T-Bone's Alwaki Lodge Report: July 27 - August 2

[T-Bone]

“I can’t wait!” That’s about all I said after getting home from the May trip up on Lake Kipawa this past spring. I knew I had a relatively short wait until our July trip and getting into our usual routine of summer period fishing. Hence, not a lot of thought went into who/what/where, etc….just a matter of time passing until we were up on the lake again. The plan was for 5 guys, all Kipawa vets, this July. A few of our normal crew couldn’t make it this year…schedule conflicts with other planned events and vacations. Then, imminent to packing and leaving, some of this year’s roster let life get in the way. One guy had a business meeting he couldn’t miss…Marco started hedging as that was his “ride” and he could only do a 4-day trip anyway. In the end, by the time we were leaving, it was just down to me a Mattie…fishing mates once again. We didn’t care…we know how to do this…and in all truth we do a lot more fishing when there isn’t as much melee going on around us. Meal planning is so much easier...and really…the whole trip gets easier as I’m the coordinator/shopper/planner for the whole thing.

Let’s Get This Thing Going
“Man, I can’t wait!” is all Mattie said when we met to finalize all the travel details. He would be at my house by 4:30AM and we’d be in Temiscaming by 4PM at the latest. And that held mostly true…a little traffic trouble going up the 400 (two accidents fudged that up good), but we found our way into North Bay where we did our perishables shopping at Walmart. Yeah…not the greatest selection, or the finest quality cuts or veggies, but good enough for us. After plowing through the throngs of people that use Walmart as a social meeting place on Friday afternoon, we were at the Au Bercail and greeting @Hodgey and his brother Rob about 5PM. Let the Bleue train roll! We caught-up, laughed, and joked our way through dinner together at the Temrose and went back for a nightcap…where we kept the laughter going until the late-evening blanket of skeeters descended upon us and sent everyone running for their rooms. Just as well…we had to be at the dock for pick-up by 8AM to start our week at Alwaki Lodge.

Let's Get This Thing Going, For Real!
After unloading at our pick-up dock, Mattie stayed with the gear and I went over to Corina’s for our pre-ordered leeches. I was in and out of there in minutes with 2-pounds of the best leeches I’ve ever seen. Perfect size, great quality, and a fair value. The Government dock adjacent to Corina’s place was LOADED with people that morning; I saw Brian from Alwaki unloading a huge family of Amish guests…over 25 people. Wayne from Kipawa Lodge was unloading a boatful of guests, plus others coming and going made the scene almost strange for such an isolated and peaceful area. I got outta there posthaste, parked the car and waited with Mattie for our taxi to Alwaki. “Man, I can’t wait,” is all that we said to each other. By 9AM we were standing on Thompson Island with everything we would need for our week.   


Launch pad...and we're ready for take-off. Cleared for departure...


Arrived, ready to move-in, and featuring a tasty Bleue...at 9AM...

Getting to Know Old Friends Again
We settled in to some degree, then Mattie and I grabbed a coldie and started skulking around the lodge grounds to find Ozzy and his wife, Les. Sure enough, just as we got closer to the lodge we were met quickly by Ozzy who invited us in to catch-up. If I recall correctly, all Ozzy said to greet us was, “Pretty early for a beer, eh guys?” with a beaming smile….but that’s the kind of relationship we have. We greeted and talked for a bit to catch-up. After that quick beer on Ozzy’s deck, we went to down to our cabin to get set-up…well, that was the plan anyway. About 10-minutes later, Ozzy comes down and asked us what time we wanted to go fishing…as long as it was between that moment and the next 30-minutes. Unpacking would have to wait. The look on Mattie’s face was telltale…”Man, I can’t wait!” The next thing you know, we’re on our way out for a laker troll with Ozzy and Les and a cooler full of Bleue and goodies including fresh radishes and pepperettes…now a favorite trio of mine. I took the bow pedestal seat and watched the lake unfold in front of me at 2.4 mph, Les and Mattie watched the lines, and we just trolled around shooting the breeze like old friends. Next thing you know…fish on…”Get it Mattie!” Ozzy instructed, and Mattie set that hook and started reeling. “That’s a nice fish…what…do you only catch nice fish?” Ozzy joked with Mattie. A few minutes later, a 5+ pound laker was in the net and high-fives all around. Several minutes later, another fish, and another. Some bigger than others. Mattie was so excited when one of the downriggers released with a fish on and, in Ozzy’s words, “hip-checked” Les out of the way so he could get it. Unbridled excitement, and a great way to start the trip. Shortly thereafter, it started to rain, then started to pour, then it was best we went in as thunder was soon to arrive. We got in to the cabin just in time before the “hurricane rain” (as I call it) poured down and went about our day of unpacking and setting up…all to a string of Bleues. Are you ready to go catch some ‘eyes Mattie? “I can’t wait,” is all he said as we pulled away toward our first spot. That evening we had marginal walleye success…nothing great…nothing bad…but we stayed close as the storms weren’t quite fizzled yet. After a quick “how did you do this evening, boys” session on Hodgey’s deck, we closed a great first day of the trip.


Not a bad fish for the first of this trip...but I was more impressed by the 17-pounder out of this duo last year!



Ozzy joked that this size fish was a little more common for T-Bone than Mattie. Ha, ha...

We Were in Heaven - - Or So It Seemed
Sunday was a bit slower start, but we went out that morning for some ‘eye action and picked-up several. Fish seemed relatively easy to find, not as easy to get bit. We knew Ozzy and Les were supposed to leave later that afternoon and wanted to be sure to see them before they left. Right after we got in from the AM fishing, Ozzy came down and asked us what time we wanted to go laker fishing. Laker Troll, Part Deux. So, we met up shortly after Noon and loaded Ozzy’s boat for another excursion of radishes, pepperettes, and Bleues. Oh yeah…and lakers.
What we saw next was a vision…straight out of Heaven. Here comes Hodgey and his brother Rob returning from the AM bite. Now, I finally know what “The Fishing Gods” look like. They dress like twins…all the way down to the same PFD, color scheme, everything. We got a big laugh at the expense of Hodgey and Rob (Les was laughing hysterically, if I recall correctly), but it was all in fun and we laughed with vigor for several minutes at the sight.  Like the day before, success was solid with some nice lakers and even a bonus ‘eye. While on the water, Mattie and I planted the “why leave today, just go home tomorrow” seed with the Osbornes. After a simple dinner, we fidgeted around camp, visited with Hodgey and the boys, and kept ourselves hydrated with Bleues. It was a nice evening on the water, and we had some decent success, but not the huge numbers we’ve had in July before. After a beautiful sunset we headed in for an evening nightcap with the Hodgey group, laughed long and hard in a ‘thank you’ visit with Ozzy and Les, and called it a night.


The Fishing Gods...with Ozzy and Mattie


The Fishing Gods showing us toward the path of righteousness...or maybe where to fish...

A Real Lake Kipawa Banger
Well, the relatively nice weather on Sunday was going to get pushed out by a big blow on Monday, and there were watercraft warnings posted for later that afternoon. Tina from Alwaki Lodge was walking around camp warning us not to be on the water later that day…”big storm coming…be careful…don’t get caught out in it.” That’s never happened before, so I knew it was going to be a biggie. Ozzy and Les left mid-morning and hopefully missed it travelling home. We went about our day…caught some ‘eyes jigging, even went trolling that afternoon with some success (a couple nice ‘eyes, one decent smallmouth), but by 4PM you could tell…it’s time to batten down the hatches…here it comes. I love a good storm, so I just sat on the deck of our cabin watching it come in with a cold Bleue in my hand and simply stated, “I can’t wait.” Then BOOM…it hit. The storm was very, very fierce…one of the strongest I have ever seen on Kipawa in 20+ trips. Have never seen wind like that on the lake. We always err on the side of caution, but really wanted to get out fishing that evening and waited until 8:30PM to head out. With only about an hour of fishing time and staying close to camp, we did well and ID’d a new location that seemed to be holding good numbers of walleyes that were easy to catch on a jig. We came in after dark, closed out the evening with another visit to our friends, and set our sights on the week remaining.


I would estimate these waves at 4+ feet...a camp boat would get engulfed almost instantly...

And so it went...
The rest of the week went pretty-much according to plan. Head out in the mid-morning thru about 11AM for the walleye bite…fish a little in the afternoon trolling for whatever bites (yes, don’t faint, we went trolling almost every day if not every day). We caught fish all the time both jigging and trolling, but certainly not in the same ratio. Some periods it was fast and frenzied; Mattie and I boated 10 ‘eyes in about 10-minutes one evening. Other periods and locations were downright slow. Others were consistent and steady…catch fish for long periods of time, just not one-after-the-other pace. We had heard going in to camp that fishing had been “slow”…almost a warning to temper our expectations. But we kept our expectations elevated, and though this year was not as abundant as others we have experienced, the fishing was solid and nothing to apologize for. We don’t keep very accurate counts of numbers (blame it on the Bleue haze), but we guessed our count for the week was about 150 or so fish. I think Mattie got 5 lakers, we caught 7 smallies with largest around 2-lbs, a couple hammer-handle pike (one trolling, one off the dock), and the rest ‘eyes. We caught a lot of ‘eyes in the lower end of the slot, but only kept several “no doubt” fish that we knew were in the slot, a number below the slot, and several above the slot. That little Ministry tactic seems to be working getting the ‘eyes size a bit bigger on average every trip.

Funny Footnotes
Our trip with Hodgey’s group out to the old church at Hunter’s Point on Wednesday was great fun. It’s always nice to watch a ‘newbie’ see certain parts of the lake for a first time. The sense of wonder and amazement can’t be cloaked…it just pours-out unencumbered. This included a quick lunch stop at “the beach” between Alwaki and HP. There I received my only insect bite of the week…a horse fly sunk his dagger into my calf and man-o-live, that bugger was crazy itchy…for a week!!! I don’t like those bugs…I don’t like them at all. Note to self - - long pants are your friend.


What a great day...and a great scene...with great people...

Spending time with Ozzy and Les was just great. And though we’ve only met each other a few times and have only spent limited time together, it was like being with old friends where anything goes, and everything is worthy of a belly-crunching laugh attack. They made sure I sampled both walleye and lake trout “cooked right”. Well, Les’ recipe is better than most I’ve had, but the verdict is the same. It all comes down to texture and taste, and I have little appetite for either. The laker texture was better than the walleye, but the follow-up taste is just…well…not my thing, I guess.


Ozzy and Les are such great people...I hope we can share a boat again someday soon...

The “old boys” from Hodgey’s group kept us in stitches. Older, retired guys, set in their ways, opinions, and attitudes that make you both scratch your head and lose your breath in laughter. Hodgey’s “Uncle Dave” was funny; we’ve met him before and once you get to know his shtick a little better, he’s funny and grounded in who he is; his buddy “Ray” was also an old guy set in his ways, but his big deep voice and sharp tongue would just make us crack-up almost every time he spoke. The guy trolled with rope, or it looked like rope at least. White, about 500-pound test, on a big wooden trolling rod. If I’m not mistaken, he got a good 24” wally on that rig. “Greg” was a quiet guy, but you could tell he was having fun…often laughing at the conversation and setting up the next “Why don’t you guys comment on this” line. Great guys, but why they don’t EVER jig for walleyes is an absolute mystery to me.

Chow is Chow   
Well, in the change-up immediately before our trip, Mattie and I decided to keep the food side of this trip simple. I travel so much for work I’m eating big fat-boy meals all the time and really don’t need to go out of my way to do it while on vacation. I think Mattie is a lot like me in that food is necessary to live, but not at or even near the top of the list of what is important. Mattie was designated the Meat Chef, as he’s now starting out on his own and needed to learn how to properly cook a meal and not spend his money at restaurants. Our most complicated meal of the week was BBQ chicken, and I still feel we ate like kings. Longest meal prep/eat/clean cycle may have been an hour, mostly more like 30-minutes. I get why many of you like to go “all in” on meals, but to me the time it takes to do a meal right just doesn’t have the pay-off it once did. The planning, storage/transportation, prep, cooking, clean-up, etc. has become more of a chore than a pleasure to me. If I could chew a bite-size candy bar to satisfy hunger and nutritional requirements for each meal, I would.


Keep it simple and from prep to table in <30 minutes; save the time for more rewarding endeavors...

Enough is Enough
Well, by the time Thursday evening rolled around we were pretty satisfied. Caught plenty of fish, had tons of laughter and fellowship across the groups, and never cheated ourselves on any of the experience. Suffice it to say, our Bleue consumption was elevated and consistent…more beer than we should be drinking on any given day. In understanding this state of existence, I told Mattie during our evening fishing Thursday that I have reached the “law of diminishing marginal utility” on all of it. He admitted the same. We had caught plenty of fish, shared plenty of a laughs, and plowed plenty of beers. With a ton of relocating tasks staring him in the face when we got home, I quietly suggested maybe we leave midday on Friday…hitch a ride into Kipawa with Brian, and make our way down into the states before getting a hotel room for the night. And that we did. We went out on Friday morning and caught a handful of ‘eyes and another smallie, then packed it up and left the island about 1:30PM. All we really missed was an evening fishing opportunity and another sleep in the cabin, so not a very hard decision. Traffic was light the whole way…even through Toronto. We made it to western NY by 9PM, ate a nice dinner, and hit the sack. We pulled into my driveway in Westerville, Ohio about 11AM Saturday morning…which is about the same time we’d be getting out of North Bay on a normal departure schedule. In total, a great trip end-to-end.


The last fish caught...a nice 22" that is [hopefully] still swimming today....

Thanks, Everyone!
Thanks Brian and Tina…another wonderful trip to Alwaki Lodge! Always great…always feels like home…and I know they’re starting to really know us as Brian is always razzing me about taking off outboard skegs and kidding Mattie about how much Bleue we’re drinking. Thanks Ozzy and Les!! Such a great time spending a couple days with you…those are cherished memories that will never fade. Hope to see you up there next year, by some stroke of luck. Thanks to Hodgey, Rob, and the Old Boys…such great hospitality and friendship at every turn…in every minute. Already looking forward to next year…and maybe, just maybe, I’ll bring Ray some braided and flouro line for trolling. And last but certainly not least…to my friend Mattie...thanks so much. Somehow, this year’s Kipawa trips were better than most, and it was only the two of us. I look forward to starting our countdown to next year very, very soon.


There is only one Kipawa...and I'm so thankful to have discovered it in 2000...

The Next Trips
Well, we’re already booked for late-May and late-July again next year. Seems like a long way off, but I have plenty to keep me busy in the meantime…maybe even get a rig for Kipawa. I’m not sure who will be going or not going from our normal group in 2020, but I’m confident Mattie and I will be on both trips. So, queuing it up, 285 days until Trip 1 next year. And you know what…if you were to ask either of us, I’m pretty sure Mattie or I would simply state, “I can’t wait.”


Looking forward to this familiar scene again next year.

[Greg]

As usual Todd, a great report - so well structured and great pics.

Congrats!  Yes, I miss it already and I have only been home 3 weeks.

Greg

[Jay Thomas]

Great trip report Todd. Enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for sharing.

Jay

[Captain Hali]

 Thanks for the great report and pictures T-Bone. I especially like the picture of the whitecaps with the sheets of rain pounding down almost horizontally on the waves. I can almost feel the sting of those cold water drops bouncing off my face. I would love to be able to call Brian and book a week next June. unfortunately I can't commit that far ahead due to health issues. I'll see come Spring what is possible. Would love to meet up with many of the regulars on this Forum.

[GregL]

Fantastic Report!! Man! I can't wait till September!

I am heading to the old church, sounds like a gotta see!

WOW! that was a storm!

[Hodgey1]

Great report as always T-bone. My brother and I  haven’t spent this much time together in over 35 years, but as you can all see, our fashion sense is very similar. LOL. I will never leave camp for the day again, without first checking to see what he has on. The comments still sting from the likes of Les and Tina “Aren’t you guys cute” could be worse I guess eh?

Great times had by all. Can’t wait to do it all again next year, as we are also already booked.

[GregL]

Great report as always T-bone. My brother and I  haven’t spent this much time together in over 35 years, but as you can all see, our fashion sense is very similar. LOL. I will never leave camp for the day again, without first checking to see what he has on. The comments still sting from the likes of Les and Tina “Aren’t you guys cute” could be worse I guess eh?

Great times had by all. Can’t wait to do it all again next year, as we are also already booked.

Now you can guide us to the old church

[Ozzy30]

That was a great report and a great few days.  I'm sure it won't be hard to talk Les into another trip next year.  She is so used to the fun camaraderie around the hunt camp with friends that this felt just like that.  A lot of fun with old friends.  Thanks for all the laughs.  You never know keep in touch before next years 2 trips and maybe I can swing something.  Only being 3 hours away is a very big bonus.  I'll send Les the link to your post.  Oh BTW Hodgey that was by far the cutest thing I seen that week.

[Oarin]

Nice T-Bone. Great pictures and report. Glad you guys had a safe and enjoyable trip. We had one bad storm during our week at TBL, but the one you had was scary. When the owners come and warn you, you'd best listen.

[starfire]

Great trip report!  Always a pleasure to read,  We are headed to Alwaki in four days.   

[limacharley]

I look forward to your trip reports man. Some pictures with accompanying sharp crisp detailed paragraphs is always a pleasure to read.
You set the standard on this blog.
You must have gotten A's in English Composition....hahaha!

[CaptainCrappie]

As usual T-Bone.  Another fantastic trip report.  That storm was a beaut!

C.C

[bucknbull]

Great report and stories as always T.
Thanks for sharing.

[ziggy6]

Great report!   

[Jig and drift]

Fantastic report.  Good times !