23 for the week)

    • Biggest walleye - 1 point (22 inches)

  • Dan - 7 points

    • First - 1 point (Day 1)

    • Biggest - 4 points (Days 2, 4, 5 and 6)

    • Most - 1 point (Day 1)

    • Biggest pike (41 inches)

  • Matt - 4.5

    • First - 1 point (Day 3)

    • Biggest - 1 point (Day 1)

    • Most - 2 points (Days 2 and 3)

  • We boated a total of 108 qualifiers for the week (46 pike and 62 walleye). Here are the results:

    • Bry - 41 qualifiers (18 pike and 23 walleye)

    • Matt - 34 qualifiers (12 pike and 22 walleye)

    • Dan - 33 qualifiers (16 pike and 17 walleye)

  • Dan's 41 inch pike was the largest ever boated on any fishing trip. In honor of this achievement, the location of the event has been renamed Bay 41.

  • No one who never joined the group for a week of fishing was more important than Darlene. From making sure John was ready to leave on time to preparing boxes of basic supplies, from a late night meal prior to our departure to packing sandwiches and snacks for the trip, from sneaking small bottles of wine into the supplies to making sure we had enough toilet paper for the week, she made sure we always had more than we needed. We miss you Mom!

  • We quickly discovered that we had not accurately recalled the complete inventory of supplies Mom packed for us. Fortunately, the lodge was able to provide the supplies we overlooked.

  • After a one year haitus due to COVID and several late attempts to reserve accommodations at some fishing camp, we returned to Wawang for the fourth time.

  • COVID presented a new challenge for crossing the border into Canada. Canadian authorities required proof that a test for the virus conducted within 72 hours of crossing produced negative results. We all had tests on Wednesday in anticipation of reraching the border early Satuirday morning. When Matt learned his results would not be available for 3 to 7 days, he scrambled to have another test that would produce quicker results. He located a place 30 minutes away that had an opening in 30 minutes. He managed to make it in time for a second test and returned home in time for the 2021 FFL draft.

  • The virus was not the only cause of border crossing challenges. A few weeks before the trip, Bry discovered his passport had expired. Knowing he could not obtain a new passport in time, he attempted to acquire an enhanced drivers license. However, the new drivers license did not arrive in time. Bry showed up at the border with an expired passport, cancelled drivers license, completed application for the enhanced drivers license, and a utility bill. While we were prepared to leave Bry in Sault Saint Marie for a week, the border official allowed him to cross.

  • Restricted access into Canada due to COVID and arriving at 1 am in the morning meant no waiting at the border.

  • Arriving in Thunder Bay at 7 am Saturday morning posed a dilemma. Wawang was not licensed to sell live bait, so we needed to purchase enough minnows and crawlers to last the week from a bait shop in nearby Kakabeka Falls. While the bait shop was open early, The Beer Stores didn't open until 9 am and there were none between Kakabeka falls and Wawang. Fortune shined on us. The bait shop was next to a gas station and across the street from a hardware store. By the time we filled the tanks with gas, repaired the loose trailer bumper with bolts and adhesive from the hardware store, and purchased bait, the LCBO on the other side of the bait store was open.

  • Matt and Bry opt for coffee and massive fresh cinamon rolls from the deli down the street.

  • We arrived at Wawang around noon (sans repaired trailer bumper), quickly unpacked, and headed out for a first day of fishing.

  • Storms can blow in quickly in western Ontario. During our first afternoon on the lake, heavy rain, wind, and hail caught us off guard. After short naps in the cabin, the sky cleared and we headed back out. Unfortunately for Bry, he neglected to change his wet socks and spent the evening fishing session with cold feet.

  • The weather on day 4 was awful. High winds and heavy rains kept us sequestered in the cabin until the early afternoon. We finally got out around 2 pm, but opted to fish the protected bays close to the lodge. That turned out to be a great decision for Dan, who boated a 37.5 inch pike from a weed bed at the far end of the bay. The decision was not so great for Matt, who only managed one qualifier for the day.

  • Pike pond has never produced the quantity and quality of northern we observed during our first visit to Wawang.

  • After several days of whining about his recent failures to win the fishing contest, Dan emerged as 2021 champ! In addition to securing all three points on day 3 (when Bry and Matt spent the morning on Pike Pond), he also reeled in the largest pike of the week and tied for the largest walleye. Here are the results:

  • Dan - 9.0 points

    • First - 1 point (Day 3)

    • Biggest - 3 points (Days 3, 4, and 5)

    • Most - 2.5 points (Days 1, 3, and 4)

    • Biggest pike - 1 point (39.5 inches)

    • Most pike - 1 point (19 for the week)

    • Biggest walleye - .5 point (24 inches)

  • Bry - 8.5 points

    • First - 3 points (Days 1, 2, and 4)

    • Biggest - 2 points (Days 2 and 6)

    • Most - 2.5 points (Days 2, 5, and 6)

    • Most walleye (61)

  • Matt - 4.5

    • First - 2 points (Days 5 and 6)

    • Biggest - 1 point (Day 1)

    • Most - 1 point (Days 1 and 2)

    • Biggest walleye - .5 points (24 inches)

  • We boated a total of 207 qualifiers for the week (51 pike and 156 walleye). Here are the results:

    • Bry - 75 qualifiers (14 pike and 61 walleye)

    • Matt - 70 qualifiers (18 pike and 52 walleye)

    • Dan - 62 qualifiers (19 pike and 43 walleye)

  • How is it that the guy who caught the fewest fish won the contest?

  • Dan invested in a new trolling motor for his boat prior to the trip. The new motor was the focal point of multiple and various complications. Here's what happened:

    • Pulling the boat out of the water to charge the trolling motor batteries using the onboard charger was more trouble than it was worth. The boat launch sand was extraordinarily soft after months of not being used. This made pulling the boat out of the water exhausting. We learned it was much easier to pull the batteries of of the boat and just haul them to the cabin.

    • For some reason as yet unknown, two of the batteries only showed 6 volts when on the charger.

    • As the week progressed, the moter seemed less and less capable of moving the boat at 1 MPH.

    • Due to some nefarious plot by the Chinese to disrupt maritime traffic, we lost control of the trolling motor on the last day. It tried to strangle itself with its power cord by spinning in circles. We abandoned the trolling motor in favor of the kicker. It worked fine, but required a lot of effort by whomever was in control.

  • Meals this trip:

    • Day 1 - Filet mignon shish-kabobs with mushrooms, peppers, onions and mac and cheese (Dan).

    • Day 2 - Crispy baked walleye with fresh carrots and Spanish rice (Matt).

    • Day 3 - Cheeseburgers with cole slaw and pasta salad (Bry...but mostly Allison).

    • Day 4 - Pan fried parmesan encrusted baked walleye with potato pancakes, but without brussel sprouts (Dan).

    • Day 5 - Seared lemon pepper walleye with wild rice and corn (Bry).

    • Day 6 - Brats with potato salad and green beans (Matt).

  • The cabin did not have an oven, so Matt had to prepare his crispy baked walleye meal using the lodge kitchen (which had been closed due to the virus).

  • We explored 3-handed versions of cribbage, euchre, and pinochle in the evenings. Pinochle was the best of these, and euchre was not that great.

  • Dan spent $2,212.82 preparing/upgrading the boat for the trip. Matt passed up an estimated $20,000 in consulting fees to make the trip. Bry's financial investment...$0. So how come Bry got first pick of the cabin accommodations? Because his brothers are awesome!

  • Alex generously attached a 2 x 4 as a substitute for the lost trailer bumper. It worked great, but the other bumper loosened shortly after we left the camp. The quick repair with nylon string and duct tape survived the rest of the trip home.

  • A flat tire at dusk about 30 miles from the U.S. border delayed our return home a bit. Having never changed a tire on that truck before, it took some time to locate the jack and figure out how to extract the spare from under the bed. Not too bad all things considered.

In Loving Memory

Darlene E. Berent

1935-2020

Still the glue that holds the group together