Da Boys Went Fishing 2

[Xplorer]

Rumor has it that Doc Bob, Harold, and Explorer are headed out on a 4 day angling adventure
Story and hopefully pics to follow next week, stay tuned

[Dr.Bob]

 :o :o :o

[Harold]

Voyageurs, America's only boat in National Park was our destination.? ?After 3 years of talking about it, I drove 2 hours north to Cloquet to meet up with Xplorer, then it was another hour up to Virgina to meet Dr. Bob.? From there we cruised another 1 ? hours to the Ash River Visitor Center.

Arriving around 8:30, we knew we would have limited day light to find a site and get set up.? We headed east of the landing into Namakon, as that?s where Xplorer has ventured many times with his family.? Because Dr. Bob & I have spent most of our time over on Basswood, he was our tour guide for this trip.

We drove by every site 10 miles from our dump in spot, only to find each one taken.? It?s getting late and I?m having visions of sleeping in the boat.? We turn around, head back to the Ash River and head east from there into Kabetogema.? Sure enough, the first site we came to was open, and it was going to work great.? We set up by lantern ? not the easiest thing to do, but we had a home for the next 4 days.







This is a trip where we fish when we feel like, not by an alarm at 5:00 AM.? This morning we hung out at the camp site, mainly in the lake.? The site had a nice protected boat landing and a great swimming beach.? Fishing wasn?t going to happen till later that evening.









That evening we did venture out onto the lake, with Xplorer boating a nice eater.



This was camp in the evenings:









A trip to Kettle Falls follows tomorrow.

[Lee Borgersen]

I've been waiting for your report and it looks like you guys found a nice camp site after all that searching. Beautiful photos, especially the sunset shot and the fish/potatoes frying in the pan. What's that big old brown bin behind Dr Bob where he's sitting in the chair? I'd say it may not have to take another 3 years of planning before the 3 Musketeers return to Voyagers.

[Dr.Bob]

That brown box is a food locker.? They have a bit of trouble with bears in that neck of the woods so every camp site up there has at least one of these things to lock your food up in.?

They are having some bear problems a little west of were we stayed and I was told by a coworker of mine that his camp site was hit by one and on top of that the Ranger gave him a $225 ticket for "improper food storage" because he had one cooler that was not put away in the locker :o.

Ya, it will not take us three years to do it again.? It will be an annual trip from now on .

[Xplorer]

I was getting a tad bit anxious as we motored over about 24 miles of water wednesday night without finding an open site, but we were rewarded with a really nice site that was perfect. A nice breeze most of the time, and a warm bay for swimming and parking the boats.? I'll be back up there in less than 72 hours but will have a totally different experience with ma and my 4 year old son as boatmates. Actually now that i think about it, it really wont be that much different. Xplorer Jr. goes to bed about 8:30 like Harold, and sometimes needs to be walked to the tent just like Doc ? Only thing is the only beer he drinks is root beer ? ?
Definitely one of the best trips ever, and destined to be an annual trip for sure.
Cant wait to see what Harold has on tap for the Kettle Falls trip review, and even more anticipation to see what he comes up with for the the next day's "events" ?
Xplorer? ?

[Dr.Bob]

I was getting a tad bit anxious as we motored over about 24 miles of water wednesday night without finding an open site

I was the one getting anxious as it was getting darker by the minute and you guys motored by my boat - Xplorer standing up driving looking straight ahead with Harold standing next to him staring at the map with that peculiar crease between his eyes :o.

[Harold]

Actually now that i think about it, it really wont be that much different. Xplorer Jr. goes to bed about 8:30 like Harold, and sometimes needs to be walked to the tent just like Doc? ?Only thing is the only beer he drinks is root beer

?

 ? ? ? ? ?


Bob ? Are you questioning my map reading abilities?? Guess I would too.

Having never been to Kettle Falls, I was really looking forward to this day.? The hotel is an old brothel from the lumberjack days that today serves as an operating hotel, bar and restaurant.? Sounded exactly like my kind of a place.? The dam here produced the power needed to get the lumber out of here that basically build the city of Chicago. A portage around it connects Namakon to Rainy Lake that the fur traders used to rip off the Indians in their dealings.

Off we go to the Falls



It?s a bit of a hike from the dock to the hotel, so be sure to be plenty nourished:



Outside the hotel



Inside the Bar



View from the Dam



Another view from the dam





This is an area that anyone who enjoys the history and beauty of Northern Mn (You look right at Canada from the dam) has to do.? You guys are correct, it will be an annual.

The Saturday report is quite sketchy, but I do remember getting a little excited about one of these, only much closer than this pic



Then waking up Sunday morning looking and feeling like this



What a trip!? Thanks to tour guide Xplorer and the photographer Dr. Bob.? I'll always do my best to head up the entertainment committee on trips like this.

[Lee Borgersen]

Harold,

Three of those photos are nice dam pictures. :D? That's an interesting fact that most of that lumber went to build Chicago. To bad Mrs. O' Leary's cow had to kick over that lantern and waste all that lumber. ::)

All kidding aside I'm enjoying your posts. I envy you guys having all those beautiful recourses within a reasonable driving distance. The best part is you guys use them.

[Mayfly]

I keep looking at those pics and wow does that look like a nice place and a good time! Wouldn't mind making that trip myself some day!

[Harold]

SMG - It was inevitable that Ole Mrs. Oleary would kick over that latern.? Just hope she stays away from Basswood.

Three of those photos are nice dam pictures.

 ?

You're absolutely right about taking advantage of the resources Northern Mn has to offer.? Growing up there, all I cared about was partying and getting L**d.  Living at the end of the road, you just took it all for granted. I had to move away to really appreciate it.

If I had to pick only 1 camping/fishing trip a year, as much as I love going to Basswood, this would be the one from here on out.? It's all the same water and scenery without the restrictions.

Mayfly - Just do it!? It isn't that far away.

[Xplorer]

Harold,
? Excellent rendition, even if saturday's was a little "brief". I still bust a gut whenever i recall your reaction when you found out that all we had left was bottled water in the boat cooler. That will definitly be a classic moment relived/retold around the campfire in future years trips
? I'm headed back up in 20 hours, the inlaws were able to get a really nice campsite in Namakan on the Wolf Pack islands, actually right next to the site that me and the family stayed in our last trip. There will plenty more swimming and boat rides the next 5 days, and Mrs Xplorer has made me promise to take her up to Kettle for one of those evil vodka lemonade slush's ?
? Have a good one guys, I'll let you know how it went next week. Maybe I'll hook into that bruiser that i had on again, and manage to get it in the boat...that spot is only about 2 minutes from camp this time!!!? ?And maybe Xplorer Junior can beat his 25.25" he caught earlier this year there, dang 4 year old has me beat by over 3" for big fish of the year 8)
Xplorer

[MT Net]

Wow, sounds like a great trip!  And if the last pic of Harold is any indication, it really musta' been a hoot.  Can ya ever have too many schmidtys?

[Dr.Bob]

Wait til you see the movie!

 :D :D :D

[Harold]

Actually MT that picture was the result of my dietican taking the Schmidties out of the picture for the day and replacing it with kicked up lemonades (and really nothing else).

I fired the dietican.

As far as the movie goes, you've heard of PeeWees Great Adventure - Well......................................................

[Dr.Bob]

This one should be titled "PeeWee's Jammin".

 

[MT Net]

Jammin to "lynchburg" lemonaides?  Oi Vey!  No wonder your hung head, kicked up lemonaides have a way of sneaking up on ya if yer not careful.    Good job in calling out the troublemaker, never blame da booze.   

[Xplorer]

Only have a couple minutes, but promise to give an update on the second trip next monday.? Its been one of those days!
All i can tell you is the Mrs loved the lemonades, and the ride back from the Falls would have put you both in the infirmiry, yes the waves were THAT BIG ?

[Dr.Bob]

I'm going to have to wait until the Monday after to get that report
Xman.? Docta be Basswood bound come 4:45 Monday morning .

Catch ya later buddy.

 8)

[Lee Borgersen]

? ? ? ? ?I-B-B-B (I Be Basswood Bound)
 
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? "How sweet it is"

Good luck Doc and I hope you break your new walleye rercord from July. How long will you be in the B Dub for? Also is this your last trip in this year?

If you see Jeff at the portage, pinch his butt for me

EEL-LEE

[Dr.Bob]

We are going to be on the Lake for 7 days.? And yes, it will be my last trip of the year :'(.

I may consider pinching Missy's butt if it gets close enough, but you can forget about Jeff's.? Keep that to yer self big guy :o.

What is that, a Chicago thing?

[Xplorer]

Well as promised, here's my last trip report with the family, only 5 days after getting back from the previous one with "da boys".
? Was up from the 5th to the 9th, and ended up out on Wolf Pack island, a great spot. There was a cold front moving in that day and it was really windy. We were set up by about noon, so i decided to try a nearby island and the gap for a bit. There was 4 boats already in there and with a 20 mph south wind most were drifting thru the channel south to north. I decided to throw out a drift sock to slow me down and in the process got my line wrapped around my prop when i tried to maneuver into postion >:( So 30 minutes later, after unwrapping about 50 rounds of line off the prop(luckily it didnt get behind the prop) I went back up to start my first drift. Went to put on a 1oz bottom bouncer weight and proceeded to drop it in the lake >:(, definitly not a good start to the program. I decided that with the waves and bad karma, that I should go find somewhere else to try, so pulled up and headed to another spot. No one there, good news. it was pretty bumpy there too, and the trolling motor wasnt strong enough, so I thru the drift sock out and back trolled with the 90. In order to get down to the 28-35' that i was marking fish i ended up having to use a 3 oz bouncer, and ran a 2 hook crawler harness.....Walla, what fun i had for the next hour. That rig put 3 nice slots 15-16.5" in the boat as well as a 18.75 and a 21.5" in just less than an hour. I will be using that method alot in the years to come late in the year when the fish get deep, they just crushed the rig each time. The winds really picked up and the weather turned so it was time to go secure camp. Got the screen tent and tent well secured and had a nice steak dinner while waiting for the storm. It wasnt until after we were in bed that the rain started, but we missed the severe weather that hit other parts up there, and all was good in the morning.
? Sunday was too windy to do much at all, so after brunch we ran up to Kettle Falls to play some pool and relax. The ride back was interesting as the waves coming back from the end of Kubel down the open section north of Namakan were the biggest I have seen on the lake to date. Luckily we were running with them, but we would crash off of one into the next roller and each was a true 3-4' wave, with a few rogue's that were larger, with a very short distance between crests. Dylan loved the wild ride, and luckily Caroline had had a couple of the lemonade slush's in the bar ? so she didnt mind too much either, but we were all happy to tuck back into the protected area of our campsite's beach.? Having that topset and side curtains paid for itself on that ride back alone, as we would have been drenched from all the spray we pushed.
? Monday I went and hit a spot for a few more fish. Started out with a lindy/leech with no luck, then went back to the spinner rig and picked up some fish, all too big. In fact, the entire trip I did not catch a fish under the slot, the smallest being a 14.5 that i caught later that day.? After lunch we all went out and decided to try a small island. Carolines dad had said that he really did well there the last night that they were camped by drifting in about 36' of water. So we tried this using a lindy/leech and in just over an hour I nailed 3 more nice fish, the 14.5 as well as a 19.75 and a 20.5 and one smallie.? Then headed back to camp for a nice fishfry/potato/onion ring dinner.
? Tuesday ended up being a beach day, we hit the day site right next to our island and enjoyed a few adult beverages and swam and skipped rocks all day, even was able to get mom to let me take Xplorer Jr and do some diving/jumping off the boat again , then ended the afternoon with some fun tubing.? Headed back out on Wed. morning just as the clouds came in, so all in all another great trip.? No pics yet, but will try to add later, tho the previous ones tell you what its all about.

[Harold]

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thanks Xplorer.  Sounds like the fishing was good, the drinks were cold, and Momma & son had a good time.  Don't get much better than that.

[Xplorer]

Harold,
  Only thing better was if I was repacking to make another trip back up this weekend   It was a great way to end the season til next year with 2 of the best trips!!
Xplorer

[Harold]

We may need to find an October weekend on Round Lake before the season ends.

[Lee Borgersen]

Thanks for the recap Xplorer, sounds like you had a great time despite mother nature. Somehow the fish always taste better when your outdoors.

After the wife retires we had planed on taking a trip up there sometime. It would be nice to use my larger boat on vacation for a change. As much as I love the BWCA It would like  to visit another area like Voyagers for a change.

[Xplorer]

Lee,
? Maybe you could join us on one of the future "annuals" in the years to come, tho we may have to split you and Doc into seperate boats .?
? I think that Doc and Harold can vouch for the good time we had, but it would be really difficult to approach the fishing success you have on Basswood, I'm just flat out amazed at the nice fish you pull outta there each year!!
? Xplorer

Harold,
  The 7/8 and 14/15 are out for me, the last 2 are possibles tho, nothing on the calendar right now.  Let me know what your thinking.