HAS ANYBODY FISHED "WAWANG LAKE" I NEED SOME INFO

[bigboy]

I am going to WAWANG LAKE fishing in late august and wanted some info on the lake I have heard alot of mixed opinions about the lake and just wanted some info from someone that has actually been there.

[Stu]

I am going up there next spring. Let me know how you did.

Good luck. Our group fished 4 days July 8 - 11, 2006. Our group consisted of 3 dads (combined Canada trips - 110,yes 110) and 4 teenagers (combined Canada trips - 14), so lots of experience fishing Canadian walleyes. Our group caught 9 walleyes, total. I caught ONE. (It was the 1st spot I stopped to jig and was a 25 incher. I'm thinking, hey, my 4th biggest walleye to date and 15 minutes into the trip, this is going to be nice.) 3 1/2 more days of fishing resulted in 0 (ZERO) walleyes for me. Yep, ZERO. You readers are probably forming opinions at this point, such as this group didn't know what they were doing. I've got some more ammo...The cabin next to us caught zero walleye in 3 days of fishing. The cabin 2 down hired the camp guide for all 7 days. They were heading out to fish on day 4 and had yet to boat a walleye. Yep, camp guide boat did not catch a walleye the 1st 3 days. (They did fish northerns the 1st day, so shouldn't count that day). I picked thru gut buckets in the fish house each day and other then the couple we cleaned, NO walleye. I asked the guy who hired the guy what her explanation was and she replied, "just not biting." There were weather changes. 1st day, very windy (storm came thru that evening), 2nd day, wind and rain, 3rd day, calm and sunny, 4th day, breezy and sunny.

The positives...they have a great website. Lots of good quality fish caught. It's hard to believe for our group, though. Good boats and motors, our cabin was nice, (we've stayed in some #### holes on fly ins, so may be relative.) The guy who went american plan said the food was good. The people next to us were repeat customers. They were up 2 weeks earlier in '05 and said they caught a ton of nice northerns and enough walleye to be satisfied. The fact they came up again must mean something. The lake is beautiful, lots of nice structure (very abrupt, steep drops) very clear, great sunsets. I thought the price was right. The kids caught enough northerns to keep them going out.

I'm hoping we just hit a bad walleye week. If anyone else had/has a good week, please post. I would be interested.

[Stu]

I have heard that the fishing is tough later in the summer. Spring or late summer is supposed to be the best time to go.

You'll have to post next year following your trip. No doubt, you'll have a better fishing trip than us. We go on an early trip each year (other places) w/o the kids and generally do very well. We've done mid summer trips with the kids the last 4 years and have always caught walleye, but not as good as we do in the spring.

Just got back Wednesday 7-26-06. My father-in-law and I fished for 31/2 days. Our first time there. Walleye were a little hard to find but by the 2nd and 3rd day we were catching 8-10 a day (not fishing strictly walleye all day long). Otheres in camp were also catching walleye and seemed quite happy (all first timers there).

The high light for me was definitely the northern fishing. I caught a 40" and a 30". Father-in-law a couple of 27". Easily caught 100 northerns between the 2 of us. We fished them quite a bit though. Had a great time. Great weather,price, no bugs. Would recommend but it was my first time to Canada fishing. My father-in-law has been to Canada many times and would like to make anual trip to Wabaskang after our time there.

Oops,Sorry I wasn't at Wawang can't read. Just excited to talk about the 40" northern some more.

Wildernessgum

[Mohleye]

I'm sorry I am not familiar with Wawang. This lake has been discussed a lot on this site, and I have no ax to grind or opinion whatsoever. This is in response to Freight Train's post, and my reason for posting is that we were in NW Ontario the same week, and to maybe give you some basis for comparison.

Our fishing was good. Not our best year, but certainly not our worst. Our group was 4 experienced fishermen. We have also made more spring than mid-summer trips, and my experience is that for sheer numbers, it's hard to beat spring fishing. The fish are a lot more concentrated and sometimes shallower, and when you find them you can usually catch a bunch without moving far. We also tend to catch more big fish in the spring. The pluses of summer fishing are the weather is typically better (or at least warmer), and the fish are more dispersed, making it fun to explore and try new spots. We probably averaged 50 walleye per boat per day, a variety of sizes. We caught no walleye over 25". We caught at least a few walleye in almost every spot we tried, and in depths from 4'-25'.

I'd bet many others who fished that week had as good success or better. I didn't feel there was anything remarkable about our week, positive or negative. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it sounds like you were disappointed in your walleye fishing, and are wondering whether you should be. My opinion is yes. This was a typical week of summer fishing, and in my opinion if a lake has a healthy walleye population, you should catch some fish if you give it a decent effort. Going several days without catching a single walleye would get me looking for a new lake. The fact that there are regulars who return every year may not be too significant. Some people reach a comfort level where they know the water and hazards; they like the owners and the camp; they are happy relaxing and catching a few fish; they just don't care to try anything new.....it sounds like a nice place, and checking their website, their rates are certainly reasonable. The walleye fishing sounds a bit suspect.

[Stu]

Hey Mohleye, what lake do you fish, if you don't mind saying. We fished Wabby for years and are looking for a less-crowded lake. Wawang is pretty cheap ($400 per week, including boat & gas). I called about 30 people who fished there and everyone of them raved about the place. If anyone knows of a good walleye lake in that price range, I would certainly be interested in checking it out. The only prerequisite is that it be secluded. Wawang is the only resort on the lake and that is pretty attractive. Thanks in advance - Stu

[Stu]

Hey Mohleye, what lake do you fish, if you don't mind saying. We fished Wabby for years and are looking for a less-crowded lake. Wawang is pretty cheap ($400 per week, including boat & gas). I called about 30 people who fished there and everyone of them raved about the place. If anyone knows of a good walleye lake in that price range, I would certainly be interested in checking it out. The only prerequisite is that it be secluded. Wawang is the only resort on the lake and that is pretty attractive. Thanks in advance - Stu