The Stanford group from Wisconsin had an amazing week at Striker’s Point Lodge with four master angler pike! Matthew takes credit for the largest at 46″, but he had lots of help from his family! His siblings Jason and Amy were jigging for walleye in the river channel when Matthew and his wife, Cindy, decided to join in.
Jason mentioned that a giant northern had surfaced about 50 feet from the boat, and jokingly suggested that Matthew try and catch it. Using a casting rod with a red Buck Tail, Matthew cast in that direction, and wouldn’t you know it – he caught that giant northern! The fish hit about 25 feet from the boat, and fought for about 7 minutes. Wife Cindy netted the fish (it was only her second time EVER netting a fish). Matthew also caught a 40″ northern. One hour after Matthew’s catch, brother Jason managed to reel in a 41″ monster in the same spot. Cindy also has some great memories from her first fishing trip in Canada with a nice 40.5″ catch! The family reported LOTS of walleye all over, and especially at the falls, as well as lots of moose sightings.
Peggy and Monty from Naples, Florida are avid fly fishers, and had lots of success on their trip to Striker’s Point Lodge. The couple managed to bring in over one hundred fish in total (which is no easy task on a fly rod!). Because of the early spring this year, the fish have already moved into deeper waters – however, they are still biting on the fly! The Cabe’s had LOTS of action with smaller pike in shallow water less than 5 feet deep. Their favorite fishing spot? The pools below the rapids! Peggy and Monty were fishing from shore, wading out to a depth of about 1 foot. They had a lot of luck casting near submerged trees. At one point, Peggy was fixing a tangle in her running line. She let out about 10 feet of fly line out the tip of her rod and left it drifting in shallow water. When she looked down, she could see two pike hovering just below the fly, as if debating whether or not to bite. Finally, the smaller of the two fish lunged for the lure. What an interesting catch – and a great story to tell!
Bill Thorsness and his sons, Jonathan and Robert, from Illinois, turned their fishing adventure into a little family competition. Jonathan won for the largest walleye – a 23 incher caught just off an island point at the mouth of the Ogoki River. Ironically, he also won the contest for the smallest catch of the week, a 9 ¾” walleye. With 70 fish, brother Robert caught the most fish from the group. On the first day alone, after a late morning start, the group still managed to catch over 100 fish combined!
…Katlyn Johnson
