It was a beautiful weekend in every way this weekend, except one. Someone forgot to tell the lake trout to bite. Or maybe there weren't any trout in the lake we were fishing.
Officer Friendly showed up at my house at 5am on Friday. We got the truck loaded up, hitched the snow machine trailer, and took off for the Gunflint Trail. After encouraging a cow moose that was licking road salt to get out of way, we got to the lake landing at about 8:30am loaded up the otter sled and took off down the lake. After about 6.5 miles we arrived at a very nice winter camping spot on an island. What makes a good winter camping spot is a site that is low to the water with lots of brush blocking the wind. Pretty much exactly the opposite of what you want in a summer camping spot.
We set up camp and headed out to fish. It was beautiful warm and sunny day with hardly any wind. I dropped Officer Friendly off on a point extending from an island and then proceeded on to fish a point across the lake. Before I even got settled, I got a radio call that Officer Friendly had already caught a nice lake trout on a tip-up. A promising start. I missed one fish on the point and decided to move to a more prominent point. I heard from Officer Friendly that another fish had hit but it didn't make it up the hole. I caught nothing in my new spot and late in the afternoon I started to pack my gear when Officer Friendly called again-a big fish was hooked and a battle was underway. A short time later she called again and said the fish had spit the hook. She was very excited and said it was the biggest fish she had ever seen and that she had fought it "for 2 and a half, 3..." I couldn't believe it. She had fought a fish for 2 and a half hours?!!...she finished her sentence..."2 and a half, 3 minutes." Now, I am sure the fish was a very nice one, but I have witnessed people fight lake trout for 25, 30, 35 minutes before while ice fishing, so her assessment of the length of the battle was a humorous one. The big one that got away was the last bite of the day. We had a supper of jalapeno brats and sauerkraut.
On Saturday we headed out again, with Officer Friendly hitting the same point as the day before and I headed to a prominent point in the middle of the lake. I had a hit right away and missed the fish, and then didn't have any action for two hours. It was another sunny, warm, and calm day. I began trolling from spot to spot, drilling holes and looking for fish. I finally parked in front of a steep cliff and hooked a nice fish and, after a bit of a tussle, there was a funny pop at the end of the line and the fish was gone. I reeled up and discovered my snap swivel had broken. Aargh! Equipment failure haunts me. I re-rigged and soon caught a nice lake trout, but it definitely was smaller than the one I had lost. I met up with Officer Friendly late that afternoon and discovered she hadn't had a bite all day. Not good. We had tortilla soup for supper and listened to the trivia show on the radio.
We fished until 1pm on Sunday and only had 1 very small lake trout to show for it. It was another beautiful day. We packed up the gear and headed back to the landing that afternoon. It was an uneventful ride back to Duluth, other than one moment when the sun was in my eyes while driving and I said "if a deer jumped out in front of us right now, I'd never see it." And of course literally 1 second later a deer did jump out in front of us and I had to plant the brakes to avoid it.
It was a tough fishing trip. With the good weather I couldn't help but think if we had picked a better lake we would have caught more fish. I had been on the lake before without much luck, but others I had been with had good success. I must say I won't be going back to that lake for a while.
Nature Moment: On our way out fishing on Sunday morning, we noticed a large flock of ravens on the ice in front of us. Seconds later we saw two wolves running away from us towards shore. We stopped at the site and discovered a fresh deer kill. During the night the wolves had forced the doe onto the lake and brought her down on the ice. The snow at the kill site showed the evidence of a mighty struggle and the ultimate demise of the deer. The two wolves had already eaten much of the deer. We motored on to our fishing spot, but continued to watch the kill site. The highlight was when the wolves came back to the scene after we left. The ravens and an eagle had arrived back on the kill before the wolves, but when the wolves came back, they charged at all the birds and ran around, scaring them all off. A third wolf tried to come in for a bite at one point, but the two wolves ran it off rather than share. Quite soon thereafter the wolves split the deer into two pieces and drug them off into the woods, leaving only some hair behind. The whole experience was very interesting.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Another Trout Trip
It was time for another lake trout fishing/winter camping adventure this weekend. Being a government lackey, I had Monday off, so the Smoked Fish Guy and I left early Saturday morning and headed north. We settled in at the same campsite as two weeks ago, so setting up camp was a snap and we headed on to the lake and were fishing by 11:00 a.m. It was a mostly sunny day with very little wind, so we checked out a few fishing spots and fished outside the portable ice house some. I ended up getting three nice lake trout that afternoon. The Smoked Fish Guy was denied any fish, although he did have one on for a bit. We cruised back to camp that evening and the Smoke Fish Guy made an incredible supper of smoked pork ribs. Very good. We listened to the local station's Saturday night trivia show and turned in.
On Sunday we were forced to go to the north side of the lake in order to escape the predicted 20mph north winds. When we got set up the wind was still out of the west, however, and we connected with lake trout right away. I caught four and the Smoked Fish Guy caught two. Late in the morning the wind suddenly shifted to the north and it began snowing in earnest. The fish shut down. We never had a bite after the weather changed. Why do lake trout 30 feet down under 24 inches of ice care what the weather is? The snow and wind obliterated our sled trail in, so it was more of a slog getting back to camp that evening. It was Italian Sausages with roasted peppers, fried onions, and pepperchini's for supper that night.
On Monday the wind was still very strong out of the north and it was snowing off and on. We fished until noon and never had a bite. After getting camp packed up we headed down the road to Duluth.
Notes: I am not one to to this very often, but people should be aware that they should never buy any ice fishing gear from Clam. Wow. They might as well call it the "Clam Disposable Fishhouse." One time use only. Half the stitches pulled out, the zipper broke, the materials was wearing to the point of needing duct tape in spots, the top hub bent, and finally the material tore from one of the side, rendering it useless. I had bought the Clam Expedition on Dec. 15th and used it a total of 9 days. I'll be on the phone with them today.
Next camping trip is already coming up this weekend, as my lovely wife and child are visiting friends out of town.
Nature Moment: Heading back down the Gunflint Trail on Monday afternoon, a bull moose crossed in front of the truck and then hung out for a while just off the road, pausing conveniently for photos. Moose populations are decreasing in NE MN, but this one looked healthy.
On Sunday we were forced to go to the north side of the lake in order to escape the predicted 20mph north winds. When we got set up the wind was still out of the west, however, and we connected with lake trout right away. I caught four and the Smoked Fish Guy caught two. Late in the morning the wind suddenly shifted to the north and it began snowing in earnest. The fish shut down. We never had a bite after the weather changed. Why do lake trout 30 feet down under 24 inches of ice care what the weather is? The snow and wind obliterated our sled trail in, so it was more of a slog getting back to camp that evening. It was Italian Sausages with roasted peppers, fried onions, and pepperchini's for supper that night.
On Monday the wind was still very strong out of the north and it was snowing off and on. We fished until noon and never had a bite. After getting camp packed up we headed down the road to Duluth.
Notes: I am not one to to this very often, but people should be aware that they should never buy any ice fishing gear from Clam. Wow. They might as well call it the "Clam Disposable Fishhouse." One time use only. Half the stitches pulled out, the zipper broke, the materials was wearing to the point of needing duct tape in spots, the top hub bent, and finally the material tore from one of the side, rendering it useless. I had bought the Clam Expedition on Dec. 15th and used it a total of 9 days. I'll be on the phone with them today.
Next camping trip is already coming up this weekend, as my lovely wife and child are visiting friends out of town.
Nature Moment: Heading back down the Gunflint Trail on Monday afternoon, a bull moose crossed in front of the truck and then hung out for a while just off the road, pausing conveniently for photos. Moose populations are decreasing in NE MN, but this one looked healthy.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Trout Below Zero
My first winter camping adventure of 2010 was held this weekend. Of course when I could finally make it up north, the temperatures went south. The sun was out and the winds were calm most of the weekend, though, so it was actually pretty comfortable.
Lows were well below zero in Duluth on Friday morning when my friend Officer Friendly arrived at my house in Duluth. We packed the truck and hit the road at about 6:30am. We headed northeast via the North Shore Drive and then headed inland on the Gunflint Trail. We pulled into our destination lake's public access at about 10:30am. We set up the canvas tent and wood stove in a clearing well off of the parking lot and headed out to fish on a cold but clear and calm day. We could see anglers already set up on the spot we had picked out on the map and we could see a lone angler well down the lake, but they were only other people on the lake that day. We walked a little ways to an island with a steep drop off, got the portable tent set up and started fishing about 1pm. Officer Friendly had never ice fished for lake trout before, so I provided some basic instruction and we fished side for the afternoon. The fish were fairly cooperative...I had three bites on my tube jig and landed two nice lake trout, including one that was unusually dark colored. Officer Friendly didn't have a bite. We were checked by the Conservation Officer, who reported others were having slow fishing. We walked back to the tent under a beautiful sunset to the west and a beautiful moon rise to the east. We fired up the wood stove and enjoyed Italian sausages with fried onions and roasted red peppers for supper.
It was another chilly morning on Saturday, but we both reported sleeping well overnight. We hit the trail and headed back to the same fishing spot. It was another bright sunny day that was a bit breezy, but still comfortable. How was the fishing? We got skunked. But, I wouldn't say the fishing was bad. Between the two of us we had eight fish hooked and headed up to the hole, but not one of those fish hit the top of the ice. 0 for 8. Ouch. Lake trout squirm off the hook better than other fish, but Saturday was humbling. We enjoyed chicken and rice hotdish and the local radio station's trivia show that night.
Sunday was again sunny, but a cold wind was cruising out of the northwest. We drilled some holes off a point near the landing, but discovered our depth map was way off and what was shown as 40 feet deep was 12 feet. We switched to a flat off of a rocky reef I had spotted in the summer. We had immediate action as I got a nice trout all the way to the hole only to have it wrap up on depthfinder transducer and escape. Not a good start. Soon after that I watched a fish on the depthfinder that chased my jig all over the place but refused to hit it hard enough to hook up. In a last ditch effort I put down a minnow on a plain hook and put a bobber on. The fish refused to hit that as well. After a bit, I reeled up the minnow as fast as I could so I could switch back to the jig. As the speeding minnow neared the bottom of the ice, I watched a trout swim up to the minnow with unbelievable speed and hit it. This time it hooked up and after a run back to the bottom, I finally landed the nice laker, breaking the bad luck streak. Now the mission was to get Officer Friendly a first winter lake trout. When a mark showed up on the depth finder and my friend dropped a spoon down to it, the fish swam up and nailed it. After a decent fight I looked down the hole with much anticipation to land the fish and discovered it was a northern pike. Unbelievable. We stuck with it, though, and just after noon a fish hit my bait and stole my minnow. My friend reeled up to the spot and fish hit the spoon and hooked up. After a bit of a tussle, I looked down the hole to see a nice laker (I of course immediately said "Oh no, it's another northern," which Officer Friendly did not find humorous). We were about to the land the fish when it made another run. Suddenly my friend said, "Oh no" and I looked up to discover the line had become hopelessly tangled on the reel. Again, unbelievable. Thankfully, the fish wasn't strong enough to break the line, and we were able to pull the laker in by hand. It was another nice one. With that accomplished, we filleted the two trout and packed up. We broke camp and uneventfully headed back to Duluth. Another fun trip.
My next trip won't be until mid-February...watch for another trip report after that.
Lows were well below zero in Duluth on Friday morning when my friend Officer Friendly arrived at my house in Duluth. We packed the truck and hit the road at about 6:30am. We headed northeast via the North Shore Drive and then headed inland on the Gunflint Trail. We pulled into our destination lake's public access at about 10:30am. We set up the canvas tent and wood stove in a clearing well off of the parking lot and headed out to fish on a cold but clear and calm day. We could see anglers already set up on the spot we had picked out on the map and we could see a lone angler well down the lake, but they were only other people on the lake that day. We walked a little ways to an island with a steep drop off, got the portable tent set up and started fishing about 1pm. Officer Friendly had never ice fished for lake trout before, so I provided some basic instruction and we fished side for the afternoon. The fish were fairly cooperative...I had three bites on my tube jig and landed two nice lake trout, including one that was unusually dark colored. Officer Friendly didn't have a bite. We were checked by the Conservation Officer, who reported others were having slow fishing. We walked back to the tent under a beautiful sunset to the west and a beautiful moon rise to the east. We fired up the wood stove and enjoyed Italian sausages with fried onions and roasted red peppers for supper.
It was another chilly morning on Saturday, but we both reported sleeping well overnight. We hit the trail and headed back to the same fishing spot. It was another bright sunny day that was a bit breezy, but still comfortable. How was the fishing? We got skunked. But, I wouldn't say the fishing was bad. Between the two of us we had eight fish hooked and headed up to the hole, but not one of those fish hit the top of the ice. 0 for 8. Ouch. Lake trout squirm off the hook better than other fish, but Saturday was humbling. We enjoyed chicken and rice hotdish and the local radio station's trivia show that night.
Sunday was again sunny, but a cold wind was cruising out of the northwest. We drilled some holes off a point near the landing, but discovered our depth map was way off and what was shown as 40 feet deep was 12 feet. We switched to a flat off of a rocky reef I had spotted in the summer. We had immediate action as I got a nice trout all the way to the hole only to have it wrap up on depthfinder transducer and escape. Not a good start. Soon after that I watched a fish on the depthfinder that chased my jig all over the place but refused to hit it hard enough to hook up. In a last ditch effort I put down a minnow on a plain hook and put a bobber on. The fish refused to hit that as well. After a bit, I reeled up the minnow as fast as I could so I could switch back to the jig. As the speeding minnow neared the bottom of the ice, I watched a trout swim up to the minnow with unbelievable speed and hit it. This time it hooked up and after a run back to the bottom, I finally landed the nice laker, breaking the bad luck streak. Now the mission was to get Officer Friendly a first winter lake trout. When a mark showed up on the depth finder and my friend dropped a spoon down to it, the fish swam up and nailed it. After a decent fight I looked down the hole with much anticipation to land the fish and discovered it was a northern pike. Unbelievable. We stuck with it, though, and just after noon a fish hit my bait and stole my minnow. My friend reeled up to the spot and fish hit the spoon and hooked up. After a bit of a tussle, I looked down the hole to see a nice laker (I of course immediately said "Oh no, it's another northern," which Officer Friendly did not find humorous). We were about to the land the fish when it made another run. Suddenly my friend said, "Oh no" and I looked up to discover the line had become hopelessly tangled on the reel. Again, unbelievable. Thankfully, the fish wasn't strong enough to break the line, and we were able to pull the laker in by hand. It was another nice one. With that accomplished, we filleted the two trout and packed up. We broke camp and uneventfully headed back to Duluth. Another fun trip.
My next trip won't be until mid-February...watch for another trip report after that.
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