Wednesday, July 24, 2019 This would be our last full day in the Boundary Waters. As I had still never caught a Boundary Water's walleye, I was bound and determined to do some fishing. Our map usually displays what species are supposed to be found in the lakes, but Upper Pauness had no information on the Voyageur map. So I suppose not knowing made me hopeful that anything was possible. I was in no great hurry to head out fishing, but it was certainly on the day's agenda.
The majority of the day was spent sprawled out in our hammocks. Drastically fatigued, Krystal somehow managed to wake from a deep sleep in her hammock and magically fall out of the hammock directly onto a small boulder below her. She was okay but better off just staying at camp all day as she seemed to be a bit accident prone. So if you can't imagine what we did for most of the day, I'll let Dobby describe our general laziness of the day in the photo below.

Krystal opted to stay at camp snoozing with the dogs. I was grateful because that meant I could spend some quality fishing time without managing my usual fishing buddy, Gichi, a rare treat. No offense, Gichi! I pulled away from camp and tried drift jigging with the almost non-existent breeze. Under the hot sun, nothing was biting. I spent a good hour or two trying that method, and with no luck, opted to head back to a lily pad studded little divot of a bay on the northern end of the lake.
I was having zero luck catching anything. The kid in me decided where there are lily pads there are pan fish, so I switched out my set up. I took off the larger jig and found a nice bright pink Mini-Mite in my tackle kit. I tied on that lure guaranteed to give you a good time, and cast it out as far as it would go. And if you know Mini-Mites, that translates as a really short cast. I slowly reeled and played the jig back in, and started getting some nibbles. Roll cameras because it was action time. After a few unsuccessful nibbles by the largish perch I was seeing in the water below, I got a solid hit on the line. I gave the fish some play time and then set the hook. As I was reeling it in, I noticed some substantial force and weight on the line. What was it because it certainly was not a perch? I reeled closer and closer and the tannin stained water hid the species from me as long as possible. With a flash of gold, there it was, the elusive Boundary Waters walleye, on my line, with a Mini-Mite! Knowing how tiny that hook was on the lure, I knew I had to get that net in the water or this fish story would never be believed. Breath on hold, I slipped the net under the fish as it thrashed around and there it was, in my net, a keeper and dinner for the night! All I had to do was successfully get it on my stringer. Krystal was not going to believe my luck! Finally, a walleye. I was ear to ear grinning happy.
I stayed out in that crook of a bay for another hour with no more luck so I turned back for camp. When the rocky shore of our camp appeared, I could contain myself no longer. I called Krystal's name and just held my fish up in the canoe. "I did it!" was all I said. She was as excited for me as I was and quickly got the camera out to capture the happy moment. Of all the things to happen on the last night of our trip, I caught my first walleye and provided us with a delicious dinner.

Krystal showed me how to clean a walleye because I have never done it before. I usually am the pike and pan fish cleaner. She did a great job and it was enough for a meal with our shrunken Boundary Waters stomachs. Does anyone else see a decrease in appetite on their trips or is it just us?
The walleye was scrumptious. We had portioned out our whiskey enough throughout the trip to enjoy our version of some long island iced teas the last night of the trip, whiskey, powdered sweet tea, and water. We sipped a few of those and stayed up until it was completely dark out, a first for us the entire trip. I had a yearning to see the stars at least one night. We saved it for that last precious night in the wilderness.