– Would you believe 62 in one week?

Temperatures are in the high twenties, and hot – well summer did start this week. Better yet, our Master Angler count is even hotter here at Makokibatan Lodge. Last week, we saw a whopping 62 Master Angler walleye registered. This seemed even unbelievable to us, but we remember last year’s big production. Big Makokibatan Lake is proving to be Wilderness North’s most productive walleye fishery. Maybe it’s the moon. Maybe the official start of summer. Maybe the experience of the anglers. Maybe the proven “hot spots” we mark on maps. Maybe a combination of all of the above. Anyway, here are the stories.

The Ferris group from Ohio in their sixteenth return trip with us recorded 33 Master Anglers, the most from any one group ever this past week. Plus, Tom Ferris and a few of the boys took a trip with Eli Baxter our “eighty something” Ojibway guide down the river and claim it was the best trip ever, catching fifteen brook trout. Curt and Marty from Ohio have eight 26 inch plus walleye each. Tom Ferris had seven, John with five, Ed with one, Todd with a 30 ¼ inch beauty and Ron with an almost master angler of 25 3/4. The guys reported an unbelievable amount of fish in their stay with us. These guys are thoroughly incredible, enjoyed hitting their favorite hotspots all week, and having great shore lunches daily. We look forward to seeing them back here another year. By the way, most of the fish were reeled in with bottom bouncers, and jigs with twister tails.

The Nemec party of ten, reports that Doug of  Wisconsin caught the largest, a trophy 28″ walleye and another party  from Ohio scored 19 walleye with Terry of Williard, Ohio catching ten of them. However, all in the party were very proud fisherman.

Tom Sharpnack took a river trip with Eli and describes it this way, “Eli was a hoot. What will you do next year? The river trip was over the top! Sixteen trout, several walleye over twenty four inches, and two over twenty six inches.” Speaking of Eli, he guided nine river trips in nine days and is taking some time off, he said, ” to give the fish a break!”

…Meryl and Bernard Carroll