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.