Friday, October 20, 2017 Last night was the coolest so far, but we were all cozy as can be. It was about 40 degrees this morning as we all slept in a bit and got up 15 minutes or so after sunrise. I heard some critter chatter, so I immediately got nervous about our Walleye strung up, but this noise was coming from the opposite direction over by where our minnows were floating above the falls. I ran over just in time to see the otter family trying to tear into our minnows. They were unsuccessful but quick to share some otter scolding with me as they scurried off into the Basswood River. I walked down to check on the Walleye and she was safely tied off, unharmed, I think we may have found a safe spot. Here's a shot in daylight of the walleye.

Today we paddled over to the Pictographs, fishing the American side along the way. The Pictos were gorgeous, some of the best I've seen, and the sheer number of them blew me away. There's probably a dozen drawings, some clearer than others, but it was fascinating. We took some pics and video and continued fishing and checking out campsites as we drifted along. I caught a perch which went back, dad pulled in two eater size walleyes and Doug had no luck. We paddled back for a lunch of bagels and peanut butter and some relaxation time. It is hot out today, lower 70's, unbelieveable.

After lunch we fished below the falls again as Doug didn't feel like sitting in the boat anymore today. That's when it happened, I was watching Doug and I's slip bobbers sitting in about 10 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows when my bobber went down like a reverse rocket. I set the hook and at first thought I was on a log or rock, because all I felt was weight, no fight. Then my drag squealed so delightfully I just about peed myself as 30 yards of line was gone in about 5 seconds. I tightened up the drag a bit and told Doug to reel in. My dad was across a little cove from us and I motioned for him to grab his gloves and come over as I may need some help. What followed was 15 minutes of battle between me and the biggest northern I've ever hooked into. She made about 10 runs, each time I had to two-hand my rod to fight it. Finally, on the 4th landing attempt, we landed a monster pike, probably in the 36-40" range and weighing around 15 pounds. I wanted to get her back in the water so we didn't take any measurements.

For dinner we had Wild Rice Soup from Bear Creek with some buns and pan fried Walleye, and it was amazing and oh so filling. After a few Snickers bars we bummed around camp and had another fire as Douglas explored the area. I can't believe how warm it was today, I didn't bring any shorts, which I would have worn today. It's been tough locating the fish and Douglas has yet to land one so I'm discouraged by that. I consider myself a decent fisherman right along with my dad, but we're no pros and it's been hard finding a depth/presentation that is consistent. I think the warmer than average water temp has delayed the fish from strapping on the feedbag. We slept well, and I had my bag unzipped the majority of the night as temps were in the low 50's. We saw two other canoes today, one made camp at the site at the bottom of LBF, and another we saw while viewing the pictos...I believe they were Canadian.