In sum, another fantastic year at Bear Paw Lake with tons of fish and a beautiful cabin. A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.
Bear Paw Lake
BEAR PAW LAKE
Bear Paw lake is approximately 3x3 miles and shaped like a "bear paw" or "cloverleaf". KaBeeLo's cabin is the only one on the lake, has 2 seperate bedrooms to comfortably accommodate 8 people.
Amenities include running hot/cold water, indoor shower, solar lights, wood burning stove, 12V & USB plugins, propane cook top and refrigerator. Lake is extremely rocky with bays, coves, reefs, outlets & a small back lake to also fish. Species - walleye and northern pike.
Check out the Bear Paw video
17 min. plane ride from KaBeeLo's main base
CABIN DETAILS
Bed Capacity: 2 – 8 people
Bedrooms: 2
Year Built: 2009, Remodeled in 2023
SqFt: 1,070
Other: ONLY cabin on the lake
FLOOR PLAN
LAKE DETAILS
Distance from main base: 30 miles North
Dimensions: 3 × 3 miles
Surface area of Main Lake: 1,828 acres
Shape: Bear Paw or Clover Leaf
Average Depth: 8 – 14 feet
Deepest Point: 25 feet
Structure: Lots of islands, bays with coves, reefs, outlets & a small accessible back lake
Species: Walleye, Northern Pike
Other: Back lake surface are ~255 acres
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Guest Comments
2022 Season
September
Randy & Nancy Minas (Encore trip 2)
EarlySeptember
Nancy & Randy Minas (Encore trip 2022) 9-4-22 9-11-22
Day 1 Another beautiful KaBeeLo arrival in pm. Had good intentions to fish, but decided after putting things away we were too tired. So fishing starts on Day 2.
Day 2
52 Fished fish hook in am. Slow but caught 4 nice sized keepers. Afternoon fishing even slower, but beautiful weather! AND a 30” walleye off eagle island! 7 keepers for the day so filleting all at once for next couple days Great dinner!
Day 3
74 Another beautiful sunrise – clouds rolled in, but no rain. Perfect fishing Lots of doubles off eagle nest island. Sun came out after lunch, but slow pm fishing. Saw a flock of 5 white birds that looked like geese – don’t know what they were. No seagulls, though. Also saw two eagles on east side of lake. Following us for a while. Probably hoping for more scraps tonight.
Since we ate fish last night, caught more walleye keepers to take home.
Day 4
87 Another gorgeous sunrise! Specular weather has been great so far. Sunny & calm in am & pm. Randy caught 33” northern! Honey hole at east end of lake – would have caught more but ran out of minnows & had to return to cabin!
Day 5
43 Beautiful sunrise which quickly turned to rain. Went out in the rain and watched a thunderstorm roll in other side of lake. Quick storm then back to fishing. PM turned very windy – went out for a short time and Randy hooked a huge northern, but couldn’t bring it in before it snapped his line. It was one for the books, for sure. Next time –
Had to return when waves got too big-.
Day 6
105 Another KaBeeLo sunrise & beautiful weather all day. Cool, but sunny- fishing was great. Caught most fish in am by eagle island – om fishing south of fish hook. More keepers most beautiful rainbow around 7pm – unusual because we had no rain at all! Got pictures – rainbow reflecting in lake - a real treat!
Day 7
6 Another beautiful sunrise and lazy morning. Went out fishing for the big one, so slow day. We have had more fish meals than I can remember! Next time I’m bring tortillas for fish tacos. We had pan fried, deep fried & sauteed – Doesn’t matter how you cook it!!
Highlights:
*Every sunrise & sunset for 7 days
*Honey holes everywhere we went
*30” Walleye & 33” northern
*Beautiful Rainbow – took the place of northern lights, which were not visible this time.
*No market(stock) & no CNN, FOX, MSNBC
*No internet �� YAY!!
We really do love this lake��
See you next year!
August
Chubbuck Family
MidAugust
Three boys and dad – had amazing weather only rained two nights – fishing was amazing This wasn’t my first trip – but all three of my boys. They loved it! Bear Paw didn’t disappoint. As a group we caught over 250+ fish – targeted walleye jigging – largest walleye 25” – largest pike 3” fished a lot structure targeting points of islands – no success in open water. Small lake is a workout to get too and will probably cost me a prop or two fish were a dark black. We had a blast and will come back for years to come.
Herbst Group
EarlyAugust
Herbst group chilly mid 50’s
Sat eve arrived at base camp at 4:30, got to Bear Paw by 5:30 unpacked, ate Quick dinner boy’s 4 went out at 7:00 (I got everything set up!) Boy back a 9:00 40+ walleye largest 22.75 was a great “free” night as we were able to fly in before or trip officially started. Was Great to see Halad, Ann, Eric & Allisson been 3 years because of Covid. Now having cocktails with my 2 boy’s & friends! Looking forward to Tommorrow.
Sun
Day1 65-70’s Tamner out at 6:00 Caught many EYES back at 8, Rest of us got up after some good Talk & laughs at Bon fire last night up til midnight☹
Out fishing at 9:00-130 caught over 100 walleye biggest 20.5, having fish for lunch & out again. Weather absolutely perfect mid 60’s light wind. Fished evening on west side of Island SW of Hook Island great fishing most in the +/- 18 couple 20+
Day total +/- 150 eyes hand full of pike nothing over 30” fished til dark came in sat by fire & cooked up some marinated steaks @ 11:00, bed at 12:00…
Day 2 pretty much the sme as yesterday although LOT more 18-20+ walleyes best along W shore N end by cleaning station and to North. Came in at 1:00 grilled Brat’s and heading back out AM total +/- 75 eyes Winds have been light & w/gusts good chop out of SE Good evening bite off Hook Island Boy’s fished til 11:00 pm Caught lot’s under Full moon. Great day
Tues Day3
Warm 80’s pretty windy today – went out couple times but anything not shielded by islands had white caps – west shore calm so did lots of fishing off dock +/- 30 eyes 4 pike had slow cooked rib’s (5hr on grill) for dinner fish for lunch & night snack.
Last day Weds, Day 4 Got rain last cool this AM – Boy’s sleeping in, got our limit in freezer so all C&R today- Gonna hit few hot spot’s- and try to catch on larger than the 23” which has been our largest so far.
Defmatly Great fishing – we caught well over 100 per day and didn’t fish super hard. Time to start packing – thank again
To KaBeeLo & Lohn family see ya next year.
Herbst’s out.
July
Williams Group
LateJuly
We had a great family trip! We enjoyed the peace & quiet & having the lake to ourselves. We caught about 200 fish! Biggest walleye -24”, biggest northern -34”. We did well for walleye at dead northern point and hook island was our go to place for a lot of fish. We tried to clear the path to the other lake but in the process broke the ax handle, however we still provided a lot of firewood. Waded in the other lake with fishing rods but didn’t catch anything. We had a lot of fun & made a lot of memories. Thank you!
Wells Group
MidJuly
As always GEAT trip! Thank you
Kabeelo & lohn family
Fish was excellent (see map). Day 1&2 PM heavy showers. Day 3-4-5 weather very good.
Largest walleye: 25 ½” many 16+ walleye
Largest northern: 30”
Until next trip!
June
Franke Father Daughter Team
EarlyJune
DAY 1 6/4 The intrepid Daughter – Father team of Maggie and Tom (known as Hard Merchandise II) arrived on the lake at 6:00 PM, geared up, dressed up, and headed straight to 160 BAY. Fished for 2 hours (add ball jigs 1/8#) with minnows - 100 fish (99 walleyes, 1 northern). Once the century mark was reached the HM team returned with great relief! Since its been 3 years, both had forgotten some basics … like “dad, did you bring the net?” Good thing nothing too big was caught. Mac N Cheese, Beans & Bacon, and the best bread we’re ever tasted! Looking forward to the next 6 days ��
Total 100 fish
Total 189 fish
DAY 2 6/5 Maggie here… 1st full day at Bear Paw did not disappoint! Started the day at 8am with some casting in, what we call, the “Bay of Piglets.” 2 small Northern there. Went to Eagle Island to see the bald eagles, but sadly no nest, no eagles ☹ (Decided to jig for Walleye at 160 By; caught 38 fish before lunch, including 1 32 inch pike (odd ball jig 1/8 Tiger) After the routine French toast & bacon eggs, we casted & trolled all along Maggie’s Bay. Hoping for 40+ pike that we’re caught there in previous years, no luck. Caught 7 small ones. Back to 160 Bay we went. Fished until the sun was completely set (Top 3 sunset we’re ever seen) & 142 fish later, we came in for the night. The fish we ate for dinner tasted just as amazing as we remembered. Thankful to be here ��
P.S. Forgot to mention that we caught a carp sucker (Tom Correction) & did a service to the world by cutting it up and feeding it to the gulls! :_
Total 154 fish
DAY 3 6/6 Tom here – I woke up and went onto the dock at 3:57AM to look at the alignment of the 5 naked eye visible planets �� It was a sign of a great day. We both got up and were on the lake by 6:30. – Variable wind. Dead calm, the out of the East…. Barely. Spent the morning casting & trolling – Maggie caught a 34” northern in Maggies Bay. Very scattered walleyes – a few at 160 Bay, a few near 4 islands… none at Eichten point or Dead Northern point, or Records Bay, or Bay of Pigs. After breakfast we trolled Maggie’s Bay & Monster Bay – caught a few snakes”. Later with the East wind, a storm started brewing to the north. A pair of honking Trumpeter Swans flew over us and behind Monster Bay. We donned the rain gear and headed for , 160 Bay. Caught a lot of fish in 2 hours! But I yelled “Were Done and we hurriedly picked up the anchor to photograph a moose (Bull) swimming across to Caribou Island with a rainbow to the East! It was absolutely amazing! Come back after the moose, the rain stopped an we hammered fish at 160 Bay until sunset …. Last fish 24” Walleye. It was a great day! We love photos & video �� Swimming Moose directly off the end of the rainbow! COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY MRE AWESOME!
DAY 8 Out of sequence page because I skipped it by mistake ☹
6/10 6:15AM EVERY GOAL HAS BEEN MET ALREADY!
Both caught BIG Northerns
Both caught LOTS of Walleyes
Saw a MOOSE – Swimming
Saw both species of Eagles – Bald, Golden
Terns, Loons, Merganser! Loons at night- their calls are amazing
GREAT TIME and talk between DAD & DAUGHTER fantastic meals – Maggie is amazing Fish where we have never tried before Today is GRAVY �� Let’s go fishing
DAY 5 (If you’re looking for 6/7, look right)
5:40 AM woke up with RFS, Repetitive Fish Syndrome is caused by casting or jigging and catching fish over and over. Symptoms are sore, stiff hands and wrists. Fingers have small cuts from handling walleyes (Northerns have fewer sharp scales, gill covers, and top fins). The shaking of the walleye when attempting to subdue it, and their propensity to perform a vicious full body snap upon release cause more cuts. Extreme soreness and the mobility to grasp simple things like silverware, this pen, and jigs are common. A strange pattern of sunburn on the rod-holding hand from the thumb and index finger up to the wrist is another tell tale sign. Overall numbness is common as well as swelling of fingers are additional classic signs of RFS. Recommendations: 2 Advil (oh, but you left those at home) … so 2 80mg Aspirin tablet, hand lotion, and hard flexion exercises can help, but rest is what is needed (that) won’t happen)! On to another day��
DAY 4 6/7 “Wicked Walleye Total 126 fish
With our “Hard Merchandise” T-shirts from captain Dave Marciano, we had high hopes. Alas dead calm water! So we talked trolled for Northerns about 3 hours… 11fish! Brutal fishing, but great day for photographing loons, mergansers terns, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles. Came in for French Toast and Bacon and took a nap. Around 1:00 sight ripped on the lake so we headed to 160 bay. Started catching walleyes, slow bite and then a weather change! East wind, and big chop... GREAT WALLEYE bite. Harvest a nice stinger of 16-18” walleyes and returned for photo ops… honored Har d Merch and swapped shirts to honor KaBeeLo… hoping for a brochure pic. �� Cleaned the fish and froze 6 for the US, and 2 for dinner. Back to 160 Bay and the wind kept coming and we kept catching (Side note on the return to fish we dropped 2 fish gut sets for the local seagull on Eagle Rock and the rest by the fish cleaning area for the Golden Eagle). Maggie had a head ache, and rain came, so we returned to the cabin for Pork Tenderloin & pasta salad. Reminisced on the prior trips since 2003 and went to sleep happy. 126 fish.
6/8 total 124 fish
DAY 6 Maggie back here! Took a few days to nurse my RFS a bit. BIG day on the lake. Another dead calm morning meant trolling & casting. Stopped at the cleaning station to happily find the local golden eagle had feasted on our fish guts. �� Caught 11 small pike in Maggie’s Bay before a N wind picked up. 27 walleyes combined at 160 bay, Eichten point, & best at Dead Northern Point. French toast for lunch and back to 160 bay, a few walleyes. A STRONG N wind picked up behind a storm, so we casted in Maggie’s Bay and caught 21 pike in 30 minutes. Then Captain Tom decided to try trolling in the hook of hook island… BAM!! (We had never done that before) 36” pike. Oh, let’s just troll out BAM!! A 42” pike (his biggest ever) within 20 min. We both needed to lift it in after his 15+min battle. Into the cabin we came for “Off the walleye” tacos, so TASTY! Went back to 160 Bay and night fished under the moonlight until 11PM/12AM and caught 83 fish (most between 9:3—10:30). Had never fished at night before! A day filled with firsts & best, typical Bear Paw times. ��
6/9 Total 184 fish
DAY 7 KaBeeLo has done it again… WOW what a day! A late 9am start at 160 Bay. Goo N/W wind with big chop helped us catch 53 walleye including 2 18” we cleaned for our dinner. Around noon, we ate our daily dose of French toast & lots of bacon. Fed a few dead minnows to the dock resident Northerns, Nev & Eve, and left the guts for the eagle before we went back to 160 bay (25 walleye). After some of our usual trolling, we went down into the SW (Neverland) for the first time. 7 fish there (5 Walleye/2 Northern) all on silver minnows while trolling. Then all the way up the lake to Maggie’s Bay for more trolling. Just when we were about to call its quits, I snagged a big weed... then it took off. After a short battle, Tom netted & heaved the 43” pike into the boat �� Back to 160 Bay for some calm walleye fishing. We caught 97 fish, and were ready for dinner when Tom hooked something bigger. It ran under the boat & around the anchor line. He got it undone from the anchor, which I pulled up. He caught a 40” pike on an 1/8th ounce jig. What a finish! One day more…
6/10 total 162:
DAY 9 Last Day ☹ Honestly, this was a relaxing & content final day. Started the morning with some jigging at 160 Bay. Strong & sustained N winds made for very fishy weather, but the bite was slow. We decided to try something new and fished in 3-4” in the channel right next to hook island. We caught 62 fish, all good eating walleye, two of which we put on the stringer. Cleaned & guts left on Bay of Pigs rock. Lunch was the final French toast & bacon, and back out one more time. We headed to the channel first again to jig & troll. Caught good walleye and some 17-25 pike too. We had a great time enjoying the little things about being up here one last evening. I hooked into what I thought was a medium walleye, turned out to be a 24-incher, my biggest of the trip. Icing on the cake �� Maggie, call sign “snake eyes” signing off.
THANK YOU LOHN FAMILY!
You have provided a place where we have had the special privilege of family, faith and fishing for 20 years now. FATHER-DAUGHTER time this trip only surpassed by husband-wife 3 years ago. EVERYTHING we hoped for happened on this trip. Never have I been as content at the end of a trip. To those who follow… lets commit to helping keep KaBeeLo for future generations, making memories, and being together. This is my FAVORITE place on planet Earth… and I’ve been all over Earth in my life… but this is second home. Until next summer… Thank you!
Tom & Maggie Franke
FISHING TIPS from 6/4-6/10
Walleye: off 4 islands & 160 Bay. Ongusty North wind days, good in channel by hook island.
Northerns: lots of pike in Maggie’s Bay with north winds & in hook bay. Some in 160 Bay
*all locations according to map that we included ��
Good Luck & have fun!!
EarlyJune
6/3/22
Islands east of the fish hook good for Walleye biggest -21 inches
-Also ok for Northerns, got lucky and caught a – 43 incher
Bay of Pigs good for northern biggest – 38 inches
May
LateMay
May 30, 2022
-Lots of Walleyes off the dock
-Biggest one – 20 inches
-Northerns were good at Bay of Pigs around to the north of the cabin, by the stream, 40-42” biggest
-Wind storm knocked down many trees
-High water levels - dock in rough shape
-Walked back to lake behind cabin, was calm but didn’t catch anything
-Used minnows and jigs for walleyes, ciscos on bobbers in 1-2’ for Northerns
- Plane was fogged in on last day
-In CHANNEL BY THE FISH HOOF ON THE MAP, WE CAUGHT 5 LIMITS IN UNDER 2 HOURS, ALL GOOD EATERS
-Green and orange fuzzy-grub tipped with a minnow was best for Walleyes.
2021 Season
September
Gene, Pattie and George
LateSeptember
We had a great time and caught lots of fish. George caught his first walleye and first northern pike; the weather was great. We had two warm days, one about 80, one day with a little rain in the morning and several days with moderate temperatures. Had wind on most days, but only one where it blew hard. Made a hike to the other lake through the beautiful woods. All in all, it was a great trip and we all had a wonderful time. Thanks to all the Lohn family and we all hope to see you again!
Jim & the wild sports Boys
MidSeptember
Caught plenty of Walleye in 2- 8 ft. Plenty of northern, too, even though we weren’t really trying for them. In calm weather lots of fish at 8-12 around the islands. Had a great time. We did not have much success hiking to the smaller lake, lots of weeds. Ben caught the biggest walleye, Jerry the most. John and Steve tied for having the most fun.
Jim got the most sleep.
August
Schleier
LateAugust
Fished 4 days, great experience – Great fishing and great father son week!
Most fish were caught in 2-8 Foot of water. Much rain and cold weather, but it didn’t matter!
We Love the KaBeeLo Lodge and look forward to returning again and again! Blessings!
2019 Season
September
Cliff and Carole Olson Deer River, MN
EarlySeptember
August 30 – September 3rd our 29th Trip!!!
Awesome trip as usual! Great weather until this morning waiting for the plane. Fishing started slow but picked up big time 2nd day. Tons of walleyes and a 39” and 43” northern! Lots of peace & serenity too! We haven’t been here since Sept of 2015, but we plan to get back to yearly trips!
Thanks to Erik & Allysson and the somewhat retired Harald & Ann, for all you da! We do keep you in our prayers!
God Bless! The Olsons!
August
LateAugust
We had 3 and a half days of cold and rainy windy weather. The 1st day was the windiest day on earth 30+ mph wind. We caught no biggies except for a 27” walleye and a 30” northern pike. On the second day it was a little less windy nothing big but we caught a lot of fish. On the 3rd day we had more WIND! And just no big fish and for lunch we went to the river and the night before it rained all night but the river we pulled over and somehow made a fire and had lunch.
The last day (half a day) was better fishing but was still windy and rainy but the other of the bottom half of this page caught 2 – 30” pike and got a perch and a BIG pike snapped me of and then we swept and mopped and here I am ending this report.
July
EarlyJuly
# Notes for future visitors
Already a motor at the other small lake along with a half-full gas tank.
Slow rivet leak in boat at other lake.
Good fishing in Monster Bay we trolled casted along the northern side of the tow islands. Almost caught a lunker (northern) in the same area.
Good walleye fishing on South & Southwest side of the island across from Hook Island.
We have, and will continue to, use the seagull’s true name and purest label of his essence Frank
Danny Boy
June
Ben, Brian, Chris, Aaron. High school Buddies Trip year 7
LateJune
We had mainly calm weather. On/off showers on Day 2 with wind out of the SE on day 3. Calm or windy you will catch fish, but wind driven points will stuck fish up. Once you find a pod of walleyes, there will be hundreds more. Four Islands on the windy points were the ticket. Yesterday for us trolling raps in the same spots yielded bigger fish. Pike fishing was tough for us, only getting 2 pike 36” & 37”. Nothing bigger but lots of little ones. Eichten Point, 160 Bay, Four Islands were all great. Eagle Island leading into Buffalo Rock Bay was great. Day 1 when wind was blowing into it.
Boat one – 190 Walleye caught; Boat two – 265 Walleye caught all in 3 days.
Largest walleye of the trip was around 22”.
Thanks KaBeeLo – Great Cabin.
Great trip. 4 guys / 2 boats.
Scott & Paul (Twin Cities)
MidJune
My first trip to Bear Paw & KaBeeLo- Exceeded every expectation (Including hot water to wash dishes & shower!!).
Slow fishing Day 1
Day 2 (Friday) caught a 44” Northern, just before breakfast – a couple photos & she was back in the water – The Pike had a “CVT” across her back and belly, perhaps from being caught in a fishing line previously?? Some afternoon success to find walleye – total of – 60 for the day. Saturday brought clouds & wind & some fast walleye action – now I know better why 25-30 dozen minnows is common! Today (Sunday) is our final day. Topped out with 100 walleye & another 31” northern.
Grateful for the KaBeeLo Team
Scott & Paul (Twin Cities)
Steve & Ryan Russ
MidJune
Had engine trouble, landed on a different lake, still fishing by 6:30pm.
Huge credit to Erik & Mike for making it a smooth transition & getting us here safely.
Headed to fish islands, started slowly – move to the point close (Dead Northern Point) to the outpost and caught fish consistently for 3+ hours FULL MOON!
Too many walleye to count roughly 250-350, ran out of bait.
Biggest walleye was 22” and Northern 36-40” “Not landed.
6/17 on the water by 9:00 – 9:30
Fished 160 Bay for 3-4 hours, consistent numbers on minnows, leeches and worms.
300-400 fish, no northerns, mostly 15-18” walleye; biggest walleye 22.5”
After lunch went to Four Islands and fished windblown and drop-off- produced consistent walleye – good/ not great. Fished 160 Bay – school moved. Moved to Dead Northen Point and caught consistent walleye (16-20”) all evening. Often every cast, fished till dark (10:30).
6/18 Bluebird Day – no clouds – no wind most of the day on the water @10AM, headed to Eichten Point. Fished for 2-3 hours – excellent walleye fishing nearly every cast 20”, 21”, 22.5”. 10 hours on water lunch on the boat.
Afternoon spent 1-2 hours trying for northerns @ Monster Bay. Some northern – 20-27”. From 3pm – 5pn fished 160 Bay – consistent walleye all 16-19”.
Evening tried walleye point at Dead Northern Point. Sporadic fishing has been a hot spot for us. Cruised over to Eichten Point for the night bite. Walleye were biting inconsistently and shut off completely. 20 minutes later Steve had a giant northern on his line. Fight lasted about an hour pulling us all over the bay. 6lb. test jig/minnow – 40” 25lb. northern landed – trip made.
6/19 last day – sunny and calm
On water @ 8;00AM – Dead Northern Point – no walleye a few pike on jibs/leeches. Moved to Eichten Point – decent walleye fishing & then shut off. Moved to 160 bay – decent walleye fishing & shut off. Fished 4 Islands – no luck – no wind – sunny & calm. Tough morning to locate consistent walleye #’s.
After lunch – on the water @ 3:30PM went to Dead Northern Point decent fishing, nothing 4 the last two days. Moved to Eichten Point for the night bite – good walleye. Fishing for an hour or two and shut off – all 16-20”. Tough day but still pretty good blue given the conditions – sunny/ no wind.
Great 3 days of fishing with the first two days blank the rest we have experienced #’s wise for walleye. Most if the walleye were off wind swept points or islands in 6-10 feet of water. Never found the big walleye, spent 36 hours on the water in 3 days tried to find but Steve slayed the dragon with his massive pike. Awesome experience – Good Luck!
Steve & Ryan Russ, Kansas City
Tom & Cathy Franke Tom
MidJune
Arrived 3;00 pm to base camp & flew to Bear Paw by 4:30pm. Set up cabin and were fishing by 6:40pm. Anchored at 160 Bay and put 117 fish into the boat by 9:10pm. 1/8 # oddball jigs and minnows. 3 were small northern and other 144 Walleyes. Only Cathy’s second trip (first was 11 years ago.) She was awesome… first fish hooked within 10 seconds of the line drop. Stopped at sunset and ready to sleep (been up since 3:50AM). GREAT DAY 1 with my wonderful wife.
6/10 – Got up when we felt like it! Coffee in the thermos X2, back out to 160 Bay because the wind was right. Caught 150 fish (4 small northern) and put 8X (16-17”) walleyes on the stringer for the TRIP PHOTO. Lunch of French toast & bacon. Filets into the fridge for later… PERFECT MORNING!! Cathy LOVES the upgraded cabin. Score one for KaBeeLo J
Afternoon… went casting/trolling for northerns. Got one that was 35”. Just got too windy for fishing so we napped until 5:30. Back to 160 Bay and caught 120 more fish till sunset. Tom had a northern latch onto a walleye he was reeling in. Got both in the net! Highlight was 2 adult caribou and one newborn 50 yards from the boat, one was walking onto the shore when the other called out and all 3 went back across the lake to the north side. We followed them slow from a distance and got great pics!! What a thrill!!! Total for day 1 = 271 fish! (Could not have been better. Sunset finished a great day!! GOT OUR BROCHURE PICS TOO J
6/11 – Slept a bit – on the lake by 7:15. Back to 160 Bay for wind and cooler temps because the sun went behind clouds by 9:15. Caught 67 fish… Cathy got a 26” northern and Tom got a 28” Walleye… all on jigs and minnows. Lunch was fish & hash browns/onions… only after taking pics of a golden eagle on a tree in the Bay of Pigs. We decided to try some other spots in the afternoon… 40 walleyes by Dead Northern Point, 2 Walleyes by Eichten Point, 13 walleyes by Four Islands, and 35 Walleyes by 160 Bay. Back to the cabin when a Bald Eagle was atop the tree on the cabin south side and a seagull on a tree to the north side… Like sentinels J Dinner of French toast, then back to 160 Bay and a wind shift from NW all day & 6/10 to NE. Colder, so Cathy bundled up while Tom caught 42 walleyes. We agreed on 3 more and call it quits, but stopped after 1 because it was a 28 ½” walleye. Biggest walleye in 16 trips up here. Tried to take a pic but the camera battery was dead. We put the old fish on a stringer and Cathy tended to it while on the large rock and Tom motored back to the cabin for the spare battery. Tom returned where Cathy was moving back & forth with the walleye… Like a pet on a leash. Took some pics and set the walleye free to tell his friends about his evening. Back to the cabin for hot chocolate and smiles. Another great day. Total = 200 for day 2. PS… Cathy is a great wife because she shivered in the boat so Tom could catch fish… and the last on was worth itJ
BTW… Tom caught 15 walleyes on a single minnow! Green, bony, pointy dorsal fin minnow that is hard to rip off Personal record!!!
6/12 Slept in until after 7:00. On to the lake into NW wind and 160 Bay. Caught 82 fish including a 28” Walleye by Cathy. Jig came out as Tom got it into the net. It fought bravely… truly a battle for the archives. But Jedi Cathy was the Master today and she was exceedingly happy … jumping up and down in the boat. The entire trip was worth it for that picture. In for lunch of burgers on the grill and green beans. Cleaned 2 walleyes to keep fridge limit at 8. Back to the 160 Bay, but the wind shifted to NE and we were blown into the rocks as a squall moved in. Tom caved to the wish for better judgment and happier wife we returned to the cabin after 12 fish. Beat the rain and played cards.
Back in light rain to 160 Bay and caught 74 more fish… all on 1/8”oddball jigs and minnows… all of the dead ones from the minnow hotel. Cathy hooked into a nice northern that battled around and under the boat and then guided it into the net. 36” long and great color. Pics looked great. When she was putting a minnow on the jig, the knot broke!! Timing is everythingJ Said a prayer of thanks. GREAT DAY FOR CATHY!!! Total today 218 9:20pm dead calm lake. Much happiness inside. Love being up here!! GOING TO DEVELOP A SPECIAL VIDEO/EXERCISE PLAN IN PREPARATION FOR KABEELO FISHING. We ache everywhere 😉
6/13 Rain showers early AM, then partly cloudy with scattered mini-storms. Winds from WSW and gusty to variable made finding fish a challenge. Caught 54 in the morning at 160 Bay, Monster Bay and 4 Islands. Fish, Bacon, Mac & Cheese lunch. Food coma setting in, but the fish beckon. Having a wonderful time. Pink Lady slippers behind the cabin are beautiful. Young Bald Eagles are testing their wings. A Pileated Woodpecker lives near 160 Bay. Such a cool sight. Song birds are making a joyful noise. We put northern rigs upright in the boat, lines tight… and the wind vibrates the fishing line, making a pleasant soothing hum whose pitch changes with the wind. It’s all part of the KaBeeLo experience.
Hank Island has 4 mergansers, 3 mallards and 1 seagull spent time watching us.
Scattered storms, fascinating clouds, total wind shift!! NE winds, lots of sop settled on Dead Northern Pint and caught 65 fish. Saw 3 small water spouts south by Neverland! Very Cool! Came off the water when thunder dictated some wisdom. Back onto the lake at 6:30, following an hour nap, and out the Dead Northern Point with a goal of 63 fish. Strong wind (NW) made it hard to hold a spot. Storm over Monster Bay with lightning a few times, but over 30 sec before thunder, so we fished in the rain. Then dead calm and wind shifted to the SE! Caught walleyes and mid-20” northerns on jigs and minnows, and a few more northerns on 1 oz. Johnson Silver Minnows casting. Storm and rain stopped and #63 was an *” walleye. We took a selfie with it Sunset already past, we achieved our goal. 182 fish for the day total – 1000!! Ham sandwiches on toast with tomato soup. PERFECT
6/14 every trip has a special moment. Variable winds made the morning a challenge. Fished 160 bay. 4 Islands on point and alongside 5’ O’clock Island… some walleyes and a few perch and with a steady E wind; it was harder. Went to Eichten Point on E side of 2 rocks and finally caught a few walleyes. Then things just stopped so we fed dead minnows to Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Cathy saved a bid dead on for the end and suddenly she was getting fish. Tom had less luck. With a broken spinning reel, Cathy had a fish on and asked for help! It was a nice fat northern on her 1/8” Fire Tiger Odd Ball Jig. Many good runs, repeatedly under the boat… Then under the anchor rope, so Tom pulled the anchor out in a hurry. Then more runs because it was not giving head first into the net. Finally landed the fish. 38” and beautiful. God some nice pics and released it. Wobbly in the knees, Bathy marveled about the day when 12 year –old May caught a 44” northern on a Johnson spin-cast rod in the same area 11 years ago. Time to stop, saver the moment, and eat lunch. Great morning. 51 in the morning. Afternoon was WINDY!! East wind with 2-3 foot swells. Very Challenging just to get to Eichten Point again. Fished until we hit 100. But at one point, Cathy exclaimed,” Moose… A female moose was swimming from south shore to the west leeward side of Moose Island, in calmer water. We followed her until she made it onto the island and disappeared. My 17th trip up here and my first time watching a moose swim!! What a thrill for us!! In for sinner and back out, into somewhat less wind to 160 Bay, and sunset viewing. Waxing gibbous moon south, sun setting north, and 38 walleyes (many over 20” in 45 minutes! Tom’s spinning reel broke or we might have caught moreJ into the cabin by9:40pm… Hot Chocolate, redo 2 rods & reels, and played cards. Such a fun day 189 total fish
6/15 Slept in!!! Out to 160 Bay ENE wind. Found slow and scattered fish. Caught 55 total, a few small northerns and small walleyes… a couple over 20”. Blue sky, cool breeze and song birds singing away. Just a nice morning. Our 8 walleye limit filleted, bagged, and frozen. Lunch was oatmeal and back to Eichten Point. Midway, changed plans and trolled for northerns in Bay of Pigs, Four Islands, 160 Bay, Caribou Island, Maggie’s Bay and Monster Bay… NOTHING@ But out of the East wind Back to Eichten Point… 93 fish… a 46-48” Northern chomped onto a walleye that Tom was reeling in. Almost landed it, but it went under the boat and let go L !! Four more times the same big fish swiped, lunged and charged different walleyes that Tom was reeling in. Once it launched itself over the anchor rope. OH WE TRIED TO GET IT, as it often surfaced right next to the boat, but it was too quick. Very frustrating. Biggest fish Tom has ever seen up here. Went to 160 Bay to get rest of minnows on hooks… 9 more, and we called it a night. 102 for PM. 157 for day 6. 1334 TOTAL for Tom and Cathy! It was a PERFECT TRIP. Eagles, Loons, Seagulls, Mergansers, Song Birds, Caribou, Moose, lots of fish, great stories, happy Memories, HAPPY RETIREMENT, BEST TIME WITH Husband & Wife (only Cathy’s 2nd trip and she caught some nice fish). Thank you Harald, Ann, Erik, Allysson, Winston, Alistair and Hillary! It is much more than a fishing trip. It is the whole experience and building relationship and making memories. I LOVE IT HERE.
6/15/2019 Tom and Cathy Frank
Post Script – NORMAN the Northern Lives. At home under the dock, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is our friend! Pileated woodpecker is noisy. Mr. & Mrs. Merganser are at home by the dock for the Bay. Watching the tide roll away.
May
Dan, Donny, Rudy and Josiah
LateMay
Another fantastic year at Bear Paw Lake. Didn’t find the big ones but found a lot of them. Only two 40” Northern. They must have moved out of the Bay of Pigs because we sure didn’t find them there. We focused on walleye to keep Josiah busy and we found a lot. Didn’t even fish the J-hook but we found a lot on a small island just north of the J-hook. The north shore was great too. Walleye Point was good. Sunshine everyday with temps in the mid 60’s during the day and 40 degrees at night. Very nice. It did get very windy though but it was still tolerable. All in all another incredible year. Three days is just too short so next year we’re already booked for four days. Can’t wait.
Thank you Lohn’s
Bangs Crew
MidMay
2019 Annual KaBeeLo Pike Open (34th year)
Saturday - C. Bangs 40” and A. Bangs 40”
Sunday – No Qualifiers – Chris B. 26” Walleye
Monday – Brandon Mc. 40”, Jered Mc. 40”, Chris B. 41” and Alex B. 45”
Tuesday – No Qualifiers
2018 Season
August
The Graham
LateAugust
8-17 Seagulls attacking bobbers fishing off the dock. Crystal clear day w/no wind.
8-19 Windy, caught three fish morning part of being out then three more that evening. Storm front rolled in & it poured & had a heck of a thunderstorm.
8-19 Very windy morning w/light mist first part of the morning. Found a spot between the islands & had some good walleye fishing. Went out for second part of the day but the wind wouldn’t let up. Cold front came through from the North & it got chilly enough to start a fire.
8-20 Perfect clear cool morning. Had a slow start to the fishing but ended up getting out limits & being able to catch some really nice walleye. What a beautiful place w/amazing views. The accommodations are wonderful & are blessed to be here.
Thank You for a wonderful experience!
The Grahams.
McGreggors
EarlyAugust
Fun was had by all!!!!
8 people in camp with hundreds of fish caught. Walleyes caught everywhere on everything.
2 – northerns over 40”
6 – northerns over 30”
Many perch, 2 suckers, 7 walleyes over 20”
Great group on a great lake
- THANKS –
July
R & N Minas, D & C Bradley
MidJuly
Arrival day 90F & humid! 60 fish in an hour and half the first day. Rest of the trip was a challenge – too hot, too calm, too rainy, too windy – don’t know what, but we did manage to get over 300 fish total – Beautiful time on the lake but had all kind of weather.
Cheri & Dan enjoyed their first trip to KaBeeLo – walleye dinners were the highlight.
Biggest fish was a 23” walleye and a 26” northern – not our personal best and we did run out of minnows!
June
McConnell Family
LateJune
June 25-27
Awesome time at Bear Paw lake! The weather was great, just a little light sprinkles. There were beautiful sunsets and the view is beyond compare – truly awesome!
All days we had great fishing, but the last day both boats counted their catch. One boat had 75 fish and the other had 120 fish!!!! (2 people per boat – that’s what I call good fishing!!!)
Thank You for some awesome memories KaBeeLo Lodge!!!!
CCCL
MidJune
Magnificent Bear Paw Lake – no huge northerns but great walleye fishing in south bay.
May
Dan Torweihe, Donny Torweihe, Rudy Veit
MidMay
My wife has been here twice for a total of eight days and she has never seen the sun – it rained constantly. That was not the case this year, or most years. It was 75F and sunny every day. We did see a few clouds however but not a single rain drop. It was almost too warm – like July. The wind was very light from the south the entire time. The mattresses were too comfortable, it was like being at home. If I wanted to be that comfortable I would have stayed home. Donny won the first annual Bear paw classic – race from the cabin to your boat, race to walleye point, after you catch a fish, go to any other place on the lake and catch a fish, the first one to the mouth of the river on the northeast corner of the lake with a live fish wins. Next year’s second annual Bear Paw classic promises to be much bigger and better. Now, about fishing. It was fantastic! We didn’t spend a lot of time on Northerns but did well. We got five above 40” – 2 x 48”, 45”, 44” and 43”. All in the bay of pigs on silver lures and poppers. They were spawning, at one point I saw five big Northerns in the mid 30”s at various parts of the lake. Walleye fishing was great! We caught a ton in the 18-22” range. The biggest was 24”. The best spots were on the north shore and a small island just outside the fish hook. Most small islands produced minnows and leeches worked great.
Another incredible year at Bear Paw lake. It just keeps getting better and better. Can’t wait until next year.
Thank You Lohn’s for making such a fantastic experience possible. It Is a dream come true
Bangs Crew - 2018
MidMay
Bangs 2018 Invitational. Largest Northern 45”. Caught 22 pike over 40”! The pride of Dearborn MI clobbered the boys if Woodbury MN. Thanks Erik, Allysson, Harald & Ann!
2017 Season
September
Pat G. and Mike H.
LateSeptember
Sept 24-29
7th season to KaBeeLo. Weather stared out very rough. 1st 3 days lots of cold, clouds and rain. 1st night we found ourselves in a sticky situation – engine died after fouling with mud at dusk. We were able to free ourselves from the shallow with the paddles but it was well after dark once we finally got the engine going. Too dark to head back directly and it took 2 hours slowly following the shore using a headlamp in the 40’s, raining and soaking before we finally made it back to the cabin. Lessons learned; always have head lamps on boat, carry water, always have more layers than you think you need; have 2 paddles in the boat… getting stuck overnight is not a good option.
Next two days were also tough weather. Fishing was rough tough we found walleye at fish-hook Island and around walleye point. Northerns missed in. trolling for northern wasn’t very effective but boating walleye particularly using depth finder to spot them was easy.
Fourth day woke up early to no wind temps in 40’s and a clearing sky. Northerns were taken around the islands across the lake… on big ones yet. Back to camp for breakfast and back to the lake on a spectacular afternoon. Bay of Pigs and entire shoreline produced great surface action tin the reeds. Trolled the islands to close the evening with good results. Back to camp for some pork steaks/ with potatoes & onions. Steve lit for another cloudy cold nights.. Skies looking ominous! The clouds parted long enough for a nice starry sky and an awe- inspiring northern lights display… we always feel lucky to get these!
The 5th day was more of the same – cold, wind and lots of intermittent rain. Northern bring taken on surface lures at eh reeds by the cabin/ and in Bay of Pigs. Northern found trolling the islands across the lake with Walleye everywhere. Finished the trip out strong with 2 inch thick steaks and cleaning the cabin. Luckily the stove worked well for heat/ it was cold all week. A great time yet again despite the weather… already looking forward to next season!
Bloomington MN Crew
MidSeptember
First time for this group out of Bloomington, MN
Great time! Caught a lot of fish, seems like every island produced. Beautiful country up here. Ran out of minnows with a whole day of fishiing left. Plain Twister tails and jigs did fine in a pinch. These folks from Bloomington, MN know how to run a nice outfit. Can’t wait to come back! - Marty Hannon – 2017
What a blast! Fishing was great. Fish with every meal. Great laughs with a perfect group of guys from school. Can’t wait to come back and do it all over again. KaBeeLo Lodge really knows how to take care of everyone! See you soon Bear Paw!
Kevin “NEV” Johnson 2017
Balahtsis Group
EarlySeptember
Sept 1st – overcast, southeast winds
Sept 2nd – overnight storms, heavy morning fog – east morning winds/ south afternoon winds (rain / wind)
Sept 3rd – west winds
Sept 4th – west mornings winds northwest afternoon winds (rain/wind)
Lots of northerns caught
Highlights: Pike – 37”, 35”, 32”, 32” 29”
Walleye- 21”, 20”, 20”
Great time as always!
Going on 21 years strong!
Thank you, Steve, Zach, Phil, Donny
P.S. Reference Map for Balahtsis Group on Fish locations.
August
Capecchi Group
LateAugust
Fishing highlights:
Other highlights:
Thank you for the wonderful vacation!
Many priceless memories to bring back to Iowa:
Angie (37) Isaac (10)Abigail ( 7 ¾) Ver Ploeg & Paul Capecchi (Grandpa from IGH, MN)
Capecchi Family Interlude
LateAugust
Angie Ver Ploeg – Capecchi Pary
Isn’t it Nice?
Isn’t it nice you never have to remember to flush the toilet?
Isn’t it nice you don’t have to load/unload the dishwasher?
Isn’t it nice you don’t have to worry about limiting your kids screen time?
Isn’t it nice you don’t have to run to the (grocery) store for something you forgot?
Isn’t it nice that using the outhouse at night is too dark to see the new mosquito bites on your butt?
Isn’t it nice not having any traffic from construction on the lake?
Isn’t it nice having custom-sized firewood at no extra charge?
Isn’t it nice to skip seasons for a change? (Summer by day, winter by night)
Isn’t it nice to not have to answer the phone or email?
Isn’t it nice that washing your hands can be putting them in the lake then wiping them on your pants?
Isn’t it nice to need a Band-Aid because your cut your hand on your fish’s gills?
*****************************
To the Melody of Three Blind Mice written by: Angie, Isaac, & Abigail Ver Ploeg
Refrain
Bear Paw Lake – Bear Paw Lake Oh, all the Fish – Oh all the fish
Verse 1
Where you get a mosquito bite on your rear
We are all here because of our Grandpa dear
Look out fish, the Ver Ploegs are here …
Verse 2
Flying in you see tree after tree
We determined the shower is a good place to pee
This beautiful place is the place to be
Refrain
Verse 3
Eating fresh fish supper you will be well fed
Keep having fun until it’s time for bed
Then you’ll have dreams of catching fish in your head
Refrain
Verse 4
We had perfect weather, we didn’t get wet
The northern by the dock & seagull are our pet
We will be back here I’m willing to bet 😊
Schleier Group
MidAugust
Thanks We look forward to coming again 😉
Randy & Nancy Minas
EarlyAugust
Beautiful first day. Slow fishing as we tried to re-acquaint ourselves with the hot spots. Caught enough for keepers for a wonderful walleye dinner. After cleaning fish & watching Semore the Seagull devour a lot of the remains, we saw 2 adults and 2 baby eagles circling & sitting in trees. On way back to cabin we saw something large in a tree – thought it was an owl – as we got closer it flew away & was a large spotted eagle – other entries talk about a “ golden eagle” but have never heard/ seen one. It was a golden brown spotted & huge! Always something new at Bear Paw!
2nd day beautiful weather partly cloudy, 60’s- 70”s. Largest walleye 23”. Caught lots of perch. Started to rain about 6pm, so no more fishing to the day! SEVERE thunderstorm came through at about 10:30 – 11:30. Lots of close lightning & lots of thunder & rain.
3rd day – boat not too bad to bail, probably 1 ½” but what a storm. Morning sunrise gorgeous! Fished all day – Great day. Lots of walleye, more perch than ever – Randy 36” northern while he was fishing solo!! Netted it himself. Maybe he can be up here by himself/ wink- wink.
4th final day – fogged in until 10 am. After that sun came out & actually got hot in the pm. slow fishing unfortunately but total for 3 ½ days was 323 fish.
Had a great time. Talked a lot about our next year “family trip”. Fingers crossed
Thank you!!!
Legatt Crew
EarlyAugust
Barb & Mick Zapzallka | Perry & Marge Hamms | Jerry Legatt & daughter Lisa Sanford
Beautiful weather on Bear Paw Lake. My dad and I were here about 25 years ago and the memories are just as wonderful… although last time there was an actual bear that invaded out cabin!!
Each boat caught about 100 walleye the first couple days, slowed down the last day, the lake was very still a lot of the morning. Many Northern were also caught, but more elusive than if you were here earlier in the spring. We limited our walleye at 17-18”. Pick your spot, you will catch fish anywhere!
Biggest walleye 26”
Biggest Northern 28.5”
The other stories cannot be recorded here…. Lisa Sanford
July
Nilsen Party Kansas/ Nebraska
LateJuly
This is the second KaBeeLo Trip for my son, Erick, and me.
Our first day, after a cooked to order breakfast at the lodge Erick climbed into the co-pilot seat and Christian let Erick fly the plane to the initial descent into Bear Paw Lake. “Airport Security” at KaBeeLo was just right 😉
We found a nice place to fish on the north side of the lake in a cave with rushes – large Northerns there and some Walleye.
On the far eastern side of the lake are three islands we called The Three Sisters. On the North side of the middle sister and to the east near rushes was /is a good place for solid walleye fishing.
Of one interest is the fast the bay from the dock to the south has very dependable walleye fishing with large walleye numbers and large walleye size. Trolling with Rappel lures worked well. (BTW: note tree snags about 100 yards from dock). The outside burners worked better than the stove inside for maximum hear for cooking fresh walleye with fried potatoes and onions is hard to beat.
We hope to come back and have enjoyed this time in Canada with more great memories. There were many blessings on this trip – especially with the boat motor that died the first day close to camp with a short distance to row 😉
Great stories, lots of laughter, great fishing, and tasty meals made our memoires even better. We hope your time here is equally good! Take Care
LateJuly
Best week of weather ever; Almost too warm. Fishing started slow, but quickly picked up. After fishing around the lake on Monday, we ended up catching most of our fish out in front of the outpost, trolling about 150’ offshore with a yellow Me. Spinner or Lindy Spinner with a salted minnow; we named these spots Walleye Beach & Outpost Bay. On following days, we knocked’em dead at “Slaughter’em Pass”, “Walleye Way”, and “Walleye Island”. Again, most of our fishing was done by trolling with Mr. Twister or Lindy Spinner with salted minnow, or a 8’ shad Rap Drive – Red in color. All hot fishing spots went completely cold after a time. The best spot of all was “Slaughter’em Pass”, the fish were almost jumping into the boat. We also caught our share of Northern Pike, mostly while fishing for Walleye. Another hot walleye spot was” Dependable Bay”.
When fishing “Walleye Island”, the hot spot was directly between this small island and the bigger island to the northwest.
Many of the fish caught in “Slaughter’em Pass” were caught out the North and South entrances to the pass. We had very limited success at “A Bit of Luck Island” – North side.
The clouds/ sky were AMAZING on Tuesday night. I got some great pics – can’t wait to get home to see how these look on the big screen.
One big thing to look out for is ROCKS. They are everywhere – Even out in the middle of nowhere!
While we love it the way it is…
Suggested List
Dave, Troy & Tyler Youngbauer (Neenah, WI)
MidJuly
July 17th-21st, 2017
Youngbauer fishing trip (3 Generations – Grandpa, dad and son)
Out first trip to Bear Paw Lake was a great one! This was our 2nd time going to a KaBeeLo Lodge outpost (last time was @ Brokenmouth Lake), and it’s hard to imagine a better outfitter. We caught a lot of fish. Had great weather, and ate way too much! Below are the stats from the week;
Summary: Fish 255 fish. Hot baits; Pink & Chartreuse Lead heads/twisters, minnows. Hot spots: Tyleus Point (SW), Grandpa’s super Circle (North)
Overall we had a fantastic trip. Tyler (13) enjoyed catching gators & laughing at how much grandpa hated having those slimy things in the boat. Grandpa enjoyed catching the biggest fish of the week & had a hard time having to deal with throwing them back. In out down time we had a lot of card games (golf) with high stakes (loser cleaned the outhouse).
Thanks for a great week!
From Minnesota & Indiana (Paul, Kathey, Craig, Lucas)
MidJuly
In the notes before us it said that there was a northern that hung around the dock and it was the same for us. Except this time Paul left his line over the edge of the boat and the Northern came bit the line and (almost) jumped in the boat. We didn’t see any caribou but saw 3 bald eagles and 2 golden eagles and as I am writing this I just saw another bald eagle fly by. Fishing was ok the first day only 2 walleye, but a few northern. Found a few perch but the cabin about 50-100 feet out. Day 2 was good with about 20-30 walleye and had enough to eat. 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners with walleye. 3rd and final day was good and caught enough to take home; the limit. We released many more throughout the days. Thank you for the wonderful time and memories P.S. the only thing we had a hard time finding was the indoor toilet. Again thank you!
June
Meyer Party
LateJune
Got wet Sunday when we got here – no fish
Great fishing 1st day … hundreds of walleye – 500+ for 9 people
Largest walleye 26.5”
Largest Northern 44”
Had several 22” walleye, 24.5”, 25”, also had 43.5” Northern (may have been the same fish… lots of controversy over that!! J
Fish slowed down on Tuesday- Thursday, but still caught fish.
Everyone had a great time! P.S. we left the picture of the broken motor. Happened in 2015.
Hobert / Ohlfs / Prochaska / Olson
LateJune
From Minnesota & Wisconsin (part of Ellis group)
Fantastic fishing (hundreds of nice walleyes), Near fish-Hook Island a mother moose & calf!
Cabin has a seagull that is way too friendly. We call “NOSY” and of course the pet northern around the dock.
Beautiful lake and wilderness,
Good friends, Good times
Ben/Joel/Dave/John/ Kurt
Tucker Party
MidJune
Rain & wind first 3 days
Sunny & Beautiful last day
Largest Northern = 43”
Largest Walleye = 26”
Awesome lifetime of memories over 3 generations!
Thank you
J.B.W.G.
MidJune
J.B. W. G. Year 28 6/10/17
Fishing excellent
Largest Walleye 28.5”, 26.5”, 26”
Largest Northern 40”
Rained everyday & high winds
J.B.W.G. fish walleye only caught 1000+
Accommodations as ALWAYS perfect.
Wildlife limited 1 caribou and calf.
Thank you Allysson & Erik
Maggie
EarlyJune
To all reading audiences,
Growing up in Minnesota had been incredible, but my 7 trips to KaBeeLo Lodge may be some of my fondest and most precious memories. Catching insane amounts of fish, crazy big fish and snagging various things has been amazing indeed. Not many kids can say they’re experienced what I have on Bear Paw and Betty. Thank you to the 43”, 44” and 31” Northerns. Thank you to the 26”, 26”, 23”, 23” Walleyes. Across all my trips I’ve caught them and hold the memories of their battles very near to my fisherwoman heart.
However, this last trip has taught me that coming up here is not just about fishing. We saw 5 eagles, 3 caribou (mom, dad & baby), the 2 loons, the mergansers and various other wildlife. I fell asleep to the loons calling and frogs croaking. I woke up to the sunrise over the lake. For these weeks I’ve spent up here I’ve been and understood what it means to be, free. This lake is a breath of fresh, wild and few air, and I hope it survives and stays the same if all else fades away.
Thank you Bear Paw,
Maggie Franke
Franke; Tom and Maggie
EarlyJune
6/4 75 degrees
Father – daughter trip # 7. With the real possibility we might not be able to do this family adventure for a while, we both were hoping for a great time together.. and some good fishing.
Day 1 – Early Arrival … on the lake fishing by 5:15 with new outboard motor! Wind was blowing right so we hurried to 160 bay and put 101 fish in the boat. We put 99 back in the water 😊 great first night. Beautiful sunset, walleye and mac & cheese dinner. Sleeping by 11:30pm.
6/5 winds shifted and barely blew all day HOT, Sunny and tough to find fish. None by the 4 islands. A few at 160 bay and a few more at Eichten’s Point. But we watched 4 bald eagles (2 immature) and one golden eagle. Three kept watch over the cabin. Easily the high light was a mother caribou and her single baby swimming across the lake in midafternoon. Been waiting a few years to see this since 1 am pretty sure where she goes each year to give birth! Better fishing at Eichten’s Point in the evening and Maggie hooked an old fishing rod & reel… the gear that Mary lost 7 years ago!!! That was amazing!!! Watched the sunset and put 102 fish into the boat today.
6/6 HOT! And a south wind made fishing a very significant challenge. By 3:00, we had 48 in the boat but nothing at 4 islands, nothing at 160 bay. Worked to find them and succeeded in the “channel” by Hook Island. Tom got a 23” walleye and a 32 inch northern in the channel opening to Hook Island. Went trolling in Maggins 44 bay and Tom caught a nice 42” northern that put up a lengthy fight! Hot and tired, we returned for 3:00 lunch when Erik stopped by to deliver new mattresses! Back onto the lake at 5:30 to Buffalo Rock Bay and caught 104 walleyes in the channel by 8:30. A beautiful sunset and later that night we watched the 155 fly overhead GREAT DAY despite the heat. 154 fish!!!
6/7 Plenty warm with south wind again so we headed back to Buffalo Rock Bay channel and the walleye bite was still great. On the lake fishing at 8:30 (we were tired from yesterday) and fished until 12:15 (125 in the boat). We kept 8 for home and cleaned fish and enjoyed a late breakfast. NOTE TO READER – Routine!!
Never change the routine.. EVER. Bear Paw Fish count on us for routine. Back to the same spot and caught more walleyes. We had to go back to the cabin to resupply minnow bucket.
Note to reader! Always put the minnow bucket in the boat before full throttle! Large minnows are super sensitive and die. Since we waste not, dead minnows in a salty Ziploc bag keep them “fresh”. Walleyes do not care! Or the minnow resupply run we watched. A male caribou swim across the “channel” from big island to share. VERY COOL.
We fished until 7:15 when thunder and pouring rain drove us off the lake. Bummer to be just short of the goal. 292 fish. Took “showers” in the rain to clean up and watched a double rainbow at 8:45. A perfect end to a great day!! P.S. we both scored “doubles”. Double – walleye on a jig & minnow ROD #1 and walleye on Johnson Silver Minnow Rod #2. Method – drop jig rod #1 cast silver minnow rod #2. Hook fish (walleye) rod #2. Set hook on “Tugged” jig rod #1 hold steady with knees. Reel in fish rod #2. Reel in fish rod #1. Take picture as proof.
6/8 Last Day
Fingers and thumb hurt from walleye gill flaps! On the lake at sunrise 5:15. A few stray northerns in Buffalo Rock Bay and along shore to the east. Windy now shifted from the North so we headed to 160 Bay and were over 100 by breakfast at noon. Then back on the lake in our drive to 800. 160 Bay stopped 12 short so we headed to Hook Island channel and made our goal before 3:00. Time to fish northerns (trolling & casting). We both scored 31-32” northerns, but walleyes were in Maggie’s Bay too. At 5:00, we caught more walleyes until 4 minnows remained. Cleaned 2 for dinner – STEAK AND FISH – Awesome. Then back to fish till sunset. Ran out of minnows but twister tails worked great. 207 fish today 856 total.
Erik flew in with fresh apple pie and mints for our pillows. Jason sang a few lullabies and we were soon sleeping … with dreams of the next trip. A GREAT TIME AGAIN! 7th Trip dad/daughter Tom & Maggie Franke
VENI VIDI FISHIE 😊
May
Dornik Crew
LateMay
May 31 – June 4
Sponsored by Bohler Liquors
Bill, Ted, Mike, Matt, Roger and Kevin
Great day of fishing but a bad night of cards.
Dan, Pat, & Josiah Torweihe | Colorado Springs, Co
LateMay
21-25 May 2017
Josiah is 9 years old and this was his first time fishing at Bear Paw Lake, a little less fishing for grandpa but we made a lot of great memories. Pat put her own woman’s touch on things – center pieces/ corn bread, etc… it’s always just been the guys and we concentrated on fishing.
We got a couple of hours of fishing in on the first day before the rain hit. The “fish hook” produced a lot of walleyes. It rained nonstop the second day with an east wind. Fishing was slow. The third day was sunny and 60 degrees. We found a small island just north of the fish hook and burned though 20 dozen minnows in 4 hours – tons of walleye. The last day was sunny and 60 degrees. Pockets of walleye around islands on the north side. The Bay of Pigs was good the last two nights – 48”, 42”, and 36” Northern. Slow once in a while but lots of walleye when you found them by island. Another fantastic trip to Bear Paw Lake & KaBeeLo Lodge.
Thank you Lohn’s ! !
2016 Season
August
Ries Boys (+ Capecchi)
LateAugust
Arrived at KaBeeLo at 3:00 in afternoon but could not fly out due to poor visibility. Did enjoy a great meal at main lodge. On our 4th attempt, we were able to fly all way to Bear Paw around 11:00 AM the next day. Went out and caught lots of walleye. Had 4 walleye over 21”. Ended our afternoon with each Ries catching a walleye at same time. Had delicious fish shore lunch. Caught more fish after dinner.
Great week of fishing. Lots of walleye, northern and perch. Capecchi count: In 3 days went through 25 dozen minnows & 4 dozen crawlers. Steady action – Lots of fun! Thanks
Inman Party
EarlyAugust
Arrived early and were able to fly out and be “wet lines” by 4:00pm. Headed right to the bay near the outlet. Windy with a little more walleye chop than we would like but after a slow start we boated a dozen walleye. We did a quick clean of our catch and enjoyed walleye & potatoes for dinner. Dennis & Rachel went back out after a quick troll around the island and picked up another handful of walleyes and a half dozen northern throwing stuff into the weeds. Greg fought valiantly (with no success) to catch the pike that robbed him of his holographic, Harley Davidson gig, Barbie doll lure that he paid $4 (yes $4) for from Amazon delivered by uber. If caught please return in its prepaid self-addressed case. Tenderfoot Nick rounded at the bay by demonstrating his athletic prowess by boating his share of a great fist day catch. Wahoo KaBeeLo! !
Woke up to rain. Rained all day. Few breaks of sunshine were only enough to lure us onto the water – bad idea. Instead we stayed in the better part of the day. Did manage to catch quite a few walleye and a few small northerns between the rain. Now famous fish tacos and apple pie baked on the grill topped off a not so nice day.
Woke up to still more rain and clouds. Nick and Rachel make a tasty British Baking Competition French Toast (a tribute to pilot Christian). Put on what dry clothes we still had and hit the water. After a few failed attempts we finally found the fabled honey hole – just past the small islands, opening to a bay with a big rock on the right – just under the overhanging tree – rumor has it the legendary jig could even catch fish there. Lost count somewhere north of 100 walleye and 40+pike. The score keeping is a little suspect as it was left to the same person scoring 500. A quick late afternoon stop for steak, fish, baked potatoes and Tabasco/Maple polish sausage. Finished the night under the clearest skies we’ve ever seen.
Scorecard for the week;
Nick – learned 500, became a seasoned KaBeeLo walleye knight (still a Northern novice)
Greg – demonstrated that even a $4 lure is no match for “Bear Paw”, tied his 2013 walleye taco record (7+pie) and demonstrated on dry ground now to make a life preserver from a pair of pants.
Rachel – shattered her 2014 record for 19 hours of sleep in a 24 hour day. Proved that wearing pajamas to fish is walleye chic fashionable, and introduced Nick to heaven on Earth.
Dennis – First fish, biggest fish, and still King of everything.
Until next year KaBeeLo – signing off – fish on! !
July
The Hagler Crew | FL
LateJuly
The five Hagler boys arrived from three days on Brokenmouth Lake to complete out a KaBeeLo week. Fishing was steady but the walleye were generally scattered on the 4 – 6 ‘rocky points and saddles around the small islands. Did find a bunch of small walleye’s congregated in the northeastern corner of the lake at the mouth of the river. No large pike caught – biggest only 29”, largest walleyes were 24” and 23.” Back to Florida tomorrow to the triple digit heat index and 95% humidity. :-(
Stoddard Party
MidJuly
arrived in the rain windy S/W strong – rain stopped. Fished around small island to the left of the dock. Instantly caught limits of (1 hour) walleyes. Cleaned walleyes. Ate walleyes. That’s why you call it catching. – Great!!! Released many fish. Kept only those we wanted to eat this day. BIG storms and wind later in the PM – this place is great. Big improvement over “Past years.” I’m old and don’t move as fast as I used to. But believe me… this is a Big improvement over “past years”!!! Let’s wait and see what happens tomorrow.
Next day: overcast, heave dew, about 1” of heavy dew in the boat. Good fishing last night. Kept 1 northern 27 ½” and a couple walleyes for a late supper and 1-24” northern for breakfast. Fishing was tough. Managed enough to scrape up enough fish for lunch and dinner plus, put some in the freezer for home. Caught some “eyes” right off the dock while the kids were busy bailing out the boat used a leech I caught swimming by the dock. Wind blew hard out of the Southwest all day many many black rain clouds passed over. Dumping much “Dew”, hard to see at times, but survived to fight another day. The eagle loved the entrails we left by the fish cleaning station.
July 14 – still over cast but wind changed to the Northwest then cleared up. Finished filling out our limits in the AM caught & released a 24” walleye, caught and released a 30” Northern caught both on homemade hair jigs with a leech attached. Littles Joes orange, worked best with a minnow on a leech.
Winston Stoddard – Laurel (Daughter) and Mathew (Grandson)
Sharon Family Fishing Trip
MidJuly
July 15 – Arrived at the Lodge at 6:00pm were met by the great staff. Dinner at the Lodge after registration.
July 16 – Flew out at 7:00am in 2 planes to Bear Paw and were fishing by 8:30am. Slow start to the day – learning the lake a little.
July 17 – Good day fishing. Found some hot spots. Afternoon was great
July 18 – Another good day again in the afternoon.
July 19 – Fly back to Lodge & depart for Minnesota & Wisconsin
Biggest ‘Eye – 20.5”
Pike – 25”
Great trip. Super staff (even the old Guy LOL)
Pershing Family Trip
EarlyJuly
Day 1: Grandfather and father almost murder each other. Relationships are deteriorating already. I fear for us all.
Day 2: Many fish met their ends this day. Their deaths were noble – their suffering extreme.
Day 3: I am become like the Bald Eagle, hairless and fierce, circling, always circling. Bringer of death to those with fills. Fish, raise up they fins for mercy, but I will grant none.
Day 5: Well, we had fun! Back to the real world.
June
Crew from GA & IN
LateJune
Flew into Winnipeg from Atlanta, GA drove to KaBeeLo Lodge with my friend Gary also from Georgia to meet up with my favorite brother Joe & friend Tim from Hebron, Indiana. We loaded our stuff on the plane & was off within 30 minutes for a great week at Bear Paw Lake.
Within 45 minutes we had the boats launched, load & on our way to some great fishing. Within 1 hr. Tim (Pike daddy) caught a 27” walleye and I caught a 32” northern in what was our best fishing hole for the trip.
I spent +/- $1200 at Cabela’s for new lures fishing tackle and odds + ends. The only tackle we needed was ¼ oz. jig heads and about any color 2 ½ -3 inch plastic tails. Maybe a few weedless Johnson spoons with A-tail for fishing in the grass & reeds.
Tim (Pike daddy) caught the first Big Pike 39” with a red/white Dare Devil spoon. I followed up the next day with a 39 ½" Pike trolling with a jig head and white/grey tail. Our last day/ last hour I finished the trip with a 42” Pike again on a yellow jig head and tail.
Fishing Tips
Largest fish of the week
LateJune
caught a 28 ¼” walleye on a 3/8 oz. gold jig & minnow combo in 21 feet of water – everyone else was annoyed!!
Franke Crew | MN
EarlyJune
June 5th: Arrived at Bear Paw at 3:15pm and we’re greeted by the Lohn family. The Special treat was a flight aboard the “new” turbo float plane. It had room for 6 plus the pilot. And FAST!! We were fishing by 5:30pm and quickly caught walleye dinner from 160 bay. Ms. Marvel and Captain American boated 63 fish by 10:00 and enjoyed delicious fish, fresh walleye, which was way better than what you’d get at green mill.
June 6th: Cloudy, cold, windy. Breakfast of French toast and Bacon was fabulous. Only superior boatmanship enabled us to boat another 65 fish by 2:30pm. World renowned Mac & Cheese with ketchup for a late lunch, then back out onto the water. Boated 135 fish. Nice walleyes and good northern pike bite. Still, 250 fish on DAY ONE is FANTASTIC. Discovered a secret and successful method: Jigging with “Cabela’s outfitter classics sour worms”-sugarcoated gummy worms. Yes… walleyes LOVED them. WIN-WIN!! Red + Yellow and Blue + Red were the favorites.
Later that evening, after a meal of “grade-A” Burgers and chops cooked on the grill.
May
3 from CO and 1 refugee from TX
LateMay
We arrived in rain and had rain most of the time until the Sun appeared on Friday, June 3rd. We just kept fishing without stopping to pay homage to the Sun. Saturday, June 4th was cloudy again.
The fishing was steady but with no great Runs of walleye. The large pike were not found. The Bay of Pigs did not produce. The largest pike of the trip was 44” caught near the large island southeast of the outpost. Del caught that fish and was exceedingly pleased. The largest walleye of the trip was 26” caught near one of the smaller islands due east of the outpost. Rick caught that fish and was a little too pleased with himself.
Most fish were caught on fire tiger lures, leeches and salted minnows - jigs also produced from time to time. The weather was not often conducive to jig fishing.
Kent did a masterful job as camp chef. A new hit on the menu was blackened walleye tacos. The nightly “Reading from the Dock” was also popular, as was the bathhouse comedy of Del and Kent!
In all a good trip and we’ll be back next year.
Roths & Gabberts | Twin Cities
LateMay
Around 30th year of the trip (?) for the most experienced of our group. No rain on the 25th and in the 60’s. Rain intermittent the following 4 days. 60’s and 70’s the middle 2 days. 50’s on the latter 2 days. Never rained too hard to not fish. Great luck with walleye, multiple 20”+ fish. Northern’s were hard to come by. The Bay of Pigs was a little slow, but a few good walleye there at off-peak Northern times. Water heater for the shower had some trouble on Day 4, we weren’t able to fix it. Probably operator error. Otherwise another great year, thank you Erik, Harald and crew!
Very good time fishing and great bunch in the club house – Lots of Knowledge revealed. Weather not so hot.
Dan, Rudy & Glen | CO
LateMay
The first day was in the 70”s with 40 knot winds and white caps. The second day was in the 60’s with 25 knot winds. The third day was in the 40’s with 20 knot winds. Wind was out of the south the first 2 days and the north the third day. Fishing was outstanding! Walleye were everywhere. The mouth of the river at the NE and the fishhook were the favorite spots but they were at all the island and almost everywhere we looked. We didn’t fish for northern hard until the third day but caught them in most of the bays. The Bay of Pigs didn’t have any pigs that we found. The biggest walleye was 25” and 5 ½ pounds. Lots of nice walleye. The northerns were a little Tougher with none over 40”.
Thank you Lohns! Another fantastic Trip!
2015 Season
August
Olson Couple | WI then, MN now
LateAugust
Another trip to Paradise! Our 28th trip to KaBeeLo and they keep getting better! We literally caught & released about 1 TON of walleye and lots of northern! We did eat a few as well! Biggest walleye was 20”, Cliff caught a 48”northern, biggest to date, and Carole caught a 44” northern, a tie for her largest.
All in all, perfect weather, although do not come to Canada in Sept. for a suntan, but I got one! But who’s complaining!
THANKS TO ERIK & ALLYSSON & FAMILY FOR KEEPING KABEELO WHAT IT IS ... AWESOME! AND THANKS TO HARALD & ANN FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE
GOD BLESS
Cliff & Carole Olson
P.S. WE WILL BE BACK!
Ploeg | Sully, IA
LateAugust
This place exceeded my expectations in the first few hours alone: fishing action, pair of eagles in the tree nearby, constant echo of the loons (saw 8 on the lake together!), gorgeous sunset and a full moon! It doesn’t get much better than this. And so much good food! Only complaint is that the beds squeak anytime someone rolls over, for the whole cabin to hear 😉 Cool nights made the woodstove a cozy option. So far our best catches were 19” walleye, 21” walleye by Isaac and 27” northern and 36” by Dustin, all on minnows. Kept enough to eat daily. What a wonderful place. Thanks for the unforgettable memories.
Angie Ver Ploeg
Sully, Iowa
A few tips I learned:
#1 - onions are a good addition to any meal
#2 - if going to the portage lake bring your own plug & bait for the boat there
#3 - there are many hidden socks in the lake waiting to play hide-n-seek
#4 - use the outhouse BEFORE dark because after dark is 10x’s scarier.
Hein | Twin Cities, MN & LeGrand | Virgil, SD
MidAugust
August 19-26: We arrived on a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed 1 ½ days of sunshine and great fishing. Tons of nice walleyes and small northern. Then the weather turned on us 3 solid days of wind, rain, and cold. We still managed to get on the water and catch fish for an hour or two at a time in between stoking the wood stove. Our last day was very nice again. Perfect day to bring home our 4 limits and polish off a case of beer.
Ron, Jeremy & Josh Heim of the Twin Cities, George Le Grand of Virgil, SD
Hopf & Albert
MidAugust
HOT!! HOT!! Cabin gets no breeze so it was HOT day & night. Did I mention it was HOT? Also HUMID!! Did well fishing however; one 40” northern and lots of walleye. The first day we flew in during the middle of the afternoon and caught 3 walleye for supper in about ½ hour.
Lots of fish down by the rock towards north end of lake and around the two islands there. Lots of fish around the fish hook area also.
Had a caribou calf walk out of the woods while we were seated on the porch spending some time with our friend J. Daniels who was kind enough to accompany us but he said he wouldn’t be joining us on the plane. Alas!!
Finally cooled off our last day.
Randy Hoff & Bill Albert
July
Erickson & Hilgenberg Crew
LateJuly
After 35 years we brought Grandma back to Bear Paw! When we first visited there were not the luxuries of today- Shower, light, bedrooms. It was May and we were the first to enter after a winter of keeping nice warm. Grandma didn’t know what to expect- but was pleasantly surprised to say the least! We built a rock pile “H” to remember Grandpa & his love of this place.
We had morning “fitness” activities lifting longs, plank on the picnic table & runs back & forth to the back lake. This was also a fist wilderness adventure for two twin 4 yr. olds. They were eager to fish & great sports each day.
We did lose the boat while being so enthralled in cleaning fish. It drifted across the bay & created lots of laughs & the need for a good swim to retrieve it. Lots of loons, feeding seagulls and bear stories (but only stories) ---except dad.
And for the fish – they were plentiful! Our largest Walleye was 28”! It was thick 15.5” circumference – caught on one of the 4 yr. olds “ugly sticks”.
Hint--- if too hot – move to the screened in porch for a slumber party.
We look forward to returning soon!!
Ted & Angie Erickson, Colton & Wyatt Erickson, Mary Hilgenberg, Austin Hilgenberg, Alan Hilgenberg, Will Hilgenberg
Minneapolis, MN
MidJuly
We had picture perfect weather the first 2 days. Walleyes were almost jumping in the boat near sunset. We had the best luck between the small islands & fished with pink lures most of the time we didn’t try many other colors because there was no need.
On the second day we trekked to the small lake which will forever be known as “Bear Butt Lake”. The lake was beautiful, but three hours with four lines in the water didn’t give us a single bite. It was the first appearance of the bald eagle though. Loons were everywhere throughout the trip & a pair got very close & curious in the bay around the first bend to the right. The biggest Walleye caught was 241/2”! He went for the anchor line & snapped the fishing line right as we got the net on him. He made it into the boat for measurement & photos & then back he went.
A storm came in half way through the third day that forced us in once we saw lightening. Not much activity the last day after the storm. Walleye in the morning & Pike in the evening.
It was a bitter sweet trip as we said goodbye to Dad but couldn’t think of a better way or spot to celebrate him. He brought us all here & taught us how to fish. We will be back as often as possible to visit. Best fishing of my life on this trip & I can’t wait to top it.
All & all a fantastic trip! C.C.K. &E
The Himes and Henrys
EarlyJuly
Day 1. Slow at the start, little Northern and Walleye for the most part. Peyton caught a 36 “Northern. Josh caught a 26 inch Walleye. Night bite was very good. Walleye seem scattered Any drop from 8 ft. to 10-12 seems to be where they are biting on anything. Worms and minnows dead or alive.
7/6/2015 - Rough waters this morning, caught nice fish on the island straight out from the cabin. About 8-12 feet again. Found new spot on the west side of lake in front of bald face rock. Island straight west. Caught fish in about 5-6 feet of water. Excellent day.
7/7/2015 - Went to the back lake this A.M. Sucks!!! 1 little northern that’s it. Went back to the island on the west side, great again!! Caught a 20, 21,22 inch walleye bang, bang, bang. Stayed at northwest sat on the west site out of the wind and caught 20” walleyes and many close to it. Big catch over there was 30” Northern. Great day filled with big walleye.
7/8/15 - Started at about 11am caught some walleye on point to the right of the cabin. Then tried left coastline of cabin where it seems the only place northern were biting all weekend. Tried trolling didn’t work and ended in our special walleye spot until lots of rain came for a while. After rained passed trolled for northern and caught some small ones and also a few walleye still small. Overall quiet afternoon not a whole lot of biting.
Thank you Bearpaw Lake and Lohn family for a good trip with lots of fun and fish!
Reynolds Tribe of Louisiana Amish
EarlyJuly
7/2/15: The day began awash with rain and wind as we began our journey into the Northwoods. The carriage game way numerous time on our voyage to the north to take in the splendor of God’s earth. Upon landing from our first flight, we immediately unloaded our provisions into our humble estate. Cabin fever striking, the elder of our group, for William, ventured into the stormy waters, not seen again for the rest of the sun. Final spoils for the day totaled in the dozens.
7/3/15: We awoke from our peaceful slumber to the soothing melody of bull mouse, who felt it prudent to defecate onto the porch. Our first real sigh of nourishment, we created a find stew, seasoned with lemon pepper and fresh herbs, to stimulate our tummies for the remainder of the day. Zero fish caught.
7/4/15: We celebrated of our land today with high folk dish commonly referred to as s’mores, created with a fire of fresh timber. After minimal luck despite an advanced level of craftsmanship in angling, we managed to create a fresh provision of walleye stew, which we dined upon while reflecting upon 229 years as a nation. We invited the local seagull, Harald, into feast upon the remains, which he brought to his perch, far atop a tree no less than 30 feet north of the cabin. We eagerly await passage from an “airplane” which shall arrive at first light tomorrow.
Respectfully,
The Reynolds clan of Amish
PS our cobbler, Hanz, handcrafted the “jigsaw” puzzle which we leave behind for future generations to enjoy in times of crisis and vain
June
LaFond Party | MN & IL
MidJune
Sat. – 2nd fish in the Morning a 27 ½ “Walleye!! Great Start! Excellent fishing! Slow start but great # of walleye! Brother I caught 123 fish the first day in 6 hours! We had 6 of us fishing and probably caught 250 fish!
Sun. - Bro & I caught 134 fish in 8 hours! 38” Northern and total over 300!
Mon. – Weather turned sour, colder, and rainy but fantastic fishing! Needed the heat in the cabin! Caught around 400 fish today with Bro. I caught 185! Not finding large northerns! Over 400 today the Bear has not bothered us accept for a little noise at night. Caught him at eh fish cleaning station yesterday! Taking guts to the islands!
Tue. – Beautiful Morning!!! Wind switched as front came in ! Tough moving for walleye! Hot afternoon as there was a 2-hour feeding frenzy!!! Over 300 fish caught in Short day!
Bro & I caught 542 fish on this trip. That is how many 5 of us caught on this lake last August!
Thanks Lohn family for another great trip. Will be back twice next year!
Pat, Barry, Glenn, Ross, Paul, and Dewy!
Tom & Justin | Plymouth, MN
EarlyJune
** Abridged version **
Ms Marvel could not join us this year, and my favorite superhero stayed home to fight crime and promote justice.
Jedi Tom and Padawan Justin did evening fly-in. Calm night 6-9 pm -54 fish: 24”walleye & 35” northern highlights. 5 DAYS REMAIN!! Just 1/8” oddball jigs #1oz Johnson Silver minnows- exclusively.
DAY 1-6/8- Really tough day. Dead calm almost all day except for 1 hour thunderstorm, and then more calm. Still 103 fish including final 23 on 6 minnows. Biggest 24”walleye & small northerns. Fished til 10:03pm when we ran out of minnows. Just a lot of hard work, but a LOT of fun.
DAY 2 6/9 – Rain, wind and more wind, and then rain and wind … all day. WINDY Got anchor to hold despite the wind! Could not get anchor loose so, we tied up to the anchor- 143 fish. Lots of 18-22” walleyes in the evening, NOT caught by Jedi Tom. Came in for special T-BONE PORTERHOUSE steaks that the Lohn’s got for us because, we are great customers (insert sarcasm). Dinner was sooooo good! Caught more fish.
DAY 3 - What an amazing day. Fished from 6:00am -10:15pm – 169 fish. Biggest was 23” walleye at 8:50pm. Weather went from wind to more wind, then rain. Then sun poked thru the clouds so we got out of the wind and dazzled the northern with shiny silver & gold Johnson silver minnow in the Bay of Piglets. Unfortunately, or motor died, but we proved resourceful and redirected the wind to blow on our backs and help our oaring efforts (paddles more accurate) back to the base camp at RAMMING speed. We swapped motors and put on extra in front for safe keeping. No further issues. Dinner was fresh-caught walleye fillets with hash browns and onions. Upon returning from our “fish til dark” efforts, we were delighted to find our bunks turned down by the Lohn’s and mints on our pillows (insert sarcasm). Fresh potpourri in the bathroom minimized our smell, and the apple pie and ice cream that was flown in just topped off a perfect and adventurous day. P.S. – A bear knocked over the grill, looking for steak juices. When Justin shared that he was a BEARS fan, the bruin high-fived us with his paws and grunted his way back into the forest.
DAY 4- Horrible morning – DEAD CALM. Fished til 10:30 and only 12 fish. Returned to cabin for breakfast. The bear returned. The drain system is completely dug up! We have not put anything down the drain…bacon grease is in the car inside. During breakfast the bear returned and did more digging… but why in the new spot is unknown. He just lay down on his stomach and dug the dirt. Paid us no attention. We took iPhone video. Finally, we scared him off and inspected his work. Later we went out and fished til 10:00. 132 fish. Nothing big. At the cabin now, the futon is up against the door because the bear is still digging, and the hole is deeper… but what is down there we have not idea. We are at KaBeeLo Lodge at BEAR PAW lake. He hardly cares about us. Just wondering what he is finding in the hole he dug?? PS… best fishing between 8:30-10:00PM- 57 fish!! So much for quiet. 10:52PM. The bear digs. We shine flashlight, yell, bang on pots, stomp feet… and he just digs!! Screamed and blew whistle!!! Nothing. Hs is lying down now in his hole.
DAY 5 6/12 –GREAT DAY – Achieved all our goals. 1) Did not get attacked by the bear. Yes, he returned and did more digging. We waved goodbye and went fishing. Slow morning again, but still ok. Breakfast at 10:30 and the bear watched us. NO BACON today. Back to the lake in calm water. Got my anchor unstuck!!! TRIUMPHANT
Came in to try new spots. Had good walleye bites at island, at the point, and in Eichten Bay. Justin got 25” Walleye there, Came to Walleye Bay again and stopped at 97 fish. Time for dinner- 4:45! The bear watched us arrive and cook fish. We walked outside with 10 yards to get pictures of him walking, then lying down to dig and lick tree roots. Back out to lake til 8:30 in Walleye Bay. Ran out of minnows on #129 for the day and #728 overall. Minus the 51lb. sucker I caught, we were awesome. 728 fish in the boat – over 500 in Walleye Bay used up over 50 dozen minnows.
Survived the motor dying on the lake. Had nice encounter with the bear. Got anchor unstuck. Fished hard, laughed often, GREAT TRIP
THANK YOU LOHN FAMILY. SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER WITH MS. MARVEL, SHE WILL RETURN
Tom Franke & Justin Zwok
Some more Colorado Men
EarlyJune
June 3rd – the best way we found to get Walleye’s is simply use a smell hook with a minnow & older – No weight and still fish.
June 4th- Scoop Doc McGee Catches 35 inch Northern Right next to his boat using a large black object.(Net) 3 Islands east straight out from cabin. In addition Great Walleye and Perch Honey hole wing minnows 15 ft. from shore.
June 6th, 2015 Another trip in the bank. Plenty of fuel, food and hot water!!! 3 points away from front of Camp. Excellent Walleye and Pike great point!
Have a Great Summer 2015. Randy & Ty Apodaca, Nick Arihs, Floyd & Erick Homes From Fountain, Colorado Springs, Henderson and Aurora Colorado GO Broncos!
May
Dan & Rudy from CO
LateMay
Dan “cover Boy” Torweihe and Rudy “Hooker on thee Rock Again” Veit
Another incredible Trip to Bear Paw Lake. One day was hot, two days were perfect. One day was very cool, and one day rained all day long. Two on half days took a lot of work to find fish. The rest we found fish in huge numbers. The only semi-disappointment was not finding the real big northerns in the Bay of Pigs at night. The walleye almost seemed to be in a summer pattern-8-10” of water, schooled up, and fast action Caught them. Everything worked well-minnows, leeches, and almost all lutes. All Colors worked but pink and blue seemed to work just a little better. The “fish hook” was the very hot spot. The Islands west of the fish hook were great.
We found one spot where we caught 18-20” Walleye every single pass there. Biggest Walleye was 22” and the biggest northen was 38”. Not huge but lots of fish.
Can’t wait until Next year! Thank you KaBeeLo!!!
2014 Season
August
Honeymooners from Colorado
LateAugust
It rained the entire tim except for a few hours the first day. Never saw the sun. Very strong winds from the East - Northeast except for a couple hours at the end of the last day - winds swung southerly. We've had better years at Bear Paw but this was a great time. The biggest walleye was 28" 9lbs. The biggest norhtern was 40". The normal spots didn't produce that welll but the small islands on the north part of the lake produced the best. We fished mainly on the north sides of the islands in 6'-10' of water. We used leeches, minnows, and lots of small lures. The color didn't seem to matter. Another fantastic time at KaBeeLo Lodge and Bear Paw Lake. THANK YOU!
Randy & Nancy Minas
MidAugust
Arrived at lake around noon & after unpacking were on the lake by 2pm. Caught 60 fish in 3 hours including dinner keepers, 3 northerns (one 24"), 3 perch and the rest walleye.
Saw 2 bald eagles being chased away by one seagull protecting his territory. Got some great pictures of the eagles together. Surprised to see the eagle's nest still in tact from 2004!!
Next few days beautiful weather except for one brief rain shower. Randy's birthday gift was fishing solo & reeling in a 36" Nothern. Thanks too KaBeeLo for the cake! Very memorable birthday!
Fished every day, total fish caught for trip 299 tried for 300 but it got too dark.....we rested 3-5 hours every day so could have easily made 500....GOOD LUCK to the next group!
Thanks again Harald, Ann Erik & Allysson!!! We plan to return next year!
LaFond Party
EarlyAugust
Aug 9th: 120 Fish
Aug 10th: Around 100 fish
Aug 11th: Cold front comes in shuts down fishing. maybe 80 fish caught. Tough going. No large fish yet? 35" nothern/20.5" walleye
Aug 12th: 38" Northern excelletn walleye action. Couple of 22" walleye.
Beautiful weather! Approx 500 fish caught in 4 days!
Workman | KS
EarlyAugust
3 person crew came from Topeka KS: A lawyer, a pro wressler, and just an all around good guy (me).
We had a great time. Pro wressler "Little Big Toe" Dennis Switzgy finally admitted to the superiority of leeches over night crawlers and his lack of card playing ability. Chris the lawyer is planning to sue Little Big Toe when he gets home for slander over his vicious comments on his ability to cook steak.
We were here for 5 days. 3 were dead calm and fishing was tough. Little Big Toe caught a 38" Northern that had a humpback. The last two days the wind came up and the walleye fishing was good. Nothing over 20" though.
The seagull on the dock is Little Big Toe's kindred spirit. The sun is coming up and Little Big Toe is down at the dock saying goodbye as the sun glistens, shimmering onthe water. It's touching, think I'm gonna cry.
July
Dad & 2 Kids from MN
MidJuly
Rick (Dad), Rachel (daughter) and Preston (step-son) arrived early on the 10th and got out on the lake at around 10am. We had travelled the night before from Minneapolis, saw two Moose on the way up.
FIRST Day: we caught a lot of fish. Rachel & Preston about tied for most. Rachel used minnows and Preston used leeches. I used Gulp and I wasn't too far behind them. We caught about 75 walleye - largest was 21.5" (Rachel).
SECOND Dar: was slower. We got rained out in the morning and had to return to cabin for part of the day. We caught about 50 fish but no big ones. rachel killed us on the fishing!
LAST Day: was something else. The morning was slow. We fished the islands on the North end and caught a few. The afternoon was FANTASTIC! We fished until 5pm when we got rained out - again. We went back out in the rain around 6pm and could not keep them off our line. Caught them off the point to the right of the outpost. Preston caught 7 fish over 20". The last minnow of the day landed a 26" walleye with a 25" and 25.5" prior to that. Rick also landed a 25.5". Many large fish - one after the other - Great Trip! God blessed us!
June
Greg Gillham - New Albany IN
LateJune
I just wanted to tell you what a great time we had at Kabeelo Lodge! Great Lake, Great Fishing, Great Accommodation’s, Great Service, Great Hosts. We caught tons of fish. Both my son and my nephew out fished me. My son Jack caught a 42” Northern on days 2 and 3. The Pic below is my nephew Sean with his 40”er. What a great time. I will recommend Kabeelo to anyone who is looking for a great fishing adventure.
KaBeeLo's Fantastic Four
MidJune
To all who care to read,
Once again it is time for Ms. Marvel, Thor, Captain Marvel and a normal mortal to travel back home from paradise. Many fish were caught by all, amd memories of incredible proportions have been made. Captain Marvel caught 2 monsterous Northerns (40" & 42"), and Ms. Marvel caught a less than marvelous Northern (32"). Thor experienced hist first trip with his demigod son, Beaux (aka The Hulk). The bay to the right of the rock island proved to be a steady spot, but Walleye fishing was slow Wednesday - Friday. Captain Marvel & Ms. Marvel faced furious winds and sheets of rain on Thursday. It is likely that Caprain Marvel and Ms. Marvel will return to Bear Paw lake, and it is possible that Thor will bring his son sometime soon as well. Over and Out!
The Anderson's | Fargo, ND
MidJune
Great time at Bear Paw lake....Many THANKS to Tom + Maggie Franke who invited us on their trip...
1st time for my son & I to Canada fishing... We caught our limit of Walleye every day 14"-18"...they are SO GOOD fresh out of the lake...
1st time to catch a BIG NORTHERN 38" on jig + minnow fishing for Walleye..saw bald eagle + Caribou/and her calf swimming from island to island...AWESOME EXPERIENCE away from the world...GREAT quality time with friends.
EarlyJune
Had an early fly-out last night, arrived at the lake @ 5:30pm and were fishing by 7:00 pm. Caught 27 walleyes by 210 point. Enjoyed a great meal and night of sleep.
Were up late at 6:20 am and fished all day. Caught 110 Walleyes and Northerns on a pretty slow day because it was so calm. Only our superior skill at catching and supreme ability to find fish turned our otherwise dull day for the pretenders (Pot & Bean) into a shrimp success (Tom & Maggie).
I had a very nice Northern on a jig and minnow, but lost it when we got less than 1/2 of it in the net. Watched the eagles and a great sunset!
May
Dan & Rudy | Colorado
LateMay
Once upon a time, in a land far far away, two guys went fishing at Beat Paw Lake.....
The first day was cool and overcast with a North wind. Fishing was a little slow. Fish were very shallow - 2 to 4 feet - and you needed slow action to catch them. The bay of pigs produced some nice Northerns and we found Walleye by the big islands on the East side of the lake.
The second day was warmer with an East wind. The bay of pigs produced some nice Northerns. The South side of the lake produced Northern and Walleye.
The third day was the BEST. Very warm with a SouthWest wind. We found lots of Northern and Walleye on the North shore.
The bay of pigs produced nice Northern in the 35"-40" range. The biggest Northern was 42" on the North shore. Walleye started slow but really picked up. We didn't catch huge Wa;;eye but pleanty of them. The fish moved deeper and we caught them in 6-10' of water. We used mostly minnows and some leeches. Another great trip to Bear Paw lake. Be back in August!
First "ice out" group of the season
LateMay
Spent 4 days at Bear Paw after spending 3 days at Betty Lake. Ice came off the lake and we flew to Bear Paw the first day possible. Fishing was good but Walleye were hitting lightly in 18" to 6' of water. It was rainy first few days but by the weekend we reached high 70's. Fishing picked up in numbers of fish caught, but the fish were still taking it lightly. Live minnows & gulp on 1/16 jig worked the best. Had to locate school of fish and then could catch 20-30 at a time. Largets Walleye was 23" a few in the 21" range and a lot smaller in the 15-18" range. Northern were active and caught in with Walleyes on jigs, a lot of fish in the 30-35" range and a few got up intothe low 40's. Bigger fish liked the bigger baits, but still slowly moved. They did seem to want meat and the old half pork chop under a bobber trick worked well. The fish were still moving slow to take spoons and we only caught snake Northern casting. The bigger one came jigging plastics and on live bait. That is all.
2013 Season
June
Tom Franke & Family
MidJune
Harald, Ann, Erik, and Allyson, Winston, Allistar, and Hillary:
First, I hope I have the spelling of the names right. Second, we had a really wonderful trip. I have put many of the over 800 pictures up on Facebook, but they are on my page. Everything about the trip was fabulous, and I really do mean that everything was. This was such a good time for Maggie and I. There are not enough words to be able to say thanks enough for a great place to get away from the daily shuffle of life.
As I was unpacking, I came across this green piece of paper, and thought you might need the inventory of Bear Paw cabin:
Tomato soup – 0, Veg. soup – 0, Cream of Chicken soup – 1, Mac & Cheese – 4, Chili – 1, Stew – 0, Kilk/spork – 0, Green Beans – 5, Yellow Beans – 1, Baked Beans – 6, Peas – 0, Corn – 4, Carrots – 0, Applesauce – 0, Fruit cocktail – 3, Peaches – 1, Pears – 0, Peanut butter – 1.5 jars, Individual peanut butters – 4, Jam – 1, Individual jams – 3, Pancake mix – 2.5, Syrup – 1.5, Mustard – full container of packets, Ketchup – 3/4 of bottle and 1/6 of a container of packets, Coffee – 3.5, Milk powdered – 1/3, Crisco – 7, Vegetable oil – 0, Crackers – 2 sleeves, Flour – 1/2 container, Sugar – 1/2 container, Salt – 1 mason jar, Pepper – 1 mason jar, Handwipes – 4, Toilet paper – 10, Paper towel – 8, Small plastic bags – 10, Garbage bags – 8, Hand soap – 4 bars, Dish soap – 1 bottle of Joy, 1 jug under sink, SOS pags – 4, Matches – 1/2 box, Fantastic soap – full bottle, Cleanser – 1 bottle and 1 jug under sink, Bleach – 1, Potatoes – 1 box, Onions – 10
One item that is needed is an oven mitt … nothing to hold the hot pans except a towel.
I hope this helps. I am already looking forward to next year, Tom & family.
2012 Season
September
MidSeptember
2 friends. Caught fish. Weather lousy. Cold rainy but good for sleeping and, of course, fishing.
August
LateAugust
4 buddies, long time standing. Fished for 7 days on Bear Paw (4th trip here) and found fishing slow (we usually come in mid June). On average caught 50 fish per day. Biggest walleye 24.5” and 3 northerns over 40”. Lots of fish in 4-6 feet of water in the rocks.
2 Couples from the Great State of Texas
MidAugust
Windy, rainy, cool, caught fish, plenty of walleye and lots of northerns.
July
4 from Minnesota/4 from South Dakota & Nebraska
LateJuly
Day 1 checked out the lake and caught a few fish. Day 2 – much more productive with lots of walleye in the morning, afternoon and evening. Day 3 “Dirty Harry” caught a 42” northern in the Bay of Pigs. WOW! Day 4 & 5 scouted back lake with measured results. Day 6, Captain Ron slammed a 42” northern followed by a 43” northern on the very next cast. The son reports that he put the Dad right on the fish 😊 Best of luck to those that fish Bear Paw.
2 Friends from Colorado
MidJuly
Day 1 caught lots of walleye (biggest 20”) and put some in freezer for dinner; Day 2 hot, no wind and fishing slow; Day 3 was hot & windy with whitecaps on the water but FISHING WAS EXCELLENT. Day 4 was hot with light winds that changed just about every second. Fishing was challenging but still caught lots of fish. In sum, another fantastic year at Bear Paw Lake with tones of fish and a beautiful cabin. A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.
May
Family of 5 from Wisconsin
LateMay
Trip summary includes:
•2 days of rain/cold;
•2 beautiful, sunny warm days
•Caught our limit of fish and then some (lots!!!)
•Records: The “beauty” biggest walleye at 271/2”
•The “newlywed” biggest pike at 41”
Great trip; great time.
2011 Season
July
Dan and his Buddy (Rudy)
LateJuly
Thank you so much for another great trip to Bear Paw Lake and KaBeeLo. It is always a highlight of the year and I’m already looking forward to next year.
I hope you can somehow find time to relax and even enjoy your summer. You guys deserver it. You work so hard to make dreams come true and create lifetime memories for so many people. The fires will no doubt change some of your plans but you and your efforts have created a lot of satisfied customers that will stick with you. I’m praying God will give you peace and guide you through all of this.
May
Bill Sherck, Host of a TV program
LateMay
Oh Canada, 2011! Visit Bill Sherck’s Blog.
2010 Season
September
Len and Nora
EarlySeptember
1st 10 minutes right off the dock. Len caught 2 Walleye – 1 – 18” & Nora caught 1.5 lb. Northern Afternoon: Nora 10 walleyes – 2 for dinner; Len 8 walleyes, 1 northern, 1 perch All right in front of cabin – point – to – point. Walleye was wonderful 3-5 pm Nora 4 fish; Len 5 fish Total: 32 28 Walleye 3 Northern & 1 Perch
Sept. 2nd
Rain, Rain, Rain! No Fishing
Sept. 3rd
Rain overnight, Cloudy, windy AM – Len 5 Walleyes, 1 Northern, 1 Perch 12:30 – 3 PM Len 6 Walleyes Nora 5 Walleyes, 1 Northen Daily total :19 16 Walleye; 2 Northern; 1 Perch
Sept. 4th
Sunny, Calm & Cool. All minnows died. 10-12 Nora 5 Walleye; 2 Northern Len 3 Walleye All in front of cabin with dead minnows 1 – 4 pm Len 12 Walleyes – 14- 19” Nora 1 Walleye Totals: 23 21 Walleyes, 2 Northern
Sept. 4th
Frost on the Roof! 9 – 11 am only 4 fish 2 small northerns on north end 2 small walleyes by cabin, Nora is using corn. 12 – 2:30pm Nora 4 walleye, 1 perch Len 1 walleye Len hooked huge northern – brought to side of boat fish was 45” long same length as KaBeeLo Lodge Fish Sticker. Northern then turned, went down under tree & spit hook out! 7 Walleyes, 2 Northerns, 1 Perch 10 fish total!
August
Ross Party
LateAugust
Came in 8 A.M. got settled in fishing by 9 A.M. got some fish to eat for lunch – rained as we got back to cabin. Warm Cloudy – got to go back out around 4 P.M. got some more to take home. Rained again at night.
Monday Aug 30 – Had rain again but still able to fish in between – had good fishing on North end only – 16” or smaller use to bigger fish from other lakes we’ve been on.
Tues Aug 31 – Still rain a lot of wind today still had fishing on North end – babies but fun to catch some. Great 3 days – love it up North.
Herbst
LateAugust
August 26, Windy but good fishing any rocky point shoreline was good (41) walleye and (3) Pike pickeling size. Biggest walleye 17 ½” Lots for 16s. Best times anytime you were out there. Fish for lunch & supper. Great day of fishing. Minnows, crawlers best gulp worked at times.
August 27, Windy out of south – Lot’s of Roller’s + white caps on lake. Fished AM 2 – 3 hours and eve for 3 hours – to much work during midday to keep on spot. Caught 118 eyes, 11 ± 23”, Many 17-18”, 7 pike all smaller, Largest 3 lbs. And ½ dozen Perch. Larger Walleyes caught on south end in gap between main lake to east of larger island. North Shore produced the most action. Island with 2 Eagles seemed to be best. Fish caught in 6’ – 12’ of water on Rocks.
August 28, fished am (2 of us) from 8 – 12 boated 30 eyes + ± 10 Pike, did a lot of cruising to check out the lake, we would have caught a hundred had we stayed in the area they were biting. But as this was out 1st trip here wanted to see the whole lake… Very beautiful Lake… came in at noon for lunch + break, raining now pretty hard, will go out later this pm to catch a few more. Went out at 5:00 til 7:30 caught over 40 eyes. GREAT FISHING!!!!! Rain let up just in time for our last eve. Took some great photo’s of the Harvest moon and sunrise, will send some to Harald and Ann. 1st trip to Bear Paw was excellent… Look forward to our next trip here.
Summary of our trip 2 guys, 200+ eyes 3 day’s did not fish real hard…did a lot of cruising the lake. Best spot’s —North end Island with Eagle nest – (2 eagles there all the time) North shore east of eagles and Islands (small) east of Island with large white rock. Gold spinners worked best, ran out of minnows + gulp 4” shad worked great. Had a great time . . . Will Return. Phil Herbst + Hal Devereux
July
Hasbrovck & Provinzino
LateJuly
Day 1, We have returned to Bear Paw for the fourth time. On the flight in, we spotted a cow moose with two calves’. The weather was perfect and beautiful. It took a little time to locate a steady source of fish, but once we did, the fishing was quite good. The largest walleye was 22 inches we also landed several pike. It’s simply great to be at a perfect lake with family and the comforts of a new cabin. We look forward to tomorrow’s fishing with much anticipation.
July 31
Day 2, We got out quite early this morning. Walleyes were plentiful. A pink Mister Twister with a leach worked well. After about three hours of fishing we went in for lunch. We found walleyes in abundance. The largest fish was in the mid-twenty range. Pike remain elusive. During the afternoon, we spent some time fishing for pike. The size of the pike was all on the small side. Our fishing was cut short due to a thunderstorm. We slept through the storm. Our evening fishing was spent concentrating on the walleyes. We found fishing to be favorable, but the really quick catching of numbers was sporadic. We closed the evening with a nice walleye fry. It was a good close to the first full day of fishing. Tomorrow I’ll continue to look for a pike in the 35+ in class. This is truly an amazing setting.
August 1
Day 3, The wind had more energy from the west this morning. Consequently, the morning’s fishing was good. We found Walleyes off of most rocky points. Jack and Dick caught 30-40 fish in one hour’s time from a small area. We each kept a few fish for our afternoon fish tacos. Fishing was best in the 10-12 ft. range, but fish were also caught in3-5 ft. of water. This afternoon was marked by good weather. It was breezy and provided a chop to keep the light low. We all did well fishing with various jigs tipped with leeches. We did, however, find mimic Minnows to produce better than other jigs. Due to the good walleye fishing, half of us chose to fish for pike in the evening. We were about to cover vast expanses of water, but the big pike remain elusive. Andy amazingly caught five walleyes over 20 inches with as many casts. It was fun thing to watch. I’m hoping tomorrow yields a big pike for me.
August 2
Day 4, The morning dawned clear, sunny, and dead calm. Walleye fishing was good. Those who moved from spot to spot continued to do catch fish a quick pace. The largest walleye of the morning and trip was caught by Dick. It measured 26 inches. After a quickly taken photo, she was released back to the depths of Bear Paw. We knocked off around 11:00 for some bacon and eggs. Hopefully, we’ll get some wind for a hot bite this afternoon. We were out on the water by 1:30. The fishing was fairly good, but we needed to continually move to keep fishing active biters. Out biggest excitement of the afternoon was a small pike that shook a treble right into Ben’s leg. Fortunately, Dick had extracted several hooks throughout his years on the water. Soon Ben was back to fishing. We came in around 7:00 to get camp cleaned and orderly for our departure at dawn. A chestnut colored female mink made us a visit. It was fun to observe it’s habit’s. After dinner, a cool breeze cooled the cabin. It’s always with mixed emotions to leave Bear Paw Lake.
Wade, Sherry, Collin and Coltin
LateJuly
We flew in from the lodge this morning, and after a lot of getting ready we went fishing. We started off good we caught lots of walleye, and a few pike. Then we came into the cabin and ate our lunch that we had fixed for us at the lodge. When we were done with lunch we went out and there was a really dark cloud over us but it wasn’t doing anything so we decided that we would go out closet to the cabin. We were catching fish like crazy then it stared pouring rain. So we got to the cabin as soon as possible then it started hailing, and wind blowing. It is starting to clear off so we were going to try to go out and catch more fish.
LateJuly
Arrived from Florida, leaving the humidity behind. Fished the big & small island directly across from the cabin in the morning. Caught 50-60 Walleyes between the three of us with the big fish being a 27 ½” hog. Also caught a few small northern on jigs. The afternoon was windy but the skies were clear & the bite shut down. Had fried walleye for dinner and made apple cobbler in the grill for dessert. Water stopped working in the cabin. Discovered hose fitting had popped off under cabin & pump lost its prime. Reattached fitting and all was well.
P.S. – Be careful, as you can easily lock yourself out of the cabin or on the screened porch.
Day 2, Morning was clear, calm & sunny. Still had decent walleye fishing off the big island in front of cabin. Be afternoon it was raining & windy. Fishing was better. Searched the bays for northern but no success. Coconut walleye for dinner & finished off the apple cobbler.
Day 3, Carbon copy of yesterday morning’s weather. Fishing only medicine. Strong wind in the afternoon improved the bite off the windward side of the small islands, but made boat control more of a challenge. Caught 25 Walleyes the final hour off the small island in front of cabin. Dinner was a standing rib roast with corn on the cob & brownies for dessert.
Day 4, Windy all day today – good for fishing but work when it comes to boat control. Caught lots of walleyes in the windy cuts between the small islands. More big fish today: 24” x 2; 23” x 2; 22”; 21”; 20” Leftover rib roast sandwiches for lunch. Baked walleye over a bed of sweet potatoes for dinner & finished off the brownies. Off to Perrigo Lake in the AM for 4 more days of Piscatorial bliss!
Jed, Angie, Alania & Austin
MidJuly
July 19 – Day 1, 10:00AM Arrival Ted, Angie, Alana(17), Austin(15) Our trip started with great excitement. As the plane flew off, Austin quickly put on a gas tank & motor & too off fishing. The rest of us… we started unpacking. Five minutes later… he returns. He caught a northern & he was also “caught”. A treble hook of a husky jerk rapala was deeply embedded between his thumb & pointer finger. He sat at the end of the table & we removed the lure & snapped off the other 2 hooks. Then we debated… cut the skin, push it through, call the plane? 20 minutes later he looks up & on the wall we read, the KaBeeLo Lodge “Remove a hook the easy way”. Well… it works! A little first aid & we were off fishing.
Day 3, It was day III as I write this & I still have not fully figured out the map of other locations like we were told by the people before us. Quote “the big rock behind the island”. Yes, there are a lot of big rocks. So, I am going to try a drawing. Maybe then you won’t need to fish at every Big Rock!
- on this choppy day we could hardly keep up. Drop the line in, pull one out, as fast as we could go. The girls found the hole & the guys quickly came & crowded in!! then by the way- fish cleaning is a board on two log’s – the seagulls led us there! —-Guess a girl just needs a little help with a map. We loved the rain & wind for the fishing & the sun and calm waters were great for exploring (not so good for fishing). We went up the creek in the northeast corner. We caught a few small northern & found it easiest to get out & pull the boats over the rocks & beaver dam. It was an expedition led by an eager 15 year old boy that went nowhere. But we did it!
Hot evening games!
• Triple solitaire, and
• Stick the card on your forehead (facing the other players) & bet your card is higher (forehead poker?)
Day 4, We are all set for day #4 – the plane brought us much need necessities – water & more minnows!
Almost 30 years ago I visited Bear Paw. My Grandmother, father, mother & siblings. Grandma & Dad now watch from above as I return with my family. Dad would have smiled as Alana’s face lit up with a 26” walleye or Austin caught his 38” northern. I wondered if the return could be as good as my childhood memories, and it was. I think of how much my mother must have added to the experience as she spoke of bears scratching the side of the cabin or exaggerated how we must “survive” in the wilderness. Dad woke and gave us the morning report, “I have good news & bad news is it isn’t raining, it’s snowing” and the pans of water in the old cabin were frozen solid. Yes, today’s cabin is somewhat more luxurious than the old. But I am sure the memories will live on just as strong for my children.
Another fun night activity- (on calm night) yell off the end of the dock & listen to the great echo!
A New Bear Paw Tradition
We are leaving behind a special gift for the next guests of Bear Paw. We find this #14 Rapala Husky Jerk to be very special. This lure caught 3-38” northern both by trolling & casting. This is our gift to you. Please pass on a memory of your trip to the next guests!
Dan & Randy
EarlyJuly
Great Trip. What a fantastic cabin! The old one was nice but wow, this one is incredible. Overall, not as many fish as other trips to Bear Paw. However, we had a great time and caught a lot. The biggest walleye was 24” and the biggest northern was 44” and 25 pounds. The island and the rocky point south of the cabin seemed to be the hot spots. Not much luck in the Bay of Pigs. Had some real nice walleye on the north side of the lake. It was very windy the second day. The waves were very large in the middle of the lake. Off and on rain every day. Another fantastic trip. Can’t wait until next year. Thank you Harald and Ann!
June
MidJune
Day 1, Arrived around 8:00am – group of 4 from the Milwaukee area – most of the group have been here before – all impressed with the new cabin –Started fishing around 10:00am – both boats stared fishing off the point to the right of the cabin = caught a 26” walleye – in the bay past the point we saw a woodland caribou & calf in the water – about 2 hours later we saw a cow moose & her calf in the same spot. Gary & Ed investigated the island directly across from the cabin – they found a windblow shore – hammered the walleye – Jim and Duk joined them later – joined in on the fun. Walleye after walleye – at times all four of use had fished over fish averaged around 15” – 18” – used minnows and leeches. When we rain low of minnows we used the dead minnows the fish coughed up after being caught. Jim and Duk fished that spot till 4:30pm will continuous action – Ed And Gary had gone in earlier – they came out and caught enough fish for dinner in about 10 minutes – good evening meal – went back around 7:30pm – fished same spots – wind changed – results weren’t as good but still plenty of action. Gary & Ed believe they caught over 100 walleye each for the day – afraid we are going to run out of minnows but Tuesday 26” walleye still in the lead, Gary considering taking walleye fishing lessons from Duk so he can get back in the competition – Excellent first day for all.
June 21
Day 2, 50 degrees AM High 80 degrees No Rain Fishing quite good again today. Between the 4 of us caught probably 250 walleye biggest 22 ½ – Most 14”+ 2”. Caught a coupl Pike 28”-30” on Gold Johnson Minnow but over all big Pike action not good. Most year’s big Pike caught wile jigging. Having some trouble with water at cabin as it keeps loosing pressure. To fix, turn off pump at solar box on pier. Take off house clamp on pipe going from solar box to cabin. Turn on pump let run for 15 seconds. Turn pump off. Reconnect hose & tighten clamp and turn pump back on. Should work. Will continue to investigate problem. The 50 dozen minnows are going fast. Leeches working OK but at this rate we might run out of bait. Looking to make minnow trap from sacrificing a plastic jug and a oil bottle.
June 22
Day 3, 60 degrees at 5:00AM High 80 Lots of Sunshine Started the day early (5:00AM) solo cruise – looking for Northern Pike. Caught several (12-15) in shallow water left of cabin. No size but fun to see them crash top water lures. My task was to return with walleyes for breakfast, caught 5 quickly but needed my brother to come and catch the remaining 3 for egg dip & saltine cracker walleyes. (Schmeck Gut!)
After breakfast our group of 4 explored the north side of the lake caught several walleye with small northern mixed in. We went back to out “favorite spots” and pounded walleye catching 23” and 25 ½” with several about 20”. Caught a 32” northern great day in the Great White North! Weather changed quickly and rain kept us in for cribbage and rest.
June 23
Day started out pretty slow. Walleyes not biting very good and wind was pretty strong. Went out after dinner to honey hole and things picked up. Started to catch a number of fish at a pretty good rate. Fishing with panfish pole that I brought up for some fast action. Was bringing in a small walleye when a great white Northern hit it and took off. Since I only had a 2 pound line on it was quite a battle. After 45 min. I landed a 40” plus northern. What a rush! My brother handled the boat and did the netting for me. Next time we will bring bigger nets!!