As has been my habit since Bill Hagedorn and I can no longer do four week stints, I have managed to obtain a partner and fish the week prior to the entire crew descending on the Blue Heron. This year it was my brother Mark who served as my partner for Week One – May 24th-31st. We departed Alexandria at 8:15am on Friday, the 23rd and arrived in the Soo in time to have dinner at the Lockview Restaurant, across the street from the Soo Locks. While we saw a few freighters from a distance on the way up, none were locking through.
Following breakfast and grocery shopping we were off to Canada at 11am on Saturday morning, and arrived in camp at around 3pm on Saturday afternoon. After settling in we were on the water at about 6pm fishing for a few hours prior to having our traditional first night Dinty Moore Beef Stew dinner. We were happy to put 17 fish in the boat between us, one of which Mark is displaying at left. A few things became evident. While the trees were leafed out, the shoreline and underwater structure were still awaiting the arrival of spring, with no sign of fresh vegetation nor pencil grass in the usual spots. Water temperature was 56 degrees, down from 62 upon our arrival a year ago, and the fish were not in evidence in the usual haunts in the Spanish River itself. Also the water level had dropped another foot and the bugs from which we had been spared the past two years, were out in force.
With the fish having spent the best part of five months under ice, they were more than willing to jump on your hook when you could locate them. Having spent 30 of the past 33 years fishing the area I knew the patterns, and true to form they were in the shallow end of the bay, and had not moved down the lake to some of our favorite fishing haunts which had been active the past few springs. They were not in the numbers that we are used to. While Mark will tell you that he is happy catching over 100 fish during our Week One, this is far below what Ryan Anderson and I caught in 2024. Fortunately, by Week two when the rest of our crew arrived they had begun to move out and everything became in play, in addition to a few additional eco-systems farther down the lake or out on Lake Huron itself. Being old school, I’m happy to fish our bay, but Ryan Shelton, Kevin Menkedick, and even Andy on occasion would venture forth to more distant locations where they caught fish. I even joined them on a trip about 20 miles distant.
Making a concession to our old age and the bugs (Black Flies) we only made one or two after-dinner fishing sessions. Mark is known for being the resident “Muskie Magnet,” but didn’t catch an adult muskie until Week Two when he scored the big boy at left to keep his string of muskie catches alive. He and I are not totally compatible fishing partners. He sits up front and runs the trolling motor, and is very turfy about his fishing territory, while I am rather bound to the back seat, picking up the fish that he misses. As I said earlier, even though it was tougher sledding than in the past, he caught over 100 and I wasn’t far behind, in Week One.
I would rate my physical condition about the same as last year, and am dependent on someone to walk with me on the dock and to get me up and down from the camp to the boat and vise-versa. This, and turning 78 all ads up to the complexity of me fishing at the Blue Heron. Mark knew what he was getting in to, but what would normally be a one trip to the dock resulted in about three trips up and back to get me and our gear to the boat and back, and for this I am thankful. While I am no assistance in helping land his fish, he nets about half of mine. The water temperature jumped into the sixties and some new pencil grass and pike weeks began to show up for Week Two. Mark keeps score of everyone’s catches, and as a six man group we caught 642 fish Week Two, with our largest Muskie a 45 incher by Lincoln Schabell who is still a junior in high school
Lincoln, who was on a quest to catch a meaningful muskie this trip, saw that goal realized when he caught the 45 inch “wall-hanger” on Week Two. It too was released to fight again another day. Kevin Geiman, who is from Alexandria and fishing with Kevin Menkedick’s group, also caught a plus-40-nch muskie, as did Wally Dunlevy, who was up with Jeff Schwegmann. For the first time ever three adult Rainbow Trout and a Lake Trout were caught on this trip. Eric caught two of them, which the boys had for shore lunch.
Despite fishing full 10-Hour days, the boys found time to visit Lucky's Snack Bar for their annual fix of Poutine.
Mark and I made a stop there on Week One.
The longtime server their wishes everyone a "Lucky Day" and they always are.
While the Northern Pike were conspicuous by their absence on Week One, they really picked it up on Week Two in size and numbers, however, we still haven’t had one exceed 40 inches in about six or seven years. it seems like we would always get one that size on every trip before they re-introduced muskie. I’m not sure that this is the answer, because 40 inch Northerns could hold their own with a muskie, but there seemed to be a lot of mid-30 inchers this trip, especially on Week Two.
Jackson, who has a knack for catching big fish, probably caught the heaviest Smallmouth of the trip. It is shown above left and is built like a bluegill with the high back. They did not weight the fish, which only measured out at 19 inches. At right he is shown with Northern Pike doubles.
We really eat well at fish camp. We are shown above left on “Steak Night” where we served up 12oz New York Strip Steaks, done to perfection to celebrate my birthday. We also have the Bill Hagedorn Pork Chop Night prepared from fresh cut loins, with Stove Top and Applesauce. Ryan Shelton’s “becoming famous” annual chicken wings are eagerly anticipated, as is out annual Walleye fish fry. Salads are served with each meal, and occasionally Uncle Dave’s famous Cucumber Salad. We also have full blown breakfasts which include eggs, bacon, country ham, cinnamon rolls, or Cheerios if you prefer. On this trip Mark brought along his waffle iron which got a workout. The picture at right is of our “Blue Heron” group having dinner at Waterfalls Lodge on our final night of the trip.
This report pretty much encapsulates the Schabell Group’s week at the Blue Heron. Ryan Shelton and Randy Hater were with us in camp, and I will add their pictures as I receive them. Jeff Schwegmann and Wally Dunlevy were also in camp, as although their first ever spring trip, they did well. Kevin Menkedick had a group of four Brossart grads here that same week. He, Kevin Geiman and Ryan Burt (repeaters) and Chris Tischner (a first-timer). They stay off-site at Waterfall’s Lodge.