This week we actually had a couple days relief from the
heat. One day during the week we
actually had a high temperature of 65 degrees.
Have to love the north.
The mass of flies we had been experiencing has subsided to a
normal level. At one point they were so
bad you could not stand outside during the day without pants and socks. I do not know if it was just a large hatch
this year or the hard winds blew them out of the woods, but I have never seen
so many flies. People believe that these
flies that look just like a house fly, but bite, are black flies. These flies are called stable flies. Up hear we call them ankle biters because
that is where the tend to bite you and let me tell you it hurts. Black flies look more like a gnat than a
fly. They are most prominent in the
spring. During the summer they are
mostly in the bush looking for cool and wet areas. The only thing that seems to work is 100 percent deet bug
spray. Another trick is to go to your
local tractor supply or farm and fleet and get a spray bottle of fly spray made
for horses. You can spray the inside of
your boat down and it will keep them at bay.
The best thing to do is wear a pair of pants and socks, but hard to do
when the temps are in 80’s and 90’s.
This week the fishing really started to pick up again. We were catching lots of walleyes in the 20
to 24 inch range. The smaller eater
walleyes are really grouping up. We are
catching good numbers of fish in that 17 inch range and going deeper we are
finding the bigger fish. When the wind
is blowing and the clouds block out the sun they seem to move a little
shallower and bite a little better. We caught several walleyes in the 25 inch
range as well as a 27 and a 271/2. The
big pike we had been consistently catching seem like they took a break. The biggest for the week was a 38” fish
caught in Turn around. Perch were
continuing to bite well and even a few lakers were brought in.
We had 3 different groups in camp this week. One group was 3 generations of family. All first timers to Wine except for Chris and
Mike, struggled early to catch fish but
enjoyed throwing the frisbee and spending time together. The 4 grand children that were here enjoyed
the fishing but enjoyed the back yard playing just as much. As the week progressed they began to get a
feel for the lake and started catching fish pretty regularly. Mike, the dad and grandfather, told me it was
awesome to spend so much time with his children and grand kids. He hoped that they would take to the outdoors
like he has and enjoy the time in nature.
Another group was made up of some buddies that were always
competing to catch more fish than the others.
They spent lots of time exploring all parts of the lake. When it was too hot or they tired of catching
fish they would play cards in their cabin or on the deck for hours. Everyday you could see them racing down the
lake to see which boat was the fastest, though not always a fair race!
The 3rd group consisted of 6 people whom have
been coming to Wine for many years. They
had a routine of getting up, eating breakfast and taking their time getting
ready to go out. Once they left they
would spend the entire day out fishing and then come back in the evening to
enjoy a big dinner and some libations.
The truly had their system down and it showed with great food every
night.
It was a great week and all that came enjoyed the time
here. Even all the ladies who had never
been here before said it was better than they thought and very
comfortable. Looking forward to seeing
all of you again soon.
