Friday, May 29, 2009

Fishing Memories Keep Us Coming Back Time After Time

Good morning to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. The weather today has been spotty, it showered early, but the day has turned out gorgeous this afternoon. We had a few boats out on the water and our guests were able to limit out this morning and trophy fish this afternoon. Besides the weather, everything is perfect for us at the Wigwam Resort on Lake of the Woods. We are supposed to have some awesome conditions for tomorrow which will make for an excellent start to the final weekend in May 2009!

I was talking with one of our guests this morning and the question was asked, what is your best fishing memory? I had to hesitate for a moment, because I think every time I go out I experience something new that makes that experience my best, but there is one that I have to say is the best, and because of Fathers Day right around the corner I thought I would share it.

My Father, Curt Tessier, loved to fish and every chance he got to make the call, that’s exactly what we did. So on Fathers Day in 1982 he told the Tessier clan that we were going fishing, and were going to his all time favorite spot on Rainy Lake…Black Sturgeon up on the Canadian side…I can remember back to the very first time I fished with my Father and Grandfather at the age of 3 and Black Sturgeon is where we went.

Back on that beautiful June day my parents loaded up the car and the boat (14’ with a 9.9 Honda motor) with all our goodies and kids (me, my brother (Ryan) and sister (Janelle)) and we hit the road. I remember having a good feeling about that day…I don’t know if it was just because I was able to go fishing, or if it was because our entire family was going to be together and fish, but there was something special about it. It hadn’t been more than 30 minutes on the lake and we had gotten into the Crappies, and I’m not talking about the little ones either…I’m talking about frying pan size Crappies. We were pulling them up one right after the other…it was amazing! After about two hours of none stop Crappie, my Father had latched onto something big, we didn’t know what it was at first, but the names were flying out of our mouths before we had even seen it. I had said, “It must be a Muskie”, my Mom said, “it must be a Northern”, finally my Father saw it for the first time and said, “IT’S A WALLEYE”! Everyone was so excited that every time he got the fish to the boat we all leaned over and we almost flipped the boat. This whole time I was trying to net it, mind you I was 8 years old, my brother who was 6 wouldn’t get out of my way, and my Mom was holding my 6 month old sister tightly in her arms, telling us all to settle down. I was in Walleye heaven…I had never seen a Walleye so big. Finally after what seemed to be an eternity my Father was able to bring the fish up just enough for me to land it and then he dropped his rod and grabbed the net. I didn’t say a word for about the next 5 minutes…all I did was sit there and stare at what I thought was a monster. My father wanted to throw it back, but we all said, “NO, we have to mount it to remember this great occasion”, after all it was Fathers Day, my Dad was doing what he loved to do, and the entire family was there, so we did. For the rest of the day I didn’t even wet my line…all I did is stare and think to myself, when would be the next time I would be able to be face to face with another Walleye of that size…I was in heaven!

The Walleye was just over 6 ½ lbs…small to the standards held on Lake of the Woods these days, but it was a monster to an 8 year old, and that is to date, my most memorable fishing memory. I hope you enjoyed, because I’ve got goose bumps reliving it. It makes me want to get out there and go fishing right now!

The moral of this story is, many of the best stories are made with family, so this Fathers Day, no matter what it is, just get out there and do it with your family. I hope that each and every person will make this Fathers Day the most memorable to date! I hope to see you all on Lake of the Woods and remember to checkout our Fathers Day Week Special on our website; it will be an offer you can’t refuse!

Daily Fishing Report: Tomorrows forecast looks like this; mainly sunny, high around 60F with winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. For those of you that would like to do a little evening fishing here is what you can expect; mostly clear skies early, becoming mostly cloudy with showers developing later at night, low 39F with NNW winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 20 mph. There will be a 40% chance of rain. Sunday’s forecast will be overcast with rain showers at times high 59F with winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. There will be another 40% chance of rain. Since I won't be blogging this weekend I will give you Monday’s forecast; showers, highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s…so don’t put away your parkas…ha ha. My sources (our guides) were out on the big water again today, about ¾ or a mile out from Lighthouse Gap in the mud fishing at the depth of 32 feet. Nothing has changed and they are still catching fish. They are fishing with Pink & White jigs with frozen shiners. Lighthouse Gap is still producing in about 14 to 18 feet of water. I’ve been having great success casting out into the current and jigging back to the boat against the current with my trusty Pink jig with a frozen shiner. Once again, make sure you’re on the bottom, because that’s where the fish are at! Good Luck and Happy Fishing!

My shout out today will go to a group of first timers to the Wigwam Resort, Keith Schlosser of Connecticut, Tom Mason of Minnesota and Bill Ferro of Wisconsin. I wanted to thank them for the opportunity to show them our northern Minnesota hospitality and what Lake of the Woods is all about. I hope they will return very quickly for another round of great fishing. I also wanted to give a shout out to Keith’s son, Kyle. I have heard through the grapevine that he has the dream of working in the resort business someday, and I just wanted to tell him that I think he’s on the right path. Kyle, never lose site of your dream and someday it will become reality. If you would like to checkout what Kyle is all about, please checkout his website at http://www.schlosserfamily.com/. Kyle, keep up the great work and I hope to see you in September with your Dad, so we can knock down some of those Canadian Honkers (Geese)!

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Big Fish are Going Deep!!!!

Good morning to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Today has been beautiful, but just a bit windy on Lake of the Woods. We have had plenty of reports this morning of rough conditions due to the gusting winds, but that hasn’t slowed down the anglers from catching large amounts of Walleye! If you’re an angler that loves to catch fish, then Lake of the Woods is for you!

I would like to share a story with you about a gentleman, which one of our guests met on his drive back to Chicago from the Wigwam Resort just last weekend. Bill Z., his brother Steve and buddy Dave were filling up their truck near the Grand Rapid, MN area and ran into a gentleman, who was also filling up his truck for his drive back to Minneapolis. Each was pulling their respective boats, so the gentleman that was going back to Minneapolis asked Bill and the boys a question, “how did you do this weekend and where did you fish”? That question was answered with a confident answer “We did awesome on Lake of the Woods”! Dave proceeded to reach for his camera for the proof (Bill, Steve and Dave were the gentlemen that I featured in the blog a few days ago that had a great weekend of fishing over Memorial Day Weekend). The bewildered gentleman looked at the pictures with an astonished look on his face and said, “I can’t believe it…I only caught two fish all weekend…I will not make that mistake again…next time I’m going to drive the extra two hours to go to Lake of the Woods”.

The moral of the story is, if you’re going for the weekend or for a week; don’t let yourself get distracted away from Lake of the Woods because it’s a two hour drive further. My personal thoughts are; I don’t care if it’s a 20 hour drive further…if you want to catch fish; you had better get to Lake of the Woods. I bet that gentleman doesn’t make the same mistake twice…this was a lesson learned!

Daily Fishing Report: Tomorrow's forecast looks like this; partly cloudy in the morning with increasing clouds and periods of showers later on in the day…thunderstorms are possible, with a high around 65F. If you’re looking to get out tomorrow night this is what you should expect; isolated thunderstorms during the evening, becoming clear overnight with a low 38F…winds from the NW at 5 to 10 mph…with a 30% chance of rain. My sources (our guides) were out on the big water today, about ¾ or a mile out from Lighthouse Gap in the mud fishing at the depth of 32 feet. They are fishing with Pink & White jigs with frozen shiners. Last night between 6 pm to 8 pm, I was out by myself fishing in Lighthouse Gap in about 14 to 18 feet of water…in my little honey hole. I was having great success casting out into the current and jigging back to the boat against the current with my trusty Pink jig with a frozen shiner. Once again, make sure you’re on the bottom, because that’s where the fish are at! Good Luck and Happy Fishing!

My shout out today will go to Ron Olson (a family friend of Tom Briggs). At the infant stage of my employment with the Wigwam Resort, I have yet to get out and fish with the guests, but yesterday I had that opportunity to do exactly that with Barney Briggs (Tom’s Father), Ron and Tom…it was an excellent experience. I made the comment to Ron (the one that was catching all the fish) that I might have to change my lure to something a little bit more like his, and then he made the comment, “it’s not always about the lure”. I had a good little chuckle at that, but he was right. I switched lures and still wasn’t having the success of Ron. That was my lesson learned for the day…thank you. I will have to take you out again the next time you’re here and you will have to critique me to see if I’ve learned anything. I hope you and Barney had a great time while you stayed with us at the Wigwam Resort and I look forward to your return.

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tom Briggs Can Put You on the Fish...Simple As That!!!!

Good morning to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Well today’s weather is a little unexpected, considering that the national weather forecast said that it was supposed to be sunny and 60 Degrees today. The actual weather conditions are overcast/cloudy and 48 Degrees. I wish we all could be as wrong as the meteorologist and still keep our jobs, but I don’t think we could all be so lucky…ha ha. With today’s edition I wanted to talk about a group that has had the pleasure of being guided by one of the best fishermen that I know…the Wigwam Resort's own Tom Briggs. Tom has been the owner/operator of the Wigwam Resort, along with, fishing and guiding on Lake of the Woods for the past 12 years…his total guiding experience is over 25 years. His repeat business is off of the charts!!!! I want to share with you the story of Bob and Sandy Gunnarson and why they keep coming back year after year!

Tom had the pleasure of meeting the Gunnarson’s at the first show he worked in Duluth, MN back in 2000. The Gunnarson’s who resided in Duluth, had always wanted to fish Lake of the Woods, but were looking for the right opportunity to do so. Tom was able to put together a package for them that they couldn’t refuse, and they didn’t. As every person does they were looking to just check things out on Lake of the Woods. While they were here they wanted to checkout a few other resorts besides the Wigwam. Their first trip to the Wigwam Resort on Lake of the Woods was such a memorable one that they didn’t go look at other resorts, and it has brought them back an astonishing 34 times in 9 years. On one of their trips to visit us at the Wigwam Resort on January 21, 2002 Sandy caught a 30 1/2 “, 10.6 lb Walleye, which is currently mounted in the lobby of the Wigwam Resort Lodge. Each time they come back they bring new people with them, and their guests keep coming back themselves year after year.

Last weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) we had the opportunity of having the Gunnarson’s back with us again and this time was no different than any other. Bob brought up his two sons and a couple of their friends…Tom was able to put them on the fish both days and they had a blast. The proof is in the pictures.

If you’re looking for an exciting fishing trip to Lake of the Woods, don’t miss the opportunity to fish with the Wigwam Resort's own Tom Briggs…you won’t be disappointed. Book now, because his summer guiding schedule is filling up quickly, even as I’m writing. Tom’s an unbelievable fisherman and instructor, whose top priority is to make your fishing experience a great one each and every time. He is looking forward to working with as many people as possible this year…he has an abundance amount of fishing knowledge that needs to be tapped. Give us a call at the Wigwam Resort and let Tom PUT YOU ON THE FISH!

Daily Fishing Report: The weather today has been a little less than stellar…we have an overcast sky, wind from the east/southeast 5 to 10. Tomorrow's tentative forecast looks like this, mostly sunny, high of 73, winds from the west/northwest 10 to 20 mph. If you don’t get the chance to get out there today, don’t miss out on tomorrow, because you won’t get this weather again for at least next 3 days. The weekend is unfortunately not looking pretty…we are supposed to get scattered showers Friday, Saturday & Sunday. My sources (our guides) are out on the big water today and in Zipple Bay again, and are having some good success. They are fishing with Orange & Chartreuse jigs with frozen shiners. We are fishing in about 18 to 22 feet of water. My other sources (our guests) were having good success also…they were in Four Mile Bay and in Morris Gap fishing with the same lures and bait and fishing in 14 to 18 feet of water…make sure you're on the bottom, because that’s where the fish are at!

My shout out today will go out to all the fathers out there. If you want a great opportunity to bond with your son or daughter, bring them fishing! The entire week before Fathers Day, the Wigwam Resort will be offering a special (Sunday June 14th – Sunday June 21st), which will look like this: Fathers/Mothers if you are fishing with your kids, your entire family will get a 20% discount off of any fishing package (checkout our website for package prices at http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/). I lost my father to cancer 3 years ago and would give anything to go fishing with him again. I want everyone that can experience it, to be able to, whether it is for the first or the hundredth time. It was always a great bonding moment for me and my father (Curtis Norman Tessier)…I will treasure them all for the rest of eternity!

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Amazing Memorial Day Weekend for Walleye Anglers on Lake of the Woods!!!!

Good afternoon to all,

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Today’s addition will be a little different...I received an e-mail from one our guests today and I thought this was pretty neat and wanted to share this with everyone. If there is anyone who is thinking about coming up here this summer, this should seal the deal. I hope you all enjoy and I will be back with another edition tomorrow telling the story about another group that had an amazing time this weekend…the Gunnerson’s. Please enjoy…I did!

Jean Paul,

Thanks for a great weekend! I tried to create an account to Blog but couldn't get through on this computer. Dave Blaszak supposedly gave you our pictures from Sunday's catch. For the record, here is the fish count in just 4 hours of fishing:

WALLEYE COUNT - SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2009
FISHERMEN:
Bill Zumbek - Elgin, IL
Steve Zumbek - McHenry, IL
Dave Blaszak - Tinley Park, IL

The following Walleye count happened in just 4 Hours off of one of my fishing holes last Sunday. I don't know what the record is but we had to come close! Our pictures will support this claim. We anchored in one spot and never moved.














1 29"
1 28"
1 25"
2 24"
2 23"
6 22"
6 21"
10 20"
24 19"
10 18"
12 17" - 14"
12 SAUGERS
35 JUMBO PERCH
1 DOG FISH














All fish were caught and released. We kept one limit of (12) 19" Walleyes and the largest (6) Saugers, plus the 35 Perch.

During an average day of fishing, each Person in the boat will catch fish, and usually someone will get one BIG one. As you can see this was an exceptional day!
We literally caught fish each and every time we dropped in the water. It was the sizes of the fish that was most impressive. I've had a lot of good days, but nothing like this in the past.

Memorial Day Weekend Weather on Lake of the Woods

The front that moved in Thursday 5/21 shut-down the bite considerably. On Friday, a secondary front came through with heavy in the early evening. By Saturday high pressure had moved in with a N.E. Wind at about 10 MPH. Even with slightly warmer temperatures, the bite was still slower than earlier in the Week. On Sunday, due to the large volume of boats in the gaps we went across the Lake on a light south wind. We did not get out until 11:00 AM. The temperature must have warmed to about mid to upper 60's, mostly sunny. Water temperature was 54 degrees. We anchored and jigged with (Live) Shiner Minnows, using no more than 3/8 oz jigs. The largest Walleyes were caught on the smallest jigs with Fuzzy Grubs added for effect. I lost at least 4 other large Walleyes equal to or larger than those reported. So did my other two fishing partners. What a great day!

Sincerely,

Bill Zumbek
Elgin, IL

There was one other thing I wanted to add to today's blog. We had the pleasure of having one of our guests over the weekend get on stage to sing with the band, "Poor Boys", and no one was expecting what they got. The drummer of the band (Danny) even joked as he got on stage that they were going to have to get a step ladder so that he could reach the microphone...the joke was on all of us! I just wanted to say thank you to Buddy Kahle of Blaine, MN...you were amazing and ROCKED THE DOORS OFF THE WIGWAM!!!! We all are looking forward to your return...thanks again! We were fortunate enough to have them recorded with a camera phone...I have put both on YouTube...check them out, if you don't, you're missing out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-2PVWTgQ5w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFUDa2NprAI

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Saturday, May 23, 2009

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This...Happy Memorial Day!

Good afternoon to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Today we have excellent weather conditions and I think all that praying I did might have paid off. This morning was a bit brisk, but I’ll tell you what, it has turned into a beautiful day. Tonight we are going to be blessed by the presence of Poor Boys again…once again they rocked the Wigwam last night and never do disappoint. Needless to say, I have been so jealous of everyone out on the lake today. I know that tomorrow I will get my opportunity to get out there, but it hurts to miss out on days like today. I hope everyone has had an amazing day on the lake and that continues on into Memorial Day! With it being Memorial Day weekend I just wanted to say Semper Fi to all our current and ex-Marines, and a great big Wigwam thank you to the balance of our armed forces and veterans.

Daily Fishing Report: The weather today has been phenomenal…sunny and 60…I will take that everyday. Tomorrows tentative forecast looks like this, sunny with a high of 68 (YES!!!!), winds from the south 5 to 10 mph…if you didn’t get the chance to get out there today, don’t miss out on tomorrow, because you won’t get this weather again for at least next 3 days. Memorial Day’s forecast looks like this…overcast with rain showers at times, high of 59 Degrees with winds out of west 10 to 20 mph with 70% chance of rain…bring your rain gear! My sources (our guides) were out on the big water today and in Zipple Bay and had some good success. They were fishing with Orange, Chartreuse and Gold jigs with frozen shiners. Some of my other sources (our guests) were having good success also…they were in Four Mile Bay and in Morris Gap fishing with the same lures and bait. Everyone was fishing in 14 to 18 feet of water…make sure your on the bottom, because that’s where the fish are at!

I will mention this everyday…if you are the person that is in charge of putting together your group fishing trips, please give me a call and I want to offer you a deal “that you can’t refuse”. Our goal is to make new friends everyday…I can’t wait to meet and make many new friends everyday as the years pass. Also, we have a great May Midweek Special running right now, which is, $30.00 per person per night for lodging only or $100.00 per person for one guided launch trip and one night lodging. There’s only one week left so don’t miss out on these deals. For next month I am thinking about putting together a Parent/Kid discount…we need to get the kids off the X-Boxes and the Sony Play Stations. Don’t get me wrong…I love technology as much as the next blogger, but I think back to my childhood and I am who I am because of what I experienced. The outdoors shape lives and I need YOUR help to get our next generation of fishermen/women involved.

My shout out today will go to the Gunnerson group…they had the distinguished opportunity of fishing with the Wigwam’s own Tom Briggs. They were most definitely put on the fish today and they loved every minute of it. Mr. Gunnerson is a longtime patron of the Wigwam Resort and I wanted to thank him personally for his loyalty throughout the years…it is greatly appreciated. Mr. Gunnerson, I hope that you and your group’s expectations were exceeded by the team at the Wigwam Resort this weekend. We are all looking forward to your next visit.

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Friday, May 22, 2009

Slow Start to the Day, but We Expect a Great Finish!!!!

Good afternoon to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Today we don’t have the 60 Degree weather we were expecting, but the word on the street is, that by the end of the day we might just hit it! Poor Boys are back in town tonight for another two night rock fest…if you have yet to hear them and are on the fence…get of now and get over here. They are always entertaining and keep the masses coming back time and time…for that I thank them. Yesterday I went out fishing with one of our ice fishing guides, Jake Magness from Fargo, ND. We were out on the lake from 6 pm to 8 pm and limited out…I love it when that happens. I just wanted to thank Jake for being a great fishing companion. I hope that we can do it again very soon.

Daily Fishing Report: The weather today was a little less appealing than expected, but that didn’t stop Bill Zumbek (one of our guests) and his crew from going out. Bill and his crew went out this morning and caught some nice fish, but they stated that the Walleyes aren’t biting hard…they concluded, because of the low pressure that just moved in the Walleye’s aren’t biting aggressively. Tomorrows tentative forecast looks like this, sunny with a high of 60, winds from the northwest 5 to 10 mph…we are supposed to start get some warmer temperatures (lets all cross our fingers though), which should carry into Sunday, but there is a chance of rain on Memorial Day this coming Monday. I know that I was going to inform you all about my success last night so here we go. I was catching fish in Four Mile Bay and in Lighthouse Gap on Orange/Chartreuse/Gold jigs with frozen shiners…my fishing partner was catching them on a White jig with frozen shiners. He also tried a 3 way swivel with a 1 oz weight, 3 foot line and a White/Chartreuse spinner with a frozen emerald shiner. Everything that we tried worked. We also tried to pull some Shad Rap’s while trolling, but we weren’t seeing the same success that we were while jigging…so I can’t recommend that just quite yet. We were having the best success catching fish from 12 to 18 feet of water, but later on I was marking some fish with my trusty fish finder at about 8 to 10 feet. FYI - I have also heard that Morris Bay is producing some nice Walleyes…I guess that is some food for thought.

I will mentioned this everyday…if you are the person that is in charge of putting together your group fishing trips, please give me a call and I want to offer you a deal “that you can’t refuse”. We want as many people as humanly possible to experience the Wigwam Resort this summer/fall/winter/spring…we are very confident that after your stay with us you won’t want to try some place different next year. Our goal is to make new friends everyday…I can’t wait to meet and make many new friends everyday as the years pass. Also, we have a great May Midweek Special running right now, which is, $30.00 per person per night for lodging only or $100.00 per person for one guided launch trip and one night lodging. Don’t miss out on these deals…they won’t last past the end of this month. For next month I am thinking about putting together a Parent/Kid discount…we need to get the kids off the X-Boxes and the Sony Play Stations. Don’t get me wrong…I love technology as much as the next blogger, but I think back to my childhood and I am who I am because of what I experienced. The outdoors shape lives and I need YOUR help to get our next generation of fishermen/women involved.

My shout out today will go to the Catch of the Day Winner “Bill Zumbek” of Elgin, IL. Bill is up with his brother and buddy (Dave Blazak). Bill is a longtime patron of the Wigwam and I wanted to thank him for his loyalty and business. Bill made a great comment that I would like to share…he said, “people from Chicago think I’m crazy to drive the 10 hours to Lake of the Woods, but I always tell them, who’s catching the fish”. I think that says it all!!!!

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Thursday, May 21, 2009

What a Day on Lake of the Woods!!!!

Good afternoon to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Today we have a brilliant blue sky and very little wind…what a great day to be fishing! We have yet to get a picture for the catch of the day so I just thought after I was done writing the blog I would head out and catch a monster with one of our winter guides Jake Magness. I hope I will have it downloaded on our website tonight still…if not, it will be up there tomorrow morning bright and early.

Daily Fishing Report: The weather is phenomenal, just like in the story of the 3 bears…it’s not to breezy, it’s not to calm, it’s just right! We are supposed to get some warmer temperatures that will carry into this weekend and Memorial Day this coming Monday. Today we had a high of 60…tomorrow should be 65 and by this weekend we might just break 70…YES!!!! My sources are telling me that the 3/8 oz and ½ oz jigs are still doing the trick…remember the fish are still on the bottom. The colors that have been working are Chartreuse and Orange or even the combination of both, you may even want to try a little Orange/Chartreuse/Gold…the bait of choice is still the frozen emerald shiners. I did get some other information, but before I give that out I will try it for myself tonight and give it to you first hand tomorrow (trolling with shad rap’s). We are having the best success catching fish from 12 to 18 feet of water. We are fishing in Morris Bay and Four Mile Bay (right in front of the Wigwam) and having excellent success. When fishing with the shad rap’s we will be fishing in 5 to 8 feet of water and trolling. Again, I will give you the skinny on that tomorrow. I can’t wait to get out there right now…I am like a kid in a candy store…I’m sooooooooooooo pumped.

I will mentioned this everyday…if you are the person that is in charge of putting together your group fishing trips, please give me a call and I want to offer you a deal “that you can’t refuse”. We want as many people as humanly possible to experience the Wigwam Resort this summer/fall/winter/spring…we are very confident that after your stay with us you won’t want to try some place different next year. Our goal is to make new friends everyday…I can’t wait to meet and make many new friends everyday as the years pass. Also, we have a great May Midweek Special running right now, which is, $30.00 per person per night for lodging only or $100.00 per person for one guided launch trip and one night lodging. Don’t miss out on these deals…they won’t last past the end of this month. For next month I am thinking about putting together a Parent/Kid discount…we need to get the kids off the X-Boxes and the Sony Play Stations. Don’t get me wrong…I love technology as much as the next blogger, but I think back to my childhood and I am who I am because of what I experienced. The outdoors shape lives and I need YOUR help to get our next generation of fishermen/women involved.

My shout out today will go to a group that we had in last week from Lincoln and Omaha Nebraska, "Pitts Crew" . Jim Pittenger and his crew were a great group and I hope that the service and the fishing were equally great for them. I look forward to seeing Pitt and his crew back very soon. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to show you our northern Minnesota hospitality…I hope it exceeded your expectations. Take care and thank you again…I know I’m not just speaking for myself when I say, we all hope to see you back again very soon.

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Changing Winds Bring Challenges on Lake of the Woods for Anglers

Good afternoon to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Today we faced different weather conditions than the rest of the state of Minnesota, but the fishing was still great. Today I was informed by a few of my friends from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area that the temperature was a blistering 90 plus, while we were fighting to break 50…what gives? I guess the global warming line is right around the middle of Minnesota…ha ha. I hope all of my readers will get the opportunity to experience the nice weather within the next few days…that includes me!

Daily Fishing Report: The weather today was nice in the morning, but started getting a little breezy and we had a few scattered showers this afternoon. One of our guests couldn’t believe the way the wind changes on Lake of the Woods…I think it just keeps it interesting. Weather conditions for tomorrow look like this…sunny in the morning/afternoon with some scattered thunderstorms developing late in the evening. We are supposed to get some warmer temperatures that will carry into this weekend and Memorial Day this coming Monday. Tomorrow we should see a high of 60…let’s cross our fingers. My sources are telling me that the 3/8 oz and ½ oz jigs are still doing the trick…remember the fish are still on the bottom. The colors that have been working are Chartreuse and Orange or even the combination of both, you may even want to try a little Orange/Chartreuse/Gold…the bait of choice is still the frozen emerald shiners or live fat head and rainbow minnows. We are having the best success catching fish from 12 to 18 feet of water. We are fishing in Morris Bay and Four Mile Bay (right in front of the Wigwam) and having excellent success. I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow evening to do some fishing…I hope that all my friends haven’t caught all the fish in my little honey holes. I will give you the skinny on Friday’s blog on how I did…I can’t wait!!!!

I will mentioned this everyday…if you are the person that is in charge of putting together your group fishing trips, please give me a call and I want to offer you a deal “that you can’t refuse”. We want as many people as humanly possible to experience the Wigwam Resort this summer/fall/winter/spring…we are very confident that after your stay with us you won’t want to try some place different next year. Our goal is to make new friends everyday…I can’t wait to meet and make many new friends everyday as the years pass. Also, we have a great May Midweek Special running right now, which is, $30.00 per person per night for lodging only or $100.00 per person for one guided launch trip and one night lodging. Don’t miss out on these deals…they won’t last past the end of this month. For next month I am thinking about putting together a Parent/Kid discount…we need to get the kids off the X-Boxes and the Sony Play Stations. Don’t get me wrong…I love technology as much as the next blogger, but I think back to my childhood and I am who I am because of what I experienced. The outdoors shape lives and I need YOUR help to get our next generation of fishermen/women involved.

My shout out today will go to Brett and Connor Maas who were guests with us this past weekend. Connor had the fight of a lifetime with a monster 50” Sturgeon. He fought the fish for over 8 minutes and did it all with a youth fishing rod and 8 lb test line. Needless to say he had a blast. I wanted to thank Brett and Connor for staying with us at the Wigwam Resort and I hope to see them back very soon. Connor’s catch was tapped and put on the Wigwam Resort website under the Wigwam Video tab…check it out…it will get your heart pumping and wishing that you were Connor for those 8 plus minutes. Congratulations Connor…GREAT FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

As the Wind Blows from the East...The Fishing Keeps Steady

Good afternoon to all!

Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Well today we were supposed to have a sunny day all day and no showers, but as the world turns, so do the weather reports. We have had a few scattered showers and it is a bit chilly, but on the plus side the fishing is still great! Don’t forget this weekend Poor Boys are blessing the Wigwam Resort with their presence again, and I can’t wait! If you haven’t heard them yet, what are you waiting for…they will be on stage at the world famous Wigwam Resort at 9 PM this Friday and Saturday night.

I was talking to a couple of people just this morning and the topic came up about the fishing standards on Lake of the Woods and how the expectation level is set so high. I wanted to address that today in my blog and put the record straight. Over the weekend we had a few guests that we had the pleasure of taking fishing and they made a couple comments that made me think a little bit, one in particular that I wanted to address. The comment was made that they had expected to catch more fish…I asked them how many they had caught, and they said, we only caught 30 (between 3 guests). I said you only caught 30? I asked how big they were, they replied, well we caught our limit, but only caught 5 or 6 that were in the 24 to 27 inch range (5 to 7 lbs)…as my mouth hit the floor, I asked them, well how many did you expect to catch? They replied, we expected to catch maybe 60…I almost had a heart attack. I asked myself in my subconscious, have we oversold the fishing on a daily basis so that every patron that walks into any resort on Lake of the Woods expects to catch 60 fish on a daily basis? I asked them if they had ever been on another lake in America and had the success that they had on Lake of the Woods, they replied, no. I proceeded to ask them why they think on any given day that you could catch 60 Walleye’s on Lake of the Woods, they replied, because we did it the last time we were up here, why not this time. I replied, it’s just like anything you do in life, there are never any guarantees and each day can bring a different outcome. I hope that we as resort owners and workers haven’t oversold the experience on the lake. Don’t get me wrong…I as much as the next guy that fishes Lake of the Woods on a frequent basis brags about the successes that I have, but I don’t want people to think they will have a bad experience on Lake of the Woods if they don’t catch 60 Walleye’s a day. I remember the days of growing up in International Falls on Rainy Lake, and having to drive an hour up into Canada by car and thinking a great day of fishing was catching one limit of 6 Walleye between 4 people…times have changed. I want to get into the fish everyday also, but if it doesn’t happen, then it just wasn’t meant to be that day. I want everyone to have a great time on Lake of the Woods, but let’s set the bar where it needs to be. These are just my thoughts that I wanted to share…thank you for listening.

Daily Fishing Report: The weather today was excellent in the morning, but started getting a little breezy and we had a few scattered showers this afternoon, nothing like this weekend though. Weather conditions for tomorrow look like this…showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing late in the day turning warmer high of 69 with the wind out of the south to southwest in the morning shifting to northwest at 10 to 15 mph later on in the day with a 40% chance of rain. What this means is, if you’re not out early then you probably will be getting a little wet tomorrow. My sources are telling me that the heavier jigs are still doing the trick (½ oz to 1 oz)…the fish are on the bottom so you have to get there. I personally am still using a 3/8 oz jig, which does the trick for me. The colors that have been working are Chartreuse and Orange or even the combination of both…the bait of choice is still the frozen emerald shiners or live fat head and rainbow minnows. We are having the best success catching fish from 12 to 18 feet of water. We are fishing in Morris Bay and Four Mile Bay (right in front of the Wigwam) and having excellent success. I hope everyone has a great day of fishing tomorrow if you want to brave the weather…good luck and I look forward to hearing about your successes.

I will mentioned this everyday…if you are the person that is in charge of putting together your group fishing trips, please give me a call and I want to offer you a deal “that you can’t refuse”. We want as many people as humanly possible to experience the Wigwam Resort this summer/fall/winter/spring…we are very confident that after your stay with us you won’t want to try some place different next year. Our goal is to make new friends everyday…I can’t wait to meet and make many new friends everyday as the years pass. Also, we have a great May Midweek Special running right now, which is, $30.00 per person per night for lodging only or $100.00 per person for one guided launch trip and one night lodging. Don’t miss out these deals won’t last past the end of this month. Keep reading to see what the June Midweek Special will be…I promise it will be worth it. If you are the putting together your friends Bachelor or Bachelorette Party…don’t hesitate to give me a call…we would love to help you make sure that your friends Bachelor or Bachelorette experience is a memorable one…in a good way!

My shout out today will go to Theresa Rautio aka Blueduck who was awarded the catch of the day yesterday at the Wigwam Resort with her catch of a 23 ½” Walleye. Theresa is a long time patron of the Wigwam and I hope that this experience has been like all the rest…a great time. I hope to see you and the whole Rautio clan back with us again very soon. Take care and thank you for being our guest and I hope all you expectations were exceeded.

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/

Monday, May 18, 2009

Every Sunday brings Us a New Start to a New Week

Good afternoon to all!

I wanted to start off this edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog with a few thank yous. First off I would like to thank Kevin Olmstead and his team for putting on another successful Spring North Star Classic Walleye Tournament this past weekend…everyone had a blast (even in the cold and rain) and we are already looking forward to next years Spring Classic. Next I would like to thank all our first time guests that we had the pleasure of serving this past week & weekend. We are here to make sure that you have an excellent experience and I hope that all of your expectations were exceeded. The final thank you goes to Poor Boys…you guys rock and put on another great show!

Daily Fishing Report: The weather today was excellent in the morning, but started getting a little breezy this afternoon, nothing like this weekend though. Weather conditions look great for tomorrow…mostly sunny with a high of 60 Degrees…East winds 10 to 20 mph…this should be perfect conditions for some great fishing on our side of Lake of the Woods. My sources are telling me that the heavier jigs are doing the trick (½ oz to 1 oz)…the fish are on the bottom so you have to get there. I personally use a 3/8 oz jig, which does the trick for me. The colors that have been working are Chartreuse and Orange or even the combination of both…the bait of choice is still the frozen emerald shiners or live fat head and rainbow minnows. We are having the best success catching fish from 12 to 18 feet of water. We are fishing in Morris Bay and Four Mile Bay (right in front of the Wigwam) and having excellent success. I hope this will give everyone the right ammo to have a great day of fishing on Lake of the Woods! Hope to see you all on the lake!

I will mentioned this everyday…if you are the person that is in charge of putting together your group fishing trips, please give me a call and I want to offer you a deal “that you can’t refuse”. We want as many people as humanly possible to experience the Wigwam Resort this summer/fall/winter/spring…we are very confident that after your stay with us you won’t want to try some place different next year. Our goal is to make new friends everyday…I can’t wait to meet and make many new friends everyday as the years pass. Also, we have a great May Midweek Special running right now, which is, $30.00 per person per night for lodging only or $100.00 per person for one guided launch trip and one night lodging. Don’t miss out these deals won’t last past the end of this month. Keep reading to see what the June Midweek Special will be…I promise it will be worth it. If you are the putting together your friends Bachelor or Bachelorette Party…don’t hesitate to give me a call…we would love to help you make sure that your friends Bachelor or Bachelorette experience is a memorable one…in a good way!

My shout out today will go to Dan Janish of East Grand Forks, MN and Mark and Jane Collins of the Cedar Rapids, IA area. Thank you all for the opportunity to server you at the Wigwam Resort. Dan has been a long time patron of the Wigwam Resort and I want to thank you for your loyalty. Mark and Jane flew up to visit us at the Wigwam Resort for the first time and I wanted to thank them for the opportunity to show them a little bit of our northern Minnesota hospitality. I hope your expectations were exceeded and you come back to visit us very soon. From all of us at the Wigwam Resort we want to thank you for making the Wigwam Resort your vacation destination. We want to strive to exceed expectations and I hope that is exactly what we did for each of you…thanks again and we are looking forward to do the same when you return!

Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/