Sunday, September 03, 2023 While the evening had cooled things off just a bit, the morning sun on day two seemed to confirm the forecast that this was to be our warmest day of the trip. My usual September-morning long sleeves stayed packed and I even considered donning shorts right away, though I usually prefer long pants on these trips for protection from the sun and bugs. The mosquitos were almost non-existant this year but the sun was indeed promising to be a factor so the shorts stayed packed as well. A delicious bacon and eggs breakfast was a great way to start the day with the taste of campfire coffee adding that extra something that again made me feel at home out here in the woods.
A study of the map indicated that a day trip north to Upper Basswood Falls would be be in order with an attempt at some fishing here and there as part of the journey. After cleaning up from breakfast, we gathered our fishing gear and packed a lunch before taking off for the falls. The north end of Jackfish Bay, and the main body of Basswood as it opens up toward Canada, have a reputation of being quite bouncy as the wind can kick up significant waves so we were grateful that once again the breeze was minimal. After about an hour of paddling the muffled roar up ahead signaled that we were closing in on our target destination. Soon, we were landing the canoes at the American-side portage and started down the trail toward the falls. The quick incline and rocky nature at the start of this pathway made me glad we were only here on a daytrip and not loaded down with gear or a canoe.
After a few rod's distance a side trail led to a break in the trees and there before us were the falls with the Canadian shore just across the stream. The timing of our visit and the dry summer meant that the falls were not running at peak volume but they were still going strong enough that we could admire the view and feel that our trip to this scenic spot was worthwhile. Further exploration down the trail brought us to a river-side campsite that was open and seemed like the perfect place for lunch so we broke out some summer sausage, cheese (which even in it's "softer" state tasted pretty good), snack bars and trail mix. Powdered drink mix flavored our water bottles and for an easy, no-cook lunch it was overall a rather good meal.
Energized by lunch, we decided it was time to start back to our campsite. Along the way, we determined that a few small bays and inlets looked promising for fish. Doug's new miniture baitcasting rig was being uncooperative but with the hot weather so were the fish anyway and after a short time we decided to head back to camp and later try our luck there. Once we returned to the campsite and commenced fishing again we were able to find at least some action from our previously-productive lake-side rock. This included a snakey little northern who went back swimming again and a couple of smallies--one barely keepable and one of them a decent 15-incher that Jim was able to bring in. While this was not enough for a meal of fillets, it was a fine-enough amount for chopping up and adding to the fish chowder mix we had packed along. This is what we did and the fish chowder was excellent, complimenting the also-tasty dehydrated southwestern-style chicken and rice. Even with few fish caught, we did not go hungry!
A quick post-dinner dip in the lake was quite refreshing and helped make the evening's campfire (and bourbon!) that much more enjoyable, providing the perfect end to another fun day. This night the temps had cooled just enough that actually sleeping IN the sleeping bag was suitable and we all caught some good Zzz's in anticipation of our pending travel the next day.