I have heard that to catch big fish, you need big baits. I’ve had several groups tell me this and never gave it much thought, because as you know, us fisherman like to throw a “little extra something” into each story to “one up” the other guys. I’d heard this from groups heading into Makokibatan Lodge and outpost all season long followed by fish stories almost too good to be true.

Well, I decided to head up to the Albany myself and see if these guys were “full of it” or telling the truth. All I can say is WOW!!  Makokibatan is home to some of the largest “average size” walleye I have ever caught. It is hard to find an “eater” for shore lunch on this body of water. Granted, we took in some large minnows (5-6 inchers) and were hunting for large fish and large fish only. In fact, it was Chris Clemmons who once told me that if you are hunting trophy fish, you need bigger bait, so we followed his advice.
Drum Roll Please: After only 4 hours on the water on day one, we had landed three 26-inch plus walleyes. And by the end of the day, we had caught and released five Master Angler walleyes from one island point. This pattern continued for a few days until the cold front moved in and slowed things down. After three days, with big minnows, we had landed eleven Master Angler walleyes ranging from 26 to 30 inches with several hundred between 20 and 25 inches. The average size of these fish is simply amazing

Congratulations to Mitch Kennedy, my former college roommate, on taking home the trophy this year for largest fish. His 30-inch fish came up from the deep and shocked us both.  After I yelled at him to “GET THE NET, GET THE NET” loud enough for everyone in Canada to hear, I realized that I was the net man.  If I knew it was going to be the winner,  I might have been a little slower reaching for the net :p

This lake has some of the best trophy walleye fishing that we offer, as long as the weather cooperates. The staff is also top notch and makes life in camp a lot of fun. Thanks again to Meryl & Bernie, and WN staff for a great time. Make sure to ask Meryl about the “Quarter to 6” breakfast special when you head up.

Now that I’ve got your attention, We’ve also had some great outpost fishing to report from last week. Malcom and Julia from Jasper, Missouri headed into D’alton Lake and boated a beautiful 27-inch Master Angler walleye using a jig and minnow. This is a long time coming for the Yaryan group. Over the last 3 seasons, they have had to cancel their trip plans due to work and other conflicts.  They are sure to be back next year in search of an even larger walleye.