Today I was not the first out of bed which I blame on my hammock. One of the only negatives I’ve discovered since switching to hammock camping is my increased comfort causes me to sleep in. Another fog covered lake without any wind was a treat to wake up to. I got the coffee rolling and breakfast pulled for the kids so I could sneak out onto the water in my solo for some fishing on the glassy surface. It didn’t take long to get into the pike. There wasn’t much size and it didn’t seem to matter what lure I cast or trolled with; they bit nonstop.

At this point I knew the boys were missing out so I returned to camp with plans to take them right back out in the Northwind and get them on the fish. Once I pulled on shore, I realized the canoe was missing and my wife was enjoying a nice quiet fire by herself. While John is not a large lake, I hadn’t realized one of the other canoes out on the water was my boys who were also eager to fish had grabbed their rods and decided to take the canoe out on their own. I paddled their way to find them both with a fish on and in need of some assistance unhooking their catches.

They were absolutely thrilled they had managed to get around on their own and catch their own fish without my help. Their faces said it all and if they weren’t hooked on fishing before they sure are now. After catching another dozen pike (with a few smallmouth and perch mixed in) we kept enough to bring back to camp for a fish taco lunch and to show mom their catch. Most of the pike were small but we did find a couple around 28” that gave a nice fight.

As this was our last full day my wife had stated she wanted to explore to the south as well. With our camp sitting at the opening to the Royal River it was an easy turn through the rocks to take a look at the water levels going down the river. We quickly realized it wasn’t an adventure we wanted to tackle and instead opted for the 60-rod portage around the rapids. The paddle through this section of the Royal River is very scenic with cliffs in all directions. Heading southeast down the river offers a great view of the Pigeon River Cliffs.

I had read that Royal Lake can be filled with wild rice but I wasn’t exactly expecting the entire lake to be a sea of manoomin. It may have been difficult to paddle through but there was a path to follow as those going to and from the North Fowl Lake entry point pass this way. After spending some time discussing how wild rice is harvested with the kids we turned for camp. Naturally, the boys had to wet a line in the river and managed to find a couple more small pike.

Our last night in the Boundary Waters was filled with another nice sunset, hot chocolate, tea and plenty of smores. They boys had done a fine job collecting and processing fire wood and wanted to stay up a bit later to enjoy the fire. With the camp tidied up, the barrel pack hung back in the tree and total darkness settling in it was time to call it a night. The overnight temperatures had been perfect for sleeping and with rain forecasted to bookend both days of our trip we had hit the window just right.

~John Lake, Royal Lake