The Family Trip

For the last 5 years, my whole family goes to Lake Kabetogama in Voyageurs National Park for 2 weeks during the summer. By that I mean my ma, dad, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, kids, and doggie woggies. We take up half the resort. They used to go back in the 70's, but I never went with. Just dumb I guess. We usually go the last week in July and 1st in Aug. My ma and sisters like the summer sidewalk sale. It's ok I guess. One year I did manage to get some pretty cool fishing stuff, but Pat found some old fishing lures, still new in the boxes, but he didn't come back until he bought all of them, that jerk. He never did like to share. He always brings his dogs and that makes it tough to get in his tackle box.

Last year was something else. Fishing can be tough that time of year, but over the years we did manage to find a couple of good spots, but not like last year. The 1st 4 or 5 days it was beautiful in the morning, but by 2 or 3, it would start raining, and we ended up having to buy clothes. then it cleared up. Jim brought his girlfriend, she didn't like the smaller boats, so he got stuck taking ma, dad and my sisters out in the pontoon everyday. That thing is too slow to get anywhere.
One day, Pat and I were out all day, into Namakan a little, but didn't catch much. Nothing to brag about anyway. On the way back we went into Sullivan Bay fished awhile, and ended up going down the Ash River to the falls. We started fishing by some rocks. Nothing. I wanted to go. I was hungry, tired.NO FISH,it was late, and we were atleast 1 1/2 hrs. away from the cabin.Pat pissed and moaned, moved the boat over about 6' and hopped out on the rock. I wanted to leave him, but right then we started hammering smallies, and I mean HAMMERING them. All sizes from 3/4 - 2 1/2 pounders we brought back for proof. We ended up staying so late, we barely made it back before dark, and that's about 10:00 up there. What a riot . I got the biggest one that night. About 2 3/4 pounds. Pat didn't want to tell anyone else where the spot was saying fisherman never give up their spots, but I told him I'ld bring them there. How are you not going to tell your mom and dad.
My parents don't like to go out in the morning so we all go out in 2 or 3 boats somewhere and come back about noon for everybody else. We got to the Falls about 2 or 2:30 and sure enough the fish were there. We must have caught 75 of them. A few nice rock bass but all smallies. We went there almost every day and it was the same. Middle of the afternoon and hundreds of fish.
We did manage to catch them in other places also. But, I have to say, it't nice to have a place to go when your not catching anything. I was casting right around there with a #3 Mepps, and I caught a little perch. He wasn't hooked tho, he couldn't get his mouth around the whole treble, he was just stuck on it. All I had to do was just pull the little guy off.
It sure is beautiful up there, but things can go bad, too. Last year they had the worst pinefly hatch that anyone could remember. It was the 1st time we had ever seen them. They were everywhere. In the morning they'ld be stuck to the boats and everything. It was wierd tho, when you went east, they seemed disappear. I don't remember seeing any on Namakan or the Ash. But when you got to the west half of the Kab, you had to hold a rain coat in front of you. There were clouds of them out there towards evening. One night on the way back from Locator Lake, we passed a small island and they were pouring off. It looked like an oak tree in winter. A great big trunk with huge limbs and branches coming off about 15 or 20' up, I swear. I made Pat stop so I could take some pictures, but the camera disapeared. That seemed to be the only one too. I know there were other people there, so if anyone who reads this has any, I'ld like to see them. Please post them.