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.
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