Day2, Tuesday 9-9:
Woke at 7 AM to begin my first (of many) morning routines. Make a small cooking fire, boil water for a Thermos of tea and a cup of breakfast; oatmeal this morning. I did not bring a stove (which I will later regret) so I must start a fire each morning. Cooking utensils are very basic: A 1 Qt. stainless steel pot (MSR, brand) with a lid and folding handle. Inside that I store a fork and spoon, which I cut down to fit. In addition to the pot, I carry a 10" Teflon frying pan for fish and pancakes. It is too heavy and I must find an alternative.
Morning routine goes like this: Start a fire using the kindling and "small stuff" that I set aside the previous night. Use 2 tea bags to a full pot of water. Once that is boiled I add sugar and Coffee-Mate, pour a cup and store the rest in my 1 QT Nippon Sanso aluminum Thermos. I then re-fill the pot halfway, add the same tea bags and boil another batch. This fills the Thermos for use during the rest of the day. Then, boil another pot of water to make a cup of either; instant oatmeal, instant grits or Lipton's soup. The rest of the hot water is used to brush teeth, wash hands and rinse out the cup. Once you get the system down pat, you can begin breaking camp between pots of boiling water. A note on water: I drink it right from the lake (as does just about everybody up here) and have not had a problem. I have never met another paddler who carried a water purifier up here.Broke camp by 9 AM and paddled/trolled the 3 miles up Saganagons Lake to the next portage. Also stopped on several small islands to fish from shore. Total catch was 9 bass and one Northern pike (only 24"). All fish were released.
First portage is listed @ 75R; NO %^$#*&# WAY!!! I have "measured" portages and the average is 650-750 of my paces (depending on the steepness) to cover 100R. This one was 900 paces and my notes read, "rocky bitch". With long tea-break rests, it took me 2 hours to complete. Note: I am in no rush, I am here to enjoy myself, not see how fast I can get from point "A" to point "B". During the portage, I met 2 guys (paddling a tandem) from St. Paul, MN. and we became friends over the next several days.
After that portage it is 3 miles to a series of 3 portages (60R - 17R - 7R) around small waterfalls. Interesting to note that I am traveling due north and so is the river current. Needless to say, with all of the loading/unloading over portages, I did not travel many miles. My new friends camped at the first site beyond the third set of falls and I camped just around the point. Was still early in the day so I had time to fish some of the smaller coves. Caught 12-15 bass, but nothing really big. At dusk, I paddled back to fish below the falls and it was well worth the effort: Caught a 27" walleye (estimate 5-6 LBS), which turned out to be the biggest walleye of the trip. I love Quetico!!
Day3: Tuesday 9-10:
Decided to spend another day here to fish and rest sore leg, and shoulder, muscles. A more prudent person would have did a few exercises prior to coming up here (something more then bending elbows while drinking Black Label beer). But, alas, I did not. Besides, the fishing is good here and every night I stay will reduce the weight of my Boundary pack, especially the rum/vodka load. No problem though, I am not on any time schedule, and one of the reasons I paddle solo is because I can make these kinds of decisions. Temperature is still in the low 80's during the afternoon. I have not worn anything other then a T-shirt since I launched: Why did I add all of this extra weight carrying a wool jacket and down-filled vest? Spent the day paddling/fishing and caught maybe 20-25 small bass (nothing over 16"). Even caught a few on the jigs that Chuck tied for me (these are very hungry fish).
Note: Knowing that I could not bring bottles (which would be too heavy anyway) I filled .5 liter plastic bottles with Captain Morgan spiced rum and Absolute vodka. Brought 7 bottles, which I figured "in a pinch" would last me 14 days. That limits me to just over 8 ounces per day but, hey, this is supposed to be roughing it in the wilderness, right? Now, I have no idea what 3.5 liters of rum weighs (and weight is a BIG issue when portaging) but I can't imagine what I would rather have then a few cocktails by the campfire each night. Well, actually I can imagine what would be better, but I don't know anyone named "Bambi" who has a father fixation.
Went back up to the base of the falls at dusk and caught quite a few fish, including a 23" walleye for dinner. Saw a LOT of other paddlers today. This area is known as the "Falls Chain" and is the most direct route to Kawnipi Lake (a big one) that is famous for fishing. Most paddlers are here for a 6-7 day fishing trip: 2 days up to Kawnipi, fish for 3-4 days and then return via the same route. Since this is near the end of the season, there must have been 20-25 canoes pass through. Needless to say, my wildlife sightings have not been much: 2 bald eagles, 3 otters and 1 osprey. Time to make my way north.
For fisherman:
I brought 2 rods; a Fenwick EGT 596M 5' 9" with a Shimano Sedona 2000 reel, and an Invincible 4400-1BWS, 6' 6" with a Shimano Stradic 4000 reel. Had extra spools for both reels, one with Spider Wire and the other with traditional mono) and figured this combo would handle anything that Quetico could throw at me. (I was correct). Turned out the little Fenwick was more than enough to handle any fish I caught, and the other was a bit of "over kill".
Tackle: Like all fisherman, I packed WAY too much, everything from buzz baits to large "slabs" used for jigging deep water. Will talk about this later, but the #1 bait is a 1/4-1/2 OZ (depending on water depth) with a 4"-7" plastic soft bait (Culprit Worm or Sassy Shad). 90% of my fish were caught on these two baits. Yes, deep diving Rapala's were effective, but the strain on the canoe can be felt. Spinner baits (double bladed) were VERY effective while casting from shore (and the fish were easy to release, with the single hook), but they put a real strain on paddling a canoe when trolling. I caught fish on everything I threw out there, but if I could only use one bait it would be a jig with a rubber "something" (toss-up between a Culprit worm and a Sassy Shad).
Perfect PM fire with fresh walleye fillets for dinner, and a few cocktails. I love Quetico!!!
Woke at 7 AM to begin my first (of many) morning routines. Make a small cooking fire, boil water for a Thermos of tea and a cup of breakfast; oatmeal this morning. I did not bring a stove (which I will later regret) so I must start a fire each morning. Cooking utensils are very basic: A 1 Qt. stainless steel pot (MSR, brand) with a lid and folding handle. Inside that I store a fork and spoon, which I cut down to fit. In addition to the pot, I carry a 10" Teflon frying pan for fish and pancakes. It is too heavy and I must find an alternative.
Morning routine goes like this: Start a fire using the kindling and "small stuff" that I set aside the previous night. Use 2 tea bags to a full pot of water. Once that is boiled I add sugar and Coffee-Mate, pour a cup and store the rest in my 1 QT Nippon Sanso aluminum Thermos. I then re-fill the pot halfway, add the same tea bags and boil another batch. This fills the Thermos for use during the rest of the day. Then, boil another pot of water to make a cup of either; instant oatmeal, instant grits or Lipton's soup. The rest of the hot water is used to brush teeth, wash hands and rinse out the cup. Once you get the system down pat, you can begin breaking camp between pots of boiling water. A note on water: I drink it right from the lake (as does just about everybody up here) and have not had a problem. I have never met another paddler who carried a water purifier up here.Broke camp by 9 AM and paddled/trolled the 3 miles up Saganagons Lake to the next portage. Also stopped on several small islands to fish from shore. Total catch was 9 bass and one Northern pike (only 24"). All fish were released.
First portage is listed @ 75R; NO %^$#*&# WAY!!! I have "measured" portages and the average is 650-750 of my paces (depending on the steepness) to cover 100R. This one was 900 paces and my notes read, "rocky bitch". With long tea-break rests, it took me 2 hours to complete. Note: I am in no rush, I am here to enjoy myself, not see how fast I can get from point "A" to point "B". During the portage, I met 2 guys (paddling a tandem) from St. Paul, MN. and we became friends over the next several days.
After that portage it is 3 miles to a series of 3 portages (60R - 17R - 7R) around small waterfalls. Interesting to note that I am traveling due north and so is the river current. Needless to say, with all of the loading/unloading over portages, I did not travel many miles. My new friends camped at the first site beyond the third set of falls and I camped just around the point. Was still early in the day so I had time to fish some of the smaller coves. Caught 12-15 bass, but nothing really big. At dusk, I paddled back to fish below the falls and it was well worth the effort: Caught a 27" walleye (estimate 5-6 LBS), which turned out to be the biggest walleye of the trip. I love Quetico!!
Day3: Tuesday 9-10:
Decided to spend another day here to fish and rest sore leg, and shoulder, muscles. A more prudent person would have did a few exercises prior to coming up here (something more then bending elbows while drinking Black Label beer). But, alas, I did not. Besides, the fishing is good here and every night I stay will reduce the weight of my Boundary pack, especially the rum/vodka load. No problem though, I am not on any time schedule, and one of the reasons I paddle solo is because I can make these kinds of decisions. Temperature is still in the low 80's during the afternoon. I have not worn anything other then a T-shirt since I launched: Why did I add all of this extra weight carrying a wool jacket and down-filled vest? Spent the day paddling/fishing and caught maybe 20-25 small bass (nothing over 16"). Even caught a few on the jigs that Chuck tied for me (these are very hungry fish).
Note: Knowing that I could not bring bottles (which would be too heavy anyway) I filled .5 liter plastic bottles with Captain Morgan spiced rum and Absolute vodka. Brought 7 bottles, which I figured "in a pinch" would last me 14 days. That limits me to just over 8 ounces per day but, hey, this is supposed to be roughing it in the wilderness, right? Now, I have no idea what 3.5 liters of rum weighs (and weight is a BIG issue when portaging) but I can't imagine what I would rather have then a few cocktails by the campfire each night. Well, actually I can imagine what would be better, but I don't know anyone named "Bambi" who has a father fixation.
Went back up to the base of the falls at dusk and caught quite a few fish, including a 23" walleye for dinner. Saw a LOT of other paddlers today. This area is known as the "Falls Chain" and is the most direct route to Kawnipi Lake (a big one) that is famous for fishing. Most paddlers are here for a 6-7 day fishing trip: 2 days up to Kawnipi, fish for 3-4 days and then return via the same route. Since this is near the end of the season, there must have been 20-25 canoes pass through. Needless to say, my wildlife sightings have not been much: 2 bald eagles, 3 otters and 1 osprey. Time to make my way north.
For fisherman:
I brought 2 rods; a Fenwick EGT 596M 5' 9" with a Shimano Sedona 2000 reel, and an Invincible 4400-1BWS, 6' 6" with a Shimano Stradic 4000 reel. Had extra spools for both reels, one with Spider Wire and the other with traditional mono) and figured this combo would handle anything that Quetico could throw at me. (I was correct). Turned out the little Fenwick was more than enough to handle any fish I caught, and the other was a bit of "over kill".
Tackle: Like all fisherman, I packed WAY too much, everything from buzz baits to large "slabs" used for jigging deep water. Will talk about this later, but the #1 bait is a 1/4-1/2 OZ (depending on water depth) with a 4"-7" plastic soft bait (Culprit Worm or Sassy Shad). 90% of my fish were caught on these two baits. Yes, deep diving Rapala's were effective, but the strain on the canoe can be felt. Spinner baits (double bladed) were VERY effective while casting from shore (and the fish were easy to release, with the single hook), but they put a real strain on paddling a canoe when trolling. I caught fish on everything I threw out there, but if I could only use one bait it would be a jig with a rubber "something" (toss-up between a Culprit worm and a Sassy Shad).
Perfect PM fire with fresh walleye fillets for dinner, and a few cocktails. I love Quetico!!!