Forrest Lodge,we're all about Outdoor Adventure

Every day for about the last month we have had rain. Sometimes just  a shower or 4, other times all day downpours followed by a gulley washer. We started to cut grass this morning and managed to get the hay meadow in front and in back done  just before a little shower moved in and got every thing wet. Now the sun is trying to come out but to the north west is another big dark purple cloud. Needless to say I haven’t been on the water much. MaryJo and I made it out a few days ago for about an hour or so. We just ran to the narrows and hooked up a few good eaters. Between showers the wind is keeping the water worked up. Today its just a mild foot to foot and a half chop. Guests are reporting steady action at all the usual holes. No reports of any bragging rights, just the average 16-20 inches. And what a fashion show of  Goretex, every color, style and configuration available. Other than keeping up with the daily chores we decided to put a new sink in #5 along with new light fixtures. Thats been keeping me busy for a few days. One of my favorite things to do is belly crawl under a cabin and work on plumbing. It’s inevitable that I forget something and make it half way under before I realize it and crawl back out. Yesterday the fox was helping me under cabin 5. She has become very accustomed to people and will eat from MaryJo’s hand. The other day she brought 2 kits with her. They stayed their distance while she came up on the porch and got a treat. We remind guests that she is a wild animal and still needs to keep her instincts about hunting and keeping her distance from humans. I wish she would start hunting some of the red squirrels around here. Then theres the darn bear. After going this long without any bears around the lodge we got hit the other night. So I made a mad dash to the dump and sprayed the garbage trailer with amonia. So far, so good. The blue berry crop is almost non-existant so the bears are on the move. At the dump I counted 8 of them and they are so bold that even while I was backing up to the garbage pit 2 of them came right up to the trailer. After I got out of the truck and yelled a little to back them off, they were right back again almost pulling the bags off the trailer before I could. According to the weather report by Sunday we should have a little break in the rain so I’m hoping to get out. And as I look outside again ……it’s raining. Remember….THINK WALLEYE!!!

Fresh caught walleye cakes with chipotle mayo sauce and fried potatoes and rhubarb crisp for dessert. I finally had a chance to fish this afternoon for a few hours. Many people think that we get to fish when ever the notion strikes. Just not so in this business. Priority is making you, our guest, happy and comfortable. Cleaning cabins, cutting grass, washing boats and all the rest of the good stuff comes first. We had a few trees to clean up after the heavy winds that blew through here the last few days. The sun was out with temps in the 60′s f but a strong steady nor’ wester that wouldn’t let up for almost three days. Our friends to the west took a heavy hit and a few prayers need to be said. I thought about fishing the route but changed my mind as I headed north up the lake. I ducked into little Caribou and made my way to the creek. I snagged a few little guys and moved with the breeze down the shore to the west and hooked into a few little gators. Always fun to catch a few of them to get the kinks out of the line. I set the drag easy and let em run a bit. With the walleye gear and a lucky lip hook these guys are fun to tease, I like to see if I can get them to get a little hang time and a tail dance. On the way out I hit a few of the rock piles along the island on the north side and hooked up with a few more walleyes. Nothing to talk about, just the average 16-20, and a solid bite too. I was using a mix of minnows and leeches on a 1/4 oz jig. Chartruese, green and white, it just didn’t matter what color. And the depths were all over the place. 8 feet, 20 feet and everything in between. This was in the middle of the afternoon as I didn’t head out until almost 2 0′clock. The chop was lite to moderate so I throttled up the Ranger and headed for Cove. Its always a steady bite there, just feel out the humps and work the edges just north of the little island. You know what I’m talkin about if you fished it before. And speaking of steady bite!!!! There must have been a dozen boats from the only other 2 lodges on the lake fishing the narrows. About 1 mile of running the obstacle course. There is over 25,000 acres of water to fish on Caribou lake, but these guys just sat in the middle of the narrows boating fish after fish. Not all that difficult to catch, but not all that challenging either. There is this fellow from the Beaver Dam Wisconsin area that keeps asking about the bite. Well, Neal, its just fishing. Don’t try so hard, relax and head for Beer can. Remember…..THINK WALLEYE!

Crazy weather. Last week it was in the upper 80′s, then the rain came and temps dropped to the low 40′s. Rain and cold for 6 days with a stiff nor-wester. The bite was as cold as the weather. A slow presentation with live bait was the only thing producing a bite. I had no reports of anyone using slip bobbers, but this would have been textbook approach. I fished for a few hours on Thursday between mild rain showers and steady winds. I just hung a leech off a 3/8 oz jig and worked it deep and slow. Boat position was key as we had to be right over the fish to trigger a bite. Most of my bites were on the way down and by keeping a straight line it is easy enough to feel the bite. These guys were just gumming it for the most part so I let them put a little pull on it before I set the hook. This soft bite is a good time to use the longer more sensitive rod with a little lighter line. I use a 7 foot St Croix with a Pflueger spooled with 6lb mono. It is a very sensitive rod that lets me feel every bump when jigging. I also had MaryJo’s  Jig n Rig  61/2 foot with 10lb mono that I use for spinning gear and dragging the bottom. Yesterday the weather straightened out and we had bright sun with a good walleye chop. Today brings bright sun and so far just enough breeze to put some ripples on the water. I’m still behind on the grass cutting, but just maybe I’ll get the Ranger in the water today and run up to the Beav. All work and no play makes Scott a dull boy. After all, it is a holiday. Remember…THINK WALLEYE!