Calm, clear, around 60 degrees—fabulous weather. Natural High 6-grain pancakes with apple spice topping and bacon for breakfast in preparation for a day of day-tripping north to Keefer Lake.

We find good fishing for walleye and smallmouth in the northern-most bay on Kashahpiwi. A long, undulating line of Canada geese passes north, their calls sound like a pack of hounds on a trail. An old dock lies half-submerged at the Keefer Lake portage and smallmouth bass hit our lures aggressively in the outflow of the stream cascading into Keefer from Kashahpiwi. We pick up several lake trout and smallmouth bass in the southern end of Keefer, then head back before the midday wind picks up.

Dusk finds us back on our walleye hole, but in a glassy bay nearby largemouth bass are holding court in classic boulder&downed-tree structure ringing the edges. Earlier in the trip SB caught a 12” smallmouth that coughed up a mouse when he was unhooking it, so I rigged up my fly rod and tied on a deer-hair mouse. The bass went berserk over it. It was thrilling to see two or three wakes converging on the poor mouse every time I was able to throw it anywhere near shore. The best one went a fat 16”, a beautiful native fish, red gills flashing, dark green back and white belly, finer scales than a smallmouth, the essence of wilderness fishing for me. These largemouth were ferocious fighters, leaping, tail-dancing and diving for submerged logs—no rolling over and giving up after the initial fight. Sitting in a canoe trying to control one of these wild things with a lightweight nine-foot fly rod was nerve-wracking. My heart was in my mouth, trying to keep the line taught, always aware of that single barbless hook.

Hermit thrushes, frogs and toads singing at dusk and the incense-like smell of pine smoke in the air. We have seen no one on the lake except a solo canoe heading north for Keefer this morning, so there must be a forest fire in the area (we later find out there's a fire on Agnes Lake to our east a few miles). After dinner we have a small fire and popcorn, then do a little stargazing until 10:30, spotting what appears to be the space station flying over, a bright, steady white light moving rapidly across the sky.