Saturday, July 12, 2014

Today I move to Hustler Lake. I enjoy Hustler Lake as it has a beautiful site surrounded with Red and White Pines and wonderful views of the lake. Some years ago the Forest Service redesigned the fire grate. It once faced out toward the lake to the south. Now it faces north into the woods. I'm not sure why the change was made. No one has recently been on the portage but I find fresh wolf scat and tracks. Ruby Lake is a deep clear lake with large stands of white pines. I throw a few casts near some weeds as I make my way across the lake. There is a group at the next portage and I wait for them to clear out. They have spent the night on Hustler which probably means that the site I want to stay at is open. Sure enough, the site is open and set up camp once again. I hesitate for a moment about setting up the tarp but I decide it's the last thing I want to do in the rain.

With chores all taken care of I off to catch the many Small-Mouth Bass and Northern Pike to inhabit Hustler Lake. I plan on having a fish dinner. I head toward the east end of the lake as I have had good fishing in the shallow part of the lake. As I soon as I pass the narrows I hook a 5lb northern. I release it in hopes of catching something a little smaller. I know if I don't eat the whole fish something else will, but it doesn't sit well with me leaving leftovers. What animals eat don't have leftovers? That's why there are scavengers, right? Either way I want something smaller. So I release it back to the water.
As I troll down the middle of the bay I keep my eyes on the distant back bay where a moose might appear. I spot something in the distant and even with my camera I can't discern it is a moose. "It must me a tree stump." I tell myself, but as I get closer that tree stump is moving. That tree stump is a moose. I reel in and have to to remember not get "moose fever." I paddle slowly toward the moose. Unfortunately I'm up wind of him and I'm afraid he'll spot me and disappear into the woods. He looks up for a moment and continues to feed on the vegetation. I struggle sometimes with wanting to get a video and get pictures that I forget to just enjoy seeing the moose. After about five minutes the young bull decides he's had enough and slowly heads back into the forest.
I struggle to catch fish and again I wonder if I'll have a fish dinner. I finally catch a nice sized Bass as I'm heading back to camp and I've got my dinner. I have not seen any other canoe today and no one else is camped on the lake. Once again, the lake is mine.

Hustler Lake