May 15, 2006 I awoke early in my custom and started a fire. We had stacked cut and split wood on top of the grate over the dying fire last night, so the dried wood started pretty easily. I put the battered aluminum percolator on the stove with a full pouch of coffee. Steve arose, stretched, and we began planning our day. We’d heard that taking the portage from Knife over to Bonnie and then to Spoon would put us onto Pike.

Breakfast was Pancakes and bacon drenched in Syrup.

The portage to Bonnie was right around the corner – clearly visible as a rocky and grassy trail leading right thru a seriously burned area.

Knife Lake was obviously impacted by the 1999 windstorm. Large sections of mature pines were flattened. I assume that the Forest Service induced this burn. We hiked thru blackened stumps, the faint smell of charred wood still present in the air. This was a short jump to Bonnie, where the water temps were eight degrees warmer than icy Knife.

We fished the Western shore of Bonnie. I nailed a nice 3 pound Bass on a traditional gold and brown Rap, which was quickly returned to its home. Gena caught a number of Hammerhandle Northerns – he was visibly crushed when I released them. (I think ‘catch and release’ has yet to catch on in Russia.) The day was becoming sunny and warming up nicely – a light breeze ruffled the water’s surface.

Steve worked the entire shore of this small lake without success. We adjourned for a quick PB&J on Tortillas with trail mix lunch, washed down by filtered water and made our way over to Spoon.

Spoon was, like Bonnie, quite a bit warmer than Knife. I wanted to check out the big Northerns here, so rigged up the Baitcaster with 20 lb. Spiderwire. I briefly considered using a steel leader, but dismissed the idea….Spiderwire is very tough stuff.

Gena and I worked the Western shore – I was using an ancient red and white wooden crankbait – slowly trolling it behind the canoe 30 or so feet off the shore. This lure was inherited from my Grandfather and seems to be trolled backwards – the moment you stop it shoots to the surface. We continued to nail hammerhandles… releasing them to Gena’s continued consternation.

We rounded a point entering shallows at the West end of Spoon… and something hit my lure. Something big.

Full disclosure – I’d never caught a BIG fish on my Abu Garcia Baitcaster. I reeled in what seemed to be a dead weight for perhaps 20 feet – suddenly the dead weight came alive. With a thrash the Northern – it had to be a Northern - began to pull the canoe backwards. I was fighting the fish over my shoulder. The 20 pound line was stretched like piano wire. Fearful of letting any slack into the battle I gave the reel another tentative turn – we were now being pulled backwards at 1.6 MPH according to my GPS.

I called to Gena to back paddle and relieve some of the stress on the line as I fumbled with the Star Drag.

Something was lost to translation as Gena began to paddle forward.

Meanwhile I’m still fighting this thing over my shoulder – the canoe was stalled… Gena’s forward progress offset my the stubborn Northern on the other end of my line.

Second full disclosure – I’m the one who had advised on several BWCA BBs that using steel leaders when Northern Fishing was optional when using high test Spiderwire. Wrong.

Suddenly it was over. Gena, watching over my shoulder saw the enormous Northern rear back, swing his head to the left and then violently to the right – a bite off. My now loosened line snapped back towards us.

He’s still there. I’ll go back for him.

We left Spoon and as we reached Bonnie the mostly sunny weather had again changed to a quickening breeze with threatening rain. The storm struck as were were half way across Bonnie, but was all over by the time we reached the portage to Knife.

Back through the blackened forest and to our campsite by late afternoon.