To those of us who love the appeal of an outpost cabin Dawn is one of those typical properties that Wilderness North maintains in their large list of units.
Wilderness outpost facilities require you to put in a bit of extra work organizing your food and gear, but the tradeoff is that you are by yourself in this marvelous environment with the sights and sounds it offers you. Time and what you do with it is your choice since there are no schedules to meet.
This is our 4th trip as a family to Dawn Lake. We arrived on the 15th of July and didn’t leave until the 22nd of July. As in other years, fishing has been good to great, but this year the fishing was amazing. Our total fish catch was over 550 fish with 113 northern pike and 459 walleye. Several of northern were over 30” with the largest at 39 ½”. A majority of the walleyes were in the 17” to 21” range with the largest at 24”. (The old man caught the largest in both categories).
We varied the bait and presentation depending on what was happening and the time of day. We trolled with shallow and deep running crankbaits of various types and jigged with worms on a ¼ oz. light colored jig. Trolling we often found walleye in the 10’ to 14’ depth range. Trolling around some rock outcroppings we pulled them off at 6 foot depth. Jigging we found them in a few different places in the north leg of the lake in around 20 feet or so and one evening our two sons jigged 60 walleye in a few such spots in a 3+ hour period. Like any fishing on new or familiar lakes you need to search for spots that produce and mark them. Dawn being laid out like an “X” or a plus sign provides easy access to all parts of the lake, and offers 4 large options for shelter on a windy day.
Even better than the fishing, though, is the opportunity to spend time with the ones you love. This offers the time to catch up, reminisce about previous trips, and help forge or solidify the family bonds that can so easily slip away in today’s busy society. The excellent fishing and the comfortable accommodations helped us thoroughly enjoy our week, whether we were out on the lake, or back at the cabin playing cards or just spending time together.
Coming back to Dawn is like coming home. The staff at Wilderness North do an outstanding job of maintaining the cabin, boats, and motors, which adds to the overall positive experience. We look forward to our next trip!
