Yesterday afternoon I got back from a two day semi-annual fishing excursion with my long-time brother-from-another-mother Dr. Steve. This year we hit Dogtooth Lake which is accessible from the Rushing River Provincial Park (about 20 minutes outside Kenora).
Steve and I paddled his canoe out of Rushing River on Thursday afternoon towards the meeting place of Dogtooth and Kilvert Lakes (about a 7 KM journey). We had a very strong wind at our backs most of the way, which was fortunate given that we did not arrive at the boat launch until after 2pm. On the way out we stopped to fish a couple of bays and I was lucky enough to bring in a decent sized bass that we cooked for supper that night.
We spent all of Friday fishing the bays around the fabulous campsite we found on an island close to the opening of Kilvert. Unlike the Manitoba campsites we are used to from years past this site was completely unmarked by map or landmark. The area we camped in is a part of a proposed Provincial Park, but as yet is mostly undeveloped crown land (with a few notable exceptions in the form of some nice cabins along the way). Anyway, the island had been used previously and a decent fire pit existed, along with a fairly flat clearing in the middle that was perfect for pitching our tent.
The weather was ideal for the entire trip; hot and sunny with just a bit of a breeze. I managed to get a fairly embarrassing sunburn on my chest where I did not do up the shirt I was wearing. Currently I am sporting a rather nasty red stripe from the nape of my neck to the top of my shorts.
Back to the fishing. Our quarry consisted mainly of small to medium sized Large Mouth Bass. I had great success using two classic Rapala lures which happened to be swimming at just the right depth. Steve had a bit more trouble finding a killer lure, but between us we managed to catch a decent amount of fish. I did happen to catch a couple of Walleye while casting with the Rapala. The first one was a very nice sized fish (2 to 3 pounds) that I brought all the way into the boat only to loose while trying to put it on a stringer. Unfortunately I didn't even get a good shot of me with this beautiful specimen, so you'll have to take my word for it. The other Pickerel was a tiny, tiny little fellow, hardly worth mentioning. Of course there were a few dinky Jack to be had as well. All the fish fought well (especially the bass) and it was a pleasure to catch and release them all.
On the Friday afternoon just prior to catching the Walleye that got away Steve and I noticed a huge Bald Eagle in the bay opposite our campsite. S/he followed us around that afternoon as we fished getting up and flying overhead whenever we got too close, but always sticking around. I called her/him our Spirit Eagle and wondered if s/he was not responsible for finding us a good spot to camp and fish. We were also treated to some spectacular loon songs a beaver sighting and some amazing sunsets.
In short, a wonderful time was had, and we got to immerse ourselves in the natural wonder that surrounds us if only for a brief few days. Sadly the Lake of the Woods region is over-runneth with float-planes and powerboats during the summer season and Dogtooth Lake is no exception. However there were plenty of moments when one could imagine that there was nothing but wilderness and loon song, and star filled skies above.
1 comment:
gorgeous landscape pictures.
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