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.

Old Man River

I took an unforeseen bonus canoe trip down the local river again on Saturday. It was Chief Many Little Bottles' 50th Birthday and everyone has been so busy not much celebrating had gotten planned. On Friday afternoon, I struck a deal with my wonderful bride regarding parenting duties for Saturday, made some phone calls, and set up a river trip for Saturday. Chief MLB, Captain Karkov, and the Professor joined me for the float.

We met up in the morning and got my vehicle shuttled to the takeout. It was another beautiful, warm, sunny day. We floated the river, ran some rapids, and fished continuously. The river, once again, did not disappoint. We caught many smallmouth bass, a few northern pike, a couple walleyes, and a couple channel catfish. I caught four bass that were bigger than I had ever seen on the river before, and man do bass that are in current fight. There were a couple other anglers on the river, and even a big group of people camped on a grassy peninsula, but overall, the river was very quiet again. We stopped at a rocky spit near the takeout and shared a growler of Brewhouse Starfire Pale Ale-a great end to a great day in celebration of a great guy's 50th Birthday.

It started to rain just as we packed up the truck.

Nature Moment: This trip reminded my that this particular stretch of river has an unusually high population of bald eagles. They are often sitting in the trees overlooking the river, and because the river is small, narrow, and curvy, you often get very close to them before they fly off. Up close you realize how big and powerful they really are.

Rolling Down the River

Officer Friendly and I took a day trip down a local river on Monday. This trip has become an annual event sometime around the Fourth of July. In the morning, we shuttled Officer's car to the takeout point and then put the canoe in upstream. We floated down the river, casting a tiny torpedo and jigs as went. Officer caught several smallmouth bass on the surface bait. We anchored in a few deeper holes, catching several more bass. We ran a few small rapids and and pushed through some shallow riffles. We stopped for lunch at the pool beneath the biggest rapids. The best fishing was there-we caught bass as soon as we could get our line back in the water. The average size is small, but there were some decent ones mixed in. I did some experimenting with Gulp! Alive leeches versus real leeches. The Gulp! Alive did just as well as the real thing, even when just hanging below a bobber. This is the first time it has really worked well. The big issue is that it doesn't stay on the hook any better than real leeches, and the Gulp! Alive leeches are much more expensive. After eating sandwiches from Northern Waters Smokehaus, the world's greatest eatery (www.nwsmokehaus.com) we continued on our way, taking in a beautiful sunny day as we went. We caught many more bass, ran a few more rapids, and enjoyed the day. On the final hole before the takeout, I finally caught something other than a bass-a walleye and a channel catfish. Both fish came on Gulp! twister tails. On the final stretch of river it clouded over and began to rain. We re-shuttled the cars, loaded up the gear and headed home just before dusk. We covered just under six miles of river. Another very good trip.

Nature Moment: A mama merganser and her brood of ten ducklings met up with us on the first section of the river we paddled and basically followed us downriver for most of the trip. They would pass us when anchored to fish, and we would pass them when we shooting rapids or paddling through shallow sections. They kept going downstream when we reached the takeout. We also saw eagles and a hawk that had caught some type of rodent.

Walleye Wonderland

Some odd circumstances resulted in my going on a neat canoe trip June 20-24. Chief Many Little Bottles learned he couldn't go on the first part of an 11-day trip with Lt. Dan, Cpt. Karkov, and the Farmer after it had already been set up. So he recruited me to accompany him to meet them (they found an able replacement) on their route.

We packed up on Friday night, I did some more packing on Saturday, and then we left Duluth early Sunday morning. We headed up to Ely, picked up the permit (which was once again very confusing), and then hit the water. We were able to use motors on the first 11 miles of the trip, which included two portages. We actually brought two 2-horse motors, because we brought an additional one for the other guys on the way back. We got some strange looks on the portages, as we were likely the first people to portage 2 motors but only one canoe in the BWCA. It was calm, pleasant day, and we made good time to the no-motor zone line. We stashed the motors and continued paddling. The next portage was a doozy-340 rods along a rushing river. At just over a mile, I was cursing the weight of my pack, but the portage is very flat and we made it eventually. After three more portages we came to the narrow, winding lake with plenty of current areas. We set up camp on a narrows at about 3:30pm. The spot was small, but good enough for two people and the shore fishing looked good. We threw out our lines and set camp. We had dirty rice with sauteed andioulle sausage for supper. Chief finally caught a rock bass and a small walleye at dusk, but that was all the fishing we had. The mosquitoes were out pretty thick.

On Monday morning we packed up the gear and headed north and west on to the bigger part of the lake. We went through a series of narrows with current, and we caught walleyes in most of them. Most of them were eaters, but Chief did get one about 22 inches. A few bass and small pike were thrown in for good measure. We looked at a number campsites on the way and they were either occupied or not up to our standards. We finally settled on a nice one on a small island-it had everything going for it except the nearby shoreline was likely too shallow for good shorefishing. Decent tent pads, nice kitchen, open and airy (but not too exposed). After we got set up, it started raining. We waited it out for a while, but since it wasn't thundering or anything, we eventually went fishing in the rain. We caught some decent bass in a nearby current area then started trolling leeches over rockpiles surrounding our island. The eater walleyes were there, and they were hungry. We quickly caught enough for supper plus a few more. Chief fried up the walleyes perfectly as always. We had stuffing with chorizo sausage as a side dish. Delicious. The rain let up as we were eating, but then the mosquitoes came out with a vengeance that night.

Tuesday dawned cloudy, but calm and not raining. We hit the water after breakfast and started trolling the rock piles again. We picked up a few walleyes here and there, and we discovered the site of a pre-BWCA regulations resort. We could see the old dock pilings in the clear water. We then trolled around some islands, where a Nature Moment occured (see below), which forced us to find another fishing spot. We discovered a sunken island and caught several walleyes on it-including a nice 23" fish. We wandered back to camp for lunch and soon we got a radio call from Lt. Dan. We directed the other group of guys to our location. After a hearty reunion, the guys got there tents set up and we headed out fishing again. Captain K and his bow man caught several walleyes, while the rest of us caught a few. Chief MLB caught a nice smallmouth bass. The wind had whipped up, preventing our return to the mid-lake reef. We enjoyed a great supper of smoked pork loin, sauerkraut, and au gratin potatoes. We listened to the Twins lose as we swatted bugs that night.

On Wednesday, we packed up camp after breakfast and then fished our way back up the lake in the direction we had come. Chief and I fished all the current areas as we went catching quite a few walleyes. Chief had a very large fish on for a while that fought more like a walleye than a pike or bass, but it threw hook before we could see it. We really got into the walleyes in the final current area, catching them as fast as we got our baits down at one point. We set up camp near the northern most portage which goes around a large waterfall/rapids area. We fished the pool below the falls, getting a few small walleyes. It was fried walleye and pesto noodles for supper. It was the consensus of the group that we prefer bowtie noodles over spaghetti for pesto. This is due to the fact it mixes with the pesto better. The skeeters were out again that night as we heard the Twins lose yet again. Lots of laughs around the fire, though.

On Thursday we packed up and started the trip out. We did the four portages, including the 340 rodder (which was easier for me due to food consumption and smarter packing), recovered the motors, and zipped out the last 11 miles. Saw a lot of people with a lot of gear on the lake and the portages. We ate supper at a local restaurant and headed home. Another good trip. When I got home I learned my Grandma was very ill. She passed away on Saturday night. She was a good grandma. I attended services on Monday and Tuesday and now am back at work.

Nature Moment: When Chief and I attempted to troll around some islands, we were suddenly and viciously attacked by an angry sea gull. Repeated strafing runs that were at most a couple feet over our heads convinced us to head for different structure.

Family Fun

We had a really enjoyable family camping trip this weekend. My wonderful bride, super kid, and the wonder dog headed north on Saturday morning and got to the campground before noon. We set up a nice looking camp with a great rain tarp and kitchen area. The girls decided to take an afternoon nap, so the wonder dog and I hit the lake for some fishing. The campground has a canoe dock, which made it easy to load the mutt into the canoe despite his hips. We fished our way down the lake and nailed nice 25" walleye on a wind-blown sunken island. None of his friends were around, and before long I got a radio call that the nap was over and the girls were ready for fun. I stashed the canoe and joined the group at camp. We did some bike riding and checked out the nearby outfitter/store. A family with 10 kids was camped across the road from us. Ages 2 to 15. They were actually pretty quiet, considering. We enjoyed happy hour while listening to the Twins win and then made pesto pasta for supper-fantastic. After super kid hit the hay we enjoyed popcorn while listening to my favorite podcast-Stuff You Missed in History Class.

On Sunday morning we made a big breakfast and then we all went for a canoe ride. The super kid enjoyed it, but I didn't get any fish to show her. We went back to camp for lunch, during which we heard a gunshot from somewhere in camp. The authorities were very soon addressing the situation at a site nearby, but there were no indications anything serious had occurred and the young people in the site were still there that afternoon. The girls took another nap that afternoon, so I got out fishing again, catching 3 decent smallmouth bass in about 2 hours of fishing. I just beat a rain shower back to camp. We enjoyed happy hour under the tarp and made hot dogs with cheesy rice for supper. My wonderful bride and super kid took a shower at the outfitter's that evening as I did the dishes and caught the Twins game on the radio.

After an uneventful night, we got up in the morning and made pancakes before packing up. It was a warm, sunny day. We did a review of all the campsites in the campground before heading out. We took the backroads to avoid the holiday traffic on the highway and rolled into town mid-afternoon. It was a very enjoyable trip.

Nature Moment: We were the lucky recipient of an inchworm hatching event in our camp. Little baby inchworms were falling out of the tree above our kitchen and actually piling up on the tarp-probably a couple hundred of them. Interesting.

No Trout for You!

It was a tough weekend of fishing May 21 to May 23. The Smoked Fish Guy, Officer Friendly, and I headed up the North Shore from town after work on Thursday, stopped for supper at the Gunflint Tavern and then went up the Trail. We camped in the lake parking lot that night.

On Friday morning we got an early start after making coffee and headed onto the lake on calm seas. I kept up in my solo canoe and we discovered our preferred campsite was occupied by Captain Karkov and his friends. We chatted for a minute and then moved onto another site, which is a decent one and it looked like it should have decent shore fishing. The biggest issue with the site is that wind can really howl through that part of the lake, trapping one in camp, particularly if you are in a solo canoe. No matter, it was a beautiful day. We set up camp and then headed out to fish. It was slow at first, and the Smoked Fish Guy and I got skunked, but Officer Friendly came through in the clutch, catching five lake trout right before supper. We enjoyed lake trout, steaks, mushrooms, and asparagus for supper. No bites from shore that evening.

On Saturday we had a big breakfast and headed out to fish on another nice day. The wind came up soon after I got on the lake, however, and I was forced to fish in the lee of several islands and caught only a couple smallish northern pike. I tried some shorefishing with a cisco with no luck and tried casting a rapala, which only resulted in a snag in a sunken tree which claimed the rapala. It was windy enough that afternoon that I couldn't safely return to camp, so I stopped at Captain Karkov's campsite and learned of the decent success they were having for both lake trout and walleyes from shore. They all were very relaxed and had custom made cedar stump drink holders. The wind calmed a bit after the visit and I fished my way back to camp, meeting up with Officer Friendly and the Smoked Fish Guy on the way and learned they had some success with lake trout, smallmouth bass, and a decent northern pike (31"). We enjoyed "Kek Burgers" for supper (lake trout bacon cheese burgers). Shorefishing resulted in three lines being sliced by a northern pike.

Sunday dawned cloudy and windy again. We packed up camp and ate a leisurely breakfast, then snuck through some islands on our way back to the truck. I caught a northern pike and had a lake trout-like strike, but didn't connect. We loaded the truck as we observed a group of rookies being instructed by their group leader on the basics of getting into a canoe and paddling. I was surprised that one of his basic instructions wasn't "put on your life vest" considering the rookie status, the strong wind, and the cold May water. I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore. We headed back down the Gunflint Trail and were disappointed that, once again, Huie's Taco House "Home of the Puff Taco" wasn't open for lunch. We had a pizza at Sven and Ole's instead. We rolled into home base late that afternoon.

So, another good trip, but fishing was disappointing for me again. Have I lost my touch? (Did I ever have a touch?)

Opening Weekend Blues

Opening weekend...a Minnesota holiday, a tradition that surpasses all others in the State. Opening weekend 2010. The last one I'll ever participate in?

This opening weekend started on Thursday for me. I had planned to go up on Friday morning, but a meeting on Thursday night up north got scheduled at the last minute, so I loaded up the truck and just went to my campsite after the meeting on Thursday. I ended up setting up camp on our favorite road accessible walleye shore fishing spot at 11pm in a 35 degree drizzle. It sounds worse than it was. The camping/fishing spot isn't a secret, so going up early assures me of getting the spot. Captain K and his girlfriend planned on joining me on Saturday.

So on Friday, we had the whole day to explore, just the Wonder Dog and I. It was rainy all day, but mostly just heavy drizzles. I broke out the GPS unit I had gotten for Christmas and taught myself to use it as we went. We bushwhacked to three different lakes that don't have a developed access, but the travel wasn't easy through the brush...portaging a canoe or even carrying fishing poles would be tough. The GPS unit worked great, but it turned out to be unnecessary on the way back to the truck...I discovered that the Wonder Dog actually does have a talent...he can track his own scent really well. Each time he led the way back to truck on exactly the route we took to get to the lakes. It cleared off that evening and it was a chilly night.

On Saturday, Opening Day, we got up early and drove to a designated stream trout lake. We got loaded up in the canoe and I noticed the Wonder Dog's hips were a bit sore and he barely made into the canoe on his own. He had been struggling all winter with his hips. We trolled down that lake with no bites and found the portage to the next lake over. We made the portage and this time the Wonder Dog really had a heckuva time getting into the canoe and I had trouble helping him because of the friendly people that were sharing the portage had placed their canoe in such a way that clogged the whole landing. So I moved a bit deeper at the landing and helped the dog into the canoe. It was at this time that I discovered by trusty, but well worn, rubber boots were leaking. Awesome. The water is still very cold, despite the early spring. I made one trolling pass around the entire lake and caught two decent lake trout. By the time I left the small lake there were over 10 other boats fishing the lake. Crowded by my standards. We portaged back to the other lake, and again struggle get loaded because a canoe was clogging the landing. This time we struggled enough that I was forced to come to a realization. This paddle across the lake to the truck was going to be the Wonder Dog's last canoe ride. Not of the day, but of his life. He just can't get in and out anymore. We then took a shore fishing tour of the area, catching absolutely no fish. That night back at camp, I made supper and started fishing for walleyes from shore. Three parties started down the trail from the road and turned around when they saw I was there. I expected Captain K and his date to arrive, but they didn't show. Later, another loud party came down the trail in an attempt to fish the spot. This party of two men and two small kids didn't turn around when they saw me. Their leader declared that he had fished this spot for a long time and he was fishing there that night. I said it was a small spot, my friends were on their way, but he decided to fish anyway. I said, okay then. I talked a bit with my new friends and the kids liked playing with the Wonder Dog. Captain K and his girlfriend finally showed up and they were forced to fish on the shallow, snaggy side of the point. The new friends left after a bit and we finally caught a few small walleyes on lighted bobbers after dark.

Sunday dawned bright and warm. I took down camp and headed out on another shore fishing tour. Nearly every one of my good spots had other people on them. I only fished two more spots and caught one lonely splake. It was then I said..."Why to do I go up north to fish on Opening Weekend?" A week after opener there is less people and the fishing is usually better. So that is my declaration...I won't go fishing on opener again. Well, maybe I will, but not until Sunday and then stay into the week for a bit. I made it back to Duluth mid afternoon and got unpacked.

The next trip is set for this weekend, Thursday night to Sunday, lake trout fishing with the Smoked Fish Guy and Officer Friendly. That will be the last camping trip until late June.

Nature Moment: As I paddled across the lake going back to the truck on Saturday, we were suddenly surrounded by a navy of otters. They bobbed up and down in the water and hissed and chirped at us, warning us off their territory. It is always fun to watch otters in the water, so sleek and smooth swimmers.