End of June fishing report for Red Lake & Parker Lake

The end of June is already upon us and we saw several more nice fish caught and released this week.

We had a wild mix of weather this week which illustrates the need to pack for all situations.  A cool, overcast day with intermittent rain showers and 30 mph winds was followed up by a sunny and calm day in the mid 80s.

This can be illustrated by these two pictures of Louie - both taken on the same day!

The windy days produced better fishing and we were flooded with excellent reports from both Red Lake and Parker Lake.

Coby took the top spot on the catch and release board with this hefty 44" fish caught within the first hour of the trip.

Guests still reported catching walleye anywhere from 6' - 13' deep.  Lindy rigs with night crawlers and leeches as well as jigs and crankbaits worked well.  If you're wondering what lindy rigs are, you can read our post on how to make them here http://eaglefallslodge.blogspot.ca/2011/03/tie-your-own-lindy-rigs.html.  If you're coming to see us this summer we'd also be happy to show you how to tie them at the lodge.


We had a group up this week, some of which had been to Black Bear Lodge when the Rundles were operating that camp before opening Eagle Falls Lodge.  They had some neat stories about camping by Parker Lake before the guest cabins were built.

They made the trip up this year with their sons and had a great week!

Here is Trevor with a nice 35" northern pike off of Red Lake

 

Trevor and his brother, Cameron, made nice contributions to the weekly fish fry...

...and learned how to clean their own fish!

I have to hand it to these guys, they planned to do a shore lunch and the non-stop rain didn't stop them!

Here is TJ with a fat 24" walleye the released back into Red Lake

 He also caught this 38" northern on Red Lake

Way to go guys!  

Red Lake and Parker Lake: Mid-June Fishing Report

Hello everyone!

Sorry we were a bit M.I.A. on the blog this week.  It was a combination of our town trip falling on the day when the ENTIRE town of Red Lake was without power and some intermittent internet challenges through out the week at the lodge.  And we had a full house, so there is that.

This week was WONDERFUL!!!  Again, we can't say enough how much we love our guests.  The group that loaded up to head home this morning came to Eagle Falls Lodge for the first time in 1986.  As in the year I was born.

A nice looking group, eh?

These guys fished pretty hard on both Red Lake and Parker Lake.  I think they would all agree that most of the walleye were found anywhere from 5-9 ft of water.  The walleye are still very shallow.  We are just beginning to see weeds pop up on Parker Lake, which suggests the lake weed growth, water temperature, and normal patterns are a bit behind compared to an average year.

These guys are veterans and had a blast catching loads of really nice fish, as the walleye bite continues to improve following a late ice-out earlier this spring.

Check out some of these lunkers:

Bill with a nice 35 inch northern pike on Parker Lake

 

Dennis with his 25.5 inch walleye on Red Lake

Don's 26.5 inch walleye on Red Lake

Don's 27.25 inch walleye on Red Lake

Don's 28.25 inch walleye on Red Lake 

- the largest walleye to date on the 2013 catch and release board

Here is John with a nice walleye off of Red Lake

Not sure which looks better, the fish or that sharp looking Eagle Falls Lodge hat he's wearing!

Here is Gary with his 39 inch northern pike

Another big walleye on Parker Lake caught by Dave this week

Here is Mel with his 24.5 inch walleye

Randy had the biggest northern for the week - 40 inches

And check out Skip's fat 19.5 inch walleye off of Parker Lake

All the photographed fish above were caught and released this week!  Way to go guys!

One thing we continue to be encouraged by are the really healthy, fat looking walleye that guys (and gals) are catching on both Red Lake and Parker Lake this year.

We will continue to see more weeds sprout up on Parker and in the shallower bays on Red Lake which is typical for this time of year.  I'm sure the fishing will only get better next week.

I better finish up the town errands and head back to camp to gear up for the group arriving tomorrow!

Red Lake Forest Fires

There are currently 93 forest fires burning in Northwest Ontario. See the thick smoke on the horizon above. We have been fortunate with wind direction lately to avoid heavy smoke like we had a week ago. Thick smoke and ash drastically reduced visibility for one day, but most of this week was much better. There was only one day since where you could actually smell smoke. Cooler weather and some light rain have improved the fire situation. The closest large fire is burning about 20 miles northwest of camp with plenty of water in between.

The fish don't seem to mind and the guys last week caught several nice ones. We are seeing fish caught in a variety of depths on Red Lake - from 12 feet all the way down to 30 feet deep. I am still catching plenty of fish on Parker in 7-13 feet of water, but some guests are also catching them in 15-20 feet too. There is no present danger to camp so if you haven't made your trip yet, not to worry. Those of you who enjoy fresh fish for lunch will be glad to know shore lunches are still allowed. You may deal with some smoke depending on wind direction, but hopefully the weather will continue to assist the fire fighting efforts.

Here is a link to the Ministry of Natural Resources site including many pictures of the fires
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_088522.html

Until next week, tight lines!

1st Annual Parker Classic

Last week we organized and hosted the first fishing tournament ever (to our knowledge) on Parker Lake. The tournament was held during the few hours between breakfast and dinner. The 1st annual Parker Classic was a single day, two category tournament with prizes for the best four Walleye lengths and best four Northern Pike lengths caught and released per boat. There was no official weigh-in since we were working off the honor system. We also threw in a rock bass bonus although no one was able to take advantage.

Jeff and Andy Zwieg topped the Northern Pike division with 95" of fish and there was a tie in the Walleye division. Carrie and I tied Team Mercer consisting of my sister Mercer Mack, Matt Dillon, and Heather Cottle-Dillon with 74" of fish. The big Walleye of the day was the 22" fish (pictured below) that I caught right off the point from the lodge where we dump the food scraps. Carrie and I fished close so we could also handle some dinner prep duties.



We are still catching plenty of fish on Parker in 6'-12' of water. The fish on Red Lake are being caught in a variety of depths although some are starting to move deeper. Last week our guests had the best luck in 10'-18' of water. Forecasts are calling for temps in the upper 80s this week so the fish should continue to move to deeper water.

Until next time, tight lines!