Since we weren't going in that far we took a more leisurely pace on Friday morning and were to the entry point by 9:00 a.m. Temps were in the low 50's but the wind was starting to pick up. Thankfully we had all of a 40 minute paddle to our campsite--1710 on the north side of Gabbro. We were all very pleased with the site and would rate it much higher than the 3 stars schweady gave it in his review. Even with a group of 8 we found three nice tent pads and the view from kitchen to the east was awesome. The only drawback to the site was the lack of downed cedar and pine for the cooking fire. We found some, but it was a haul to bring it back to camp.

After we set up camp the weather took a turn for the worse. The wind picked up and it started to sprinkle, but that only seemed to help the fishing. Buzz17 and I fished a pool just off the current between Gabbro and Little Gabbro, and in the course of two hours I limited out. The rest of our group tried other areas without a lot of success. We were, however, pleasantly surprised when one of the guys came back to camp with some nice perch.

Probably the excitement for the first day was my battle with the food pack. I overloaded it, so while we were hanging it the handle snapped and it body slammed me into a small rock wall. I survived, but I really felt like a moron. Live and learn to never stand directly below the food pack.

Lakes: Knife, Amoeber, Topaz, Cherry Portages: 3 Rods: 22r, 17r, 7r Total Distance: 8.5 miles

I awoke early, perhaps 5:45am. I believe I was on the water just after 7am. There was hardly any wind to speak of and passed a gent fishing on a kayak at some distance. Then passed a group of three fishing from the shoreline of their campsite; which looked to be a nice site. Perhaps the kayaker was their 4th. The run through the narrow section of Knife Lake was interesting. The paddle toward the portage to Amoeber was uneventful, though still hot.

The portage into Amoeber wasn't difficult, though I remember some elevation gains. I also recall watching some mergansers play/court on the Knife side and seeing something large swim from land to the closest island. I thought a coyote or perhaps a wolf, but in retrospect it was probably a beaver, maybe a deer. It was to fast to be a loon or bird of some type. It's too bad I wasn't closer. I triple-carried this portage because my back told me to.

Amoeber Lake is certainly pretty. The lake was calm and it was a nice paddle. One group of perhaps a father/son combo was camped on the island site and fishing the western narrows. This was the last group of people I saw this day.

I made the quick triple-carry into Topaz and was delighted by this lake with it's bluffs and islands. The campsite looked deserted and if I was forced to camp there I wouldn't complain. bwca.com has a 1-star rating though.

The next portage was into Cherry Lake and I can see why it's called Cherry Lake. What a cherry! I got an early rise in hopes of getting a site so took the first site, the western-most. A definite 4-star site with a perfectly placed fire grate. I would have liked to check the other site out, but this one suited me fine. I paddled around the larger island just to see what I could see and fought a little wind then set up camp. I intended on exploring this gem of a lake but decided instead for some R&R in the hammock with a book. Some surfacing smallmouth bass caught my attention occasionally and I wet the line. A black spinner yielded two, but I released them.

As the afternoon wore on I gathered firewood and made some dinner of more dehydrated and forgettable. I typically eat two packages and dessert is a handful of M&M's. I meant to check out the east side of Cherry Lake. I know there is a fantastic cliff to see over there. But the mood did not strike me.

I delighted in watching a pair of loons cruise past between the campsite and far shore. I made a fire and really enjoyed the peace and quiet. As dusk fell I took some photos of the fire, stars and opposite island cliffs. Responsible adult beverages enjoyed by all.

I had planned on sailing right through Gabimichigami into Little Sag the next day. My goal was to get into the Boulder/Adams Lake area. My lower back was telling me it would not be a good idea. I listened and made plans for Kekekabic Lake.

The temp dropped to 32 degrees Saturday night and Sunday morning was windy. In the morning we threw out slip bobbers with ciscos and I landed a 34" northern. But once we left camp, this was probably the slowest day of fishing. We tried between Gabbro and Little Gabbro without much success. And then tried several points in Little Gabbro with just a few small walleye. The wind finally subsided in the evening and the lake became glass. The best part of Sunday, though, was the moonrise and then the bite picked up from camp. Caught two nice walleye and a 14" crappie on slip bobber rigs. A few guys went out in the canoes and caught walleye, crappies and more perch. One of the perch was just over 12". A nice way to end an otherwise very frustrating day.

It got even colder on Sunday night. According to WeatherChannel.com, the temp dropped to 28 degrees. Thankfully I packed enough warm gear that it wasn't that bad. Temps rebounded to the 50's but once again the wind picked up and fishing during the day was slow. We fished the northeast bays of Gabbro and produced a few walleyes, but once again, the best bite was in the evening after the wind died down. We went up into the end of the northern most bay and found a school of walleye, crappie and perch.

Thankfully it didn't get as cold as it did the night before. I think the temp dropped to the upper 30's. The morning started out calm but as we packed up camp the wind started to pick up and by the time we hit the water the wind must have been blowing straight out of the west between 15-20 mph and we had to paddle right into it. Once we hit Little Gabbro, though, it didn't seem as bad.

Overall, we had a good trip despite the wind and unstable weather. Based on the feedback I've gotten from everyone in our group, we'll probably do Gabbro again next year. Hope you found this report helpful, if not interesting. If you have questions or want more info, feel free to e-mail me.

thlipsis29