Super Kid Goes Ice Fishing

Sorry for the long delay in posts, but I haven't had many outdoor adventures. My last big fishing trip was in late September. I didn't get out at all in October and November, but I have ice fished a few times in December. I haven't had much luck, though. We put the "Sportsbar" out on the ice last on Saturday (Dec. 17). Super Kid and I went out there on Sunday. We had a great time. She fished all afternoon and never complained. She was really into it! She caught a decent northern pike (with some help). The video tells the whole story. Located at http://youtu.be/GZnjDUPVaew

We are headed to Pittsburgh for Christmas, so I probably won't get out again until New Years weekend. Happy Holidays everybody!

Annual Fall Trip

Each September, the Smoked Fish Guy and I try to take a fall lake trout trip on the last weekend of the month. This year, we were joined by the Farmer and Chief Many-Little-Bottles. We met Thursday morning and got the gear packed before heading north to Grand Marais and the Gunflint Trail. We located our entry point, paddled for a bit, and then took the moderate portage into our destination lake. We trolled our way towards our desired campsite and caught a few trout right away. The campsite we wanted was available and we got the tents and kitchen tarp set up in a drizzle. It was chilly and the drizzle was annoying but there was only a slight breeze as we got back into the canoes and trolled up a few lake trout for supper. After a happy hour that included our favorite Fitgers Brewhouse beers, we made a pot of red beans and rice complete with mirepoix and andouille sausage. Fried trout finished the entree. Delicious. Lots of laughs occurred that night, but not around a campfire...with the Pagami Creek Fire still burning well to our southwest, there was fire ban.

On Friday the weather remained chilly and gray, but it was dry. We fished for lake trout and did well, getting many eating sized fish. We learned from another group that the fire ban had been lifted that morning and fires were now allowed between 6pm and 12am. Chief and Farmer took a walk with the shotgun on a nearby lengthy portage and found a sign placed by the Forest Service that confirmed that the fire ban had been lifted, but did not find any grouse. We had fried trout and pesto noodles that night...delicious again.

Saturday dawned with more gray clouds, but as the sun rose the clouds burned off and we enjoyed a sunny, but not exactly warm, day. We caught some more lake trout, took a (short) swim, explored a nearby campsite, and relaxed. There was lots of conversation about food and different ways to prepare and preserve a variety of meats. We had curry coconut rice with lake trout that night-a really great dish. We enjoyed a campfire and gazing at the stars.

Sunday awoke with a thick fog and a grouse right in camp, but the gun could not be loaded in time to add it to our breakfast, which included a variety of smoked and cured meat products. The fog burned off and the sun came out as we packed up camp. We trolled up a couple more lakers as we headed to the portage. It was an uneventful drive home to Duluth. It was another great trip-extremely relaxing and lots of laughs with good friends.

Not sure that I will be able to get out again in October-the schedule is pretty tight. It looks like I might not get out again until the ice forms.

Nature Moment: On Saturday each canoe had gathered a bunch of firewood while we were out and brought it back to camp. When he took the wood out of Chief's canoe, the Farmer noticed a very small lizard-like animal in the bottom of the canoe. Striped with short legs and a long tail, it was only about 4 inches long. A baby salamander or something unknown? We'll have to investigate using the photos we took and find out what it was. Watch this blog for updates.

Feelin' the Burn

I took a nice fishing trip last week with some family and friends. The gang (Tangerine Boy, Wacky Worm, and Trail Mix) arrived on Wednesday night and we finished packing. On Thursday morning we headed up the North Shore and to the Gunflint Trail. We caught a tow boat ride across the first lake and paddled and portaged our way into an area that was burned in the Ham Lake fire. We were able to find an adequate campsite in a small area that hadn't burned and set up camp on a slightly warm, but overall pleasant afternoon. The fellas set up their rods and started catching some decent smallmouth bass after a bit. I cooked up a supper of brats and a vegetable medley. It was a nice evening with no bugs.

On Friday we had breakfast burritos and hit the lake. It was sunny and in the mid-70's. It was a bit breezy, but manageable. Tangerine Boy and Trail Mix hit a steep shoreline and caught a nice walleye right away. Wacky Worm and I found a familiar mid-lake reef, caught a few bass off the top of it, and then did some trolling around the edge. We were rewarded with several nice eating sized walleye that we invited for supper. Wacky Worm had a larger fish on that felt like a large walleye, but it spit the hook after a bit. We then joined the others in bass fishing the shoreline out of the wind. It was fun to watch Wacky Worm slowly work his artificial baits on the steep edges of the lake. He caught many nice bass. I trolled behind and caught a few bass and got bit off by a couple northerns that felt decent. One took my green artificial worm. Tangerine Boy and Trail Mix had equal if not better fishing for the smallies working the same shoreline, and later they spotted a bear eating blueberries on a burned hill next to the water. They got some good video of it. That night the shorefishing never turned on, but we enjoyed red beans and rice with andouille sausage and fried walleye for supper. It was another pleasant evening.

On Saturday we switched partners and I went out with Trail Mix to the "Grocery Store" walleye reef after an early morning rain shower and breakfast. The fish were still there, but this morning they were bigger. Trail Mix caught an eater walleye and a bigger bass and I had my best fishing of the trip, getting a 19" smallie, an 18" smallie, a 21.5" walleye, and a 26" walleye, all released. It was lots of fun but the fishing slowed quickly, and remained slow the rest of the day. Another walleye was added to the stringer at some point, and the bass bit a little, but overall it was slower. Trail Mix did pick up two decent pike on one pass over a reef. Trail Mix's pike had a green artificial worm hanging from its mouth-the same one I lost the day before. He caught the pike about 1/2 a mile from where I lost it. We had walleye with mashed potatoes that night. It did rain a bit that evening.

On Sunday morning it was a pleasant day as Wacky Worm and I hit the "Grocery Store" again, but only picked up one eater walleye. We switched to bass fishing the cliffs and were rewarded with several nice bass and a couple decent northern pike (28" to 30"). We checked out some other campsites on the lake, and most were made unusable by the burn. After a bit we headed to a smooth rock hill, intending to climb it and take some photos of the lake. As we waited for Tangerine Boy and Trail Mix to meet us there, we found a nice blueberry patch to snack on. The others arrived and informed us they had enjoyed fantastic fishing for smallmouth bass, including some larger ones. They had found a bay off the main lake and the fish were stacked in there. We climbed up the hill and took some photos of the view. Rain showers were just missing us to the north as we then hiked further into the burned woods to an even higher promontory. The view from there was spectacular as was the highest spot around in every direction except west. It was well worth the break in fishing to see the sights. After our hike and photo session, we hit the water again, determined to catch enough walleyes for supper. Wacky Worm and I hit searched the grocery store again, but didn't find the fish. We expanded our search around the reef and we found a secondary reef to the north that held the walleyes. We caught several, keeping a few for supper. It felt good to persevere. In the middle of our search we were caught by a surprise rain shower that came of the hill to our west. The other guys rode it out under the tarp in camp, but we never saw it coming. We weren't too wet, though, as we paddled back to camp and made a supper of pesto noodles and walleye.

On Monday it was calm as we quickly packed (Trail Mix and I had slept in a bit longer than anticipated) and paddled back down the lake to the portages and the tow boat pick up. For good measure, Wacky Worm caught a 19" smallmouth bass from shore as we waited for the tow to show. The tow ride was slow as the motor was running poorly and the operator had some issues with the route through the shallow rock section. We got the truck loaded up, made it back down the Trail, had some lunch in Grand Marais, made it back to Duluth, got the gear sorted out, and sent everyone on their way. It was good trip. We got to say hi to all of Trail Mix's family-they had come up to visit My Wonderful Bride and Super Kid while us guys were out fishing. Sounds like they had a fun Duluth weekend.

My next trip will be to the Ely area, as the MIL has rented a cabin there and asked my family to join her for a long weekend in mid-September.

Nature Moment: When paddling up the lake on our first day, we spotted movement along shoreline and were surprised to see three Great Horned Owls hanging on a tree along shore in the middle of the day. It seemed to be an unusual sight...three owls in one spot, but we surmised that they were this year's nearly fully grown owlets, waiting for mom to bring a meal.

Take a Kid Fishing

I took a fun little fishing trip earlier this week. On Sunday morning Officer Friendly, the Smoked Fish Guy, and I got the camping gear, a boat, 2 canoes, and the Smoked Fish Guy's three boys (Fire Feeder-age 10, and twins Spider Man and Chatter Box, age 8) packed up and we headed north. We picked up the permit and a rented a boat at the landing (I have my own motor). So, at about 10am, we headed off into the lake with 2 motor boats, 2 canoes (on a rack on the Smoked Fish Guy's boat), 3 adults, 3 kids, and a ton of gear and refreshments. The trip across the first lake and then the "truck portage" (actually a four wheeler and a boat trailer) went smoothly as did the long ride across the BWCA (motors allowed) lake we would be camping on. After getting camp set up and taking a swim on this hot, muggy day, we set out to get some fish for supper. A reef just off camp produced several eating sized smallmouth bass, which we fried up and ate. The mosquitoes were out in force at dusk. Unfortunately, the Smoked Fish Guy's outboard motor quit while we were out fishing and wouldn't start again. (Phone conversations (cell coverage is quite good in this part of the BWCA) with the boat rental place later in the week were not fruitful in getting a replacement motor brought to us (odd logistical issues), so in the end we would just tow one boat.)

On Monday, we had a leisurely breakfast, packed our fishing gear, and portaged into a nearby, smaller, lake. It was a breezy day as paddled Fire Feeder and Spider Man around, trolling spinners. All I did was paddle, bait hooks, and unhook fish. The kids were great and the action was fast for eater walleyes and small northern pike. The Smoked Fish Guy, Officer Friendly, and Chatter Box also had lots of action. We left the canoes on the far side of the portage and went back to camp via the portage and a connecting trail. After a swim, we cleaned our walleyes and fried them up with some mac and cheese.

Tuesday dawned much cooler with a breeze. We packed our gear and headed back across the portage. This time I was pair up with Officer Friendly and Chatter Box. We explored the north portion of the lake getting some pike and walleyes trolling spinners and Officer Friendly caught a couple walleyes from shore while eating lunch. One was fairly large-the biggest walleye I had ever seen in this particular lake. We portaged the canoe and gear back to the big lake after lunch and did some fishing there, getting only small bass and one big bluegill-an unusual BWCA catch by Officer Friendly. We had fried fish and mashed potatoes for supper.

Wednesday morning was cool and breezy. We packed up camp and then rigged up a tow rope for the rental boat after putting my operational motor on the Smoked Fish Guy's boat. The whole operation, including the truck portage, when surprisingly well and we made it back to the landing unscathed. After getting the gear packed in the van and trailering the boat, we headed home, stopping for burgers at a local joint.

It was a fun trip. The boats allowed us to bring some luxury items such as beer and chairs, the fishing was good, and I enjoyed helping the kids learn some new skills (trolling, portaging, gathering firewood, etc.).

Nature Moment: The kids were not fans of the bugs in the BWCA. Their biggest concern was for spiders. Spider Man was particularly anxious. On Tuesday night we were just about to hit the hay when my headlamp caught a shadow hovering right above Spider Mans's head. It was a huge, creepy looking spider descending from a pine tree. Much to Spider Man's relief, the arachnid zipped back up to the crown of the tree when he saw us checking him out.

July 4th Fun

We took a family camping trip over the 4th this year. On Sunday morning (the 3rd) My Wonderful Bride, Super Kid, and I left Duluth and headed up the shore. We turned inland at Grand Marais and headed up the Gunflint Trail. After lunch at trail center, we continued on to our chosen campground. We had reserved a very nice site with big pines and a lake view. Super Kid was very excited and helped set up the tents and the rest of camp. It was a warm, sunny day and the Bride took a nap while Super Kid and I played cards and listened to the ball game. We had a great supper of chicken and red beans and rice. I did some shore fishing that night and caught one walleye with the lighted bobbber. Mosquitoes were out in force.

On Monday the 4th, we had a lazy morning with big breakfast and then we took off on canoe ride. We spotted a mama bear and cub in a nearby tree, just hanging out. We didn't get any fish and it was getting muggy, so we drove to a nearby lake to enjoy it's sandy beach. After lunch My Bride and Super Kid took a nap. We dodged rain showers and took a walk to see a small waterfall that afternoon. We took another swim as well. The muggy day gave way to severe thunderstorms that night, right after bed time. I had to wake My Bride and Super Kid up to evacuate camp when one of the storms hit (the big pines made me nervous regarding lightening and strong winds). After it calmed we were able to get back to sleep.

On Tuesday we drove down the road to a river area to check for moose, but didn't spot any. We then checked out a new museum that featured the history and nature of the Gunflint Trail. It was nice and kid friendly. We took a walk on their boardwalk and watched a loon on her nest. After lunch we all took naps. I did a little fishing that afternoon and we did some swimming and went to a nearby outfitters for ice cream. It was a quiet evening.

On Wednesday we packed up and hit the road back to Grand Marais, where we had lunch. It was an uneventful ride home.

Nature Moment: A pair of merlins (small hawk/falcons) were nested in a pine tree right new our campsite. They were interesting to observe. We saw mid-air handoffs of food (mice and songbirds) and we laughed at their protectiveness of the nest. They would attack anything that wandered into their area. We saw them hit eagles, vultures, ducks, and sea gulls.

Sun Dappled Rocks and Sea Salt

The Umpteenth Annual Camp Sh*tstorm Canoe Trip occurred this past week. It was a great trip with excellent fishing and even better comradeship. It might have been my favorite wilderness trip thus far.

Fran Tarkington Fan, The Smoked Fish Guy, and I finished up most of the packing on Thursday, June 2. A bear meandered across the Smoked Fish Guy's back yard as we ate supper. The rest of the gang arrived late that night and we all sacked out around the house. We woke up at dawn put the final items in the vehicles and hit the road on the morning of June 3. We headed north and made it through the Canadian border station in short order. After crossing a bridge that was very rough due to a construction project, we hit a snag. The canoe trailer that had been recently repaired had re-broken a weld. Wear-Some-Shorts made a temporary repair using some rope and we limped the unit into a nearby mining town. After striking out at the hardware store when looking for supplies to make a better repair, we soon found ourselves at a large fabricating shop, who nicely dropped everything to weld the offending piece. Repaired and with permit now in hand, we drove to the Quetico entry point just down the road, loaded the canoes and hit the water, just a bit later than planned. We cruised across the first lake and portage, then made our way through series of lakes and narrows to a campsite on a small river between two large lakes. After setting up camp and eating a great supper of steaks and asparagus with the local microbrew, we set out to get some evening walleyes. Gatorade and I did pretty well, getting a couple walleyes and a fairly large northern pike (around 30 inches). The others had less success, but a few other fish were caught. After some laughs catching up with each other around the campfire, we hit the hay.

Saturday morning dawn warm, sunny, and breezy. We packed up camp and had egg burritos for breakfast. After loading the canoes, we rode the tailwind east down the long, narrow lake, fishing as we went. Gatorade caught a really nice walleye (26") nearly right away, and we caught multiple smallmouth bass and small northern pike. We caught up with Wear-Some-Shorts as we crossed into some deeper water that looked good for lake trout. Both Gatorade and Wear-Some-Shorts caught nice lakers that were strung up for supper. A nice island campsite was found at the mouth of a bay and we set up camp, had a cocktail or two, and then the Smoked Fish Guy led the cooking up of a Thai curry rice with lake trout dish that was excellent. Unfortunately, a fillet knife accident during meal preparation resulted in Gatorade stitching up a nasty cut on the Smoked Fish Guy's left index finger. It was a nice evening.

On Sunday we packed up and hit the lake on another beautiful day. We made two moderate portages and arrived on our destination lake, a massive, wending body of water. Gatorade and I joined Tick Check and the Freshman at a rapids coming into the lake. We watched The Freshman fight a huge northern pike, but lose it after 15 minutes of fighting it. Fortunately, on his very next cast, the Freshman hooked another big fish. After a big battle, I helped to coach him on how to land a big pike and he secured the fish in his grasp. It was at least 40" long-his personal best. Gatorade and I failed to get any fish at the spot and we soon moved on to fish for lakers in the middle. We had no luck as we crossed the big part of the lake, but when we cruised into a deep narrows, both of our rods bent over. We were both surprised to reel up two nice walleyes on our trout spoons! We made a couple more passes in front of the rock face and caught several more nice walleyes on the spoons. We made a final small portage into the next lake and found the rest of the group on a fantastic five star campsite. All reported good luck catching nice sized walleyes, but no trout were found. A feast of red beans and rice with andouille sausage and fried walleye was prepared and subsequently devoured by the group. Another great day.

On Monday morning we switched up partners and left camp intact as we all explored areas of the lake. I was paired up with Fran Tarkington Fan and we found a few bass in shallow pockets as we fished our way to a major rapids pouring into the lake. Soon after throwing our first casts with jigs into the current, Fran Fan declares he has a snag. As we tried to get it out, however, the "snag" began to move. After about 15 minutes of a slow, dogged fight, I told Fran Fan that I thought he had a sturgeon (the largest freshwater fish in the area). After yet another 15 minutes, I thought the fish must be foul hooked. Finally the fish came to the surface and it was indeed a foul hooked sturgeon. Fran Fan landed it expertly and we got a quick photo before releasing it. We were 1/3 of a mile away from where the fish was first hooked. We went back to the current and proceeded to catch many "eater" sized walleyes. After a bit, we stopped at a nearby rock and took a bath on this warm, calm day. The rocks were warm, the water was not, but we succeeded in getting some of the grime off. From there we headed down the lake to its outlet, where there was significant current pouring over a deep rock reef. On the reef were many hefty walleyes. Tick Check and the Smoked Fish Guy along with Gatorade and Dr. Calm joined us in the bonanza. No monsters, but lots of 22"-23" walleyes were hauled up and released. Doubles in canoes were common and there were some triples and two near quadruples (four of us fighting walleyes at the same time). A very fun afternoon. We had fried walleye and gourmet mac and cheese for supper.

We woke to rain on Tuesday. We putzed around camp making blueberry pancakes and waiting for the rain to subside, which it did around noon. I was paired with Dr. Calm this day and we headed back up to the big rapids. Dr. Calm hooked a fish on his first cast and yet another long fight occurred. He finally landed a big northern pike after a good tussle. It was probably about 38 or 39 inches long, his biggest fish ever, and, true to his name, Dr. Calm's heart rate barely rose during the entire event. We caught a bunch more walleyes and we also got out of the canoes and explored the woods next to the rapids. It was raining again as we headed back to camp, but soon cleared. We enjoyed fried walleye and "Quetico Supremes" (grilled salami, swiss cheese, and mustard sandwiches) for supper.

On Wednesday it was damp, chilly, and windy. We packed up camp and struck out down the river to the next lake, fishing a few spots as went, getting a few nice walleyes and smallies and Gatorade got a decent pike. The Smoked Fish Guy and Fran Fan hit a little inlet and were rewarded with some big smallmouth bass. We made a few portages and were met with a stiff wind on our destination lake. After some exploration we settled on a campsite and ate our only meal without fish-pesto noodles with salamini. Fantastic-it might be my favorite.

Thursday dawned chilly but sunny and we all went out after lake trout. Tick Check and I caught a few bass and several walleyes right away, and after a good luck feather ceremony, I finally caught a nice trout off of a rock wall. Tick Check lost another good one right at the boat. Soon afterward he accidentally lost his rod and reel in the water. Our efforts to snag it back were fruitless. Gatorade and Freshman caught two nice lakers and Wear-Some-Shorts got his personal best trout-about 30 inches. It was Kek Burgers (lake trout bacon cheeseburgers) and baked trout for supper. The Smoked Fish Guy and Tick Check did a great job with another excellent meal.

On Friday we packed up and hit the first of four moderate portages. We made the carries without incident and ended up back at the spot where we camped the first night. We trolled our way past that site and into the next several lakes, which are connected by channels. Nearly all of us were rewarded with lake trout. We were back within one portage of the landing and the "crowds" appeared (still a heckuva lot less people than the BWCA). We found a nice campsite after a short search and set up a roaring fire on precipice of a cliff over looking the big, island studded lake. The sun came out just in time for a spectacular sunset. We dined on trout boiled in spiced water and drizzled with butter. The side dish was mashed potatoes with hamburger and veggies.

Finally, on Saturday, June 11, we packed up camp on a spectacularly sunny and calm morning. We cruised across the lone remaining portage and paddled to the landing and the waiting vehicles. We got the gear and canoes loaded and headed down the road, stopping for a "game and fish" checkpoint, which went fine, and for burgers once back in the USA. Back in Duluth, we shook hands and said our goodbyes, already discussing trip ideas for next year.

Looking back, this may have been my favorite trip ever. The fishing was excellent, the weather was great, the entire route was new to me, the food was out of this world, and the fellowship was beyond fun. There were a few bugs and other challenges, but they simply added to the adventure. Despite some long paddles and a few moderate portages, this trip was always relaxing. I am truly thankful that the group lets me join them and I am looking forward to next year.

My next trip will also be a good one-my beloved wife and child will be joining me on a family camping trip to the Gunflint Trail over the 4th of July.

Nature Moment: On the road heading to the entry point, we were lucky enough to see a mama bear and her twin cubs cross the road in front of us. The cubs were still tiny and super cute with their long legs flying everywhere as they ran. Kinda reminded me of Superkid.

Pleasantville

Ardent followers of this blog (all four of you) will remember the unfortunate experience I had with a fellow angler last opening weekend. I even went so far as to declare that I would never go fishing on opening weekend again. Fortunately for me, a good friend, Chief MLB, asked if I would join him at his family's hunting cabin this year. It is located on a navigable river that, while not being known as great fishing river, does have some fish in it. I agreed to go and Captain K and the Lt. decided to join us. We left Friday afternoon and cruised north, marveling at all the big boats and motors heading the same direction. We stopped for lunch, did some grocery shopping, and made our way to the cabin's one lane, rocky, and muddy access road. It was drizzling and cold as we got out of the truck and checked out the site. The cabin is perfect-made from logs, one room, four bunks, a table, and a wood stove. No cell service, no electricity, no problem. A step back in time. We got the motors put on the boats and had some grilled venison for supper.

On Saturday, opening day, we rose, had some breakfast and headed out fishing on a chilly morning. We explored the river, ran some swift current areas and checked out a creek, all with no fishing luck. We spotted a rotting, bloated moose carcass floating downstream, and also rescued a wooden chair that had floated away from camp during the spring flood and jammed against a tree downstream. Finally, we caught a couple smallmouth bass near a larger rapids. As the sun started to come out, we went back to camp and I watched Chief and Lt. set up their muzzleloaders and do some target shooting. Kind of a neat way to hunt, they even let me shoot them a couple times, and I didn't make a fool of myself-I hit the target pretty square on both times. Pure luck, but I'll let them think I am a good shot, just in case. While we were shooting, Capt. did some shore fishing and caught a nice walleye. It was the only one home. Some friends of Chief's boated up and shared a happy hour with us. We grilled some large pieces of meat for supper and sat outside around the campfire.

I was the first to rise on a sunny morning on Sunday. I threw a line off the dock and immediately caught a nice walleye. Capt. soon joined me and he caught another one. Chief caught a walleye when we went out in the boats a bit later, but that was it for the day. It was beautiful afternoon and we packed up and cleaned the cabin, putting everything back in its place, as other family members were coming up later in the week. It was an uneventful ride home.

It was a very nice opener, and I really enjoyed seeing the old cabin and hearing about all its history, a great family tradition.

I don't have any plans to get out until the big Camp Sh*tstorm trip June 3-11, but maybe I'll get out around Duluth for a couple hours in the next couple weekends.

Winter Gear Review

Now that the ice fishing season has wrapped up, here are my reviews of some products I tested out this year.

Showdown Troller…The Troller is a super small ice fishing flasher type depthfinder made by Marcum. The intent of the product is to give people a flasher option that is easy to use when moving from hole to hole when tying to find fish (“trolling”). I thought it would be a good option for wilderness ice fishing where limiting space and weight is important.
Pro: The Troller truly is lightweight as it runs on six AA batteries and is the size of a couple baseballs.
Pro: Its vertical screen is easier to interpret compared to the standard circular flashers.
Pro: I also like the fact it gives you the depth in text in the corner-that way there is no need to do math when looking at the screen (circular models often require you to interpret your depth by multiplying the depth shown by 2 or 4).
Pro: Another nice feature is the option to heat the LCD screen so it won’t slow down when used outside.
Pro: Finally, the cost of the Troller is much less than any other quality flasher. I have seen them for as little as $169.
Con: The screen on the Troller is very small and when you are in a depth at the low to mid point of its 20 feet ranges, it is even smaller yet. For example, if you are in 24 feet of water, you are in the top end of the 20-40 foot range. This means the screen is about ½ the size it would be if you were in 39 feet of water. At 39 feet, you would be using nearly the entire screen. The result of having a super small screen when fishing at the example of 24 feet is that you barely see fish coming up from the bottom to look at your bait, because there is such a small difference between your bait hanging at 23 feet and the bottom of 24 feet.
Con: Additional issues include the AA battery run time of 20 hours. It makes using standard AA batteries less desirable, as you’ll go through them pretty quickly. I chose to invest in rechargeable AA batteries instead. The run time of 20 hours can still be a bit short when you are in the wilderness, though, with no access to the recharger. I had to bring a back up set of batteries on most 4 day trips.
Con: The size of the unit also has its drawbacks-you could easily drop the flasher down a fishing hole.
Con: The unit seemed to struggle to identify fish that were hugging the ice right below your hole. One weekend I used both the Troller and my old Vexilar and the Vexilar identified multiple fish right under the ice over the course of the trip and the Troller never did. It could be coincidence and I just never had any shallow trout come in when using the Troller, but my experience doesn’t support that theory.
Con: The Troller simply doesn’t mark fish as well as my Vexilar does. Fish shown on the Troller were often just the same size as my jig on the screen, which made identify active fish versus interference, bait, and bubbles somewhat difficult. Additionally, I often would get surprise bites from fish I simply never saw come up to my bait.
Final analysis…the Troller is good enough for what I bought it for-walking into the wilderness to ice fish when conditions make going lightweight a critical factor. It performed well enough in those situations. By making sure I fished at a depth at the bottom of one of its ranges (19 feet, 39 feet, 59 feet), I overcame the small screen issue. If space, weight, and cost are your concern, the Troller is not a bad purchase. It should be noted that I don’t have analyses of its toughness or longevity yet.

Active Trax Speaker…Made by Seattle Sports , this little 3 x 3 x 3 speaker plays my iPod and is an am/fm and weather radio. It has a permanent battery that is recharged by plugging it in to the wall at home, by a solar panel, or by a crank. You can also plug your iPod in with a usb cable and charge the iPod using the crank or solar panel.
Pro: The speaker, its connecting cords, and an iPod Nano fit in a provided little case that is very compact and lightweight-it fits well on a wilderness trip.
Pro: Seattle Sports says the battery will last seven hours on a full charge-but it seemed to last much longer than that.
Con: As stated above, the battery lasted longer than the 7 hours stated, but it also seemed that the unit sucked power from the iPod itself. I must say I am not sure about that…my Nano’s battery may be not performing as long as it once did.
Con: The crank and solar power options are barely worth it…the solar panel takes many hours to charge the unit (think days, not hours, to fully charge) and 2 minutes of full cranking only yields about 20 minutes of power to the speaker/radio.
Con: In light of the previous Con, this note is particularly concerning-the Active Trax Speaker no longer comes with the wall outlet charging option like mine.
Con: Like so many cheap radios I have owned, the first issue with this unit was volume control. After a couple uses, the volume degraded into 2 options-loud or off. Not real sure why, but I have had couple units develop this issue.
Final analysis…This unit is really close to being the perfect unit for winter camping and ice fishing in the wilderness. It has all the needed features. Unfortunately, it isn’t a quality unit and its charging slowness makes it an annoyance. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone without seeing some major improvements. I am not sure what other options are out there, though.

Texsport Propane Mini-Heater…To make my small flip shack (see below) viable, I needed small propane heater that left room in the house for my depthfinder. I found a Texsport heater as one of the few options. Unfortunately, it malfunctioned on just my 2nd trip of the winter. It would work fine for a bit, but then would suddenly start roaring and the unit would become so red hot that I feared it would melt down or explode. I would shut it off for a bit and then restart it. Again, it would work for a bit, but then over heat a short time later. I was forced to retire it. Interestingly, I had an older heater of this type that was made by a different company. It had done the exact same thing (but not until I had owned it for many years). I am thinking about sending the new heater back to Texsport, but even they send me a new one, I am not sure I would trust the heater enough to take it on a trip.

Modified Mini Portable Fish House…If you recall from my November 16, 2010 post, I had modified my super lightweight, small flip style portable ice fishing shack with several items. Unfortunately, the improvements didn’t result in a drastically more comfortable experience. Extending the snowflaps did block more wind from coming in the house, but strong winds still found their way in-the house’s lack of a zippered door prevents the sealing of the flaps with snow. The reflectix insulation cut for the ceiling did keep the house warmer and held off frost formation, and the rod and drink holders worked great. However, the house has some fatal flaws that mean I won’t be using it too much in the future. One issue is the lack of the door as discussed above. A second issue is the overall lack of room in the house. It simply is too small for a heater, depth finder, and fishing hole to co-exist and it is hard to reach behind your back into the tub to get your lunch, for example. Another major flaw is that, despite its light weight and small size, the unit is harder to pull through snow than a regular hauling pulk or toboggan style sled. This is simply because it is wider at the base-narrowness makes more of a difference than weight. I’ll keep the house around for others to use when they join me, but my search for the perfect fish house continues.

Cooler Storage Chair…Also revealed on my November 16, 2010 post was my cooler that I had modified into a chair and storage unit. I specifically developed it to use in the modified fish house discussed above. My review of this item is a positive one. The chair was comfortable and the storage unit was hard sided, water proof, and roomy. When I took the snowmachine and had a bigger chair and my bigger fish house along, I used the cooler as a table and it was a welcome addition. The best part of the cooler’s storage was my idea of attaching items that are used more often or needed at a moment’s notice (e.g. hemostats) on the outside front panel. This meant those items were always handy. When walking in deeper snow, however, I did leave the cooler at home and lightened the load with 2 smaller softside coolers and a smaller chair.

Rod Tubes…Yet again revealed on my November 16, 2010 post, were my homemade protective rod tubes. Made from clear plastic tubes originally designed to protect fluorescent light bulbs, the rod protectors are flexible and didn’t seem to become brittle when cold. They worked great when walking to the chosen fishing spot. When taking the snowmachine, though, they didn’t seem protective enough. When the snowmachine is hauling the Otter Sled, I tend to pile more gear in and it became difficult to find a spot on top for the rods in their cases. A solid box is still desirable and the development of a prototype is in the works.

Tent Base…I fabricated a wooden base for my canvas tent. The base is made of 2 x 6 treated deck boards that are stood on their sides and fastened in the corners to make a rectangle with the same dimensions (8 x 11)as the tent bottom (there is no floor in this tent). I put hinges in strategic places in the deck boards in order to make sure the base would fold easily in the back of my truck.
Pro: The base worked better than even anticipated. It forms a more defined shape for the bottom of the tent, ensuring you are getting maximum use of the floor space.
Pro: It raises the A-frame tent 5.5 inches, creating a surprising gain in living space.
Pro: The solid base forms a solid wall to throw snow against to seal the bottom.
Con: The base is very heavy-it will only be used when camping right next to the truck.
Con: The base raises the snowflaps off the ground, so you have to have plenty of snow handy to seal the tent bottom from the elements. This makes the base less useful for fall hunting trips or spring fishing outings.
Final analysis…the tent base was a good project. I got almost all the materials from leftover stuff in my garage. I often said that most of my use of the winter tent would be camping right next to the truck, and the base makes it even more comfortable. The base would also make it more comfortable to camp right on the ice if you could drive to your spot. Would I drill holes and fish in it? I’d want to build a floor for it first.

It's a Wrap

Watch a video of this event at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1OJN6pu25I&feature=player_embedded

It seems like it just started, but my lake trout ice fishing and winter camping season ended on Sunday. Tangerine Boy and the Lone C arrived late Wednesday night and we packed the truck. On Thursday morning we headed north from Duluth and hit the Gunflint Trail. It was unseasonably cold, but sunny when arrived to the parking lot. The path to our destination lake was packed down and fast. The lake surface was mostly snow covered in a hard crust that made pulling the heavy sleds very easy. We arrived at our chosen campsite, put out tip ups and set up camp. The tip ups stayed stationary all afternoon and we only caught a couple small trout jigging as we sat in the sun. A breeze made it a bit chilly and we blamed the cold front on the slow fishing. We had the lake to ourselves all day. It was a tasty trout jambalaya for supper. A trivia contest was held after we ate.

After a chilly night, we woke to more sun and a cold breeze. The second day after the cold front made for better fishing. We caught several trout right in front of camp, including some nice fish that resulted in good fillets. It is really fun to fish right near camp as we can conveniently heat up a hot lunch, cut firewood, and do other camp chores. We enjoyed watching eagles and ravens swooping over the lake that afternoon. We saw only a couple other parties on the lake. Trout chowder was on the menu that evening.

Saturday morning was again quite chilly-around zero degrees. The day was less windy, however, and we comfortably fished and caught several nice lake trout. We each wandered off at some point during the day and explored other fishing spots and portages. There were 3 or 4 other fishing parties on the lake that we could see. One member of another party wandered our way and we learned that their group included a couple guys from town that I know. We enjoyed a beef and trout stew that night and turned in a bit earlier than usual in order to try and get an early start the next day.

On Sunday we out out tip ups and caught one more decent trout as we packed up camp. It was again cold, calm, and sunny as we hoofed back to the truck. I stopped and talked with my two acquaintances for a bit when we left. Loading the truck was quickly done and we headed back down the Gunflint Trail. We had lunch in Grand Marais and we were back in Duluth by mid-afternoon. The fellows unloaded their gear and headed back to the Cities.

It was a very fun trip despite the unseasonable cold. Fishing was a bit slow at times and many of the fish were too small to keep, but the guys went home with their limit of nice fillets, so it couldn't have been too bad. It didn't seem possible that it was the last trip of the season-it seemed like it just started. The trips I took were all great fun, though. Now it is time to unpack and start thinking about the start of canoe season.

Nature Moment: On Friday afternoon, we heard the hoot of an owl several times from across the lake. It actually isn't a sound that we hear very often that far north. I first thought it was a great horned owl, but later research suggests it was likely a barred owl. It called several times that night as well.

Snowtrekker!!!!!!!!

It was a fine long weekend in the north country last weekend. The Smoked Fish Guy and I hit the road about 6am on Friday heading up the North Shore and then the Gunflint Trail. Did you know the North Shore Scenic Drive and the Gunflint Trail are nationally designated scenic byways? The sunrise was stunning over Lake Superior and the variety of landscapes on the Gunflint Trail make for a quick trip. We set up camp in the parking lot of an easily accessible lake trout lake. Once the tent and wood stove were set up, we hit the ice and dragged the fishing gear to a nearby point. It was a gray, damp, windy day and the fishing luck matched the weather. No fish, only one bite, between the two of us. Ouch. We went back to camp and licked our wounds while eating ham and bean soup prepared by the SFG (actually, every meal this trip was prepared by the SFG, and when you have a chef of his resume along, that is a good thing). We listened to the local radio station's trivia show that night and the only question they asked that night that went unanswered was this one: Who wrote John Smith's auto-biography? Really? Come on, Cook County!!

On Saturday morning we brewed the coffee and packed the gear and hit the lake. The SFG strapped on his skis and zipped off into the snow as I followed on snowshoes. We made our way through a series of islands and narrows to the big narrows, where we found open water. There was an easy path around most of the open water, but there was one more small, open hole that was surrounded by otter tracks. We surmised the ice was fine with just the one spot kept open by fishing otters and we skirted around it and made our way down the lake. After some discussion, we settled on a spot to fish. It had taken us about 2 hours to get there. After getting the lightweight tent shelter set up and the breakfast burritos cooking, I immediately caught a nice lake trout. A good sign, but alas, the day was slow. A continuous rain/snow mix and strong east wind made for tough conditions when "trolling" to different holes and depths in an attempt to find the fish. I went out deeper, while the SFG went shallower. He quickly hooked a trout and nearly had it up the hole when it shook loose. I marked a fish on my depthfinder out deep and it zipped up to my bait, but when I set the hook, I felt nothing. A northern pike had cut off my tube jig. I tied another one on, and it bit it off in short order again. Having finally learned my lesson I used wire leader on my rig the next time, but the fish didn't hit again. I tried even deeper, and was rewarded with a small lake trout. That hole soon proved a one hit wonder and I headed back to the tent for lunch. I missed one fish right away, but soon made up for it by seeing an aggressive fish zip right past my jig on the depth finder and reeling up to it and catching it. I iced the decent lake trout and quickly gilled and gutted the nice fish and found 3 tiny perch in its stomach. I was surprised to see one of the perch twitch-it was still alive. Apparently the trout was chasing a school of young-of-the-year perch when it shot past my bait. Meanwhile, the SFG was trying multiple spots without luck. He was approached by 2 gentlemen on snowshoes and learned that the "otter hole" we had seen was actually expanded by a fellow with a German accent that had gotten too close to the spot where the otter had accessed the lake and the visitor had broken through in water up to his waist. A tough lesson for a winter camper. We skirted back around the open water and made our way back to camp, where I greeted an enthusiastic winter tent fan. Overall, we had traveled for 4 hours and fish for 6.5 hours this day. Not a great ratio and we only caught 3 trout. The SFG made Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, and onions for supper. A favorite meal.

On Sunday, we decided to try a new spot. We loaded the truck and drove to the landing, then headed out on a plowed road on the ice. The place was a zoo-the lake was covered by anglers on snow machines. We found a place to park and then headed off to an out of the way area to fish. A bit of skiing/snowshoeing brought us to a quiet spot and it paid off. I caught a nice fish right away, and then the SFG took over, getting 4 trout, including a dandy 7-8 pounder. It was a beautiful day and we moved from hole to hole, enjoying the warm weather. The SFG ended up getting 6 trout, including another nice one, and I caught 4. A fine day. We headed back to the truck and then back to camp, where we discussed the finer points of human survival with some passer-by. Later, the SFG conjured up some steak and mushrooms for supper.

On Monday we headed onto the lake and down the shoreline for a bit. We found a very likely spot and I caught a nice trout right away. It spiraled down from there, however,and we caught only two more trout and a small northern pike after that. It was another warm, sunny day, but a strong wind made it less than perfect. We headed back to camp and fried up a trout with some beans and mashed potatoes.

Finally, on Tuesday we headed out and fished near the landing for just a bit with only a single trout to show for it. We packed up camp and headed home. It was good trip, with slower fishing than expected, but still fun.

Nature Moment: On Sunday afternoon, while jigging and chatting, the SFG suddenly yelled out in surprise. I looked up from depthfinder to see him swatting a gray jay, or whiskeyjack, away from his face. The large songbird had apparently mistaken the tassel on his hat as a food item and had attacked.

Thar She Blows!

It was an interesting President's Day weekend. Captain Karkov and I went up the Gunflint Trail to go after some lake trout through the ice. The forecast was intimidating when met up at 5am to begin the trek north. 40 to 50 mph winds? We bet the wind wasn't going to be that strong once we got off the shore of Lake Superior. When we arrived at our destination lake a few hours later, we discovered that 40 mph winds were indeed the case. It was obvious that the wind would prevent any fishing that day, even if we found an island to tuck behind. Our main concern turned to just getting on the lake to a decent campsite without the benefit of much snow to cool our snow machines. The week's warm spell had turned the lake into a sloppy wet mess for a few days, then the previous nights cold snap had refrozen the lake into a rock hard, rough surface. Barely any loose snow existed any longer. Quite a change from the snowy, slushy lake surfaces that had dominated the winter previously. After much contemplating, we decided to go for it. We headed up the lake, sticking close to shore where there was a bit more snow. It was a slow, rough ride with all the camping equipment towed behind our snow machines, but we made it, even passing through a white out of blowing snow the last mile. Despite a lot of protection from trees and vegetation, the wind made setting up camp a bit more challenging. It was difficult to get the windward side of the canvas tent stretched out and snow flapped. We persevered and after getting everything organized, we lit a fire in the wood stove, had some lunch and relaxed for a bit. Later, we went for a snow machine ride to check the lake out a bit further. After a supper of spaghetti, we listened to the local trivia show and solved several of the world's problems. Should have written them down, though.

We woke on Saturday to calm winds and sunshine. It looked to be a good day, and it was. As we packed to go fishing, another friend, Trout Teacher, arrived to join us. He had left town at 3am that day. Unfortunately, he had suffered a nasty looking eye injury when a taut bungee cord slipped his grip while packing at the landing. His vision was blurry in the eye, but I didn't see a puncture or scratch, so he decided to set up camp and see what happened. The eye progressively improved over the course of the weekend, so I hope it will be okay. Captain and I left him to get his tent up and we headed for our honey hole, affectionately called "Tuna Town" (it acquired the name due to its propensity to give up huge lake trout, aka "tunas"). It was an uneventful ride and soon we were setting up our portable shelters in 40-50 feet of water off the point. I hooked my first lake trout before my jig even hit the bottom. It was a nice 3 to 4 pound fish and I put it on the ice. I dropped my jig down again and had steady action all day after that. I think I ended icing 14 lake trout, one of my best days ever. The biggest fish was only about 5 pounds, but only one or two of the fish were under 2 pounds. Unfortunately, the only big fish I hooked got away after a battle that straightened my hook. It was sunny and calm most of the day-left the heater off in the house and did some fishing outside as well. Captain also caught many fish, including a 30" (8-10lb) trout. Trout Teacher arrived after morning flurry and didn't do as well where he set up in deeper water. We cruised back to camp as it neared dark, gathering some firewood as we went. We had brats and mashed potatoes for supper and the three of us chatted about life's twists and turns until we hit the hay.

Sunday was sunny, but a bit windy. The fluffy 2 inches of snow that fell in the night help soften the lake surface a bit as we traveled to our hot spot. I set up in a new area that was more out of the wind and immediately hooked a bigger fish that threw the hook. I had been filling my cup with tea from my thermos when it hit, and when I tried to set the hook, I only managed to drop the rod. I then fought the fish for a bit, but it got away, possibly due to my bumbling. I caught a small trout after that, and then didn't see any action for an hour or so, so I decided to go with Trout Teacher to another spot. This spot was out of the wind and Trout Teacher immediately started catching fish, but they were all quite small. He made up for the lack of size in the morning with a 30" lake trout early that afternoon. As I took his photo, I saw my tip flag was up. This was the first time I had a flag go up this winter-all my trout had come when jigging. I caught the nice 3-4 pound trout, and soon added another 2-3 pound trout, also on the tip up. It was good to know the thing works. It was also good I was able to test out the new "circle hooks" I had bought for the tip up worked. They are designed to pull out of a fish's stomach if the fish swallows the bait. The hook then is designed to slide up the mouth and hook in the side of the mouth. Both fish came up the hole perfectly hooked in the side of the mouth, and swam away healthy when released. Pretty cool. The key to using a circle hook, I am told, is not to set the hook with a jerk, but instead to just start reeling. It seemed to work for me. I caught a few more trout right before it was time to pack up, so after a slow start the day ended up being decent for numbers of fish. Captain had stayed at our original spot, and he reported good success as well, although the wind at that spot was less comfortable. We headed back to camp and enjoyed wild rice soup for supper.

Monday morning, President's Day, was again windy and cold. Captain had a minor snow machine issue that caused a bit of delay in our packing up, and when combined with the wind, it caused us to decide not to fish that day. It was a very pokey snow machine ride back to the landing-the lake was rougher than ever. Despite going slow, I did shatter one of my square buckets that I have used as my canoe food containers. I'll have to find another one somewhere. We headed back to civilization, ate some lunch and arrived back in the Duluth that afternoon.

It was a good trip, despite some weather issues that limited our fishing to just 2 of 4 days. I already am looking forward to going back.

Nature Moment: When getting ready to head back to camp on Saturday afternoon, we spotted a fox trotting along the shore. The next morning, when heading back out to fish, the fox's tracks were plain in the new snow. The tracks went right to where I had been fishing the day before-and where I had left the innards of the trout I had gutted and gilled. Of course the innards were now gone, cleaned up courtesy of the fox.

Into the Deep...Snow

My Wonderful Bride and Super Kid went to visit Grandma in Pittsburgh this week, so I took a little solo trip this past weekend (the photo above is actually from 2 weeks ago). Left Duluth Thursday morning and headed up the North Shore to the Gunflint Trail. I found my destination lake's parking lot devoid of vehicles except one. Under cloudy skies, but in mild temperatures (20 above), I set up the winter tent and wood stove right in the parking lot. I then headed onto the lake with my gear filled sled behind me. I decided to strap the snowshoes on right away, which was a good idea, because the snow was very deep on top of the ice. No slush, thank goodness, but tons of snow. The snow made the short drag across the lake to a favorite point a real slog. I put a tip up out in 22 feet of water and set my little flip shack in 32 feet. It wasn't long before I hooked, landed, and released a decent laker (22" or so) and soon after that I caught and released his twin. A bit later I watched (on my depth finder) another fish aggressively shoot off the bottom and a nano-second later felt it smash my tube jig. It put up a decent fight, so I was surprised to look down the hole at a fairly big walleye (25") instead of a trout. As I unhooked it, I saw the walleye's air sack had burst out into its mouth. Walleyes cannot regulate their air bladders as well as trout, but I wasn't fishing all that deep, so it was a surprise. The air bladder in a fish helps it adjust to the pressure differences in shallow and deep water. A walleye needs about 30 minutes to adjust it's bladder when coming up from 30 feet of water...a lake trout can do it instantly. Long story short, I was forced to keep the walleye for the pan. That was the last bite of the day and I soon was slogging back to the tent under dark skies. I had seen only one other party fishing all day. I got the fire going in short order and warmed up some Thai rice for supper. I listened to a few pod casts before climbing in the sleeping bag.

On Friday morning I didn't set the world record for getting on the lake, despite the bright sunshine. I pulled the gear out to a favorite island with a steep rock wall. I set up my bigger tent this time-much more comfortable than the little flip shack. The bigger tent does take a lot longer to set up and thus you are pretty much stuck on your chosen spot for the whole day. Having room to stand up and stretch out is sure nice, though. The trout start biting right away. Over the course of the morning I caught 6 lake trout and I had several others bite that didn't stay hooked. I lost as many as I landed for sure. I cannot figure out why...I've tightened the drag for the hook set and sharpened hooks...still fish are popping off-usually right at the hole, right as I am about to land them. The fish that morning were often quite shallow-I was in 39 feet of water, but most of the fish were hooked just 15 feet down. Not coincidentally, my depth finder also revealed a couple of bait schools swimming by-all at about 15 feet. After I ate my Mr. Heater cooked burrito at noon, fishing slowed. I did get one more small trout about 3pm and lost another one right after that. Both of those fish were tight to the bottom. I packed up a bit earlier than the day before and it was still light out when I got back to camp. Again, I saw only one other group of anglers on the lake all day. Since it was light, I decided to take a little drive in the truck to check out other potential camping spots in the area and did find a few. After chicken and couscous, I listened to some old-time music on the local radio station. It was snowing pretty heavily when I hit the cot.

I woke early on Saturday and moved pretty quickly in order to take advantage of the morning bite. The snow must have stopped soon after I fell asleep, because it only accumulated an inch or two. I decided to try a new spot on the lake this day...one that seemed to be obvious when looking at the lake-a point with a steep shoreline adjacent to the deepest hole in the lake. It must be obvious to others as well, as other years I had seen anglers on this spot each time I fished this lake. There wasn't any previous activity visible this year, though and I claimed the spot. Again the fish were hungry nearly immediately. I probably had 20 bites or so during the morning and caught only 8 or 9 lake trout. Don't get me wrong, still a very good day, but it could have been epic. Several of the fish were small (15"-18"), but others were decent (22"-24"), and I did get one big one (31"). The big one was exciting, make several strong runs during the fight. When I got it up to the hole, I couldn't get the nose started up, because the fish was hood oddly in the side of the mouth. I tried and tried, but couldn't get it moved up. I even decided to just try and shake the hook out since no one was there to take my picture anyway and I wouldn't keep that big of a fish. The hook would not come out. So I stripped off all my layers above my waist and was about stick my arm down past the 20" of ice to grab the fish when the trout suddenly came up the hole on its own. Just then the propane ran out on my heater. It got very cold very fast as I unhooked and released the big laker. I had to laugh to myself-how would it have looked if the game warden or somebody zipped up to my shelter and found me inside holding a big trout with just by bib overalls on? Fishing again was slow in the afternoon, although I did get another small trout that was right on the bottom again. As I packed up it was snowing pretty good again, making for another slog back to the tent. Once again I had seen only one other party fishing, but did see several people out skiing and snowshoeing. I heated up a very tasty pre-made burrito for supper. I enjoyed the local radio programs this night-including a good interview with an author of book I plan to read-http://www.thetigerbook.com/. A non-fiction story about a tiger that had a personal vengeance for the farmer that tried to kill him. I guess it is a best seller, but I hadn't heard about it.

Sunday morning dawned very clear and cold with a nasty breeze. I decided to pack the gear and head home. After things were packed I drove back down the trail and hit the local cafe for some breakfast. It was an uneventful drive home. I got some of the snow scooped and got the gear into the basement to dry out. It was a fun trip.

Nature Moment: On Saturday morning, as I stepped into my snowshoes to head out on to the lake, I looked up in surprise to see a red fox just 10 yards in front of me. It showed very little fear and seemed to be used to getting fed. Not one to feed wildlife, I kept going with the snowshoe straps, and the fox just kept watching me. When I stood up, he ran off a few steps, but used only three legs. When he stopped, I could see his right front leg was injured-dark with blood. I felt bad for the little guy-gangrene or a wolf pack would probably be catching up with him soon. When I went onto the lake, I could see his tracks had followed my tracks from the day before, so he had probably fed off the innards of the two lake trout I had gilled and gutted.

Lake Trout...Finally

After what seemed to be an endless fall and early winter, I took my first Lake Trout ice fishing trip of the year this past weekend. After much planning and snow machine wrangling, I met up with the Smoked Fish Guy, Chief MLB, the Lieutenant, and the Farmer and we headed north early Friday morning. It was slow going at first with icy roads, but we made it to the border, where the Smoked Fish Guy and I were selected for a more thorough search by the Canadian authorities (once again). We passed the inspection, and drove another hour through rural Canada to our destination lake. After checking in at the lodge we were staying at, we got the snow machines going and cruised through deep snow to our first fishing spot, "Trout Point." I had had good luck at that spot last year, but this year it was slow. The Smoked Fish Guy had some bites, including a bite off by a bigger musky or pike and Chief MLB caught a small trout. We cruised back to the cabin at dusk with more snow falling, hitting a big pile of slush on the way in, but no one got stuck. We enjoyed visiting and catching up that evening while eat smoked ribs provided by the Smoked Fish Guy. Delicious. We talked fishing for a while with Smokey Joe, one of the lodge managers. He offered to go fishing with us the next day, which we gladly accepted.

On Saturday it dawned cold and clear, with a bit of a breeze. We made a longer run out to "Old Baldy," a spot I had not tried before. Chief MLB caught four trout right away, seemingly before the rest of us had even gotten our jigs to the bottom. Smokey Joe also caught a couple trout in short order. The Lieutenant and Farmer had a bit of luck as well, but the Smoked Fish Guy and I managed to keep losing the fish we hooked, sometimes right at the hole. Around noon, fishing stagnated and the other fellows took off east in search of a new spot that Smokey Joe pointed out. The Smoked Fish Guy and I stuck it out on Old Baldy and it paid off, as the SFG got a very nice trout and I caught a nice eater. I did lose a bigger fish at the hole again (sigh). We cruised back to the cabin at dusk, again hitting some slush. The amount of slush seemed to be increasing. We had grilled trout for supper, perfectly prepared by the Chief.

Sunday morning was frigid, but sunny. It took the snow machines a little while to get fired up and the Lieutenant had some issues with a stuck choke, but eventually we all got rolling towards a new spot to try. Unfortunately, the slush had really come up on the lake over night. We had to keep our speed up to avoid getting stuck in the messy snow/ice layer on the lake. Finally, Chief MLB, the SFG and I set up on a point off "Love Island." The SFG caught two lake trout right away, including a 5-6 pounder. It took me a bit longer to get started, but soon I had pulled four trout up, including a 7-8 pounder. Chief didn't have any luck, nor did Farmer or Lieutenant where they had set up. The sun went under that afternoon and a chilling wind picked up, which, when combined with a subdued afternoon lake trout bite, inspired us to go back to the cabin a bit earlier. The return ride revealed even more slush had formed on the ice surface, but again, no one got stuck. We had a variety of sausages and potato dumplings made by the Farmer and Lieutenant that night. The fellows surprised me with some generous gifts as Sunday was my birthday. It was really thoughtful of them to remember. There was another big surprise as well-a birthday cake brought down by Smokey Joe. It capped off a great day.

Monday morning revealed a fresh batch of snow that was still coming down. The SFG and I fished right outside the lodge's front door. He caught a nice trout and lost one. I managed to catch two very small perch. The other guys went to a nearby island and Chief MLB caught the fish of the trip-a 10.5 pound laker. I couldn't think of a more deserving fellow. After packing up the gear and eating a bit of stew, we headed down the road back to home. The roads weren't real hot due to the snow, so it was a slow trip, but we made it unscathed.

It was a great way to start the season and a very fun time with good friends. By the last day of the trip slush was beginning to take over the entire lake. I hope that clears up before my next trip.

Catching Up

I have been lax in getting the blog updated lately. I have got some decent days of fishing this winter and it has been fun. Overall, fishing has been slow, but some good catches have occurred. I got on the ice around the 2nd weekend of December, fishing in the Duluth area. My first 3 efforts were on a couple of proven first ice crappie/walleye spots, but each day I caught only 1 keeper crappie and no keeper walleyes. The Sportbar, our permanent shack, was put out the week before Christmas. On Christmas weekend my Wonderful Bride, Super Kid, and I went up to Ely and stayed a cabin right on a crappie/walleye lake. In between family events, I did get some fishing in. Christmas eve fishing was slow during the day, but I did get 3 keeper walleyes and a jumbo perch at dusk. On Christmas, my mom and dad joined us for a night. I caught a really nice, 39 inch, northern pike right before they arrived. My bride was unable to take a photo because Super Kid was napping. We didn't get too much after that. On that Sunday we went back to Duluth and my Dad and I fished in the Sportsbar, which was pretty slow, but a few perch were caught. On that Monday I fished with Officer Friendly, who was home on military leave. Fishing was slow, but I did get a big crappie. After spending New Year's with the family, I made it to the Sportsbar again yesterday. I was joined by my neighbor, who is undergoing cancer treatment (his prognosis is very good), and some pals of his. It was a very fun time, lots of laughs and lots of fishing action from northern pike. The biggest pike was 36 inches long and it was released to grow even larger.

Today is a calm, sunny, beautiful day, and I am hanging out with Super Kid, playing Princess Super Hero. It is the latest craze and involves a pink cape, a crown, and a shiny green cummerbund. I don't mind the cape, but the crown is itchy and the cummerbund is not flattering to my figure. Just as fun as fishing. On Friday I am heading to Canada with the Smoked Fish Guy, Farmer, Chief Many Little Bottles, and the Lieutenant to fish lake trout for four days. I can barely wait.

I'll post when I return.

Happy Birthday to Talent Show Winner!