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!

Getting ready for ice fishing!

Portable Ice House Modifications on a budget...

I want to be more mobile on the ice this year, even when not using my snowmachine. I think I'll catch more fish if I try several spots in a day versus setting up and waiting for the fish. My answer is to stay really lightweight and better use my old flip style shelter. Above is a photo of what I came up with this fall.

The house is an old, very small Sportmax flip shack. It is extremely lightweight (about 20lbs). It is tiny and wouldn't hold up to to much banging around behind a snowmachine. I got it for $39.99 when Sportmax went out of business 10 years ago.


Modifications:

1. Snowflap extension. The front snowflap was too short. I attached some old fish house material (a friend’s house disintegrated) and attached it to the front flap to extend it. This helps keep the wind out (this house has no zipper door, so I can't bank it with snow). Cost: Negligible.

2. Reflective insulation. I installed an insulation layer (made from reflective insulation pockets in which my daughter’s medicine was mailed to us) on the ceiling of the house to help hold in some more heat. Just like Reflectix, but I got it for no $. Cost: Negligible

3. Pipe foam. I put some pipe foam on the bars of the house where my legs rest. Resting my knees on the metal (this house is a real coffin) made them cold. Cost: Negligible (had it left over from another project).

4. Canoe Chair. I took a canoe chair I had and strapped it to a cooler to make a chair. Cost: Negligible (I already use the chair in the canoe).

5. Cooler. The cooler is my storage locker. It holds nearly everything I'll need, including my flasher (the Showdown Troller is small enough to fit and is about the cheapest flasher you can buy new). I attached high-use items to the front. Cost: $20 for the cooler.

6. Rod Protectors. I took long plastic fluorescent light bulb protectors and modified them to slip over my rods. Used double faced velcro to hold them in place. Cost: $6

7. Metal washers. I attached a bunch of heavy washers to the bottom of the snow flap all around the house...helps hold them down to the ice in a wind. Cost: $3

8. Rod Holder. Took a U bolt and attached to the back of the sled, to the side. It will hold a rod when I am fishing with it. Cost: $3

9. Took an old Berkley rod rack I had in my garage and attached the bottom half to the sled. They will hold the rods as I move from spot to spot. Cost: $10

10. Foam Foot Pad. Took an old foam sleeping pad, cut it to size, and wrapped it in burlap (to make it anti-slip). Keeps feet off the ice and warmer. Cost: Negligible.

11. Drink holder. I installed a flip-down can holder, made of metal, it should hold up to the cold. Cost: $10.

House and Modification Costs...$92.

Too keep it light and pullable...I use the Nils 6" hand auger (I've pulled a 39" laker and a 41" pike out of a 6" hole before...not at the same time...the auger has a different design that really makes it easier to get through thick ice. I invested in the Showdown troller flasher/fishfinder this fall. Its size allows it to be stored in the cooler and it is the cheapest flasher I found. No idea how it will work, however. I mostly fish out of the way lakes for trout, so I suspect it will be fine.

Okay then, bring on the ice! Looking at the forecast, we should be hitting the ice by Thanksgiving.

Fall Fun

I took an enjoyable canoe trip last week. My Mother-In-Law, a.k.a MIL, and my Brother-In-Law, a.k.a. BIL, wanted to go on a trip after having to listen to me about all the adventures over the years. Mid-September was preferable in order to avoid the bugs and crowds of summer.

Sunday, September 12, 2010
After another fun evening provided by Chief MLB’s daughter getting married on Saturday, I awoke early and did the last of the packing. MIL and BIL had arrived in Duluth Friday night. We loaded up the gear and hit the road about 9:00 a.m. We cruised up to Ely, got fishing licenses, ate lunch, got the permit, and arrived at the landing for the tow boat right on time at 1:00 p.m. At some of our stops we heard about active bears in the area…people were being harassed in campsites and on portages. The wind was pouring down onto the tow boat dock as we loaded up the boat and tied the canoe on the boat rack. We had decided to take the three person canoe this trip. It was a rough ride down wind to the first portage, where we unloaded and made the first, short carry. The whipping wind and whitecaps convinced us to simply paddle around the corner and take the first campsite. It is a good one with a nice sitting rock and a kitchen right on the water. We were in the lee of the wind, so it was comfortable. Tents were set up, firewood was gathered, and dinner was prepared. We had wild rice cheese burgers and a noodle salad. BIL is a vegetarian, but the wild rice burgers from the Brew House are so good, I didn’t mind at all. We all turned in pretty early.

Monday, September 13, 2010
We weren’t early risers and we took our time packing up camp, having egg burritos and sausage for breakfast. After stashing the cooler in the woods, we headed east in the canoe, riding a strong tail wind. The MIL and BIL both learned the process of portaging rather quickly as we made five short carries. On the big lake, we rode some big rollers east out of the crowds of people on the portages. Once through the big narrows, we had the BWCA to ourselves. We took a good fall campsite that is big and spacious but protected from the chilly wind. We discovered that the site was frequented by a family of beavers thinning the birch grove behind the site. They had worn a deep path in the camp by continually pulling the tree limbs down to the water. The BIL and I got out in the canoe for a bit of fishing before supper, but only caught one northern pike and one smallmouth bass. The bass was a pretty nice one. On the menu for supper was a favorite-my homemade pesto with andouille sausage over bowtie noodles. In the middle of the night I awoke to the sounds of beavers dragging trees through camp.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
It was sunny and breezy on Tuesday. We had oatmeal and bagels for breakfast, packed a day bag, and hit the water. The BIL caught a nice smallmouth bass right away, and then had a lake trout type strike over deep water, but didn’t hook up. Unfortunately, those were the highlights of the day’s fishing. We explored a ton of water, fished fast slow, shallow, deep, and everything in-between. Nothing was biting and the wind made boat control tough. We did see some new country, however, and it was a nice day. Back at camp, we took advantage of the sun shower and cleaned up. I lost a big fish fishing from shore when it broke the new $14.99 pole I had bought as a spare/shore rod for the trip. I guess I got what I paid for. We had red curry rice with foil chicken for supper. It was pretty spicy, but very good. We interrupted our listening to the Twins beat the Sox to hear a nearby pack of wolves howl for a good while.

Wednesday September 15, 2010
It was a cold, drippy morning as we ate pancakes under the tarp. We packed up a day bag and hit the bay behind camp to portage to a nearby lake. After the two portages, we were on the lake and jigging for lake trout. The MIL caught a nice eater right away and lost two other fish, so the action was better. We didn’t stay too long due to the nasty weather, and didn’t catch any more fish on the way back to camp. The rain let up late that afternoon and we enjoyed braised lake trout with red beans and rice for supper.

Thursday, September 16, 2010
It was cold, but calm and sunny morning. We decided to stay at our site another day and we packed the day pack. We trolled to a nearby portage and the MIL caught a smallmouth bass on the fancy lure she had picked out for herself at the bait shop. The portage landing was a sand beach and there were lots of moose tracks in the sand, which we followed for a bit, but didn’t spot a moose. The longer portage we were on was through the heart of the 1999 blowdown, and it was a bit like portaging through a prairie with really tall grass. We trolled the small lake at the end of the portage in the sun and calm winds, and the MIL and BIL caught three nice lake trout, which we stuck on the stringer and headed back to camp. The trout were cleaned and battered, then fried-absolutely delicious. A batch of au gratin potatoes accompanied the fish.

Friday, September 17, 2010
After a rainy night, we woke to a stiff west breeze and cloudy skies. We packed the gear and headed out into the waves, which, due the gusty, rather than steady, nature of the wind, were not too bad. We took a bit of time to check out the former island home of the Root Beer Lady and then proceeded west to the same campsite as night one. We strung up some lines and dried out the tents before setting them up. It was red curry peanut butter noodles for supper-a new recipe than might have been my favorite of the trip.

Saturday, September 18, 2010
The forecast called for a low of 28 degree on this morning, but it wasn’t quite that cold at our campsite. The wind was already blowing pretty well when we packed the gear and went to meet the tow boat. An old timer was our driver, and he shared a lot of the history of the lake where we stayed. Apparently his father had run a resort at the site of our mid-trip campsite. Pretty interesting. After getting the gear loaded in the truck at the landing we grabbed some French toast in Ely and then toured the Root Beer Lady museum and checked out some of the shops. It was an uneventful ride back to Duluth.

It was a good trip-very relaxed. I enjoyed seeing the BWCA through the eyes of a couple people who hadn’t experienced it before.

Nature Moment: On the far end of the portage we took on Thursday, several small trees were laying across the path. Their cracked trunks didn’t show any evidence of beaver teeth and it took me a second to figure how the trees were broken. When I saw scraped bark on the trees, I realized a bull moose was using the trees as a scratching post, trying to get the velvet off his antlers in anticipation of the fall rut.

Everyone Knows its Windy

Had a fun little camping trip this weekend. My folks arrived on Friday night and on Saturday morning we (my parents, my Wonderful Bride, and Super Kid) got the final gear packed and hit the road in two vehicles. We wound our way north and went to a Forest Service campground near Ely. The campground was fairly quiet and the sites were pretty nice. We got camp set up, had some lunch, and then hit the beach. The wind was blowing out of the south pretty strong, but it was warm and the swimming was nice. We relaxed in camp that afternoon and listened to the Twins game. After a supper of pesto noodles, mom, dad, and I took the canoe out for an evening spin. It was a pleasant night, but the fish were not found. We enjoyed a campfire and popcorn that night.

On Sunday we ate breakfast and then mom, dad, and I drove to a nearby BWCAW entry point for a day trip. We portaged the 3-person canoe and our fishing gear the 200 rods to the lake. The landing at the end of the portage was a quagmire of mud. There was only one way to get the canoe launched-we had to wade in the mud that was up to our thighs. It was again very windy, and we were confined to fishing the channel/river between a small lake and a big lake. Dad caught a walleye and a big crappie, but both flipped out of his hands before he got them on the stringer. The wind cut the trip short on a hot sunny day. We made the portage back to the truck and got back to camp around 2:30pm. We immediately gathered up my Wonderful Bride and Super Kid and hit the beach again. We had the place to ourselves as we washed the mud off. Listened to the Twins again and then had a supper of red beans and rice with sauteed Northern Waters Smokehaus Salamini and some fresh peppers from my mom's garden. We had a rousing game of 4-handed cribbage that night.

On Monday morning we woke to a small rain shower and got camp packed up. The sun came out and it was a hot day as we checked out another campground's sites on the way to Ely. In Ely we bought showers from an outfitter and then checked out the International Wolf Center, which was very nice. We ate lunch and then did some shopping. From there, the folks and family went back to Duluth and I headed up the back roads from Ely to International Falls for a work meeting. I checked out the sites in three more USFS campgrounds on the way.

Nature Moment: Our campsite was full of wildlife-squirrels, chipmunks, and voles. The squirrels in particular were interesting-one gathered pine cones from a nearby tree and buried them in a hole on the other side of camp continuously. Back and forth with a pine cone carried each return trip. Must have carried over a hundred pine cones over the course of the weekend.

The Annual Camp Sh*tstorm Canoe Trip was held from August 4 to August 12, 2010. A very fun trip.

August 4: I went and picked up the BWCAW permit after I dropped my Wonderful Bride and the Super Kid off at the airport shuttle. They were going to be visiting family in Pittsburgh while I was fishing. I procured the permit and then loaded up my gear in the truck and drove to the Smoked Fish Guy’s house. Fran Tarkington Fan had arrived a few days prior and we got busy packing the food and other gear. About 1pm, Swimming Turtle arrived on his own, and then Tick Check, Gatorade, Wear-Some-Shorts, and the Freshman arrived in the van. We finished packing and all three vehicles headed up the North Shore, picking our way through the construction and passing through some rain showers with strong winds. We pulled into the outfitter's lot at 5:30pm, loaded the tow boats, and got a ride to the big point. The wind and rain had disappeared and we got lucky and found the boy scout campsite with the beach was open. After getting the tents set up we had pre-made Italian sandwiches and Brewhouse beer for supper. We were able to see some northern lights that night.

August 5: The morning dawned with a stiff breeze from the northwest. We had egg burritos for breakfast and packed up camp. We crossed the whitecaps into Canada to the Quetico Park Ranger Station, where we waited in line behind a crew of teenage girls that were on a 30 day canoe trip. When they were done, we all got the full spiel from the Ranger that likes four things darker as she gets older (“not men, I’ll take any man I can get!”-the actual answer is bread, beer, chocolate, and coffee). She gave a flip chart show of Quetico Park rules and regulations, gave multiple sales pitches for Quetico merchandise, and reviewed some of the finer details of our planned route. When we got going again, the big bay was really roiled up by the wind. Undeterred, we pointed the bows at the whitecaps and pressed on to the first portage, which features a view of a large waterfall and a slippery, steep rock in the trail. We all made it to the next lake unscathed (Gatorade did make a slight wrong turn, but corrected himself before becoming lost) and we paddled on. Many of the campsite were taken as we battled the wind to the next portage, but once the carry was made, we had the lake to ourselves. We set up on a windblown island in an effort to stay cool on this warm day. Tick Check and Freshman managed to get a couple walleyes with minimal effort, so we had fish, steaks, green beans, fresh picked mushrooms, and a hearty red wine for supper. The wind died down that evening and we quickly learned the mosquitoes were out.

August 6: It was calm and sunny as we ate a quick breakfast of bagels and oatmeal. We cruised out of the lake and into its outlet river, which is noted for its waterfalls and rough portages. The paddling and carries were taxing in the warm weather. At one of the later portages, Fran Tarkington Fan got his rod out and managed to catch two bass on 1 cast (on a rapala with 2 sets of hooks). That afternoon we arrived at our destination lake and faced the reality of another five miles of paddling to get to a campsite that isn’t in the burn zone (the fire occurred about 15 years ago). Of course, there was a stiff wind in our faces. We mustered our energy and pressed on to the destination campsite, which was thankfully open. Everybody immediately stripped down and rinsed the day’s grime off in the lake. We got in a couple hours of fishing, during which supper was secured. Red beans and rice with andouille and walleye was on the menu. Mosquitoes were still plentiful.

August 7: The morning dawned calm and sunny. While enjoying the first cup of coffee, Tick Check and Wear-Some-Shorts noticed a small plume of smoke coming from a nearby island. They noticed that the island’s underbrush had recently burned, so they went to investigate. It was indeed a smoldering forest fire on the island. Using the rudimentary equipment available to them, they dumped a large amount of water on the fire. Returning to camp, they stated they should receive some sort of firefighting merit badge for their effort. Unfortunately for them, the rest of us could see smoke still rising from the island. The fire would just have to take its course. We all loaded up the canoes with fishing gear after breakfast and headed to the nearby narrows and it’s current. An eagle’s nest was discovered at the head of the narrows and the eagles followed us around while we fished. Surprisingly, after having much success at this spot in previous trips, there was only one walleye at the narrows-The Smoked Fish Guy caught a 27.5 inch fish. The rest of us only caught smallmouth bass and hammer handle northern pike. We tried many areas of the narrows, and finally found a few fish at the far end in deep water. After an incident with a snag that resulted in a broken fishing rod for Wear-Some-Shorts, he and I decided to head back to the main lake. It was a good decision-we got into the walleyes pretty heavy near a set of rocky islands. As the afternoon went on, the walleyes kept getting shallower and shallower until we were getting them on jigs cast onto a reef that topped out at just four feet. The fish were of a nice average size. Just before dark we check out a nearby shallow bay in an effort to catch some nice bass, but the walleyes dominated the catch in the bay as well. It was a very fun fishing day. Back at camp at dusk we discovered others also had done well with shallow water walleyes in the main body of the lake. It was Thai Curry Rice with walleye that evening-absolutely delicious-the Smoked Fish Guy is an unbelievable chef!

August 8: The next day after breakfast, Wear-Some-Shorts and I decided to do some exploring up-lake. We first hit the island spot again to jig up some walleyes, then we headed across to the entrance of another bay to a spot I had success at previously, but it held only one walleye. We then crossed to another bay’s entrance-a spot I hadn’t fished before. We had a lot of action at this location, getting a few walleyes, several bass, and many, many northern pike (nothing huge). We enjoyed a swim in the clear water of this bay and the Freshman and the Smoked Fish Guy pointed out a blueberry patch to us. We went back to the rocky islands near camp to secure fish for supper. Each canoe was charged with bringing home two fish. We quickly got our two fish at the reef and headed to camp. There we discovered that some canoes brought home a bit more than two fish, due to deeply hooked and bleeding catches. So the fish fry that night became an epic effort, with only buns and tartar sauce as a side dish. To top it off, a rain and wind storm came in just as the fish was being fried. We watched attentively as the gusts of wind fanned the fire on the island near us, quickly producing sizable flames. It didn’t rain enough to put it out, but the fire wasn’t big enough to jump to the mainland, either. Irregardless, the fish fry went on, and I am proud of the group in the fact that I can say no fish went to waste.

August 9: This day was a good one for me, as I was asked to fish with the Freshman. I really enjoy passing on my fishing knowledge, limited as it may be, to less experienced anglers. The Freshman didn’t have the best luck the day before, so he was excited when, after a breakfast of Quetico Supreme sandwiches, he quickly caught a nice walleye at the rocky island. Unfortunately, he had to watch me catch six fish to his one. So, before we moved onto another spot, I tweaked his spinner rig a little bit and taught him how to make sure his bait was near the bottom. He caught a walleye at a new spot on the main part of the lake, and when we discovered a big reef off an island nearby, he really turned his luck around, catching several more walleyes, including a 26” beauty-his biggest ever. We anchored up and jigged up several more walleyes, smallmouth bass, and northern pike on “Freshman’s Reef.” We also took a swim on a good jumping rock before heading back to camp. That evening it was one of our new favorite suppers-bowtie pasta in a sauce made from butter, aged gouda cheese, and parmesan cheese-fantastic. Stories of fishing success and fun from the others’ day on the lake abounded around the campfire that night. The bugs continued to be prolific in the evening.

August 10: We packed up camp and headed back up river this day (Happy Birthday, My Wonderful Bride!!). Each of us left a fishing rod rigged so we could test the pools below the rapids and waterfalls. After another windy crossing of the big lake, we caught some bass, walleye, and northerns below the first falls. Tick Check had the best luck (or is worst luck?) when he caught a big bass that somehow snapped off the tip of his fishing pole, and then he immediately caught another big bass that hit his dangling jig while he held the first bass for a photo. After the first portage we caught several nice walleyes in the hole below the next falls. This type of success continued as we headed upstream on a very warm, sunny day. When we finally reached our destination lake and campsite, we were all ready for a swim. We had a lot of laughs as we rigged up our life vests “Lt. Dan Diaper Style” and bobbed in the warm water. Swimming Turtle earned his nickname with his rendition of synchronized swimming. We squeezed in some evening fishing before a supper of “heavy” mashed potatoes (potatoes with dehydrated hamburger and vegetables) and fish. The highlight of the evening for me was watching Fran Tarkington Fan hook a decent smallmouth bass only to have it jump and throw the lure high in the air. When the tube jig hit the water again, it was immediately eaten by a much larger bass. This time, Fran Fan’s big fish didn’t get away.

August 11: The day started with an early morning downpour of rain, which caused some delay in breaking camp. Once the weather dissipated, the chore went quickly and we were on our way. We fished our way down the lake, but didn’t catch much until getting several bass and walleyes where the river comes into the lake. After the final portage of the trip back up the hill to the big bay, we all rigged up lake trout rigs hobnobbed together from our walleye tackle. The next couple hours were pretty surprising to say the least. The bay was unusually calm and all four canoes had good conditions to get the rigs to deep water as we crossed. Amazingly (for the dog days of August) we caught a total of 14 lake trout in the single crossing of the bay. Gatorade alone caught six on his “five of diamonds” spoon. We had trouble finding an open campsite at the big point near the tow boat landing, but eventually we settled on a very nice site with a pebble beach. After a swim, and a supper of baked lake trout and pesto noodles, we all went to the beach and took in the Persied Meteor Shower. We saw many shooting stars, plus there was a lightening show from a storm to the south and the northern lights were to the north. A fitting last night for a fun trip.

August 12: We got up early and quickly packed up camp and headed back to the big point. After a bit of a delay by the tow boat operators that were coordinating multiple groups, we all found our way back to the outfitters and our vehicles. After a stop for burgers and fries at a local restaurant, we all made our way back to Duluth and got the gear sorted out before saying our goodbyes and heading home. It was truly a great trip with good friends and good fishing. Thank you, Camp Sh*tstorm Crew.

Nature Moment: The walleyes on the lake we basecamped on are very unique in that they have several different distinct color patterns. Some are distinctly blue. Some are green. Some are the standard gold, and some are dark, almost black. I haven’t seen or heard of the green walleyes at any other lake, but another lake in the Quetico does have the blue version. Interestingly, the other lake with blue walleyes has very clear water and the lake we were on is very stained-so water clarity doesn’t seem to be a factor in the color of the fish.