Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Knife Lake 2014
by pastorjsackett

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 06/16/2014
Entry & Exit Point: Moose Lake to Prairie Portage (EP G)
Number of Days: 5
Group Size: 4
Day 2 of 5
Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Day two was hot and still. We had eggs and bacon for breakfast on my Coleman, handed down from my late father (he had purchased it in the 1960's). I am nostalgic and love cooking on it, despite the added weight of the old green stove. This day was to be spectacular. We started out fishing in a random fashion....my son said, "Look at the water--it's green. Look--a huge weed bed!" He snapped on a silver spoon and proceeded to hook a very large northern on his first cast. I said, "You'll never get that in on 6 pound test." Just then the fish came under the boat and I looked down to see it...and next to it was ANOTHER matching fish with the spoon in the corner of its mouth....yes. TWO giants side by side. A few minutes later, Colin eased the big fish next to me and I got my hands on it. We were ecstatic! His largest fish to date. 41 inches. later that day we got into northern and bass hot and heavy. Mike loves to jig and he was getting bit off...then later we'd catch a fish with his jig in its mouth. We laughed about that. Mid-day we stopped on a large rock to have lunch and cast. More fish. Venison jerky. PBJ bagels. Hit was hot and still all day and the fishing was great. As we turned for home Colin tied on a deep diving tail dancer and hooked a 25 inch laker! What a gorgeous fish. And a proud papa. After supper we drifted leeches and Colin picked up a lovely 22 inch walleye--all four species in one day! It had been a great day....on the way home the tail dancer produced again and the laker (22 inch) smashed the lure so hard it broke in half after we got it in the boat! It was blue and red...very unique colored lure. It was his only one and he was bummed to lose it but...what a day. Unforgettable.