BWCA Day One (actually day two)

Day one was actually shizit-cizanned by rain. We paddled in on the day that Ely got pump-dump-pummeled by 9 inches of rain, etc. We got pelted by sprinkles now and then on the way in, but overall we felt good knowing that our Dulute Packs were full of dry bags that are impervious to the searching moisture. Also, my camera is waterproof and therefore I rest easy – not even a problem to roll the canoe and dump. Like clockwork – once we got camp set up, the rain came and did not stop. We huddled under tarp like so many wood ducklettes in a little box on a tree. No fishing that day.

The delay ran into the next morning too – we had to get rigged up before we could head out… That meant no wet lines until 930 AM or so. Topwater was over by then, so tried clouser and right away picked up a nice little smallie.

The worm guys practiced deadly assassination of the walleye population… just snipe, snipe sniping on those sharp-scaled fishes. Later in the day I danced back to my favorite wading lake - Mr. A.M. came along… Not much action to start out. A.M. got some great smallie action back in a shallow corner. One big ol dolomieu rammed a leech that I threw in a shallow bay – took it even before I had started retrieving… I fought him to hand but he popped off the single barbless hook before I could grip the guy. Around 5 PM they started to light up the topwater a bit – got some nice fish and had chances at a few more.

Canning Chronicles got us brigands to pay attention to the wonder of dragon flies.


And so this first full day of fishing provided opportunities to make acquaintances with several of the “finer folk” of the aquatic environment. Some were consumed and are currently cellular structure in our persons. Others – including all smallmouth – were released unharmed and arbuably with minimal disturbance of their daily lives.

The eagle soared from pinus strobus to picea glauca, and reasoned her way into several fish.

We paddled home to a red-sky-nigh-sailor's-delight.