From a snowy spring opening to a mild fall moose hunt, the 2025 season is finished, and what a time it was!
Spring
As always, it takes an incredible amount of effort in a short span of time to open up camp, starting before the ice melts off of Wabatongushi Lake. The question of when exactly the ice will go out is ever-present in our minds throughout the winter, and into the warmer days of spring when the to-do lists are being written up. Wondering when the road to Camp Lochalsh will be passable is also a concern; while some staff arrive by snowmobile for the first tasks, there can be a period of time when neither a snowmobile, ATV, or truck runs well between deep snowdrifts and stretches of mud.
This spring, we saw the ice go out on May 7, which was somewhat earlier than usual–– there have been years where the ice only disappears a few days before opening! Our yearly ritual of sanding, varnishing, soaking, and outfitting the cedar strip boat fleet consumed many hours on the shore. We saw the return of one of our two Georgian Bay boats from Giesler. Our favourite boat builders revamped the boat over the winter, giving us another larger cedar strip to haul cargo and ferry guests.
Up at Loch Island Lodge, we were finishing our winter renovations. Last fall, we embarked on a major renovation of the kitchen space, removing the old small kitchen and building a brand new addition for cooking and storage. The former kitchen was turned into a sitting area. Work never ends on a building which has original components over 70 years old, and what we can’t finish in the winter has to be done in the spring before opening day.
Despite the early thaw, our opening day was a chilly one–– the whole week was cold! It didn’t stop regulars like Brandon Fields and his crew from venturing out onto the lake for spring pike. The weather gradually warmed and soon we were into a gorgeous spring with plenty of tasty early walleye being caught in the tried and true northern fishing spots like Moose Bay, Tie Bay, the Narrows, and the Little Narrows.
Summer
We saw weather extremes in June. A strong wind blew through, taking down the largest spruce tree on Loch Island and puncturing a boat. The tree was quickly cut up, and the boat was ready to go again within days. That’s one really nice thing about cedar strip boats–– when they do get damaged, repairs are easily made with new wood strips, a steamer, and varnish. The tree has since been milled into lumber which we will use around the lodges.
Forest fire smoke from northwestern Ontario drifted towards us, but the rainy weather kept fires away from the Chapleau Game Preserve.
From opening day through late July we held our traditional daily shore lunch on Tee Pee Island, a great location close to spring and early summer fishing and allows for super parking in back on those windy days. After that, we changed over to Bear Point to be closer to the southern spots. Our shore lunch crew of Dalton, Spencer, Thomas and Carley really outdid themselves this year. What a super shore lunch crew! We also are very grateful to everyone who contributed their daily catches to shore lunch.
In July, the weather turned much more moderate. Not too hot, not too cold–– just what you want mid-summer! We launched our new (to us) sailboat. Dalton and Spencer used it quite often and a few guests tried it out. We’ll have to encourage that more in 2026, as trolling from a sailboat has its possibilities!
The blueberries appeared around the shore of Wabatongushi Lake between July and August. Many a handful were eaten, and many more were baked into pancakes and desserts.
Once August arrived, the nights began cooling off. While the northern lights can be seen throughout the year in northern Ontario, some of the brightest displays were witnessed in August.
Near the end of August, we took out an old wall in the Loch Island shop and replaced it with fresh lumber and new windows. Parts of this building are from the original property construction and needed to be gradually replaced over time. We also began an addition to the shop with a new staff bedroom, and framed in different walls to change the layout of some staff rooms.
Fall
Though summer days were long out on the lake, September came by quickly. Many staff are college students who return to school, so it’s a small crew of diehards who continue on with closing up and maintenance through the fall. We kept Loch Island Lodge open for longer than we usually do, and there were some beautiful late September days.
Unlike in the spring, where we are waiting for the snow and ice to disappear, we must work fast before the snow blows in again. The fleet needs to be pulled out of the water, each boat washed down so that it is clean for varnishing in the spring. The outboards are winterized and floating docks are tied up to shore.
We ferried our new 20 KW Perkins generator to the Loch Island generator shed, in preparation for installation. We now have 4 generators on the island to ensure that we have continuous service throughout maintenance tasks. Throughout September and October, we worked on building new docks at Camp Lochalsh. All the docks at Camp Lochalsh have now been replaced. These docks all have 8′ wide floating segments on the ends. They will be sturdy for years to come! We also worked on turning the former hot tub building into a new fish cleaning shack.
At Camp Lochalsh, the archery and rifle moose hunts were successful. Weather remained warm.
See you next season!
As we head towards Christmas and the New Year, we wish you all the happiest and safest holiday season. Thank you for your continued visits to Wabatongushi Lake. We’ll be up at camp this winter, continuing renovations and of course getting in some ice fishing and snowmobiling. Happy Thanksgiving!
We can’t wait to see you in 2026!
– The Loch Island/Camp Lochalsh Staff