More big fish, springtime fishing in the BWCA
After flood viewing in SE Minnesota, I head to Bemidji. Spend a day running errands and packing for the trip with George, then it's over to Ely, breakfast at the Chocolate Moose, and our tow across Moose Lake and a days paddling to get back into the east end of the South Arm of Knife Lake. We ought to explore more, but this spot has been a fish factory, particularly in the spring, consistently producing many very nice sized fish. This trip proves to be the best one yet - our estimate was we caught over 200 fish in a week (ok, George caught about 140, and I caught about 70 - but that is par for the course). Virtually all of the fish were very nice size, smallmouth bass typically ranging from 3-5 pounds, walleyes all over 18 inches with a few at 23-25 inches, some nice northerns, and lake trout from 3-10 pounds.
We also have the place to ourselves in spite of being in over Memorial Day weekend. We went a day and a half without seeing anyone else, and typically we saw one group a day; passing through the Hanson Lake - South Arm of Knife portage and paddling away. Nice weather too, highs in the 60's and 70's, no rain for the first 5-6 days, then some rain for the last two days. Bugs were mostly non-existent. It was a very late ice-out; we went in about a week after ice out, so very cold water, everything was late - the trees had not started pollinating yet (very good news for this allergy sufferer). The water is up about a foot and a half from the last several years, with a late and wet spring.
So yet another great trip into what is the busiest wilderness area in the eastern US (and one of the busiest in the country), but you wouldn't know it when and where we go. It still feels like wilderness.
Let's see some fish pics.
We also have the place to ourselves in spite of being in over Memorial Day weekend. We went a day and a half without seeing anyone else, and typically we saw one group a day; passing through the Hanson Lake - South Arm of Knife portage and paddling away. Nice weather too, highs in the 60's and 70's, no rain for the first 5-6 days, then some rain for the last two days. Bugs were mostly non-existent. It was a very late ice-out; we went in about a week after ice out, so very cold water, everything was late - the trees had not started pollinating yet (very good news for this allergy sufferer). The water is up about a foot and a half from the last several years, with a late and wet spring.
So yet another great trip into what is the busiest wilderness area in the eastern US (and one of the busiest in the country), but you wouldn't know it when and where we go. It still feels like wilderness.
Let's see some fish pics.
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