Up early but groggy from lack of sleep and off to Louisa falls once more. Going down I think is more dangerous than going up, but a lot less physically taxing. When we're going down we found a couple camped ON the portage! They seemed indignant that we were walking by as they had coffee! We wanted to see the pictographs on an island up Agnes so we headed up the lake in search of them, but to no avail. The good news was that Mrs. Chief was catching fish, lots and lots of small mouth. We went up and over the meadows portages much faster this time since we were much lighter with food, fuel, and scotch all being consumed.

On Sunday we rigged up for trolling and headed across. Amy and I didnt pick up anything but looked back and saw Chief's boat blowing in the wind, I immediately turn the boat around and paddle back. It looks like hes hung up. He was using a lindy rig for walleye and must have gotten the sinker or hook stuck some place. WRONG. I saw his rod tip bend lower and then a big swirl about 15 yards out. He had on a VERY big fish on 8lb line. I break out my net and the girls grab cameras and start snapping. Thats when I first saw his fish. It was a HUGE northern, probably the biggest I'd ever seen and in the back corner of its jaw I could see the flasher from the lindy rig. This was going to be interesting and he was probably going to lose the fish is all I could think. The big pike makes several more runs and Chief is playing it as best he can withe the drag, taking up line whenever the monster decided to give him some. Finally after a 30 minute battle (determined later by picture time stamps) the monster gave in and we had to figure out how to get it. Chief had some of those big orange plastic fish jaw pliers and was able to use those to haul it in. It was a monster! In all it measured 49" (he still says 50). Getting the hooks out was simple, they fell out when he got the fish in the boat. More pictures were taken and the big boy was let go. Chief didn't stop smiling for three days after that, no joking. After we started on our way again Mrs. Chief hooks up! She had a rig a little more prepared for the job though and landed a nice 30" pike not 50 ft where her husband just caught his. They were pumped, also something I was aware of but they weren't...Mrs. Chief was just one species away from a Quetico Grand Slam.

More paddling across Sunday and my boat starts to catch fish, mostly runty small mouth, but a few that were worth the fight and they go on the stringer. We headed over to burke and found a campsite on an island when Chiefs boat pulls up towing, I notice, a fish stringer. Mrs. Chief is now grinning ear to ear as well. She grabs the stringer and up comes a nice walleye! She did it! A grand slam! Tonight we feast as kings and queens! The last of our side dishes are consumed with the fish, along with the last of the scotch. Chief and I try some night fishing but come up skunked. We turn in and get ready for the paddle out the next day.

Dawn comes early and we're out on the water after a quick breakfast of granola bars and gatorade. We push off onto the lake with steam rising around us and quickly go across the beach and onto Bayley Bay and back to the ranger station. We fish the whole way back. Amy got a HUGE strike but couldn't set the hook (this was her hardest part about fishing). Whatever it was bent a medium heavy rod in half and scared her to death. I caught a few more small mouth and then we paddled in and were promptly picked up by our tow. At PP we saw Bob again and asked how his trip was, he too stayed on Burke the night before and was on the next island over. Good meeting you Bob! (your nick name in our group was solo bob the whole week, fyi)

Another trip over but what fun. The weather basically cooperated with us and the fishing the last day was great, otherwise not so great. I learned a lot about myself and Amy on the trip, some good, some bad. In all the trip was a success and Chief and I immediately started planning another.

Little did we know that nine months almost to the day of putting in at Prarie Portage, Mrs. Chief gave birth to the first Chief junior, who is already being prepped for his first trip in a few years :P

Louisa Lake, Agnes, Meadows, Sunday, Burke, Basswood Bayley Bay.