Cold Water Quetico

The annual Camp Shitstorm Canoe Trip was a 10 day festival of fun this year. Overall fishing was slow, but the laughs made up for it.

Monday, May 27, 2013
Fran Tarkington Fan arrived from Seattle earlier in the weekend and, after correcting a customs mishap, helped the Colonel and I (Private Philips) pack up and do the prep for the trip. The Iowa gang (Tick Check, Gatorade, and Wear-Some-Shorts) arrived Sunday evening and the ping-pong contest began in earnest. It ended when an 11 year old said, "all Uncle (Tick Check) cares about is ping pong and tequila." So, it wasn't a fast start to the day on Monday. We hit the road north at about 10am and lunched at a favorite tavern. Heading further into the bush, we got to the tow boat at 2:30pm. It was an uneventful ride to the drop off in cool, but sunny temps. We grabbed a campsite nearby and leisurely set up the tents while enjoying brewhouse beers and catching up with one another. We all loved the new German brats that the Colonel makes at the Northern Waters Smokehaus. Honestly, best brats I have ever eaten. Lots of laughs well into the night.

Tuesday
It was cloudy but dry as we packed up camp, stowed the beer coolers on an island, and headed across the big part of the lake into Canada and Quetico. We met up with Janice the Ranger to get our permit. She was still getting settled in as the ice didn't leave her bay until the 20th and she had just been flown in to the station a couple days prior to our arrival. She was helpful and pleasant and we chatted about fishing spots and good campsites to look at. This is her 27th summer on the island and she has no retirement plans. Permit in hand, we all spread out to fish the bay, meeting back up at "Stupid Steve's Campsite (Janice's term)" on the north end. Wear-Some-Shorts and I had poor luck, as did Tick Check and Gatorade, but The Colonel and Fran Fan had caught some nice lake trout. The Colonel had caught and released one that he figures was near 10lbs. After setting up camp, we went out again and we all had better luck for lakers. We kept one fish to accompany our traditional early trip meal of asparagus, steaks, and free-style (no breading) lake trout. The campsite was decent, but had a nasty dead, leaning tree over it and the tent pads were marginal. Lots of laughs around the fire that night...for some unknown reason Tick Check tackled me and attempted a physical assault, but I fought him off. At least that is how I remember it.

Wednesday
We packed up the camp on a nice, sunny morning. We headed west to our first portage, which was crowded with other travelers. We negotiated it without incident and were soon fishing on another big lake with very cold water temperatures. The walleyes were not in the initial current area, so we moved on. Two of the canoes chose to take the short cut portage, but Wear-Some-Shorts and I decided to explore the lake and go around the long point. Wear-Some-Shorts caught two lakers and two bass in very shallow water next to shore. When we arrived at the appointed camp, we learned the others had caught a few nice walleyes, but it wasn't fast. Camp was near a current area. It had a good garage and sitting rock, but it was full of dead trees perilously hanging over the tent pads. The wind forecast was for light breezes, so we set up under the "widowmakers" anyway. We had another great meal of Dirty Rice, NWS andouille sausage, and fried walleye. Very good. Dirty rice has officially replaced our old standby of Red Beans and Rice, we just like it better. It started raining in earnest shortly after we went to bed.

Thursday
We packed up in the rain on this morning. Not a downpour, but a steady drip. We fished our way north through many areas of current (water was quite high on all the lakes). Only one or two spots held walleye, and we only stringered a couple of fish. After much discussion, we decided to push on to a lake trout lake...the water was just too cold for bass and walleye, but the lakers should be active was our reasoning. At the last portage of the day, right in front of a nice little waterfall, Tick Check tied into a lunker of a fish. After a battle that included getting out of the canoe and battling it from shore, he landed the beast, a 42 inch, very fat, northern pike. Probably the biggest pike I have ever seen. After photos and laughing at Fran Fan's battle with an middleeweight pike from the same spot that jumped two feet out of the water during the fight, a downpour of rain hit. The soggy day continued as we made our way onto an unfamiliar lake. We hadn't been there before, nor had anyone in our circle of friends. After watching Shorts catch an 18 inch bass (this new lake was smaller and the water was warmer than the last one), we found a decent campsite in a central location and set up the tents and tarp. The rain stopped and we made fantastic meal of homemade mac and cheese and walleye. A warming campfire ended the night.

Friday
We left camp intact and set out to explore and fish the lake. I paired up with Fran Fan and headed south, getting a couple lake trout right away. We made our way up a shallow creek catching some bass and pike as we went. It was a breezy, but sunny, day. We made our way back north and caught some more lake trout near camp. We headed to shore as black cloud was building to the south and west. The others joined us in camp and all spoke of great fishing...many large smallmouth bass (18" and 19") and plenty of decent lake trout. A good day by any standards. The black cloud moved closer and we battened down the hatches as severe thunderstorm hit us...pouring rain and very strong winds lasted about 20 minutes. After the storm passed we set about making a fire and fixing supper. It was a fantastic meal, probably the best on the trip-green curry and coconut rice. Very easy to make and it goes great with lake trout.

Saturday
We had intended to pack up and move this day, but it was raining and the fishing had been good the day before, so we decided to stay another night. It was a pretty gross day...misting rain and a strong, cold, north wind. We had "Quetico Supremes" for breakfast and hit the lake anyway. Tick Check and I searched for bass, but the cold front had shut them down. We hit a few lake trout near camp instead. Action was fairly steady, although all I personally caught was an 8 to 10lb pike. We went back to camp early as feet and hands were starting to get chilled. It took a team effort, but soon we had a roaring fire in spite of the steady rain. Supper was another favorite: Kek Burgers....bacon lake trout sandwiches.

Sunday
It dried up overnight and we packed up on a chilly (30's) morning. We caught a few more trout on our way off of the lake. We steadily headed south, backtracking on our route. Taking the extra day on the previous camp meant we altered our plans and we decided to stay two nights near a big current area that had lots of back bays on a big lake. The area had plenty of people, so we had to take a back bay campsite. It turned out to be just fine after we cut and moved some downed trees. It was a sunny day, but definitely had cold front conditions...we had no fish for supper. So, we made camp pesto on spaghetti with NWS salamini. It was perfect.

Monday
We stayed put in our little camp and split up to explore and fish the area. Shorts and I went north and caught a laker and a nice walleye off mid-lake structure. We checked out a pretty incoming creek and bay, but it only held small pike. We did find one of the best campsites I have ever seen in Canoe Country though, a pine covered island with a great garage and nice breeze with an elevated kitchen with a 240 degree view. I know where I will be seeking to camp next time. We fished our way back to camp, but the fish were still hibernating. I did take a warm shower thanks to the sun shower back at camp. Others returned with a mixed bag of trout, walleyes, and bass, but overall everyone reported very slow fishing. The Colonel had the story of the day with a 43.5 inch northern pike, the longest pike anyone on my trips has ever caught, a true trophy. We made up some fish tacos that night, even heating a rock in the campfire to pre-heat the tortillas. It was a fun idea.

Tuesday
It was cloudy, but dry, as we headed back to our take out point. We fished our way, only getting one lake trout the entire time. Very slow fishing. We stopped at Janice the Ranger's to give her a portage condition report (only two downed trees on the route). There was a huge pine tree down on her entrance path...a victim of the Friday storm that had just missed her solar power equipment. We bought a few Quetico souvenirs and took a group photo with her in it. She is as much a part of this area of Quetico as the lakes, rocks, and trees. We fished our way back into America with no luck at all. We took a over-loved, large campsite near the tow boat pick up. It was fishless mashed potatoes with re-hydrated hamburger and veggies for supper.

Wednesday
A sunny morning greeted us as we packed up camp once again. It was a short paddle to the pick up and soon we were loading the boats and the outboards were powering us to the dock. It was an uneventful journey back to Duluth. We said our goodbyes to our Quetico Family and hello to our "real" families. It was another great trip. I am very lucky I can take 10 days of my life to immerse myself into a paddling adventure, even if the fish don't cooperate fully. I thank my understanding bride and I thank my trip mates that let me join them each year.

Nature Moment: When Wear-Some-Shorts and I went to retrieve our beer cooler from the island at the end of the trip, we discovered that in-between the day early in the trip that we stashed our cooler and day we picked it up, a loon had made her nest and laid an egg right next to the cooler. She was not pleased when we snuck up to grab the cooler. No injuries to any party, thankfully. The egg was big and splotchy purple colored.

Hubs' Flub: Well, even though I should have learned my lesson some how, I managed to sunburn my ears again. Despite suncreen use, I ended up with blisters and everything. I must have burned off the nerves over the years, though, because they never hurt, just itched a bit. Next year: Zinc Oxide.

Quote of the Trip: There were plenty of candidates this trip, including, "I wouldn't snag into Fran Tarkington's throat if he was dying of thirst," but the quote the trip was definitely spoke by The Colonel when he said: "Dog shit would taste good if it was in a tortilla." We tested him by giving him a tortilla with moose poop in it...he didn't eat it.

Thank You, Sheep

It was the last winter camping and lake trout fishing trip of the season this past weekend. The Colonel, Rocket Man, and I got things loaded on Thursday morning and headed north on a warm, sunny day. We met the Captain at a lake access parking lot where he had been camping since Sunday. He reported slow fishing and sloppy conditions. We headed to our lake of choice and loaded the camping gear in the sleds, hooked them to the snow machines and hit the ice. We tooled around a bit looking for a good, easily accessible campsite and found one in an out of the way bay. We got the canvas tents and woodstoves set up, then headed out to fish. We found a lot of machine sucking slush in the bay, but we were able to set up out of the slop at a steep point. We failed to get any trout, the only fish caught was a small walleye. We stopped fishing fairly early and got some wood cut for the stove. We had a favorite meal, the Colonel's smoked ribs-they are fantastic.

On Friday morning, it was cold and sunny. The day started off with a bang (See Hubs' Flub below). We decided to fish a bay we hadn't tried in previous trips to this lake. It was slow fishing overall, but the day warmed, the wind was calm...I could have used a beach umbrella. I caught two smallish trout and a big cisco. Captain caught a couple decent trout, but the Colonel and Rocket Man were skunked. We fished fairly late trying to conjure up some action, but it never picked up. We had gnocchi in a tomato alfredo sauce and fried fish for supper.

We woke up to rain on Saturday morning. Rain or wet snow is the worst weather for winter campers. Canvas tents soak up the water and dampens gear. Fortunately the rain morphed into fog by the time we set out to fish and before long a west breeze blew the fog off and it was sunny and warm again. We went to a proven lake trout spot, but fishing was only slightly better. I caught a couple lake trout, the Captain, Rocket Man, and the Colonel caught one fish apiece. The Colonel lost a big fish at the hole at the end of the day, which was a real kick to the groin. The lake was pretty much a complete wet snow/slush slop fest by the end of the day, but the machines never bogged down on the trip back to camp. I made a new thai curry rice dish that night, and it turned out pretty well.

Sunday dawned with strong winds and falling snow. It was determined that conditions were not amenable to fishing, so we packed up camp at a leisurely pace and took off in blizzard like conditions for the landing. It was a slow ride on refrozen slush and blowing snow. We transferred the gear to the trucks, headed south, had lunch and buzzed back to Duluth with no issues. As usual it felt a bit odd to put the winter gear away in the garage for the last time this season. It was a good trip, but like most trips this year, fishing was slow. Not a good fishing catching winter season at all, but snow conditions were deep and often prevented us from fishing the spots we would have preferred. Now it is time to get switch the gear to open water angling.

Nature Moment: It is surprising how fast nature wakes up when the temperature goes up, despite there still being a ton of snow in the woods. We saw moths, flies, and even spiders. Won't be long and the black flies and mosquitoes will be out and about.

Hubs' Flub: This one was a doozy and I am lucky it wasn't worse than it was. It was pretty cold on Friday morning. The Colonel attempted to fire up the propane heater, but only the pilot light would come on. We goofed with it for a quite a bit and couldn't get it to go. I was a little frustrated and decided to just light the little camp stove on a 1 pound propane tank instead. I made the big mistake of attaching the 1 pound tank to the little stove inside the tent. Of course the little tank was cold and as sometimes happens, frost plugged the stove line. Propane sprayed out, hit the lit pilot light on the non-functioning heater and exploded. Whoosh. Big fire ball. My lap was on fire, and the little stove was burning at the tank, which was still leaking. I dropped it to the ground and slapped out the fire on my legs. I yelled Fire!, Fire! to get help from the Captain and Rocket Man in the other tent. The Colonel got our tent door open and I grabbed the burning stove and tank and threw them out the door, where Captain and Rocket man used snow to smother the fire before the tank blew. Wow, that was a wake up call. How could I be so stupid? (Don't answer that, dear.) The only permanent damage was a melted nylon hanging shelf that was right above my head. I was very lucky that I had my wool pants on. Wool doesn't burn well and doesn't melt. If I had had my fleece pants on? Melting and burning synthetic fibers would likely have burned my legs significantly. Thank you, sheep.

Quote of The Trip: "Fire!"

This Ain't Last Year

A year ago on St. Patrick's Day it was 80 degrees. On this year's St. Pat's, it was considerably less than that. Tangerine Boy and I left Duluth on Friday morning and headed north on a cool, cloudy day. We cruised up the Gunflint Trail and set up the canvas tent and wood stove at my favorite out of the way campsite. We then drove to a lake I have passed a thousand times and never fished. Well, Tangerine Boy was game for a new spot and we found ourselves in a nicely plowed parking lot with a shot downhill path to the lake. Tangerine Boy discovered that his fishhouse and gear did not pull very easily. The lake seemed to have very little traffic on it, so there weren't many packed snowmobile trails to follow. So we made a short drag through deep snow and slush to a nice looking, steep point. Our depth checks revealed it was 30 to 35 feet deep, which sounded good to us. Tangerine Boy soon caught a 15" lake trout, but I told him to toss it back, that we could do better. Should have kept my mouth shut. That was the only fish of the day. We made the drag back up the hill and then drove to a local hangout for supper, then went back to the tent for a few laughs around the wood stove.

On Saturday we drove to a lake I have fished several times, and we set up on a proven spot. I never caught a fish or even had a nibble, but Tangerine Boy caught a very nice, 25" lake trout. The wind grew throughout the day and was really whipping at times. It was a chilly walk back to the truck. We had some potato soup for supper.

Sunday was cold and breezy again. Definitely not 80 degrees. We hemmed and hawed about where to fish considering our limited mobility. We decided to give the lake we had fished on Friday a full day's chance. Well, we had action, reeling in five trout, but none were keepers. Maybe it will be a good lake in a few years. It was pretty spot and very quiet. Tangerine Boy saw a deer come off the shore and start across the lake...we were hopeful a wolf pack had chased it onto the lake and that we would finally see a live wolf kill, but alas, the deer just turned around and went back in the woods. It was salmon chowder for supper. The wind switched to the south and grew in intensity in the night and we ended up with a major backdraft from the wood stove. Tangerine Boy woke up to a tent full of smoke...he quickly detached the pipe and got the stove outside. He then got the tent aired out. I...never even woke up.

On Monday morning and we packed quickly in an effort to beat an impending snowfall. We didn't beat it, so it was a slow drive down the north shore, but we made it safely. It was a good trip without the best fishing, but saw some new water. Next adventure will be the last weekend of the month. With all this snow, I don't think the ice will be gone like last year.

Nature Moment: This one will be a favorite...On Saturday night I woke up when Tangerine Boy came back into the tent after peeing. He told me that I should pee too. Sounded good to me, so I went outside and had the most scenic pee of my life...the northern lights covered the entire sky in big waves of color. Spectacular. One of the few times I have seen them when they cover the entire sky to all horizons.

Hubs' Flub: There weren't any screw ups that stood out, so I'll go back in time for this classic...The Colonel, his kid, Gunflint Jones, and I went fishing a few years ago in late October on a rainy day. We left Duluth early in the morning and cruised north, ending up on some forest roads to our chosen lake. When we got out of the truck we discovered that somehow we had left the tailgate of the truck open the entire way. We had so much stuff that I couldn't see it in the rearview mirror. Despite the miles and the bumps, we didn't lose a single item. Lucky.

Quote of the Trip: David Alan Grier, as Teddy Pendergrass, singing on the Adam Carolla Show, "I am gonna ^*&*%%^# your &*%#$## in a granny knot, baby!" I guess you had to be there.

Frosty the Snowman

I had an interesting little winter camping trip last weekend. It was a solo event, which can be really relaxing, but can also get a little long. I left Duluth Friday morning and headed up the Gunflint Trail. I left the main road and went to a little pull off spot I know about and set up the tent and wood stove. I then hopped back in the truck and drove to a nearby lake that has easy access and is stocked with lake trout. There was a cold east wind as I set up the portable fish house on a reef I had caught fish on a couple years ago, but the propane heater soon fired up and warmed the tent. No one else was fishing the lake as far as I could see. I caught two lakers, one was pretty small, but the other one was a decent fish. Not too bad for right next to the road. I headed back to camp at dusk and heated up some potato soup while listening to podcasts. I'm no tech head, but podcasts on the I-pod make solo trips much more fun for me. It was getting pretty cold when I went to turn in. I went outside to turn on the 10 pound propane tank, as I like to run my heater at night when it is below zero. The handle on the tank would not open. I twisted, banged, tried to warm it up in the tent all to no avail. Finally I said forget it, how cold could it get? It could get to minus 20 degrees, I found out the next morning. I awoke in the dark shivering, despite my two sleeping bags. Went to pee and was delighted to see a sliver of light to the east. Thank goodness, morning was arriving. I got pretty chilly overnight. When I got home later, I learned my sister was also up at 5:30am Saturday morning, singing Frosty the Snowman with one of her kids. I felt like Frosty the Snowman.

March is a different animal than January and February, however. By the time I drove to my lake of choice for the day, the sun was already warming the snowpack and the winds were calm. I loaded my fishing gear on the sled and took off across the lake, heading for the far side. The snow was deep and fluffy on the lake, but old snowmachine tracks made for easy walking. Only the last 100 yards of the 1.25 mile trek was on fresh snow. Under the snow I found slush and frozen slush. This made for tough hand drilling the holes. Once water from the slush gets into the hole you are drilling, it doubles the resistance. I didn't drill a lot of holes, but I was confident in my spot on a subtle point. It was a slow morning as the sun continued to warm. By 11am I was fishing outside in 20 warm, calm degrees. When I moved my tip up to a shallower hole (I started in 43 feet and moved to 25 feet), I immediately caught a nice lake trout, about 27 inches (about five pounds?), I gutted and gilled the fish and buried it under the snow. I caught another trout on the that tip up, a smaller fish that I released, in the same hole, so moved my jigging operation in shallow water and started working the depths with my tube jig. I caught two 25 inch lakers, both released. I also had one nice fish get off my hook just under the ice. Mid-afternoon, two Canadian Conservation Wardens zipped up to my on snowmachines (I was fishing in Canada, the lake is on the border). Under my conservation license, I can only keep one lake trout. When they saw I had already kept a fish, they went through all my gear and dug under any disturbed snow looking for another trout. Of course they didn't find any, but they did find my can of beer I had brought along. They informed me that I was lucky it was unopened, because, and I quote, "It is illegal to drink beer in Ontario." Now, I have spent a lot of time in Ontario, and based on my anecdotal research, beer is definitely not illegal in the province, and plenty of it is being drunk by its residents. I wanted to laugh, because how he said it was so funny, but I didn't laugh because I knew that isn't what he meant. The rule must be you can't drink beer on the ice or in public or something like that. I had heard some rumblings about that rule before, but thought that if I was in my fish house, I was legal. I'll have to look it up. The wardens took off and I was glad to see they ran their snowmachines past the next point down, which is where I wanted to fish the next day. Easy walking after they packed the path. I fished until dusk in rapidly dropping temperatures, then hoofed back to the truck. I decided to save my self from cooking and doing dishes and had a sandwich at the restaurant just past camp.

The night was again colder than forecast and I was awake shivering again at dawn on Sunday. Thermometer said -15. I got my gear loaded and headed back to the lake I fished the day before. It was a longer, but easy walk to the next point down. It looked like a good spot and I fished in 34 feet of water at the tip of the point. It was sunny and warmer than the day before, but the east wind was kicking in a little bit. Long story short, I fished the hell out multiple holes on the point and never even saw a fish on the graph until about 1pm. It watched that fish come in on the graph, chased my jig a short distance and then felt the strike. Missed him! The hook never found the jaw. I then watched my minnow, which had popped off the jig during the strike, slowly sink towards the bottom. I then, on the graph, watched the fish head downwards after the minnow and eat it. Damn! I quickly put another minnow on my jig and sent it back down and saw the fish come up for it again (hungry fish!). This time the hook set was good and I pulled the hungry trout through the hole, a decent laker. I let it go to catch again someday. It was only fish I saw all day. I packed a bit earlier and headed back to the truck. I had planned to fish near the vehicle until sundown, but I ended up running into a guy I knew and we ended up chatting and I watched him fish for awhile, and the sun was disappearing when I hit the road. I had another restaurant supper.

Monday morning was much warmer at 15 degrees above zero. I packed up up the gear, a process that is easier when I am solo because there is less to put in the truck and I can used the passenger seat to hold gear as well. I was home by 1pm and got the gear in the house, did some work things, and attended a City Council meeting that night. It was a good trip.

New Features of the Blog! I am adding two new elements in addition to the Nature Moment. The first is called Hubs' Flub. The content will be about the most significant screw up or equipment failure I had during my trip. The second new element will be the "Quote of the Trip." It will feature the best quote I heard on the trip.

Hubs' Flub: I already talked about the propane tank failure, but that wasn't really my fault. No, this trip's Hubs' Flub stands alone. On Sunday afternoon, as walked back to the truck, I was about 3/4 of the way back when I glanced back at my load on the sled behind me and noticed I was short one rod and reel. It must have worked itself loose and fallen off the sled. I unhooked the sled and walked back on my path to find it. I went about a 1/2 mile before I found it, so I added an extra mile to my 1.5 mile trek. I'll load better next time.

Nature Moment: When on the road near camp, I noticed moose tracks on the side of the road. This is not unusual. What was unusual was, when upon closer examination, there were wolf tracks as well. Moving up the road the snow on side of the road had a lot of disturbance...A moose/wolf fight had occurred. There was no blood and no hair, though. It appeared the battle had moved into the woods. The moose tracks were small...If it was a calf, I think we know how it ended. One less moose in an already shrinking population.

Quote of the Trip: This one is a slam dunk - "It is illegal to drink beer in Ontario" - Conservation Warden on Saturday afternoon.

The Adventures of Gunflint Jones

I headed up the Gunflint Trail this past weekend to do some lake trout fishing. We stayed in a comfortable cabin, living the good life without the confining winter tent. Joining me were the Captain, the Chief, Rocket Man, Ice, and the newly renamed Gunflint Jones (she had been Officer Friendly). We arrived before noon on Friday and got the gear settled, the snowmachines running, and the sleds loaded. We all took off in different directions and set up our portable fishhouses on the lake, which had a little over 2 feet of ice and a good amount of fluffy snow on it. I fished with Gunflint Jones so that I could get her up to speed with the laker fishing operation. We only had one bite all afternoon, and it spit Gunflint's hook after a few seconds. It was quite cold and windy that day. Other members of the party all caught at least one lake trout. We met back up in the cabin and enjoyed some appetizers, a martini, and some wild rice hotdish (aka "casserole" for you non-Minnesotans). Apparently there was some snoring in the night, but I didn't hear any.

Saturday morning dawned much colder than forecast.... minus 32 degrees. We took our time getting ready to fish hoping for a quick warm up. We finally got the machines running and hit the lake. Gunflint Jones decided to fish near the cabin, the rest of us took a fairly lengthy run to a favorite point. The sun was out and the wind was calm, so it warmed up nicely during the day. The fish didn't warm up, and we only caught 1 or 2 fish apiece. I didn't get one until the last second...I had everything packed up except the rod - I left the jig down while I packed. When I went to reel it in to quit fishing, a fish nailed it on the way up. Not a big fish, but it was fun to catch it at the last possible instant. It was a cold run back to the cabin where we found out that Gunflint had shared her spot with a bunch of other people and didn't get any trout up the hole. We enjoyed chili that evening and had some laughs.

On Sunday, it started cold and clear, but a strong south wind was blowing and the temp was rising. We cruised up the lake and dropped Gunflint off at a proven spot and then moved to a far away point. Rocket Man caught the biggest trout of his life - a heavy 31 inch lake trout. We all had action through the morning and early afternoon getting some pretty decent fish. I had a flurry late in the day, getting four trout in short succession. It was blowing and snowing as we packed up and cruised back to pick up Gunflint Jones. She had her best trout day ever-five nice fish, including a 27" or so fish. She had several other trout on, but they spit the hook, so she had some really fast action. She had been visited by the Game Warden...I wonder how many times he visited an ice house and find a woman, fishing alone, with a couple of nice lake trout gutted and gilled on the ice. Pretty cool stuff. We decided the Gunflint Trail was a good spot for her, so Gunflint Jones became her name (the Jones just fits it well). We cruised back to the cabin and relived our productive day. We had a fried lake trout and Northern Waters Smokehaus salami appetizer and then a tasty lake trout jambalaya.

We all fished close to the cabin on Monday morning, with a couple of trout caught. It was warm and a drizzle began to fall as we packed up the snowmachines and gear. We hit the road and stopped for lunch before cruising back to Duluth. The icy drizzle caught a few people as several cars were in the ditch between Two Harbors and Duluth. We got the gear sorted out and we went on our separate ways. It was a fun trip even though the fish only really cooperated on one of the four days. It was fun to see how excited Gunflint Jones was on her big fishing day.

The next trip will likely be the first weekend of March, not sure where I will be headed yet.

Nature Moment: It was quiet on the lake for the most part, but on the way home we did spot a Great Gray Owl on a tree top along the highway. These interesting birds sometimes come down from Canada in winters when the mice and vole population dips north of the border. They are big bodied birds, but they weigh very little, which helps their silent hunting flights.

Relaxation Destination - Ontario

I had a fun weekend up north of the border last week. The Colonel and I left a day earlier than others due to a work thing I did on the way to the border. We crossed the border in the truck and, again, we were delayed and searched. I can't ever get through there cleanly. Of course, there was no issue and we were soon on our way. We had considered doing some fishing that evening, but the overnight low had been -36 and it was still -15 when we arrived at the lodge. So we scrapped fishing and got the room organized, talked with the owners a bit, broiled some ribeyes (we couldn't grill them because the propane had gummed up in the extreme cold), and had some laughs.

Friday dawned cold and sunny after a night that brought about 5 inches of fluffy snow. The snowmachine started, but it was a chilling ride to the chosen fishing spot. The Colonel got set up on a proven point and I did some exploring nearby, but finally set up near him. he caught a decent lake trout after a bit and we were off to a good start. The sun soon disappeared behind clouds and the day became quite cold. The others (the Lieutenant, the Captain, the Chief, and a new member, the Rocket Man) joined us later that afternoon. The Colonel caught a dandy 30" lake trout soon after they arrived, the biggest trout he had ever caught. The Captain also caught a very nice fish. I caught only two tiny fish all day, the others went fishless. It was an extremely cold ride back to the lodge at sundown. We caught up with each other around the table and enjoyed a tasty pasta dish.

Saturday morning was warmer and cloudy. We got organized and took off down the lake to a spot I hadn't been to before, but the Chief said he had been with other friends that had done well there, even getting a big muskie through the ice the year before. The Colonel and I had a heckuva time finding a fishy looking spot that was out of the cold wind. We finally settled in an area with a subtle point and shallow bay nearby. We didn't have a lot of confidence in our spots. That feeling came true for the Colonel, he didn't sniff a fish all day. I was luckier fishing directly in front of the bay in 40 feet of water. I had 9 fish hit over the course of the day, but only managed to get three lake trout through the hole, a 29", 28", and a 25". Lake trout are very good at shaking the hook, especially when trying to get their head started up the hole. My luck changed how I look at lake trout spots...I may look for bay mouths in the future. The Captain also caught a nice trout, but all the others were skunked. Pretty slow day overall. The sun came out, low on the horizon, just as we were heading back to the lodge. The Colonel had slow cooked a bone-in shoulder ham while we fished, and it was delicious with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and sauteed cabbage. The cabbage was a brave move...

It was sunny and warm on Sunday, pushing 30 degrees. The trout should have been snapping, but again it was slow. I had lost a fish right away, but only had one more bite until I was packing up my gear at sundown. I saw some activity on my flasher screen right before I was going to shut it off, and I ended up getting a 27" laker. The Colonel had a similar experience, getting his only trout while he was packing. The Chief got a nice trout and had a few hits, as did the Captain. The Rocket Man only had one bite and it turned out to be a very large muskie that he had all the way through the hole when it shook, cut the line, and disappeared back down to the depths. Shucks. The Lieutenant also was fishless after losing a couple fish after hook up. It was a nice warm trip back to the lodge riding on the new fluffy snow. It was lasagna for supper.

Monday morning was warm, but damp, and even a drizzle at times. I fished right out from the lodge and had a fish on for a second before losing it, but that was the only sign of fish for the entire group. We got packed up around noon, loaded the machines, and hit the road. I arrived home to my Awesome Wife and Super Kid, which is always a good thing. It was a fun weekend with great friends, but fishing was slow. The Lieutenant and the Rocket Man didn't land a fish in four days, and they are talented anglers. The rest of us caught a few fish, but less than we are accustomed to getting. We may have to give that lake a break for a while.

Nature Moment: On Sunday, we had all agreed to go to a certain bay to fish. Some folks went around an island to the west, some went to the east. I went the east way, but set up to fish near the west trail. I noticed that the west trail users' snowmachine tracks were wet and filling with water. Then I noticed the tons of otter tracks around the area. A concentration of otters in winter can only mean one thing - open water. They need the openings to access the lake to fish. I examined the area closer and there indeed was some very thin ice and some open water. The users of the west trail had come close to taking a swim with the otters. This was an area that, when looking at map, is not an obvious spot to have open water. Goes to show you need to be careful at all times.

Sorry for the Lapse...Here are Some Reports...Including Alaska

To my many fans...sorry I have been lax in posting, it has been a busy six months. I'll be better about posting as the winter season progresses. Here are some reports from late in 2012...

In August, we had the adventure of a lifetime as Awesome Wife and I left Super Kid with my folks and met my in-laws in Alaska. We spent 8 days on the Nepenthe, a 60 foot boat out of Sitka. It was just the 6 of us, the Captain, and a cook. The trip was perfect, as we lucked out with great weather and unbelievable wildlife encounters. We toured the southeast Alaskan mountains, channels, waterfalls, hot springs, and villages. We got up close to bears, whales, Orcas, porpoises, sea lions, sea otters, and more. We met a few true Alaskan characters and, of course, caught some fish. I hooked into coho, chum, and pink salmon as well as rockfish and other smaller species. We ate several of the catch right on board. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so I suggest you go to the following sites to see video slideshows:

Short, Scenic Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oar_z69nbVY

Longer, More Informative Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_SOvcONsc0

I recommend Captain Mike and the Nepenthe to anyone wanting an intimate, real experience in southeast Alaska at a price that is more affordable than nearly any other tour boat in the area. Go to: http://alakadventures.com/

September ended with a traditional trip to the Gunflint area in Cook County, Minnesota, for a little lake trout fishing. Unfortunately, that is just what I found...small lake trout. I was joined by Captain K and his son, and we did have a lot of fun with good weather.

In October I went with several of the gang to the Chief's remote cabin. We had snow and unseasonably cold temps, so fishing was not a primary activity, but we did catch some northern pike. We also test fired some guns, checked out deer stands, and the Colonel resurrected the camp's cast iron cookware. It was a fun, relaxing time.

November brought house projects and family events, but I did get out in December. Early December found me camping solo with the canvas tent and wood stove at a walleye/perch lake, but a snowstorm drove me home before finding the fish. I rung in New Year's in the tent as well, ice fishing just north of Duluth and enjoying the wood heat in a cold snap. I caught a few decent walleyes among many tiny ones and my friend who joined me for a day caught a 15" crappie. It was a fun time and being able to drive the truck on the lake made it easy to camp on the island.

Watch for more reports soon!