Wright's Camp Blog

Gearing up for Christmas

2011-12-20T21:33:00.000-06:00

Hello friends!
Just thought I'd update for those who still happen to check our blog (I wouldn't be surprised if I was writing this to float forever in cyber space, it's been way too long since our last post!).
I trust you have already received our yearly mail-out via snail mail, and if you haven't, I encourage you to e-mail us your name and address so we can add you to the mailing list. Over the summer we have been moving our data over to a new business computer program, and have weeded out some names we haven't had corresponde from since we've owned the camp. So the reason we got the new program was because when our old printer kicked the bucket, we could no longer find a new printer that would work with the computer we had originally set up the business with over 8 years ago (the computer was already 4 years old at that point too). And yes, we even tried downloading drivers off the internet to no avail.
This process has also shown us how technologically inept we are as we attempt to learn to navigate the new program... but what can I say, we live in the bush, in Red Lake: three hours from the nearest town of Dryden (sorry Ear Falls, you really don't count), and five hours from the nearest city. Technology just doesn't seem as important here... So what I'm trying to say, is if we've missed your name on our mail out, we'd like to get you back on there!
Well the house building has been going really well even though we feel we are behind schedual. The windows and doors are in, and the wiring is about 75% done as of right now. It won't be long before we're insulating and putting up dry wall!
Almost four weeks ago now, Lee and the builders were busy hauling bundles of shingles onto the roof to be shingled the next day, when a 90 lb bundle of shingles fell approx. 8 feet from the roof on to Lee's back when he was bending over to get a new bundle. X-rays, and CT scans show that his vertebrae is broken in two places, but he is really REALLY lucky that it didn't shift causing more serious damage. He was told not to work for the next three months, and will be fitted for a back brace later this week. It really was a scarry incident, and I can't tell you how blessed we feel that it wasn't anyting worse!
So to add to the drama, I'm heading to Thunder Bay on Wednesday for knee surgery that will put me on crutches for 6 weeks. Lee will be fitted for his back brace the same day! Oh what a sorry sight we will be! And all of this just days before Christmas!
That being said, we are all doing really well and the kids are doing really well also, and very much looking forward to a relaxing Christmas!

2011-09-14T14:01:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks on Gullrock have been pretty good. The weather is staying warm this fall so far and we are forecasting 90F for the next couple days. Our guests have been reporting that the average size of fish being caught is around 16 inches with a high percentage of 17-21 inchers are also being caught. We have consistently had at least a 27 incher for big fish on our catch and release board with only one week in mid Aug. that the bigs disappeared all together and we had our smallest ever fish ever on our biggest fish of the week catch and release board at 24 inches. Pike are still active and are favouring top water lures like suicks and jackpots with several up in the mid 40's. One notable week Aug 27-Sept 3 we had an exceptional catch and release board with the top Pike being 45 1/4, 45, 44 3/4 and 44 ½ and the top six walleye were between 26 ½ and 27 ½.

Walleye are favouring black and blue and Pike are mostly on top water lures.

Sullivan and Andie are doing good. Andie misses Sully a little during the day since he is in school 5 days a week now. Sully likes school and seems to be doing well. When I was a kid I used to hate when my Mom would write my name on all my clothes but now I see why, since we are now short Sullys new rain Jacket, sweater and hat. I guess Sully will hate it when I do that as well.

Only a few weeks left in our season and it seemed to really fly by. Looking back at our reservation book for the year I think we will have had our busiest year yet or at least a close second to last year. We cant thank all of our guest enough for choosing to stay with us again this year, we know there is a lot of competition out there and we will continue to work hard for all of you to keep our standards high.

Forest Fire Situation in Northwestern Ontario

2011-08-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

Today, the smoke settled thick on Gullrock Lake late this morning. Locals had reported thick smoke in both Red Lake, and Balmertown two days ago when I counted myself fortunate that it wasn't even present on Gullrock. Sure enough, it caught up to us and there is nothing you can do to avoid it today.
Check out the following link to see a map of where the fires are situated in the northwest part of the province.
http://forest.lrc.gov.on.ca/AFFM/fire/interactivemap/firemap_English.htm

The pictures on the following site, of a fire in the Red Lake district may also be of interest!
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_088522.html
Sure looking forward to some rain!
On another note, fishing has picked up some from last week and the northerns have been on fire!

Farewell to a very special friend

2011-07-31T22:59:00.000-05:00

We are very saddened to announce the passing of our very special friend, and original Wright's Camp dog, A.J.
To our surprise, A.J was diagnosed with lymphoma in early May. From that point we began to watch his health deteriorate until last week, when we took note that he hadn't eaten in 6 days, and looked very lethargic. A.J. was skin and bones when we took him to Dryden so that he could take his last breaths while we whispered our praises in his ear.
We are all adjusting to A.J's absence, and have been comforted by the many memories that A.J has been a part of. He truly was a one of a kind dog with a gentle personality. And he was loyal.

Fishing this week and last has been a little slow on Gullrock. I think the unusually hot weather has a lot to do with it. The numbers of walleye being caught seem to be average to a little below average but the size of walleye being caught is less than usual. We are still having a 27 or 28 on the catch and release board every week, with this week a 28 1/4 being the biggest. I have heard reports from the local fishermen that they are catching the big ones in 44 feet of water which is hard to do properly on Gullrock and still have sufficient structure and it also is very hard on walleye coming out of that deep of water since they usually will not be able to equalize their air bladder and pop it out of their mouth which is fatal. I know that most fishermen realize this and are for the most part leaving them alone in that deep of water.
Pike on the other hand have been really putting on the feed bag lately. They have been heavy in the cabbage weeds lately and top water is very effective and exciting. We have had high 30's caught daily and several 40-42 inch lately.

Hot walleye colours are red and orange
Hot Pike lures are larger suicks, white buck tails and Len Thompson 5 of diamonds spoons.

Water temps are in the low to mid 70s on the lake surface (really warm for Gullrock).

Sully is back and doing well!

2011-07-13T23:20:00.000-05:00

Thought we would let everyone know we are back from Montreal! We were there for a little over 2 weeks with our son for his surgery. The surgery was successful although not completely as planned. Sully had a 100% closed off left pulmonary artery, and therefore it was not oxygenating any blood. At first, the surgeons were going to cut out and then reattach the closed off portion or use a shunt to by-pass it. During surgery they found that neither of these were good options so they underwent replacing the entire artery with a cow artery. Sully made a speedy recovery and is already tearing around the camp (and even was in the lake today). Post surgery he has 3% use of his left lung and the doctors say will improve as the vessels and ducts take blood and grow back. By this time next year, we are hopeful that he will have 15% of the lung working again, and the next year 30%, and so on.

It is sure nice to be back at the place we love. Without a doubt, we have the best guests in the world! The guests who were in camp at the time were very understanding and we could actually feel every ones prayers for us. I know we’ve had a lot of you e-mailing, and calling in to see how things were going for Sully. We had brought the laptop with us in hopes of updating everyone on a regular basis, but it turned out to be far more exhausting than we had anticipated and needed to focus solely on Sullivan at the time. It has been a very draining last couple months, but it will be nice to get back into the swing of things once again.

On another note, fishing seems to be a bit slow right now. We have had some really hot days lately and it seems to have the fish off of any pattern. Our guests started to do better the last couple days and we have our biggest walleye so far this year on the catch and release board @ 30 ½ inches. The cabbage weeds are looking awesome right now in Sully Bay and the weeds at the Clay Banks are almost there.

Our family went for a boat ride tonight after we closed down the office and on the way back we spotted a floating object. After checking it out we found it to be a giant dead walleye. It had been dead for a couple days (and smelled ripe), but of course I had to haul it into the boat and bring it home to measure it. It was 32 inches and an absolute giant! There was no hooks or anything in it which makes us think it died of old age. Even though it was dead it was sure nice to see a fish that huge and get excited for the chance of hopefully hooking into one like that.

Fishing Report, June 24. . . and family update

2011-06-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

Fishing the last two weeks has been really great. Numbers have been good with several 70-100 fish per person days reported and even one report of a one guy catching 200 in a day. Size has improved since the first few weeks of season as I think the females really took there time getting out of post spawn mode. We have our second 30 inch walleye on the catch and release board this week and several reported in the high 20's. Pike have been a little slower this week but some hogs are still being caught in the 40's and three between 44 and 45 this week. Walleye are biting pretty well on night crawlers lately but still minnows seem to be the best on a jig or slow trolled. Pike seem to be really scattered in with the walleye and most of them are getting caught while walleye fishing although some on dead bait still and a few on spoons.
Hot jig colours are red, orange, brown.

We will be heading out to Montreal with our son on Saturday afternoon (25th) for his surgery. We got the notice on opening day that they wanted to try something called a pericardial roll technique to un-twist his left pulmonary artery and stint in behind it. We had very short notice that his date is on Tuesday so we need to make a flight on Sunday morning to head out. We have really good staff this year with Corey and Kristy and also our parents will be at camp to help out. I assure everyone who is scheduled to arrive while we are away that they will be well taken care of.

We will do our best to update the blog while we’re gone. And we thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this time.

2011-06-06T13:56:00.000-05:00

The following is a letter recently sent to us from NOTO (Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario) regarding their initiative to help resolve border issues. Please read it and forward it to anyone you think may have had issues with border crossing. I hope it's helpful.

The NOTO office continues to receive more calls than ever from guests who are concerned that they may have problems entering Canada due to an old criminal record for offenses such as DUI. A number of operators are actively informing guest about this issue and urging them to call the NOTO office with any questions or for help with the process of applying for rehabilitation.

This advice is a FREE service that NOTO provides to your guests ? they do not need to pay nearly $1,000 to an "immigration consultant"!

What if a guest has a trip planned but has just discovered that they have a problem? Although the rehabilitation process often takes 4 to 6 months, all may not be lost. If they have a rehabilitation application in the system, they can still request a Temporary Residency Permit in order to complete their trip. Although this will cost them an additional $200, many guests we have spoken with are very thankful that there is a possibility of saving a planned vacation.

We also get calls from operators regarding guests who feel they were treated badly or turned back illegitimately by border officials. We urge those guests to raise their concerns directly with CBSA via their website http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/com-eng.html These concerns will be followed up by officials, usually in the form of a direct phone call to the guest. This process also makes sure that complaints or comments make it into CBSA statistics.

Since I am currently leading this initiative in the NOTO office, please have your guests contact me directly by phone or email me so we can arrange a convenient time to talk about their issue and steps they can take to clear up their problem. I'll make sure they have the necessary information and correct point of contact so their application for rehabilitation goes as smoothly as possible.

Of the many calls we have receive this winter and spring ? often 5 or 6 a day ? the vast majority find a solution to their issue and are able to continue a planned trip. We can't help your guests if we don't hear from them, so please use any opportunity you have to let us help them cross the border and visit northern Ontario.

Doug Reynolds
Executive Director
"The Voice of Nature & Outdoor Tourism in Ontario"
T: 705-472-5552 ext. 23
F: 705-472-0621
E: doug@noto.net

Rainy Start to the Week

2011-06-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

Well I can't say that this week has been as exciting as last. It rained all day Saturday, most of the day yesterday (Monday), and off and on today. It wouldn't be so bad today, except that the winds have been gusting up to 15 miles/hour! People have been sticking to the channel and islands between Keg and Gullrock due to the high winds.

For those of you who have 3 or more weeks before your return to Wright's Camp, you can get your fishing licence renewed and sent to you before you leave by calling 1-800-667-1940. I do believe you need your outdoors card to do this however.

Here is a snapshot of everyone's favorite camp dog, A.J.

On our last visit to the vet, just before camp started, the veterinarian told us that A.J. most likely has lymphoma (my guess is that it's a cancer of the lymph nodes). He guessed that he might only have another couple of months left to live. We were both shocked, and saddened to hear of this diagnosis.
A.J. seems to have good days, and bad days. On the good days, he's trotting around with Chili, reminding him who's boss, and going from cabin to cabin looking for treats. On the bad days, he spends most of his time laying under the house to keep cool (or keep clear of pesky Chili), and will not give any attention to food.
It's sad to see him losing weight and out of sorts as he is such a great dog!

The biggest fish so far this week are a 27 1/2 walleye and another monster Pike at 47 inches. We had our second lake trout of the year caught yesterday which is really nice to see. the walleye fishing is kind of slow the last couple days due to constant wind changes and cold front that have them moving into deeper water. A stable weather pattern would be welcomed to get the walleye going. Pike fishing is still very good on dead bait with somewhere around 45 already this week over 40 inches for the camp.

Opening week monsters

2011-05-26T08:26:00.000-05:00

Well, camp is up and running. The ice is off, and there is NOT 12 inches of snow on the ground. Now all we hoped for opening day is for the fish to bite. And as usual on Gullrock lake, bite they did. I would have to say that the walleye fishing since opening day has been fairly decent. We have had every sort of weather since opener, from 80F to 30F. With different wind direction every day which seems to affecting feeding patterns. Walleye seem to be all over the lake already and the main depth they are being caught in is 3-8 feet of water. Pike fishing was really good up until the last day and a half where the bite seemed to slow down but still our guests are picking up nice ones. We have had somewhere around 45 pike so far 40 inches and over with the biggest being a monster 48 incher. We have seen great numbers of eater size walleye and reports of a large population of 19-23 inchers and even have the privilege of having a 30 inch walleye on our big fish board that is still out there for someone else to catch.
Here is a beauty northern caught last year this time.

New Reliable Phone System

2011-05-15T09:25:00.000-05:00

Hello Dear Guests,
I am very excited to announce that we have a new phone system installed that is based on the new 3G cellular network. No more missed calls, static reception, dropped calls, or answering machine in a different town!!! You cannot imagine how excited we are about this!!
I hope to get our new number up and posted on our website early this coming week, but for now if you wish to get a hold of us, you can call

(807) 728-2096

With that, it should also mean that there is better coverage in our area for your own cell phones, with both a 2G and 3G network towers. I can't confirm if everyone's cell phones will work. But I've been told that most 'should.'

The Ice is Off!!!!

2011-05-05T07:12:00.002-05:00

I just HAD to report that when I woke up this morning, I was greeted by the most beautiful scene. The sun rising over the rippling water! I am so glad it's back. I think the birds are chirping in celebration too!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!

When I went out to take this picture, I did notice some ice floating to my left, so there's likely still ice on the main lake.

The Wind is On Our Side

2011-05-04T12:44:00.001-05:00

I just had to update everyone on the ice conditions, as it has been SO windy, our bay is starting to clear a lot quicker than I expected. The small lake I mentioned that's on your way to Red Lake, has been clear of ice for two days already. I wouldn't doubt that our bay will be off in the next day or two! That usually means the main lake will be clear a few days after that!! Yesterday, Lee made me predict the day the ice will be off. I chose May 12th, but he said I couldn't chose that date because he had already. So I said if it's not the 11th, it'll be the 13th. (I now think it may be earlier than that.)

Lee has been working hard finishing up some projects, and getting camp ready again. I have had some help coming in the evenings trying to get the cabins ready. So far, I think we're staying on schedule. Come Saturday, I should have some full time help with the cabins, and next Wednesday, our dockhand will be coming in from Southern Ontario. I'm very much looking forward to this coming season!

Sping is just around the corner...

2011-05-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you, to everyone who has been praying for Sullivan over the last few months. We finally got the long awaited MRI to discover more about Sully's left pulmonary artery. We were sent back to Montreal for the MRI, as that is where the surgeon and cardiologists are that originally worked on Sullivan's heart when he was a baby. We were expecting to return to Montreal a week or so after the MRI for a surgery that would repair the narrow artery. When we were there, just before the scan, we were told that it was very possible to have the procedure done the next day! We were relieved, and hopeful, that we'd be spared from the extra travel, and risk of being away just prior to camp opening! However, the MRI results showed that the artery is too small to even try to open again. The cardiologist told us he'd likely go through life with the one lung, that is, only one lung is doing the oxygenating. We were assured that many people live this way. He will likely need an artificial valve put in before he's an adult, however, we don't know when, or how they determine when the appropriate time is to do that.

But for now, Sully gets to live like every other 4 year old. He can run and play like the rest, and you would never guess he had any heart issues!

We had been getting some nice weather that has melted 95% of the snow on the ground. The small lake that you pass on your way to Red Lake is also very close to being clear of ice as well. We usually use that as a gauge for when our bay will be off as well, however, it appears that it may take a little longer due to the dusting of snow we got this weekend. Here's a picture that was taken on Friday. It appears as though there's more ice than there really is. It's actually open just in front of the boat ramp. . .

Looking forward...

2011-04-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

...and Dreaming of THIS

2011-03-25T09:07:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd let you all know that we now have an appointment for Sully's MRI in Montreal. It's scheduled for the 20th of April, and we fly in on the 18th, and back home on the 21st or 22nd. It will be a relief to finally have some answers about Sullivan's heart! We'll keep you posted on the results, and please continue to keep him in your prayers!
We still have a TON of snow and ice. I guess we'll just have to enjoy a little more winter before we get into the whirlwind of work that spring brings!

Enough Winter Already!!

2011-03-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well we were plowed out yet again last night with approx. 10cm of the white stuff. We'd be fortunate if that was our last snowfall as we have SO MUCH SNOW! Yestuday, we took the kids to the ice shack out on Gullrock, and if we veered off the trail even slightly, you had to pin the throttle to avoid being stuck in the deep snow. It was a little frightening trying to manouver the machine while at the same time holding on to a two year old. It was well worth it though, with 8 walleye and 1 northern. Fish tonight for supper.
Every spring we ususally have some run-over down at the culvert on the in-road, but we've never had to deal with it in mid March! I have a feeling we'll be in for some road repair in our near future. No worries, we'll have it fixed by May!
Both kids are doing well. The nicer weather we've been having has made it much more enjoyable to spend time outside. Lately, Sully takes us on mini 'adventured' through the woods behind our cabin. It's quite fun.
We're still waiting for an MRI appointment for Sullivan. We missed one opportunity when we were in Southern Ontario visiting my sister for a week. We're hoping we'll get a call any day now.
We're both looking forward to spring, and the start of our camp season. We'll keep you updated on our thaw and ice conditions. FYI- at the moment you need an extention on the ice auger to get through.

Mid Winter Greetings

2011-01-26T11:57:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's already mid January! Our winter is just flying by! I've failed to post, mostly because I didn't think we had anything worthy enough of sharing. But due to recent events, I figured it was about time I updated everyone on our lives.

I'll start by introducing you to Lee's buck and doe he shot in Rainy River in mid November. The buck was an eight pointer, and both of them turned into some of the best deer sausage we've ever had! I just noticed that Andie made it into that picture as well.
Two days before the season ended, the buck and doe were joined by a cow moose (courtesy of Lee's friend Phil, and my fathers cow tag). I am pleased to say that we have all the meat we can handle this year!

We've had a fairly nice winter thus far. Up until this week that is. On Friday, all the school buses in the area were cancelled due to extreme cold. Lucky kids. The kids and I try to go outside to play when we can. It's still hard with Andie as she can barely walk in the snow and gets extremely frustrated. Although they do like sliding down the hill in front of cabin twelve. We just gotta be careful of that dock!

We also wanted to let you know about some unexpected news we received when Sully went for a followup on one of his routine heart checkups. Last week we headed to Winnipeg for a heart catheter for Sully where they discovered that his left pulmonary artery had completely collapsed. Miraculously, his heart has found a way to get blood to his lung, and he had never really had any symptoms. Sometime this late winter, or early spring, we will be sent to Montreal for an MRI and likely surgery to fix the problem. We ask that you keep Sullivan in your prayers during this time. We will keep you updated on his progress.

I remind you that deposits were due on the 25th. If you have not sent yours please give us a call, or e-mail to let us know of your intensions.

We both look very much forward to seeing all of you this coming fishing season!

The end once again.

2010-10-12T15:39:00.000-05:00

Our seventh season has come and gone.
We have just about finished cleaning and closing all the cabins and buildings in camp; and our beatuiful weather is allowing us to take our time. This past weekend we saw temperatures approaching 20 degrees Celcius (70 F), and it looks as though this week coming will be quite nice as well.
This past weekend was our Canadian Thanksgiving, as well as the opener for moose season. The way I see it, Thanksgiving should be a time when people get together with their families and be thankful for one another and all the other blessings in our lives. In Red Lake and many other places in Canada, it is a weekend in which many wives and children lose their husbands/fathers for the entire weekend/week/season!!! Hunting season should never ever begin on Thanksgiving weekend!!
We have already moved over into our 'winter cabin' (cabin #9), and by moved, I mean we eat and sleep there, but will likely take the entire winter to move all the stuff we seem to use in our life over. It's a good thing the other cabin is only on the other side of camp!
Sully is busy with swimming lessons and gymnastics this fall and winter. And while Andie isn't old enough for those things yet, she's enjoying mom and dad's undivided attention (except for the whole hunting thing of course).
The dogs have adjusted well to not having people in camp. We tend to see them a whole lot more, especially during feeding times. A.J's leg is slowly getting better. He still limps on it from time to time, but I believe he is doing much better.
And with that I'll leave you with a picture I took earlier this fall when the leaves were still on the trees and the lake looked so serene with the fog rising from it.
We will continue to post throughout the winter, so be sure to check in from time to time.

Stephanie

Fall Fires and Fishing

2010-09-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to all travelling up this fall, you will see a drastic change at Vermillion Bay since the corner gas station/restaurant burnt down a couple days ago. You can still get gas and fishing licenses at Bobby’s if you turn to head to Kenora at Vermillion Bay just about a mile or so down. Quite a land mark destroyed.

This week the fishing has really improved, the bigger walleye have started to make an appearance. Many reports of 24-27 inch walleye being caught daily and lots of 19-22 inch fish as well. 17 inch walleye seem to be easier to find this week as long as you find the pockets of fish in that class. It seems that you can catch tons of small fish this week around 14inch and under but if you get off of those fish you can usually find some nicer size. Many fishermen are reporting nicer fish in 24-30feet of water while the smaller ones are in 14-18 feet.

Northern really slowed down the last couple weeks. Many are being caught fishing for walleye in deep water. Why the Northern come off of the weed beds and head for deep water I do not know but on Gullrock it seems to be a switch that gets pulled and the Northern go deep.

Hope your coming fishing this fall. I think it’s going to be a good one.

September fishing on Gullrock Lake

2010-09-02T14:21:00.000-05:00

September is here. Things are starting to cool down, some of the leaves are beginning to turn and a few bigger fish are starting to get busy. There has been a few more fish the last couple weeks in the 18-26 inch class getting active. A few groups reported having a difficult time catching under 18 inches a couple days in the last couple weeks, with the majority being 18-23 inches. Most groups are saying that 14 and 15 inchers are a dime a dozen and 19-21 inchers are fairly frequent. It was a pleasure writing our largest walleye of the year on the board last week at 31 1/4 inches. (Released of course). Some of the larger walleye are being caught in places like “the gullrock”, “burnt island” and “green bouy”. Which are all typical big fish spots this time of year. Most of the walleye are being caught on jigs and minnows or lindy with a night crawler and some are still using leeches and having some success.

Northern seem to be feeding strong in just a couple windows during the day this week. Most reports on times have been early morning, 11-12, 3-4, and evening. We have a couple of 40 inchers on the board this week with bigger spotted following or nabbing walleye off of lines. Big top water lures are still working fairly well along with spinner baits and inline spinners. Spoons seem to be dead this week and last.
We are looking forward to some colder weather forecasted for next week. It will feel good to put the fleece jackets back on after one of the hottest summer in a while. 60F sure feels good this morning compared to 80F like some mornings this summer. We are pretty much booked for this month with exception to Sept 25th week where we still have few cabins avail. If you are interested in doing a fall trip and that week works for you, give us a call.
(807) 727-2671

Wright's Camp on Gullrock Lake Update August 21/2010

2010-08-21T18:31:00.000-05:00

First of all we have to apologize for the lack of blog posts in the last few weeks. We have been busy with camp and the kids and just haven’t sat down long enough to do it.
We seem to be in just a mediocre fishing year, especially compared to last year. There seems to be great numbers of smaller fish under 18in and fewer fish over slot. There has been days in the last couple weeks that the big guys have turned on and seemed to be easy to come by but for the most part they have been tricky to locate.
The walleye have been mainly in 17 and 18 feet of water lately and slip out to 24 in the mid afternoons that have been heating up to the 80's lately. A few bigger fish have been hanging in very shallow water, even 6-8 feet and also on the weed edges. Why the larger walleye come into the shallows when the weather gets hot I do not know, but the do hang there.
Northern Pike have been really great the last couple weeks, hitting on top water lures. Serveraly 40 plus have been caught lately on suicks, large white buck tails and jointed baits that don’t dive deep. One thing that is in common with the lures are white coloring. It seems that even painting a white strip on any lure causes action.
Stephanie and the kids are doing really well and we are having a great season for weather and occupancy. There has only been a few weeks that we had any open cabins this year

The Northerns are bitting on Gullrock Lake

2010-07-13T19:01:00.000-05:00

Well we just got off a slow week for us at camp. I believe we only had 15 people in camp. Seems few want to leave their country for the Indipendence day celebrations even though our firework display on the 4th was not too shabby if I say so myself! I took pictures but they do no justice for them...
The walleye fishing has been keeping up quite well. We have yet to see a major mayfly hatch this year, and I wonder if we will even have one.
What I really need to mention is the incredible Northern fishing our guests have been having these past couple of days. I believe a 40 inch northern has already been caught this week. The largest walleye for the week is 28 inches.
Below is a picture of a northern caught a couple of weeks ago- the last week of June. Sorry, I can't remember how long it was. Wish to remind me Jay?

We're having a beautiful summer thus far. Temperatures in the low to mid 70's, and just enough rain that I haven't had to water my garden/weed pile yet.

I need to write a blog. I need to write a blog.

2010-06-22T12:39:00.000-05:00

Hello again. Every morning I wake up and remind myself I have to update the blog. Every night as I lay in bed I'm reminded that I once again forgot to update the blog! I think that I've been dreading it because I've left it for so long and no longer remember the fishing stats from the past number of weeks. Eeeek.

What I can tell you is that the first 30 inch walley (from our camp), was caught this Saturday by John. It was the first fish he caught this trip, just minutes after getting out on the water for the week.

We're having a beautiful week thus far. There have been some reports of May flies on the lake, but I don't think it is a big hatch like the ones we've been known to have.

Guests have been telling me they're reading the blog. Yeay! - I'd still like to know what you would like to hear about in the blog. I'll do my best to accomodate!

What's the deal with Potatoes???

2010-06-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this in response to a gentleman who e-mailed me regarding one of my previous posts stating that potatoes are no longer banned from coming across the border. He said he had called the border and they told him they are still on the 'banned' list. Who knows??
The guests that I spoke with, reported that no one at the border asked them about potatoes this year.
My original information about the ban lift came from NOTO (Nature and Oudoor Tourism Organization), of which we are a member. I have not spoken to the border myself.

On a different note, Lee wants me to tell you that a 29 1/2 inch walleye, and a 48 inch northern have been caught this week already!

And because my blog feels naked without a picture: Below is a picture of Lee 'fishing' for a motor key he accidentally dropped. It was taken on May 30th. Few words were said. I think Lee was practicing restraint for the benefit of our son who was watching close by. I married a good man.

June fishing at Wright's Camp on Gullrock Lake

2010-06-07T19:35:00.000-05:00

These past couple of week you needed only drop your line off the end of the dock to catch all the 20+ inchers you could ask for! In fact, on a stroll around camp with my kids, I was able to witness one of our long time guests catch a 22 inch walleye. (His boat is tied to the dock, though you can’t see it in the pictures).

The fishing has continued to be excellent this season thus far. Last week, one of our groups caught 1100+ fish in one day! And continued to pull that many most days of the week! (There were 10 people in their group). I believe they also pulled in a 29 inch walleye.

I think most people were fishing between 8 and 15 ft of water with a jig and a minnow.

Successful Opening Week

2010-05-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give a fishing update. Last week (the opening week), we saw lots of sunshine, and lots of fish, but not a whole lot for size. The biggest walleye was 27 inches, and the biggest northern was 46 1/2 inches. In general, people weren't catching the number of big fish as they are accustomed during the opening week.

Here's a 42 1/2 northern caught last week. Thanks Dan!

This week has started off quite well for both numbers and size. It was overcast for most of the day, I'm sure that had something to do with the incline.

Investigating Walleye

2010-05-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

I took this picture on opening day of walleye season. It was early evening and the sun was just perfect. Afterwards, when I was looking over the pictures I had taken that day, I sat for some time gazing at this photo. I was thinking about how blessed our kids are to grow up at camp, always in the fresh air, and around so many great people. And fish. Fish will be the cornerstone of this boys childhood. Lucky guy.

2010-05-16T18:47:00.000-05:00

The season has kicked off with a brilliant start! The sun was shining, and the fish were biting. The largest walleye caught yesterday was 26 inches. The water is around 54 degrees and about normal for water level.
The temperature both yesterday and today reached a balmy 74 degrees.

It's nice to have people in camp again, and so good to see those familiar faces. We are so blessed to have such great guests stay at our camp! It's especially nice for the opener to have guests that are so understanding and easygoing. I'm thinking back to last year when we had 12 inches of snow and frozen water lines!

Well, we took A.J. to the vet last week to find that he has a torn ligament and will be getting surgery on Tuesday. We usually have him shaved down sometime in June, when we know the weather is going to be nice, but since he'll need his leg shaved for the surgery, we thought we'd go ahead and shave him down ahead of time. So here's a picture of A.J. before the shave, and one after.

The poor thing.

You now can bring potatoes across the border this year!!

2010-05-11T13:55:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone:
Word has come from the Northern Ontario Tourism Agency, that US guests CAN bring potatoes across the border this year!! There are a couple of stipulations.

* Guests can only bring 4kg (10 lbs) or less per person

* Potatoes must be commercially packaged (in the original package from the store)

*The potatoes should be US grade No. 1. My understanding is that this is not an onerous stipulation.
The certification of state of origin is no longer required nor do other import documentation requirements apply.
Confirmed through discussions with the Fort Frances border crossing (Canadian Border Services Agency CBSA)as well as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Oh my, our government must have been busy this winter. Ha Ha!
So there's one less hastle to worry about this year.

Hope to see you soon!

Rain Rain Go AWAY!

2010-05-03T19:13:00.000-05:00

We finally got the rain we so desperately needed. It has been so dry this spring there was even a burning ban, and reports of more than 50 forest fires in the area (at least that's what I thought I heard- I've done no research). But I do know the fire situation was bad. A couple nights ago while we were driving into Red Lake to pick up some dinner, we saw a large billow of smoke and decided to follow it to the nearby town of Madsen. We arrived just in time to watch two water bombers demonstrate their skills putting out a forest fire just behind some houses. It was really amazing to watch the planes maneuver dangerously close to both treetops and flames. They sure won our respect!
The very next day it rained, and it hasn't stopped since.
Our new dockhand, Erik, is working out really well. He has been working hard, and we are quite confident you will like him as much as we do.
We're all working hard to get camp opened. We're beginning to feel the crunch, as we size up the project we have planned with the amount of time we have left.

Spring update

2010-04-24T09:59:00.000-05:00

So the ice has been off the entire lake since April 21st, though it has been off our bay and the channels since the 15th. And while we're having beautiful spring weather during the days, it's still just below freezing at nights. I'm still waiting for Lee to turn the water on to the cabins so I can get in there early and get cleaning. I suppose there's still plenty of time for that.

We've heard from Chris a couple of weeks back, and he's very excited to say that he found a position teaching outdoor education and natural science at a private school in Vancouver, British Columbia after he graduates in May. It's very exciting because that is just what he went to school for! He mentioned heading up to Red Lake for a visit sometime this spring/summer, so you may just get one more chance to see him before he plants his feet on the other side of the country. I suppose he's about knee deep in exams right about now. Best of luck Chris!

We're expecting our new dockhand, Erik, to arrive next week. I'll introduce him to you on this blog sometime next week.

Wright's Camp Bay is Ice Free

2010-04-14T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well I thought I's update everyone on the ice conditions. As of (last night), the ice has been out on the bay in front of camp. It is still covering 90% of Howey Bay in Red Lake, but it's really thin. We had a gorgeous day today, with a short noon shower and we're looking for similar weather for the next couple of days! So to all our opener guests, there's no worries of there being ice on the lake. Now snow is a different story... but we all know about that!

Nice fish Steve! Thanks for sending it our way! We're always looking for more pictures!

Enjoying the Spring

2010-04-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how beautiful the weather has been! I think Lee was wishing it was a little cooler as he was digging the electrical trench to cabin #3. But the weather was just perfect to sit on the grass with the kids and watch him!

The ice has been melting quite a bit. It usually goes that once the little lake you pass on your way to Red Lake melts (on the left side of the road, the one with the floating dock in the middle of it), it's only a matter of a week before the ice is off on Gullrock. Last night it was 80% ice free. I drove by today but didn't take notice of the lake. So assuming the ice was 100% off that little lake today, that would mean the ice should be off Gullrock by the 19 of April.

Just a really great shot of the boy breaking up the ice with a stick, had to share it!

Enjoying the evening (and a snail they found by the shore).

And a shot from last season to get you in the fishing spirit, and because I know you've missed those Gullrock walleyes! (Thanks for the pics!- I'll have the rest up on the site in a week or two).
Keep the pictures coming!

Ice Off? TAKE A GUESS

2010-04-08T18:39:00.000-05:00

Anyone want to take a stab at when the ice will be off? As of right now the ice has come away from the shoreline about 4 feet, and just barely pulled away from the docks. I can't believe how quickly it has melted this year! Here Lee is playing with the ice around #3 dock. It's pretty candled. I actually had to pull him away from the ice, he was becoming too absorbed in breaking up the ice. My bet is that the ice will be off of the bay in front of camp on the 24th of April. Feel free to post your guess. We'll see who's the closest. Lee thinks it'll be May 4th.

Is that a TROUT?

2010-03-29T20:49:00.000-05:00

Yes. To answer your question, Gullrock Lake DOES have trout. At least it does in the winter. Lee caught this trout through the ice somewhere close to the sunken island. He figures it was about 14 lbs. He and his buddy actually drove the truck right to their spot as there was little snow on the lake. He let it go, but not before recording the number on the tag that was attacted to his dorsal fin to report to the MNR.

Caught Sunday March 28th, 2010

Spring is COMING!!!

2010-03-27T17:47:00.000-05:00

I wouldn't say it's quite here yet, but it's sure on its way. Red Lake doesn't have much snow left, and I suspect that by the end of the week it will all be gone. As for predictions of the ice off: It's too early to tell, but I'm hopeful that it will be earlier than last year!!!

I have to apologize for all of you that have been checking our blog on a regular basis in the hopes that we have updated it. Aside from the fact that we're pretty poor bloggers to begin with, we didn't want to start filling our blog with family news of the likes that Sully is finally toilet trained, and Andie is about the cutest thing on the face of the Earth... (I couldn't help it).

Both Lee and I are quite excited for this upcoming season. I truly think we have the best guests EVER! We are so blessed.

I also wanted to shout out to everyone out there for some newer fish and camp pictures. I think our website needs some updating. What I have are a whole lot of pictures of a couple of groups. And while they're great pictures, I think some people would be wondering why the same guy is in every picture and wonder what kind of fuddy duddy camp this is.

So. If you could PLEASE e-mail us a couple of your 'Wright's Camp' pics, that would be great! If I don't post them on the site, I'll post them on this blog.

A shout out to Curt and Kay, thanks for the pics!

Alive and Well!

2010-01-13T19:10:00.001-06:00

You are all probably wondering what happened to us since the season has ended. Rest assured, we didn't fall off the face of the earth.
We have all been keeping ourselves quite busy since camp has been shut down. I have been rotating days between completing the new cabin, and fishing in the ice shack out on Gullrock. I have been paying alot of attention to the barometer, weather and temperature so far this year and trying to figure out feeding patterns for walleye. So far I have seen more aggressive feeding on the virge from a high to low pressure, which I kind of knew already. Today was the second day of the same weather patter from a high to low pressure and the fish were gone. Three or four days of this same weather pattern will surely get them feeding again.
I am 99% done the new cabin already. I have been putting in alot of time trying to get it done so I can move on to some other projects I have lined up this winter. I got the bulk of the cabin done during hunting season so my days were limited in the bush this year and came up empty handed. I was kind of looking forward to eating some cow this winter anyways.
We have been getting a lot of deposits in for 2010 and are still waiting on a few to come in but are seeing a busy summer shaping up. We encourage those who have not talked to us about booking your fishing yet to contact us soon since there are some open cabins left but not alot.
We hope everyone had a great holiday season and hope 2010 treats everyone well.
Lee & Stephanie

Update

2009-10-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

First I would like to apologize for the lack of blogs recently. We have been so busy this fall. This year was our busiest yet. We are grateful to have had such an excellent year and really appreciate all our regular guests that still came fishing even through economic times like these. I see that as of late the economy seems to be improving and hope things shape up so the few that had to miss coming fishing this year have a chance to come back in 2010.

Our water levels have finally came back down to more reasonable levels these past few weeks, so now I am busy cleaning up the mess the high water left. The docks by the fish house took the worst hit as one will need to be replaced and one will need some repair work.

We enjoyed a beautiful September. The warmest I have ever experienced. Most days were in the mid to high 70’s and sunny. I think this weird weather pattern capped off an all around weird year weather wise. It seemed that the walleye were hard to pattern and stayed fairly scattered all summer and as far as the Northern went, they seemed to be even more scattered than the walleye. I think the only times that the Northern really turned on was when the weeds finally hit the surface and before the high water came which was a short time in early Aug. The other time that the Northern fishing turned on was this fall. The last week in Sept. The Northern came back into what was left of the weeds and started feeding hard, (Ill never figure those things out).

Steph and I have been really busy trying to get camp closed up for the season before the snow flies, which looks like sooner that later and we have already had a few flurries in the last week.

We have one cabin open for opener next spring, otherwise May and June are booked up. There are several other weeks in July, Aug and Sept also 100% booked, If you are thinking about making a booking for 2010, I suggest you do it soon to get the week you want.

I hope everyone stays warm this winter and dreams about fishing Gullrock next season.

Lee

Farewell to old cabin #3

2009-08-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

She came down about a week ago with the help of a back hoe. It was a well loved cabin, but had a rotten floor.

We look forward to starting the re-building later this week. We'll keep you updated.

Waiting for the Sun

2009-08-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

If you have talked to anyone recently that was in Northwestern Ontario you will not hear many stories about sun burns or sun stroke. This year has been the year of rain. Our water level is somewhere around 2 feet high this year and showing no signs of going down. We feel very fortunate that the high water has cause only minor inconveniences this year as others are very swamped.

As far as the fishing goes, I feel that it is fairly good right now. It seems that the fish are not super active but with the right presentation you can really come away with an excellent day on the water. It seems that jigging is the best technique the last couple weeks and moving really slow. Vertical action with a quarter once jig with very subtle jigging motion about an inch off the bottom, is the best method to catch walleye right now. Slow trolling with lindy rigs and a night crawler or minnow is also working decently but not as well as jigging with a minnow.

Northern are hitting pretty well this week with a 39 incher at the top of the big fish board. Most are being caught on smaller spoons, smaller inline spinners and spinner baits. Black and White seem to be the best colors.

After checking the weather I see that next week should be sunny and nice, I will believe it when I see it. It would be very welcome though.

Hot colors for walleye are Blue and Green
Northern is black and white.

Summer Has Arrived!...Finally.

2009-08-12T13:17:00.000-05:00

Finally we are getting a little sun. Temps the last few days are in the high 70’s with wind out of the SW. With the coldest July in recorded history behind us we are looking forward to a nice Aug. We are having minor issues trying to get rid of July’s rain water. Our road washed out a couple weeks ago from over a foot of rain in a couple days which we got repaired before any problems arose. All the rain has made the water levels on the lake extremely high. The old timers from town say the highest ever. In my estimation we are close to two feet above normal, sending a lot of debris out on to the main lake which makes navigation a little tricky. We have had some decent wind the last day or so, around 10 mph, which has blown almost everything back to the shores.

The Pike have started to turn on in the last two weeks. We have had around 15 pike in the last two weeks released over 40 inches, two measuring 44 inches. Yesterday the pike action was really hot with one boat of two guys boating 24, with a couple in the mid 30’s, for about half a day.

Walleye are biting well, with the majority being smaller fish, (12-23 inches) Larger walleyes are hanging deep, around 22-24 feet and are fairly active with one 27 and one 27 ½ so far this week. A slow presentation is working well for walleye, more vertical the better. ¼ oz jig and minnow or leech is the best. Back trolling is working fairly poor this week.

Hot colors for Walleye are blue, gold and chrome.
Hot baits for Northern are Little Cleo, medium size Bucktails and Daredevil, for good numbers and Suick or Bobbie Baits are catching the larger ones.

We only have a couple openings left for Sept.
If you are thinking about making a fall trip and haven’t booked yet call soon since there are not many openings left

More Cool Weather ahead

2009-07-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

So far this year we have had unseasonable weather overall. Normally we find morel mushrooms in mid may, this year we picked them in mid June. We didn’t have leaves on most of the trees until June. This weather has affected almost everything. With many cloudy and cool days, the weed growth on the lake is way behind. There are very few visible weeds on the clay banks and most bays that are usually packed with weeds by now are just starting to get some growth. This has really affected the Northern Fishing the last few weeks. Finally today we have had some better reports for Northerns. The biggest for today was 34 inches and a couple reports of lunkers that managed to slip the net. In the last couple weeks there has been many reports of big northern hitting walleye while fisherman reeled them in and with that knowledge trolling deep with rapalas has worked O.K. Ranger Bay and the Hog Trough (behind three sisters) are finally getting some decent weeds and gator hunters had some success in those two spots today.

Walleye fishing has been good the past couple weeks. The ratio between over and under 18in has gone down a little. It seems that the bigger fish have moved deeper with many being caught in 26-30 feet. Most of the smaller fish are still being found in 14-18 feet. Biggest walleye today was 26 inches, last week the biggest was 28 inches.

We are forecasting mid 60’s for the rest of the week with plenty of rain, perfect weather to keep the walleye feeding hard.

Minnows, Leeches and Crawlers are all working well this week with a slow presentation.
Northern are starting to hit top water pretty decent. Suick, Reef Hawg and a fast retrieve with a spoon seem to be the best.
Hot color is purple and black

I had my first Iowa, garden fresh, cucumber and tomato sandwich of the year today.
Almost as good as the first fish fry of the year.

P.S. We are in need of 2009 pictures, so if you have some already, send some our way via e-mail, and if you've yet to come, don't forget to pack your camera!

Early July

2009-07-14T13:13:00.000-05:00

The wind has been blowing the last couple days here on Gullrock. 20-30km winds have been pretty constant keeping our mayfly hatch at bay. Normally, if the mayflies have a large hatch the carcasses will litter the top of the water providing an easy meal for sport fish. Walleyes will gorge on them making them less likely to bite a fisherman’s lure. Over the last couple years we have had pretty decent wind through the hatch, blowing the bugs into shore before they can get eaten. We have seen really no change in the fishing quality this week in normal fishing areas and normal depths. Sometimes when a mayfly hatch happens during a calm period (Which is usually the case since they will wait to hatch until it turns calm which will offer a better chance of survival and egg laying) the walleyes will slow down on the bite because of this new easy food source. Now it has been a couple years since it was really calm for a large mayfly hatch but the last time this happened we found out that in this case, a lindy rig with a red or brown (normal mayfly colors) floating jig in shallow, shallow water with weeds worked like a charm. This technique baffled me since normally when the mayfly hatch happens when the water is warm and normally when the water warms up the walleye seek cooler water and move deeper. I am sure there is a legitimate reason for this and it is probably published in IN-FISHERMAN magazine somewhere but I haven’t found it.

Pike still seem to be following the walleyes and many reports that they have been latching on to walleye on the way to the surface. Yesterday I had a report that a father son duo netted two Northerns that were not hooked up but on the walleye they were bringing in. It is uncommon to net a northern this way since when they see the boat they will typically let go. To net two in two days is a real rarity. The weed growth is still very behind this year. Sully’s bay and Clay banks have very few visible weeds and no cabbage weeds to speak of. Once those weeds start to pop up the Northern fishing will surely improve.

Hot colors have been pink and light blue, minnows, leeches and crawlers are all working pretty much the same

The sun is back!

2009-07-02T14:25:00.000-05:00

It has finally stopped raining. For a while I didn’t think our guests this week would see the sun. The forecast looks like decent weather in the near future with temps in the low 70’s. The cloudy and rainy weather this weeks got the walleyes snapping. Nice sized walleye were easy to find this week in 13-18 feet of water. Jigging with minnows or leeches was working really well with the hot colors being pink and gold. The biggest walleye so far this week has been 27 ½ inches and last week a 13 year old girl for camp caught a monster 30 incher. In the 13-18 foot range there seemed to be more walleye between 22 and 25 inches than I have ever heard of, with reports that guests were catching one over 18 inches to every one under, which is a really high ratio.
The Northerns seem to be in a funk a little this week. Casting with lures is pretty much a waste of time as far as I can tell. The method working the best is finding the main depth where the walleyes are and trolling rapalas through those depths. There have been many reports of giant Pike smacking walleye on the way up which means right now they are definitely feeding on walleye. The weeds are just coming up now which should bring the Northern to the weeds soon.
Here is a pic of a 42 inch Northern caught last week. This Northern held our leader board for one day until someone caught a 44 incher which was the biggest of the week.

June 13-20 a week to remember

2009-06-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

I can never remember a week where every day was perfect weather and the fishing was so good. Weather in the 70’s with a little walleye chop every single day. There seemed to be only one major hot spot this week. Ranger Lake and Ranger Bay opened on the 15th and was really good with several of my guests having 100 and over walleye days. We had lots of pollen on the rest of the lake that I think made the other part of the lake a little slower bite. The warmer weather seemed to get the big fish going with a 30 ½ inch and 31 inch walleye and also a dozen Northern over 40 inches with the biggest two 42 and 44 inches.
Water temps have warmed up significantly this week to around 62 on the main lake and 67 in the bays on average. We are starting to see signs of weeds now but they are still way behind. For those who know where the weed beds are supposed to be are catching nice Northerns off of those spots. The walleyes seem to be concentrated the last couple days in 18 -20 feet of water ever since they moved out of Ranger and more into the main lake. This week coming up I expect the walleyes will be moving towards the sunken island and get the more popular summer areas going like Burnt island and High Wall.
This week Northerns liked dead bait and spoons 50/50
Walleyes were hot on Dark Green and Dark Blue. Crawlers are working decent now, but minnows are still the best.

Is This Spring?

2009-06-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

Our weather network says we are in for a decent week of weather. Winds from the E and SE for the majority of the week with temps in the mid 50’s and Low 60’s. Hopefully some more consistent weather will get the fish on the bite. Last week we had our first 30 inch walleye reported which came off of #12 dock. The docks have been hot the last couple weeks and many fishermen and women have been spending the evenings jigging in front of camp. Northern fishing has been a little slow so far this year compared to last year. The biggest reason I think is the really cold water temps, and also we are getting really cold at night making the bays they usually hang out in colder for longer periods of the day. So far we have had reports that walleyes are being caught in 8-12 feet of water in the morning and moving out to 20-25 in the afternoons. They eyes are moving slow with the cold water and anchoring and slow drifting seems to be the best plan for getting them.
The last couple weeks the Police have been making a few appearances and giving warnings about beer in the boat. I am sure if it continues the warnings will turn into fines and we are asking our guests to save the cocktails for when they come in for the day. One discrepancy is that some people think they can pack a couple for shore lunch. But, that as well is illegal, since you will be drinking them on crown land which is in public. Once again our luxury of having one or two beer while out on the water is ruined by a few people who can’t be responsible enough act decent.
Hot baits for Northerns have been-spoons with a wide slow wobble like Big Doctors and KB spoons and also dead bait is still working well
Walleyes have been hitting on minnows and starting to hit on crawlers pretty good. Jigging and slow drifting is the ticket.

Week No. 2

2009-05-28T20:06:00.000-05:00

Well our season is well under way. We had a challenging opener this year with unusually cold weather and even snow on opening day. We have had some slightly warmer weather the last few days which is making the leaves finally pop out and grass green again. Our local weather shows days for the next week in the 50's and 60's which will start to warm us up. The water temps are around 45 in the bays and 42 on the main lake which is making the fish move slow and less aggressive. Although many guests this week with light tackle are still boating 50 or 60 a day and a few reports of 100 fish days already this year.
The biggest Northern of the year so far was caught today (May 28th) and measured 45 1/2 inches. Biggest walleye was 29 3/4 which came opening week. So far we have had reports of 8 lake trout caught with the biggest being 37 inches.
Hot tackle is:
Ciscos on two single hooks presented horizontally on a bobber for Northerns.
Dark color jigs -black and blue for Walleye.
Water level is really high right now -over a foot over normal.

An Opener to Remember

2009-05-25T18:03:00.000-05:00

This was definitly an opening week we will never forget as guests were greeted with nearly ten inches of snow! People gawked and discussed the absurdity of the situation, but no ones spirits seemed to be dampened by it. All were able to head out fishing as usual.
The biggest walleye caught for the week was 29 3/4 and the biggest northern 44 1/2 inches.

Looking Forward to Another Season

2009-05-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, it has been a while since our last post. Since then, Andie has grown into a pleasingly plump 4 month old, who is full of smiles and sparkling eyes. She seems to be a generally happy baby and we are pleased that she sleeps through the night.

Sullivan has embraced his position as big brother, and is always ready to offer a hug of comfort when Andie is 'out of sorts'. He is also enjoying the warmer weather and could spend his entire day outside if permitted.

A.J. is the only one who is sad to see the snow go, and is likely anxious to shed his winter coat.

Both Lee and I are looking forward to this coming fishing season and having guests in camp once again. Lee has been spending long days out in the yard doing all that is needed to open camp. And I have been roping both my parents and in-laws into babysitting so that I can get the cabins in tip top shape.

Chris joined us yesterday full of energy and optimism. Not a moment was wasted before we put him to work.

For a while we were worried that the ice was going to linger like it did last year, but it is already showing promising signs, and is looking quite dark. Lee's bet was that it is going to be off by the 8th. My bet was for the 13th (I think I'll be closer to winning this one).

Welcome baby Andie!

2009-01-17T03:10:00.000-06:00

Welcome friends,

For those of you who have not yet heard, Lee, Sullivan, and I are pleased to announce the arrival of our baby girl, Andie Elizabeth Wright on January 3rd.

Weighing in at 7 lb 15 oz and 21 inches.

She is absolutely beautiful, and is proving to be to be an easy baby thus far (has spent most of her life sleeping).

We can't wait to show her off this summer.

The season came to an end too soon

2008-10-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

Well, we just said farewell to our last guests for the year. It is different this fall as compared to falls before since most of the leaves are still green and water temps are in the high 50’s low 60’s. Realizing that I haven’t posted a blog since early August I thought I better get something on here so everyone doesn’t think we fell off the map.
We found ourselves very busy this Aug. and Sept., our best fall ever actually for occupancy. No wonder I neglected to blog since Stephanie and I lost our great staff to go back to school while we ran the show by ourselves. Which was no easy task for Stephanie being 6 months pregnant.
We had some excellent fishing in August for numbers and size, There seemed to be an excellent year class of 21, 22inch walleye that were really abundant this year especially this fall. We had a series of Thunderstorms around labor day this fall that seemed to mess with the walleye a little, especially the larger walleye either suspending or going deep. There were still a few 27-28 inch fish being caught but not like that time of year in the past.
Getting back to the topic of this blog, my brother and I hit the water for an afternoon fish just after the last fishing crew left and we couldn’t believe what happened. We hit all the regular fall haunts for lunkers and found nothing. We pulled up on burnt Island in 24-27 feet of water and just pounded the lunkers, we had 50 fish in 2 hours, way more over 20 inches than under. One was 26 ½ and had several 23-25 inch fish and we also lost a couple monsters that managed to unhook themselves half way up. Regardless, it was one of the better sessions I have ever had. The only problem was everyone was gone for the year. Normally you can hit this kind of fishing earlier in Sept. but the way everything is so far behind and has been all season I think the best fall fishing will be a lot later even into mid October.
Its been an excellent season and hope to see everyone in 2009.
Lee

What A Line Up!

2008-08-29T07:58:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks the walleye were mostly feeding shallow, more so than usual for this time of the year. Most of the larger Walleye have been caught in 9-15 feet. The smaller walleye are schooling in the same depth water as the larger walleye. Also, many fishermen are reporting stacked walleye in 18-20 feet as well as out in 27 feet but seem to be less aggressive. For the past couple of weeks we have had a 27 inch walleye for our big one caught for the week. This week our big three are 30, 29 ½ and 29 ¼, all released of course. We have also seen pictures of a Northern measuring 46 inches and one 44 inches. The Northern are definitely slowing down on top water baits and seem to be hitting more large buck tails and spinner baits. Black seems to be the main color.
I am attaching a picture of the most beautiful fish I have ever seen. This should answer a lot of people’s questions on whether or not there is muskie in gullrock. This is the second muskie I have seen in 5 years. Many fishermen will catch a northern that has no dots or stripes but have clear silver sides. 99% of the time this is a silver northern, not a muskie.

This week walleye liked:
Gold, Silver and Blue
This week Northern liked:
Black Buck Tails and Spinner baits.

Gullrock's on Fire

2008-08-07T11:26:00.000-05:00

What a great fishing week. We have had some great walleye fishing. It seems like there are fish everywhere. We even had a 27 ½ inch walleye off the dock. Also reports of 40+ Northern every day. The weather has finally seemed to straighten out, though we have not gotten too hot yet. Most days are in the low to mid 70’s with a good chop on the water. Some of the hot spots this week are the big island in keg, the toe of the boot, and marker island. Sunken island has not been producing as well as it should for this time of year although there is still some fish on it. Most of the more aggressive fish are in 18-21 feet. People are catching some nicer fish just a little deeper, 24 feet. Northers are hitting top water pretty good now. Suick has been the best lure and also large spoons are working well. The bigger Northerns are all coming out of weeds close to deep water, clay banks have been a little slow, but still a few monsters have been caught like this 43, 23lber.
Jig color of choice is blue and chartreuse, with a minnow or leech.
Back trollers are using large gold spinners with minnows or crawlers.
We hope to see you soon to get a piece of this action.
Lee

2008-07-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

Notorious Northerns

So far this week we have had many reports of Northern snatching walleye off of lines, T-boning them and shredding them. This is happening mostly where people are finding large concentrations of smaller extremely aggressive fish, 12-16 inchers. We have seen several pics of 40+ Gators this week all caught on deep weeds and structure on really large lures, like suicks, polish pike and reef hawgs. Sightings of really large Pike like the ones that are shredding walleyes are what keeps Gator hunters casting and waiting for the chance to hook into one of those elusive 50 inchers. If I have any recommendations for getting the chance at one of them I would say put 6 or 8 six to twelve inch baits in your box and put your time in casting into these schools of smaller walleye.
Hot baits for Northern right now are suick, reef hawg, large wobbler spoons
Hot baits for Walleye right now are jigs, -green and chartreuse. minnows.
Hope all is well
Lee

Fisherman's Report

2008-07-08T15:00:00.000-05:00

This last week has been weather fit for fish rather than fishermen. Rain and Thunderstorms are still hanging around along with temps in the low 50s in the mornings. The fishing has been outstanding though for the diehards willing to fish in the rain and dodge thunder storms.

The mayflies have been hatching and blowing onto shore not giving the walleye time to snatch them up and quell their appetites. Most Walleyes are hanging around 9-12 feet of water with a few hanging around 15 feet. The water temperature is cold yet. Surface temperature is in the mid 60s to low 70s. Northern have been pretty much sticking to the bays but a few 40+ inchers have been pulled off of main lake weeds. The biggest Northern this week was 44 inches caught on a long black wooden lure about 9 inches in length. (Some of you gator fishermen might have a good idea what I am talking about). The biggest Walleye so far this week is 28 inches. The hot colors for walleye have been chrome and orange the last few days and they are biting the best on minnows and leeches but are also taking crawlers.

Game wardens and Police have been visiting Gullrock a lot this season, mainly looking for drinking and driving and they are measuring fish pretty close. One guest in particular, who in my opinion is a very honest person, measured and re-measured a Northern that appeared to be 27 ½ inches on the nose was stopped by the Conservation Officer and he measured it over by a fraction. I am recommending to everyone that if the fish is a close call, let it be released. There is plenty of fish and cutting it so close to the wire may result in a fine, even a fraction of an inch may be hard to determine out on the water.

So far this year the fishing has been outstanding. Many guests who have been coming to our camp for a long time have had records broken for quality and quantity. We feel that our conservation policy is working really well providing outstanding fishing all year.

Thanks
Lee
July 8, 2008

More 30+ inch Walleyes!!!!

2008-06-17T18:18:00.000-05:00

They're back everybody!! Gullrock Lake is once again producing its trophy sized fish. As some of you may know, opening week was something to be seen. Several 30+ inchers, numerous 29's, and an unbelievable amount of 26- 28". Following the two opening weeks the large trophy fish became harder to come by with 28's and 29's taking the board for the largest fish of the week. But once again the big jumbies have returned. We have seen 2 walleyes over 30 inches, one being 30 1/2 the other a 31. One of our new guests this year had the honour of catching a fish of a lifetime.
today I had the opportunity to take a couple of our guest out fishing, and seeing is believing. We managed to bring is countless amounts of 22" s and 26 "s. our over fish outnumbered our keepers.
For you're northern fisherman out there -the dead bait season is coming to a close. many of the typical dead bait spots are slowing up and cranks are slowly becoming the favourite bait for those big mud sharks. Last week our board fish was 44 inches, and so far this week we have yet to crack the 40 inch mark. with the biggest being caught while fishing for walleyes. I'll see if I can crack that 40 inch mark. But the big cabbage is on its way, and I'm sure the big ones will be hitting the plugs soon enough.
Have a good One
Christopher
Wrights Camp Dock Hand/ Guide

If all else fails, give minnows a try

2008-06-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Firstly, our apologies for not updating this blog any sooner. It's been on my 'to do' list for about three weeks now, but with a very busy start to the year, we've been busy making sure everyone has been comfortable and accomodated.
Today I thought it was important to talk about bait and fishing sucess.
We have many guests who bring crawlers, and leaches, and some who use purely artificial bait. Some of those people can do really well with them, while others not so much.
My point in writing this blog is to explain that while these kinds of bait may have worked really well this same time last year, but not so well this year, -it may not be because the fishing is slower, but that the walleyes prefer minnows over leaches, or crawlers.
We still encourage you to try them, especially since they can be more economical over minnows. But instead of being discouraged because you're not catching many fish, give minnows a try. We feel that you will have more success on Gullrock Lake with minnows over any other bait.

Record week for Large Walleye

2008-05-26T10:23:00.000-05:00

We'd have to say that out of the five years that we have been running this camp, this was by far the best fishing we've had for opening week! It was normal to catch walleye that were 25 inches or bigger, in fact, people reported having a harder time catching walleye under 18 for the first couple of days. Things started to even out by tuesday and no one was having difficulty cathing their eaters. The biggest northern for the week was 45 inches, and the largest walley sits at 31 1/4.

The second week of season is looking just as good with a 47 1/2 inch northern caught and released!

To see more pics from opening week go to http://picasaweb.google.com/wrights.camp/OpeningWeek2008

Sucessful Opening!

2008-05-17T14:59:00.000-05:00

Walleye season has finally arrived!
Aside from a relatively late ice off, we've sucessfully managed to open camp. All cabins have water, and only three of them need above ground temp-lines. We heard reports that Gullrock is still frozen over, however, the channel betweek Keg and Gullrock Lake is open, and Keg opened up yesturday (16th). Gullrock should not be far behind.
It was only noon when we heard that a 28 inch walleye was caught, as well as numerous walleye over 25.
Had some pretty heavy periods of rain (and even some hail) this afternoon. It has since cleared up and the camp looks deserted as everyone is out on the lake.
We hope to keep you updated with more fishing reports, so stay tuned!

Ice out on Gullrock

2008-05-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

So I thought I'd update the ice conditions again, as we've been getting an influx of called regarding ice-out.
There still seems to be plenty of ice on the lake. However, the bug river, as well as the Chukuni River (where the bridge is) is open a fair bit. We're still optimistic that the ice will be out by the opener, especially if we continue to get nice weather. It has been getting around 8 degrees C for the past couple of days, and it is only looking to get nicer, with a forecast of 15degrees on Saturday. It still gets below freezing at night, but is looking to stay above freezing by the weekend.
It's hard for us to tell you at this time what the ice will do, and when. We still have a good two weeks before the opener. With some nice days, and some wind, it could be off in no time.
On the other hand, it could very well take its time. We respect our guests and would not string you along. At this time, we feel it would be premature to cancel our opening week. We encourage you to keep in touch, and should the time come when we feel the ice will not be off in time, we will make it our first priority to inform you.
Again, please don't hesitate to give us a call (807)727-2671 if you wish to speek to us about this matter.

More SNOW!!

2008-04-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

If you had been here on Saturday, April 26th, you would have seen tears come to our eyes, as we watched the snow fall non-stop all day until more than 9 inches of snow accumulated on the ground. We were snowed in (and still are for the most part). We had just started some yard work done about two days earlier. We were even in our T-shirts! The forecast is calling for temperatures in the single digits (from 3 degrees to 9 degrees), for the remaining week, with lows dipping to -9 C. It's hard to say what's going to happen from here on out. We still feel that the ice will be off for the opener (that is we're hopeful that we'll get some nicer weather). But we cannot guarantee it will be off for those hoping to come a week earlier to do some northern fishing.

We'll keep you posted.

On another note, Chris, our dockhand, arrived from Thunder Bay this past Thursday, and we have already put him to work thinning out the trees away from the in-road. And yes. He is working knee deep in snow!

We can't tell you how blessed we are to have such great staff, as he couldn't stop expressing how glad he was to be back at camp.

Late Ice Out?

2008-04-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

Well it's already a week into April, but you wouldn't know it by the weather. With large dumpings of snow, and temperatures hovering around -15 C at night, it's hard to imagine that spring is around the corner. Around this time of year we get a lot of phone calls and e-mails from guests wondering if the ice is going to be out in time for the opener in mid May. I'm always perplexed as how to answer this question, as the ice goes out differently, and at different times each year. In the four years that we've owned the camp, we have not experienced a year when there was still ice out on the main lake when camp opened, however, I have heard stories of when it was not out on time.

One really nice aspect of our camp and its location, is that the ice in the channel and in our small bay seems to go out days before it does on most locations on Gullrock. The previous owner of the camp, Mike Weaver, told us about one walleye opener when there was still ice out on Gullrock and Red Lake, and there were dozens of people who came to launch their boat from the camp, so they could take advantage of the fishing in the channel between Keg and Gullrock, instead of losing a day out of their fishing trip.
Don't be so anxious for the ice to go out too soon, because it seems to be the trend that the later the ice goes out, the better the fishing is during the week of walleye opener.
At this time, it's impossible to predict when the ice will be off, as it all depends on the weather. We will definitely keep you posted.

New Website Up and Running!

2008-04-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

Well after many many months of planning and hard work, we now have a new website up for Wright's Wilderness Camp. It's easy to navigate, easy on the eyes, and easy to update! We have big dreams and plans for the site and hope you will stay tuned. Check it out at www.wrightswildernesscamp.com

We are still in need of some more great fishing photos to put up on the site, so if you think you have some that you would like to have available for the world to see, send them our way via e-mail at info@wrightswildernesscamp.com

We still need to put up a page with a map and directions as well, so that will also be coming in the near future.

Some interesting features you will find include Lee's favorite fish recipes, links to useful sites to help you plan your trip, as well as a packing list. Let us know if there's anything else you'd like to see on the site!

Let us know what you think.