Early Sept morning

Early morning flights when the air is cool and the water is warm produce some amazing vistas. 

Sometimes I almost have to pinch myself and remind myself that I do this for a living.

Hide and seek

Loons are most likely seen out in the water fishing.  Sometimes they are spotted in the air and rarely on land.   This guy is hiding near the waters edge. 

It really pays to have your camera ready and your eyes peeled for these types of interesting shots.

Full moon

Walleye by the light of the moon. 

Some people go a little crazy with a full moon.  Some walleye do too!

They may be little now…

These “little” guys are growing several pounds per day.  By fall they will larger than a large whitetail deer.  Not bad considering they are on mother’s milk for a few months yet.   In a few years they may well be supporting a rack that spans up to 5 or 6 feet across.

Metionga Caribou

Metionga Lake has caribou too.  Bob Donnelly took this picture last week on Metionga of a bull caribou leaving the water after swimming across from an island. 

Their antlers grow quickly considering this growth has happened this summer only.  Like moose caribou drop their antlers each year.  Unlike other ungulates, the cow caribou also grow antlers.

Our camps are at the very southern range of woodland caribou in Canada.  Seeing them is a real treat since they are rather elusive. Keep you camera ready when visiting our camps.  You never know what you can capture.

Velvet

Moose drop their antlers (they don’t have horns) each year and grow new ones.  While the new antlers are growing they are covered with a velvet like skin and can bleed if damaged.  Once they are fully grown, the velvet is scraped off and the antlers are the consistency of bone.

Painted Turtle

There are so many different varieties of wildlife waiting to be photographed at our outposts. Be sure to bring your camera and don’t hesitate to capture some wildlife other than your cabin buddies in various states of undress.

Fish pictures are great too, but don’t limit your observations or creativity.

Sunsets

Rather than write a few thousand words to describe Irene Lake’s beauty, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Caribou

The woodland caribou is a majestic animal whose southern most range includes Seseganaga Lake. Many of our guests enjoy seeing these rare animals. Sometimes they will stick around for a photo op.

My dad took this picture of a young bull caribou in the yard of our Seseganaga West Bay cabin last week.

All in a week

Don from Iowa was at Seseganaga lake last week with a few buddies. 

Fishing of course is a main event at an outpost camp, but a sampling of Don’s photos from the week show many reasons to make an Ignace Outpost vacation.

Keep in mind these are not zoo animals but part of North America’s southern most caribou herd.

Don, thanks for the photos, we’ll see you again soon.

Large moose

A moose hunter guest in Thunder Bay sent me this photo.  It was  taken along the CP rail line in the area last fall.  The rails are 56 1/2 inches apart so this moose has a rack that would make any hunter proud. 

We’ve seen moose this large at many of our outpost lakes too.  During the summer taking pictures of wildlife is part of a wilderness experience with Ignace Outposts.

Catch, Photo, Release - CPR for your fish

photo by Jim Pierce on Gamble Lake

With summer approaching and fishing season only days away, I want to give a few pointers on photographing and live releasing your trophy fish at Ignace Outposts. Of course, we encourage you to enjoy the bounty of our lakes by having fresh fish for lunch or dinner while on the lake, but it is our policy to sustain our resources by live releasing ALL trophy fish. Smaller, tastier walleye, northern or trout make great dinners and trophies make great memories and pictures.

I am no professional but I can tell you that having a camera with you does little to enhance your memories unless you use it. The large northern you catch will certainly be happy if you have your camera with you in the boat rather than at the camp if you decide to drag the fish there for a photo.

Perhaps each person in the boat should familiarize themselves with each other’s camera before you land the lunker or lunkette. Doing this in the cabin is simple and results in fewer missed photos. Also using more than one camera insures a better chance of a once in a lifetime photo and the fellow catching the fish usually appreciates a shot or two on his own memory stick.

Before the fish is caught, have a plan.

When a photo-worthy fish is hooked, the other angler (now designated photographer) should reel in. Have a net handy and cameras in a mutually available place. As the fish is landed the photographer can prepare the cameras and plan the pictures. Some great action shots can be taken as the fish breaks the surface

Light is an import consideration. If possible don’t shoot into the sun.

Unhook the fish before showing it off. Pictures of a 4 inch Rapala with three hooks buried in your fingers may be amusing at time but loose their appeal when your partner would rather fill his memory stick with your agonized facial expressions as the fish flips and twists to your dismay.

Measure your monster, and click away. If you planning a replica mount be sure to capture a photo showing the fish’s color.

Take a big breath, take your photo quickly, don’t cut off your buddy’s head in the picture – you can’t exaggerate his size anyway - return the fish to the water before your next gasp of air and smile. The fish will survive and you can boast of his awesome size with a picture to prove it. My own astute observation of the human psyche reveals that you need not do more than place the mounted photo behind your desk at the office and the accolades will flow your way - particularly from underlings. A fishing wall of fame will even impress the boss as long as you have the authority to put nails into the office decor. Please plan to keep a good supply of our brochures handy if you do manage a few good photos for the office. The fish are supportive of this concept and so am I.

To avoid serious internal damage large fish should NEVER be held vertically. Fish do not have the skeletal structure to support their intestines. They have likely never been vertical in their lives. Unlike us, fish are used to living in a horizontal gravity environment.

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