I went on my annual solo fishing trip to the Boundary Waters last week. The weather was bad and the fishing for me was even worse. A lot of rain and wind. The high water levels didn't help either, because I would typically fish a river when the winds were high, but the water levels were so high I couldn't fish any of the river from shore. The water flowing into the river was moving too fast and you didn't want to get sucked down the river and at the other end the water was coming out too fast as well. Most of the bigger fish were typically caught at either end of the river but that didn't happen this year. I had to try and find places out of the winds to fish. Fishing was slow. The slowest I have seen on my 14 solo trips. I guess 13 out of 14 ain't bad. Makes you appreciate the good ones even more. This is a picture of the best smallmouth I caught. I caught it on a ZMAN ShadZ while working a shoreline.

Another fine fish for the Bass Master!

My trip was also windy. Made for tough fishing. I remember hooking one bass and being blown to shore, where the shallows were littered with wood. So, with one hand, I paddled into a chute, which had it's own hazards: woods and weeds. I kept fighting that fish with one hand and fighting the wind with the other and the fish's power was tripled by the wind. It took about a hundred yards of wind and fish wrangling to land it. It was the fishing equivalent of this:

A mere mortal after all!

I used to be fond of saying : "My worst day in the wilderness is better than my best day in the office." That was until I was almost killed when my canoe capsized in the Buffalo River.

But it still holds true for most days.

That's a nice fish... it'd be a PR for me.

quote missmolly: "Another fine fish for the Bass Master!

My trip was also windy. Made for tough fishing. I remember hooking one bass and being blown to shore, where the shallows were littered with wood. So, with one hand, I paddled into a chute, which had it's own hazards: woods and weeds. I kept fighting that fish with one hand and fighting the wind with the other and the fish's power was tripled by the wind. It took about a hundred yards of wind and fish wrangling to land it. It was the fishing equivalent of this:


"

Is that the world's biggest sand trap?

quote mastertangler: "A mere mortal after all! "

I had all of my eggs in one basket ( or should I say one river ). If water levels are high like that ever again I will surely be going elsewhere.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote missmolly: "Another fine fish for the Bass Master!


My trip was also windy. Made for tough fishing. I remember hooking one bass and being blown to shore, where the shallows were littered with wood. So, with one hand, I paddled into a chute, which had it's own hazards: woods and weeds. I kept fighting that fish with one hand and fighting the wind with the other and the fish's power was tripled by the wind. It took about a hundred yards of wind and fish wrangling to land it. It was the fishing equivalent of this:



"

Is that the world's biggest sand trap?"

I don't know, but I think there's a good chance it was designed by Crack Nicklaus, Jack Nicklaus's crack-addled brother.