Saturday, June 15, 2013 It rained most of the night. Still sputtering when I woke, but it soon cleared up and the wind died. I went out in the boat to explore and fish. I began by crossing to the east coast of Burt Lake, working back clockwise around the shore. I then cross back over to the big island and catch a nice laker out in the middle. He fought like crazy – diving deep, and then would come up only to circle the canoe, and dive again. I made sure to keep slack out of the line, especially when he would try to shake the lure. This was my Jointed Shad Rap with two treble hooks, but with the barbs removed, who knows how it would hold if there was slack in the line.
After landing the trout, the weather was looking very promising so I decided to head out for some serious exploration. I worked my way along the coast of the island to a smaller island to the north. There’s a campsite on the north end of that island with a nice landing, and a small bay in the big island just west of the smaller island. I’m working my way around the big island, trolling as I go, keeping my eye open for bassy-looking spots, and possible future campsites. I like campsites with northern exposure and lots of shade during the summer. The small island camp looks promising, and it is sheltered by the big island from the prevailing wind. The small bay, and another larger one on the east coast of the lake across from the small island, make for some close fishing possibilities. On big lakes, I like some options for windy and rainy days that won't take me far from home. Here’s a photo from the campsite on the smaller island looking north.
Another narrow island lies north of the big island, a small channel in between. Plenty of weeds along the shore, and rocky ledges. I work my way around the northern-most island casting a husky jerk along the shore. On the west side, I become aware of a stiff wind from the SW. To the NW, there’s a series of bays that I’d love to explore, but the waves are picking up, so I put my trolling rig out, and head south. As I come out of a little bay on the narrow island, I’m fully exposed to the SW and I quickly realize that the wind is stronger than I thought. As I work southward along the rocky shore, waves are hitting me broadside, creating a somewhat dicey situation. Just then, a bass hits my lure. I don't need the drag, so I paddle into the wind away from the shore, reel in the fish, plop him into the boat, and quickly release him. Then I’m bee-lining for the southwestern corner of the big island, where I finally catch a tail wind and head back to the southeast point in the distance. With an unloaded canoe, a tail wind is a mixed blessing, but I made it back to camp very quickly. With the wind coming from the SW, I get the perfect opportunity to use the excellent landing on the east side of my campsite.
The rest of the day is windy and uneventful. I make biscuits and a fire, with big hopes of good weather for my last day on Burt. I let Lulu take some photos. She seems to have a knack for it.