WALLEYE OPENER: MAY 18, 2024

Not only is it walleye season opener, but our spring bear hunt season has officially started as well. We had one of our earlier hunters, Jon, who was successful with his bear and afterwards, he fished for some northern pike. He was super excited to get his bear and had some fishing with Louis. There was not another fishman on the lake so fishing spots were completely endless!

Our second round of hunters were Kurt and Scott. They were thrilled to come hunting with us after so many years of fishing. Pictured below is Kurt and Scott all dressed up ready to head out hunting. We had been pre-baiting the stands with kitchen scraps covered in molasses. Scott was successful at getting a bear and it was big-it weighed over 400#. High fives were given to Scott and Kurt still had to go hunting to get his bear. When it was time for his pickup and Louis saw his bear, WOWWWW!! The bear was hefty-it weighed in at 508.5# and uffdah-it took some muscles to move this one! Later when Kurt got the bear to the taxidermist it measured 8′ from nose to tail-what a trophy!! Cheers to all our bear hunters!!

The first couple of weeks are always busy getting everything opened and water turned on. Everything gets the spring clean, and shelves again get fully stocked. Hats off to the staff as there is always so much to get ready for opener!!

Some wacky numbers to think of:

89 toilets, 89 bathroom sinks, 3 commercial kitchens, 4 airplanes, 72 boat motors, and 135 deck chairs, and 22 barbeques that are all in daily service once guests arrive! Lots of flowers as well!

We had some early northern fishermen come in before season to go after those big northerns. Some fishermen prefer to come right after the ice is out while the waters are not even 40 degrees. Other fishermen think that the northern pike fishing really turns on about 52 degrees. Again, there are all sorts of fishing theories, and lot of different fun artificial baits to throw for the pike. The shallows are definitely the best place to find the pike early in the season. The walleye fishermen were super ecstatic about the fishing year – seemed again jigging in the shallows with a minnow was very productive. Even fishermen trying to catch pike in the shallows were catching walleye in the shallows on spoons that they were throwing.

The guests at Caribou Falls Landing were super happy with the fishing. 119 trophies-Look at the size of some of these fish!! There were 16 northern pike registered over 40″, 7 smallmouth bass 20″ and over, and 5 walleyes over 27″.

Kettle Falls

May 16 was opening day here at Kettle Falls with staff welcoming the first of our fishermen brothers Jerry & Barry. The northern fishing was hot with Barry landing the first trophy of the year a 42“northern pike, not to be outdone Jerry caught our first trophy smallmouth bass at 20”! During their stay they landed 7 trophies & caught enough fish to hold them over until next May! See you next year guys!

We had one of our younger anglers & repeat guest Luke who out fished both Dad & Grandpa. His
biggest catch of the trip a 39“northern. Fishing never stopped for Luke, spending his free
time in the evening fishing off the docks! During his stay he was able to add 3 more trophy pins
to his hat with his freshly caught 3 trophies this trip. Awesome job Luke!

May also saw one of our long-time groups experience our corporate fishing retreats. They came for their 2.5 days of fishing on the waters by Kettle Falls and had a fabulous trip! Enjoying the fishing and shore lunches, fishermen were also thrilled that they caught 9 trophies.

The total trophy count at Kettle Falls Lodge in May was 62 and the largest species were walleye a 28.5″, 43″ northern pike and two smallmouth bass measuring at 20″!

One Man

Fishermen were arriving at One Man and excited to be back on the water. We had several groups come in and fish. Some of the return staff Janice the cook and Jr, our One Man Lake guide, swung into the normal routines from having years of experience at Halley’s. We enjoyed having a large family group come in as it was their first time here to Halley’s Camps and they loved it! The fishing was incredible at One Man in May and there was a total of 15 trophies in May- 7 trophy pike with the biggest measuring in at 45 inches, 4 feisty bass with the largest measuring in at 19 inches, walleyes-4 walleyes were boated in over 27 inches.

Our fly in Outposts-TRM=Trapline, Rex, Moosehorn

Elden and his crew, long-time guests at Halley’s Camps Rex Lake Outpost, eagerly returned for another memorable opening weekend in May. The weather was brisk with occasional showers, but that didn’t dampen their spirits. Little Rex Lake lived up to its reputation, rewarding Elden with an impressive 18-inch bass, a stunning 19-inch bass and 25-inch walleye.

Elden managed to add an 18 1/2-inch bass to his tally, showcasing his skill and knowledge of the lake. The next day, May 22nd, proved even more fruitful as Elden landed another 18-inch bass, while Logan joined in with an equally impressive 18-inch bass of his own. The highlight of the day came when Elden reeled in a massive 38 1/2-inch northern pike, a catch that they would be talked about for seasons to come. Elden and his crew experienced another unforgettable weekend at Halley’s Camps Rex Lake Outpost and they looked forward to returning next year!

For many years, John and his fishing group have traveled from Minnesota, to the Kenora docks to fly via floatplane to Halley’s Camp’s Trapline Outpost. Each season brings anticipation and excitement, with abundant walleye and memorable catches. This year, John proudly reeled in a 28-inch walleye, adding to their legacy of successful trips. Amidst the serene wilderness and camaraderie, Trapline Lake continues to be one of their favorite retreats, offering both adventure and great fishing!

We look forward to June’s fishing stories and reels. Keep your phones and cameras close!

Our season starts next month with the official opener of May 18th!! We do have groups of bear hunters and northern pike fishermen arriving before then. We are sending informative letters to many of our May and June guests. Our summer transportation lists, and guide lists are all complete and now waiting until the time for our fishermen to arrive!

And of course, we had to get up north fishing one last time before the ice goes out. Stayed at Trapline overnight. Look at this plane picture that was taken after dark-the night was so bright out!

We built some new docks at some fly out lakes and cut some more firewood for shore lunch spots. The new dock at Trapline will be awesome!

See many of you next month!

In preparation for the season walleye opener, our souvenirs and tackle orders have been made! We are getting new ideas and planning on our camp updates!

The guys are still working across the ice every day and check out this picture of the sunset going across the lake in a truck.

Here are the girls after fishing for lake trout with a big group of us. Again, we sometimes fry them like a walleye, bake them with some veggies and seasonings or we brine them to smoke them. Either way, they are tasty!!

Even when the guys are out working on projects up north, why not bring some jigs and minnows when travelling by plane? The fishing spots are unlimited!!

Short days and lots of progress. Some ask what we do in the winters…this month we spent it at sport shows or fishing shows in the Midwest—we did 4 altogether. Chris, Amber, Jonny and Lisa all hit the road in multiple directions.

We are building a new cabin at our Dufault’s Island Outpost on the northside of Umfreville Lake 80 yards from the old cabin. The wood for the cabin was cut, milled and planed right on the island. Working every day in the cold the machinery doesn’t always like the frigid temps and so working and fixing some of the equipment was also on the list. The boards ended up having to be moved to Caribou by truck and trailer where they were planed (a thickness planer used to smooth out the lumber) and brought back across the ice road to the island. The logs on the new building are up to the tops of the windows and doors!

Lumber for some of the new docks were taken in by snowmobile and sleigh to Trapline and to some of our flyout lakes as well.

Cannot wait for guests to see the progress on the new building! Should be hopefully complete at the end of the fishing season in 2024.

January historically has always been our sportshow month. Over decades we had been to over 15 states and this year we were in 4 making our way across the midwest. Chris, Amber, Jonny and Lisa went out on the road, sometimes in different directions, depending on the shows that were happening-sometimes 2 at once! We had a lot of great conversations with new clients and had wonderful visits with our previous/existing customers. 

We are having a fall special at our all-inclusive fishing lodges (15% off our fishing packages). We invite our customers new and old to come and fish on our fall special. The fishing is amazing in September and the weather last September was beautiful. Please see more information below.