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.