BWCA - Take 2
Round 2 in the BWCA. Mid September 2011.
The big fire is still raging, so the USFS closed the eastern half / two thirds of the BWCA. We were going into Lac La Croix in the western part of the BWCA, so we could still go, but the closure pushed everyone else that way filling out all the permits, when normally they wouldn't have been full at this time of the year.
This is my third time into the Lac La Croix area, and each time the weather has tended to be less than ideal - just coincidence of course, although perhaps a plot by alien left wing commie pinkos from the Bermuda Triangle is to blame, who knows. The first time into Lac La Croix, a number of years ago, we stood out in tornadic winds with trees coming down around us, the second time we had about ten inches of rain in a week, and this time - well I can now say I have been snowed on in the BWCA. So maybe I need to give Lac La Croix a rest.
After a few delays for the guys from down south (MN) (malfunctioning trailer lights, etc.) we met up at the Ely Steakhouse, which has become our first choice for the big feed before and after our trips when we are going out of the Ely area. Low water made the trip in long, forcing us to get out and wade through the muck pulling the canoes in a few stretches, pulling the canoes over a number of beaver dams too- but it turned out to be our best day of weather of the whole trip. Then we had a tough time finding a campsite as they were all occupied - but we grabbed one of the last remaining sites, which although a bit distant from our prime fishing grounds, was a beautiful site - even had a table previous campers had made out of logs. Managed to put a hole in my NEOS overshoes so I had a wet right foot the rest of the trip - which due to the cold wet weather we experienced for much of the trip (highs in the 40's, rain on many of the days; 37 and spitting snow the last night, etc.) was less than ideal, but oh well - into each life a little rain must fall.
In spite of the weather, it was still a good trip - it's a great group of friends - and it feels like a reunion every year we get together. Mark White - our camp cook/chef and one of four of us that are all from St. Charles, Illinois did his usual great job putting together all of the food (we have salads, fresh green beans, wild rice, steaks cooked over campfire, big walleye dinners, french toast, pancakes, eggs, etc. - oh do we eat well!). As I said four of us are from STC (Brad Dobski, George Zimmerman, Mark and me; Jeff Norby is from Detroit Lakes, MN, and Rick Len is from the Minneapolis suburbs - we range in age from 55 to 61). Fishing was good for walleyes, which is pretty much all I caught on this trip, but the other guys caught a few smallmouth and northerns too.
Fish Story - So here is my big fish story for the trip - capsule version. I was fishing with my ultralight rod and reel with 4 pound test, when I had a good fish on, and then I realized I had a huge fish on. After fighting the fish, peeling off line etc. I finally got the fish close enough to see - I had caught a 20 inch walleye (my best of the trip, but a huge (40 - 48 inch??) northern had that walleye in its jaws. The northern held on until I finally got the fish close to the boat, and then he let go - so got to see him, but we didn't land the northern - did land the walleye though which had big teeth marks along its side - we ate him - Yum. Quite exciting.
My new canoe now is totally broken in (love it - cheap "boy toy"), and as always loved being up in the BWCA in September. As fate would have it we hit the one week of crappy weather in September, it turned nice a day or so after we got out and stayed in the 60's/70's for the rest of September/early October.
A few pictures as always are in order.
The big fire is still raging, so the USFS closed the eastern half / two thirds of the BWCA. We were going into Lac La Croix in the western part of the BWCA, so we could still go, but the closure pushed everyone else that way filling out all the permits, when normally they wouldn't have been full at this time of the year.
This is my third time into the Lac La Croix area, and each time the weather has tended to be less than ideal - just coincidence of course, although perhaps a plot by alien left wing commie pinkos from the Bermuda Triangle is to blame, who knows. The first time into Lac La Croix, a number of years ago, we stood out in tornadic winds with trees coming down around us, the second time we had about ten inches of rain in a week, and this time - well I can now say I have been snowed on in the BWCA. So maybe I need to give Lac La Croix a rest.
After a few delays for the guys from down south (MN) (malfunctioning trailer lights, etc.) we met up at the Ely Steakhouse, which has become our first choice for the big feed before and after our trips when we are going out of the Ely area. Low water made the trip in long, forcing us to get out and wade through the muck pulling the canoes in a few stretches, pulling the canoes over a number of beaver dams too- but it turned out to be our best day of weather of the whole trip. Then we had a tough time finding a campsite as they were all occupied - but we grabbed one of the last remaining sites, which although a bit distant from our prime fishing grounds, was a beautiful site - even had a table previous campers had made out of logs. Managed to put a hole in my NEOS overshoes so I had a wet right foot the rest of the trip - which due to the cold wet weather we experienced for much of the trip (highs in the 40's, rain on many of the days; 37 and spitting snow the last night, etc.) was less than ideal, but oh well - into each life a little rain must fall.
In spite of the weather, it was still a good trip - it's a great group of friends - and it feels like a reunion every year we get together. Mark White - our camp cook/chef and one of four of us that are all from St. Charles, Illinois did his usual great job putting together all of the food (we have salads, fresh green beans, wild rice, steaks cooked over campfire, big walleye dinners, french toast, pancakes, eggs, etc. - oh do we eat well!). As I said four of us are from STC (Brad Dobski, George Zimmerman, Mark and me; Jeff Norby is from Detroit Lakes, MN, and Rick Len is from the Minneapolis suburbs - we range in age from 55 to 61). Fishing was good for walleyes, which is pretty much all I caught on this trip, but the other guys caught a few smallmouth and northerns too.
Fish Story - So here is my big fish story for the trip - capsule version. I was fishing with my ultralight rod and reel with 4 pound test, when I had a good fish on, and then I realized I had a huge fish on. After fighting the fish, peeling off line etc. I finally got the fish close enough to see - I had caught a 20 inch walleye (my best of the trip, but a huge (40 - 48 inch??) northern had that walleye in its jaws. The northern held on until I finally got the fish close to the boat, and then he let go - so got to see him, but we didn't land the northern - did land the walleye though which had big teeth marks along its side - we ate him - Yum. Quite exciting.
My new canoe now is totally broken in (love it - cheap "boy toy"), and as always loved being up in the BWCA in September. As fate would have it we hit the one week of crappy weather in September, it turned nice a day or so after we got out and stayed in the 60's/70's for the rest of September/early October.
A few pictures as always are in order.
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