Moose River - LLC - Oyster - September 2025
by Pete2Paddle
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
09/14/2025
Entry & Exit Point:
Moose/Portage River (north) (EP 16)
Number of Days:
8
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (1 messages)
Day 4 of 8
Tuesday - Travel North - Pictos & Fishsteak Narrows
Another first for me this trip was using a 'coffee alternative'. In the past, I've always brought along a French press and fresh ground coffee. With the added weight of a fish finder and heavy battery, I was looking for a way to save weight. Before we left, I ordered some instant coffee and some coffee paste in a tube from NoNormal. NoNormal coffee in a tube was the taste test winner at home and it works pretty well! Just squeeze an inch-long strip onto your spoon and stir it into your cup of hot water.
Breakfast that morning was coffee and breakfast bars and we were on the water by 8:15. The breeze from the SE allowed us to drift-jig and troll the drop-off on our way to the Pictographs. We caught a keeper walleye that would be perfect for late lunch when we found our next site. A quick visit to the Pictos in Canada and we paddled over to fish steak narrows to try our luck some more. No luck and rumbling stomachs had us paddling west in search of our next site.
We ended up at site #150 which sits on an isthmus of an island just north of the skinny bay that juts south about a mile southwest of the opening to pocket creek. We first took a look at site #151 but I didn't like the bear pack and hammock hanging options so we moved on to the isthmus site and we were glad we did. Easy beach landings on both sides of the site with 2 decent tent pads and a number of good hammock options as well.
The only problem with this site was the garbage! Most of it was centered around the fire-grate, but there were orange peels, food waste, coffee filters, something that was plastic and melted down, and I must have found at least 5 lengths of dental floss! It was obvious that this dental-hygiene-focused litterbug just dropped the floss where ever he/she was standing when they were done. I've never seen anything like it. I put everything we found into our garbage to be packed out.
The first order of business... Walleye, eggs, hashbrowns and bacon for lunch! It was amazing. Just as we finished eating we heard thunder from the northwest. I love a good fire-drill camp setup! We watched thunderheads pass us to the north and south but didn't see a drop! The afternoon weather turned out to be picture-perfect. We fished in shorts and bare feet, and my buddy caught a 24" Walleye. Two fish-meals in the same day! The fish-finder was a huge help as we trolled around our island and kept our diving Rapalas in what we thought was the sweet spot.
Another first for me this trip was using a 'coffee alternative'. In the past, I've always brought along a French press and fresh ground coffee. With the added weight of a fish finder and heavy battery, I was looking for a way to save weight. Before we left, I ordered some instant coffee and some coffee paste in a tube from NoNormal. NoNormal coffee in a tube was the taste test winner at home and it works pretty well! Just squeeze an inch-long strip onto your spoon and stir it into your cup of hot water.
Breakfast that morning was coffee and breakfast bars and we were on the water by 8:15. The breeze from the SE allowed us to drift-jig and troll the drop-off on our way to the Pictographs. We caught a keeper walleye that would be perfect for late lunch when we found our next site. A quick visit to the Pictos in Canada and we paddled over to fish steak narrows to try our luck some more. No luck and rumbling stomachs had us paddling west in search of our next site.
We ended up at site #150 which sits on an isthmus of an island just north of the skinny bay that juts south about a mile southwest of the opening to pocket creek. We first took a look at site #151 but I didn't like the bear pack and hammock hanging options so we moved on to the isthmus site and we were glad we did. Easy beach landings on both sides of the site with 2 decent tent pads and a number of good hammock options as well.
The only problem with this site was the garbage! Most of it was centered around the fire-grate, but there were orange peels, food waste, coffee filters, something that was plastic and melted down, and I must have found at least 5 lengths of dental floss! It was obvious that this dental-hygiene-focused litterbug just dropped the floss where ever he/she was standing when they were done. I've never seen anything like it. I put everything we found into our garbage to be packed out.
The first order of business... Walleye, eggs, hashbrowns and bacon for lunch! It was amazing. Just as we finished eating we heard thunder from the northwest. I love a good fire-drill camp setup! We watched thunderheads pass us to the north and south but didn't see a drop! The afternoon weather turned out to be picture-perfect. We fished in shorts and bare feet, and my buddy caught a 24" Walleye. Two fish-meals in the same day! The fish-finder was a huge help as we trolled around our island and kept our diving Rapalas in what we thought was the sweet spot.
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