Shultz Lake/AKA Paradise

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Hello friends, If you are talking about family traditions I have one for you. Back in 1982 my dad, the late Robert Walters, my brother Mike Walters, our family friend Elmer Schlief and myself did our first fly-in adventure to Shultz Lake. Schultz is 55 air miles northwest of Red Lake, Ontario and we had so much fun that other than the Covid border shut down, we would return every year.

With travel this was a nine-day trip, and I will be writing about a super fun experience this week and next as nine of us had literally as much fun as a body and brain can handle.

Saturday, June 17 High 74, Low 48

Much of my adult history is due to Shultz Lake (Chimo Lodge and Outposts, josie@chimolodge.com). There was the fun that started in ‘82, then I became camp manager of Chimo Lodge in ’88 and, in ’89, I started writing this column from the Canadian bush and, of course, the fun has never ended. Today, nine of us were flown to Shultz and what was pretty amazing is that every one of us but my brother Tom’s grandson, Preston Walters, graduated from Poynette High School.

When I was a kid back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, my dad was raising five children as a single parent and we all had friends at the house with great regularity. On this trip, my brother Mike would be along with Gary Gray, a good buddy of Mike’s that wants to beat me up because he thinks I am still a punk 12-year-old. But in reality we are very good friends. One of Tom’s lifelong friends and our family friend Roger “I’m pretty crazy” Frank, Preston and Grandpa Tom all the way from Denham Springs, La., and my brother-in-law Dick Schuster along with his early 30s boys Trent and Riley would make it along as well.

Along with about 30 other people, we travel in the outdoors frequently, as in deer camp, duck camp, Canada and every graduation, funeral and wedding together. This year’s Canada Gang was about as tough and fun as we get.

After we were flown into Shultz by the good folks from Superior Air the fun began as we dusted off a bout of fatigue from travel and camping the night before.

I have to tell you an inside story. Though these guys love me, they hate me. It seems I have been winning too many big buck contests as well as gator bets and they universally, along with the other members, vote against me winning any fish or big buck bets.

Today I would be fishing with Dick Schuster and the first fish Dick caught was a 22-inch walleye. The catching was almost nonstop, as in almost too much with walleye and gators, but most were small in the gator area.

Last year we started using RippinRaps and they won both our walleye and gator bet for the week as well as many daily bets. Today I hooked into a big fish with the RippinRap (same one as last year) and it was the fattest 37.25-inch gator I have ever seen. Naturally, Dick and I released it. Last but certainly not least was my loving comrade, Gary “I wanna kick Mark Walters arse” Gray with a 27.5-inch walleye. At camp tonight Gary did the cooking which was fish fry.

Monday, June 20 High 81, Low 52

Each day we switch fishing partners and today I would be fishing with my brother Tom and his 14-yearold grandson Preston. We did a portage into a lake, walk after traveling by boat from cabin to a trail and then hike to a lake with a boat on it. Tom is 64, I am 61 and we have been doing this stuff all of our lives. Tom brings one of his four grandsons up from Louisiana each year for this trip and this would be Preston’s second time.

The fish catching was excellent, we laughed our heads off and right when we were about to call it a day, the RippinRap hooked into a 25.5-inch walleye that would beat, Gary “I wanna pound Mark Walters face into the ground,” by a half inch for big walleye of the day. Later, to help the guys love me even more, I won the jackpot in crap on your neighbor for the second night in a row and now all I could do was laugh.

The next day Roger Frank was fishing with Trent Schuster and there was a very ugly/beautiful storm about to hit camp. Everyone headed back to camp and Roger and Trent tried a spot within eye range of camp and Roger caught a beautiful 29.5-inch walleye that would win the money for the week in the walleye bet.

Roger was so happy that he danced in the storm, looked at the clouds, laid on the plane pier, and watched the fury of nature as it pounded our camp.

If this ain’t fun, I must be from a different planet. Actually, perhaps I am!

Sunset