Tuesday, September 24, 2019 Day 3: I was up again before the sun and immediately out on the lake. My inability to get a strike continued, even though fish were jumping all around me. They were obviously hungry and so was I. I returned to my site, had breakfast, and was back out on the lake by 10:00. I resorted back to what I normally use when fishing the Boundary Waters, floating Rapalas. The wind was strong out of the south and I was trolling around the islands in the center of the lake. Within 15 minutes, I’d landed my first smallmouth. I thought it was a snag at first and it put up a great battle. I love the whiz sound the drag makes when the fish dive! I kept it and the next fish (a walleye on a floating Rap?) for dinner. I returned to my site for lunch. The wind and gusts had really picked up, so I remained in camp the rest of the afternoon. Clouds were building, and in mid-afternoon, I could hear the rumble of fighter jets maneuvering nearby for about an hour. I was disappointed I could not see them. I also had been hearing a chainsaw and machinery running all day to the south. I know I was not deep into the BWCA, but this took away slightly from my solitude. I took advantage of the warm weather to clean myself up. I fished from shore in a few spots and caught two more smallmouth. I started making dinner (fish, potatoes and baked beans) around 5:30 as it looked like rain was imminent. The rain started around 6:30 and continued off-and-on. I discovered how lonely a solo trip can be in the evening in the rain underneath a tarp. I had not properly prepared myself for this possibility. I was in my tent by 8:00, read for awhile and fell asleep early.