Seeking the natural splendour of Dawn Lake, Jim & Debbie enjoyed some great late season catch and release fishing and reported seeing lots of 6 -8in walleye. The abundance of yearlings late in the season is a clear sign of healthy reproduction and larger walleye in the future. These growing juveniles have not gone unnoticed by the large hungry pike chomping at the bit to steal a tasty walleye off the line -one even jumped almost its full body length out of the water in an attempt to secure a meal. Another was a 48in monster that came to the surface before quickly darting away from the anglers

Reports of schools of small walleye also came in from Zig Zag where it appears it’s already undergoing its transition into fall; a little early due to low water. Vince reports that he thinks the big northerns have moved back to hide in their deeper holes, making them harder to catch. With the larger predators out of the way, the walleye are still making the most of shallow water feeding opportunities and providing anglers with a chance to reel in a late season trophy walleye or two. After catching multiple smaller walleye (10-12 inchers), Vince and his buddy Scott’s hard work paid off with the catch and release of 2 trophy walleye both 26.5 inches. Scott’s was caught late in the evening when the dim light makes picture taking difficult and Vince landed his on their last day after reeling in a close 25.5 incher on his previous cast. Needless to say it was a fun few minutes for Vince and great way to end off the trip.

Always mindful of our impact on the remote northern environment and actions taken to ensure the fisheries and waterways continue to bring enjoyment to guests for many years, it is accounts like these of large fish and emerging year classes that confirm we must be doing something right. Learn more about fish ages and growth.