Wisconsin 2009
(Year of Dan)
Back at it again, October 10th through the 17th. Our merry bunch consisted of Andy, Brad, Wayne, Dan, Joe (for a few days), and me. The only glaring absence was Ben--we missed him tremendously this week. The cool nights were perfect for his bright red full-body long underwear and the roaring fires he love to make.
Dan's handmade tribute
Our first day was spent on Superior. Started the day off with 3 cans of corned beef hash, a dozen eggs, and a pound of bacon (this would be a daily theme). Sunny, high of 42 degrees with a SW wind 10mph. 4-layer day (long sleeve, flannel, sweatshirt, raincoat). Perfect. Two late browns for me--one 27" near steelhead point, one off Pike's creek by the intake pipe, both with Y2K. Dan with a nice 29" laker off Pike's bay drop off. Wayne snatched a laker there too, both with Y2K. Brad with a steelhead off the Pike's bay marina rocks. A couple fish off the Onion and a couple off the cliffs. Andy caught a Brown using a trout colored Y2K and a salmon with a green spoon. Wayne picked up a salmon. Total 7 keepers--4 salmon & 3 browns--with a few lakers and steelhead mixed in.
Oct. 12 Lac Courte Oreilles. High near 38 degrees with heavy snow most of the day. Four layers borderline today--five would have been nice. Andy's eggs for breakfast made in ziplock bags. Slow day with one fish missed on a sucker. Had 3 follows; two good sized 'skis. Wayne played animal rights activist with a sucker during a transfer from boat-to-boat.
Oct. 13 Superior. High of 40 degrees, NW 5mph. Overcast. Andy & I in one boat, Wayne, Dan, and Brad in the other. Slow early. Andy with a brook and salmon off steelhead point with Brown Killer. Another salmon on the cliffs. Then off to try the rubble by Bayfield. I hooked a 31 inch brown almost right away on Y2K, 5-10 minute fight. A little while later I landed a 29" Brown with a beautiful kipe; another good fight. Then Andy caught 2 Browns on consecutive casts as they jumped around the boat. Once I netted his second, I cast twice and I had another on, but a broken line ended the fight before it began. Another Y2K lost. We radioed the other boat and requested backup. Down the shore from the rubble on the cliffs Andy and I each caught one more. Then Dan caught his first Brown and all hell broke loose. All told in the live well: 3 salmon, 7 browns.
Oct. 14, Teal. High of 40 degrees, water temps 42 degrees, light east wind, cloudy. Wayne caught what would be the only muskie of the week--a 37.5" barred beauty on a sucker off Korzan's Reef (a.k.a. Shit Rock) at about 3:30pm. Two follows on plastics. We saw a nice fish by the river mouth. Sucker got munched at about 6:30pm but nothing to show for it.
Oct. 15, Superior. Highs in the mid 40's, NE wind 10mph. Overcast. Stomach cramps kept me off the lake until 10:45. Launched at Bayfield. Andy and Joe (who joined our merry crew the previous evening) caught 3, Brad and Dan led the way with 6, Wayne and I caught 1 salmon (cliffs near the Onion with trout killer), 1 Splake (Y2K), 2 steelhead (trout killer), and 1 Brown (blue rattle trap off spike rock by steelhead point).
The trip came to an end at Lake Namakagon. Highs in the mid-40's. Dan and I zipped to Garden Lake first, didn't see a fish, then fished all along the channel without so much as a follow. Right before dusk we raised a couple across from the boat landing on the Believer, but we were skunked as were the rest of the crew. We did get to observe Wayne perform a nearly perfect Sardine Toss. Almost even hit the boat....
Thanks everyone for the great weekend! The Biggest (only) Muskie Award goes to Wayne. We all went home with lots of beautiful fillets. Until next year....
