The "Trout" Adventure

This weekend we decided to make it a little more physical fishing trip, Trout Lake. Trout Lake lies about an hour north of the Iron Range it is accessed only by canoe, kayak, or boat with up to twenty-five horse motors in the summer and is the starting point to many bwca (boundary waters canoe area) trips. During the winter however you may only walk, ski, or dog sled into Trout Lake. The lake itself is well over seven thousand acres and almost one hundred feet deep. Plus you have to cross Lake Vermillion before you even enter the portage.

We woke up early Saturday morning. Three thirty Jake and I rolled out of bed and started getting ready, checking everything possible to make sure we didn't forget anything. Ryan Nelson decided to come with, taking his truck and snowmobile, he got to our house at about four thirty a.m. Then we drove the hour to moccasin point on Lake Vermillion to unload the sled and gear to go over to the portage. The ride wasn't bad for me because I got to ride on the two-up sled with Nelson; Jake didn't fare so well. He was stuck in our otter sled with all of the gear we needed to fish lakers (aka Lake Trout) all day long, along with our ice house. Jake made it alright though, almost flipped the otter sled at one point but we all got there in one trip, conservation is the key.

There's a parking area in the middle of the portage from Vermillion to Trout Lake; there we parked the sled and got situated. We unloaded and reloaded the gear onto our backs for the hike, Nelson; the lucky guy had a sled so he got to pull his ice house. I unfortunately had to wear my huge one on my back. We were talking about the possibility of bring our Husky/German Sheppard, Rosco, with to pull our gear then we'd ski but he's young yet, and has many more miles to run in a harness still. So we walked the two miles from our snowmobiles to the fishing spot. It really sucked because someone had walked in earlier when it was warm because he sunk about nine inches into the snow. He ended up leaving big holes for us to fall into walking in the weak morning light across the portages. We reached Trout lake way before sun up. The air was crisp, sky still dark, perfect silence. This is why we come here, few people, no noise; just perfectly untouched wilderness. It was nice and cloudy, ideal for lakers.

We crossed a bay to the portage across a broad point that blocks our fishing spot. That portage was a little bit steep at some points but short, probably only a fifteen rod portage. Then we thought the shoreline we needed to be at was a lot farther and we actually started heading that way. Eventually we stopped for a break and figured that the closer shoreline would be the one we'd try.

A short time later we were setting up tip-ups and getting the holes drilled. Jake had a hit on the big fat sucker minnow he was putting down off a tip up, but he missed the fish. At least there was action right away, as soon as Nelson got set up in his ice house he pulled out a nice eater walleye, about twelve-fourteen inches long.

Around ten o'clock Nelson pulled another sixteen inch walleye out. Then I finally pulled out a good eater walleye myself but apparently that's all my Newberg luck would allow me because I didn't get a bite the rest of the day. Maybe when we get married and I'm a Ferkul that will change but I doubt it. But Jake was getting all the action on the tip-ups, he pulled out about a ten pound northern around eleven o'clock.

Then not even a half hour later Jake's tip-up went off, he watched the flag let fly. He ran over there and grabbed the tip-up noticing there was barely any line left. So he had a choice was he either going to take the monster now or loose it. He set the hook and the fight began. Jake had the huge Northern up to the hole about ten times, and Nelson was sure it wouldn't fit through; we'd only brought the seven inch auger. Finally Nelson jabbed the gaff down the hole and hooked it, squeezing the huge fish through the hole. It turned out to be forty-four inches long and I'm guessing it's over twenty pounds. We'll see when we get it mounted. Jake was so pumped he screaming with joy, he's been fishing his whole life and never got that big of anything! Pumped is even an understatement; both him and Nelson were wearing big grins when they got to the ice house.

After all the excitement the winds kicked up good. So we had to put the ice picks in on our Eskimo ice house. It was pretty late in the afternoon if we were going to get a laker we should have had one by then. But it definitely wasn't a bunked trip. Jake ended up getting an eater sized walleye in the house on his homemade rod, and Nelson also ended up getting another walleye. So all in all we did well, we came home with two big northerns and two walleyes; Nelson went home with three walleyes; good for a meal. Too bad we were two miles from any sort of vehicle, and still had to walk those miles.

The way back went a lot slower then the way in. Jake pulled Nelson's sled with the two northerns our ice house and on it because we didn't have any other way to haul that big fish. Both Jake and I tried to drink a red amp energy drink but all it did was make Jake more tired, I didn't feel a thing. Just tired and worn the hell out! It was dark by the time we hit our first portage. So another grand time stumbling in someone's boot prints. The snowmobile ride back to the truck across Vermillion felt like it took a half a second. It felt so good not to have that pack on my back, although it was better than carrying the ice house in the pack that's over half as tall as me. So the whole walk out it was bashing me in the calf every step, I got a bruise on it now.

Trout Lake, the walk is long, the snow treacherous, gear is heavy, but the fishing is worth it. I'm sure we will be back there next weekend.