Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Snowbank to Thomas 2020
by 30Smoke

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 06/15/2020
Entry Point: Snowbank Lake (EP 27)
Exit Point: Lake One (EP 30)  
Number of Days: 8
Group Size: 2
Day 5 of 8
Friday, June 19, 2020 - Up at 6am, 5 days in a row – I must not be feeling well! Peter had Pancake and eggs ready and then we went out for some fishing and then returned to camp for a short time. I was looking for the elusive White-throated Sparrow – the bird that can be heard but not seen. This bird is my nemesis, I hear them everywhere, but have no pictures to show for it. Turned out to be a yellow-rumped Warbler.
Soon we were back on the water for some fish and before we knew what happened, we were catching walleyes on Fraser. Soon it was time for a break and we headed to Campsite 1398 as Peter had stayed there with his daughter in a prior year. This was a nice site and we would stay here the following year.
We had some snacks and then worked our way to the Sagus portage, stopping for a few pictures of campsite 1400 on the east end of Fraser right before the portage. This was also a good campsite but the landing to the kitchen was a rather steep climb. After a short break, we headed to the portage and were fishing on Sagus within the hour.
Sagus is a pretty lake with neat rock structures and more importantly friendly walleyes. I documented catching 5 walleyes to Peters 3. The Sagus Walleyes were much darker in color than the Fraser & Thomas Walleyes.
We soon decided it would be prudent to begin our journey back to Thomas while we still had light. However, we could not leave Fraser without checking out campsite 1395, which is on a peninsula on the West end of the lake. My pictures and remembered impression was that it is a nice campsite.
We headed to the narrows and I was treated to great picture opportunities with an Eagle. I was surprised to get a few really focused pictures as we were moving toward the bird. It seemed like we never got very close, but better lucky than good. Then after getting through the Narrows, a turkey vulture landed in the tree.
After messing around for a while, we headed back towards camp trying to catch a trout. We did get a few walleyes that we kept for dinner, but it was late and as we ate, so did the mosquitos! I believe we learned our lesson; it is best to eat dinner before going out for fish in the evening, unless you want to donate blood at dusk! We quickly retreated to our tents after dinner.