The day started off rainy, windy and colder than the past days. I had a couple of choices, go back to the tent and rest or go fishing. Since I did not come to the Quetico to be comfortable, I went fishing. Once again I had to find a calm section back behind the island to fish. Fishing was basically slow, a few pike and a few smallmouth of no real size were caught. I heard a helicopter hovering around the area and when I arrived back at camp I could see it over to east side of the lake. The ranger told me I might see one during the week. They were there checking out the major blow-down from the July 4th straight line windstorm from 1999. I assumed they were preparing this area for the planned prescribed burn. On my second fishing session of the day back behind the island I saw the biggest flock of mergansers I had ever seen before. There must have been 50 of them back there diving and chasing bait fish. It was a site to behold. A typical bald eagle was also seen soaring back there as well. I did manage one nice eighteen inch smallmouth on the Lucky 13. Shortly there after I had a beaver swim by me as I was fishing a little pinch back there between the island and the mainland. When I arrived back at camp I had a visitor running around, a not so shy grouse. I started a fire as it was beginning to cool off during sunset. Temperatures dropped down to 32 degrees that evening. It had been another difficult day to fish in the wind while solo.