As many of you may know, we have been very very dry up here in the region near our lodge for the past couple of years and this summer has been especially dry. We have had no significant rain in the past 5 weeks. That being the case, when a thunder storm comes through, it usually spawns forest fires. There have been many fires started in the past couple of weeks here in NW Ontario but two of them are absolute monsters. They are listed as RED039 and RED040 on the Ontario Fire Reporting website. Here is a link: https://www.ontario.ca/page/forest-fires
Each of these fires is causing us concern. RED039 is Northwest of us by only 4-5 miles. That distance can be covered in less than a day if the wind is in our direction and high in speed. RED040 is also causing issues as it has literally burned along the road that leads to our lodge. They are allowing traffic to move South away from the area with supervised escorts but only emergency vehicles are allowed to come North.
The guests that were here at our lodge this week were instructed to leave at this time so they were escorted South down our road by fire personnel. We are staying in contact with the firecrews in our area on a daily basis to get updates on the fires progressions. The Ministry of Natural Resources has instructed the Native Reserve just North of us to totally evacuate as of yesterday. That is 3800 people expected to leave by military planes before the fire reaches their village. We wish them all the best.
WE ARE CURRENTLY SAFE BUT COULD USE RAIN AND THE RIGHT WIND DIRECTION.
On a more positive note, fishing has not changed at Stormer Lake Lodge as it has been absolutely fantastic right from the beginning of the season. Up until about a week ago, most of the Walleyes and Pike were in weed and sand structure. That is because of the many kinds of minnows that spawn in our lake and also because of the Mayfly hatch that is just nearing its cycle. As of the last few days, the Walleyes are making their way out to rock reefs in addition to weedlines and that is making it very simple to just pick them off one after another. A jig and minnow combo is still the best option while twister tails have had some limited success.
In regards to Pike fishing, there has been no shortage of quantity and size so far this summer. Just a few days ago, we had a 39 1/2 and a 43 inch Pike caught within hours of each other. Many in the 32-36 inch range are common all day long. Mepps spinners in the #3, 4 & 5 size are very good on Pike. We also like Rattle Traps in colors of blue/silver, and Perch. Johnson Silver Minnows and Cleos are also a good choice for spoons.
We know this is a short message at this time but we will try to update more regularly when we know we are in a more stable situation with our surroundings.
Regards,
Dave & Linda
how are the fires doing.we are scheduled to be there on 8-10-19 , still looking forward to the trip
Todd,
Fires are all under control. Life is back to normal at Stormer. Our guests are absolutely pounding Walleyes and Pike. A 40 & 37 inch Pike were caught within minutes of each other from the same boat.
We had one family of four catch 201 Walleyes from 8am to 3pm.
Life is good.
what are the big pike coming on?
plan on trying for some smallmouth after dinner what should we bring for lures?
Todd,
Pike were caught on a Mepps Spinner. We like Mepps spinners in the #3,4 & 5 size. Rattle Traps are also good in Blue/Silver colors.
Bass can be caught on Tube Jigs, Mepps Spinners and small rattle type crank baits.
See you soon.
Dave
hello Dave, we are coming up the first week of sept. Could you tell me the make and model of the depth finders also how much are nightcrawler by the dozen . our group mainly uses nightcrawlers and go through about 4 dozen per boat a day
Jeff,
I sent you an email to explain in detail regarding depth finders. All bait, such as nightcrawlers, leeches, etc. work on catching Walleyes at Stormer but we have found that frozen minnows work the best. It has been proven time and time again by our guests that the frozen minnows out catch all other baits over a weeks time of fishing. The other good news is that our frozen minnows work out to be similar if not less expensive than other types of bait and they are easier to handle or manage in the boat.
However, we ask our guests to contact us a couple of weeks ahead of their vacation so we can have nightcrawlers on hand for them.
We hope this helps.
what colors on the mepps and tube jigs . are there many smallmouth being caught?
Todd,
We do not catch many Smallmouth based on two factors. There is not a tremendous population of Smallmouth but enough to keep you excited. The second factor is that Walleye and Pike are so incredibly plentiful that most people do not target Bass like they do Walleye & Pike. So in other words, Smallmouth are a bonus fish so to speak. Tube jigs are best in motor oil or purple glitter colors. Mepps should always have yellow, orange, green or white bucktail hair with silver blades.
Hope this helps.
Dave
how are the fires doing ?we are coming in on the 10th cannot wait . whats the latest fishing report?
Todd,
Fires are all under control. No issues whatsoever.
Fishing has been excellent as usual. Large Walleyes are being caught on the reefs and in the shallows on reed lines. As an example, yesterday was a poor weather day in the morning but once the mist and wind subsided, the big fish started to bite. We had a 29 and a 27 inch Walleye caught in the same boat. Many in the 23-25 inch range also in the afternoon. Again, this is just an example.
Jig and our frozen minnow combination are working the best. One group is trying leeches we had on hand and they are not catching as many as the frozen minnows.
Pike are also on fire. Trolling Rapalas are kill’en the Pike. Many in the 32 to 26 inch class last week and this week.
We will try and keep some fish healthy so they don’t have sore lips by the time you get here.
Safe travels and see you soon.
glad all is well at stormer, cannot wait to get back. what type of Rapalas are working for the pike?