Sunday, June 21, 2009-What a Great Fathers Day!!!
Got to Grand Marais at 4am and ate a good breakfast at "South of the Border" restaurant. Then went to the Ranger Station to get our permits. We thought it opened at 6am but had to wait til 7am. Watched the video, answered a few questions and got our permits.
Drove up Gun Flint Trail to Entry Point 62 on Clearwater Lake. Paddled across the lake and portaged 3/4 mile or 210 rods to Caribou Lake. This was my first time to portage a canoe. Mine weighed about 70lbs and the portage was a challenge for me. We each made 2 trips to get all our gear to the other side. My first trip was a canoe and my second was a "Paul Bunyan Bag".
One of my fears was that we wouldn't find an open site on the lake. Tyler and I were the lead canoe and Bob told us to take the first open spot. Campsite #1 was open and we took it. We got there about 10am and started setting up camp. We ate a lunch of flat bread and salamonie and cheese or peanut butter.
At about 3pm that day we were able to get out fishing. My son and I worked the banks for smallies and northern. We were rewarded with several on a white buzzbait that I used. Not big ones but really fun to catch. The rest of the group walleye fished with leeches on "Beaver Flicks" under a float bobber. No walleye that day but several pike and smallies.
We fished til sunset at 9:30pm and then cook hamburgers over the first on the grate. We were beat at the end of that day but loved it.