Pine Lake Windstorm
by Pete2Paddle
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
09/13/2024
Entry & Exit Point:
East Bearskin Lake (EP 64)
Number of Days:
7
Group Size:
4
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (-1 messages)
Day 3 of 7
Sunday, September 15, 2024
We started Sunday with a quick breakfast and started breaking down camp right away. Just was we were loading our canoe, a younger couple paddled past on their way to the portage into McFarland. They looked a lot like the people we passed around our goal site on the south side of the lake. We used that hopeful energy to help loosen our aching shoulders as we began paddling back west. Eurika! It WAS the couple we saw the day before and our goal site was open. We quickly setup camp, had a quick lunch and packed for a day trip to Vale to hopefully reel in a Brookie or two.
The portage into Vale was barely a portage. There are no campsites on Vale so the low traffic levels make it full of protruding branches and fallen trees. It is only 51 rods but it's steep and untraveled nature make it a fun challenge. It helps that we were only bringing snacks, water and tackle so our load was light.
This little lake is a gem. It feels like a separate world unto itself. The sun as out and our spirits were high in hopes of both catching our first Brook trout. We tried some of the lures we brought but it didn't take long for me to change to the setup we picked up at the outfitter. Not 5 minutes later I had my first fish! They are such a beautiful fish! We both caught an released 2 fish each but one of them was gut-hooked and didn't make it, so we gutted it and bagged it to eat back at camp.
I wish I would have brought some tinfoil to cook the trout. Instead we fileted it and fried it with a light batter. I was happy to have the experience but in the end, I would prefer a nice walleye. I think it was 80% preparation and I will make sure to bring better supplies to cook trout in the future.
We started Sunday with a quick breakfast and started breaking down camp right away. Just was we were loading our canoe, a younger couple paddled past on their way to the portage into McFarland. They looked a lot like the people we passed around our goal site on the south side of the lake. We used that hopeful energy to help loosen our aching shoulders as we began paddling back west. Eurika! It WAS the couple we saw the day before and our goal site was open. We quickly setup camp, had a quick lunch and packed for a day trip to Vale to hopefully reel in a Brookie or two.
The portage into Vale was barely a portage. There are no campsites on Vale so the low traffic levels make it full of protruding branches and fallen trees. It is only 51 rods but it's steep and untraveled nature make it a fun challenge. It helps that we were only bringing snacks, water and tackle so our load was light.
This little lake is a gem. It feels like a separate world unto itself. The sun as out and our spirits were high in hopes of both catching our first Brook trout. We tried some of the lures we brought but it didn't take long for me to change to the setup we picked up at the outfitter. Not 5 minutes later I had my first fish! They are such a beautiful fish! We both caught an released 2 fish each but one of them was gut-hooked and didn't make it, so we gutted it and bagged it to eat back at camp.
I wish I would have brought some tinfoil to cook the trout. Instead we fileted it and fried it with a light batter. I was happy to have the experience but in the end, I would prefer a nice walleye. I think it was 80% preparation and I will make sure to bring better supplies to cook trout in the future.
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