There was a change in weather overnight. Things were socked in with thick clouds and drizzle to start today here Bowman Island Lodge on the Ontario side of Lake Superior. Nonetheless, Joe and I hit the water after breakfast starting with a search for a few coaster brook trout near camp.
We didn’t travel far. Along with the overcast and drizzle was strong wind. The last thing you want to do is get stuck ten miles from the lodge on an ocean size lake. There are a few good shorelines within five minutes of the dock.
The coasters were there and they were eager. Joe struck first with and we picked up at least four of these. We had lots of action and lots of fun. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, fishing is always good in the rain!
When we left camp this morning Gary asked Joe and I to round up some fresh lake trout for dinner. Gary knows we love chasing them more so than most anglers that visit here. I have the conservation license so I’m only allowed to keep one fish. Joe has a nonresident season and he’s allowed three. Being the average laker is chunky, this required packing a big Yeti to place them in. The cooler took up a lot of space in the boat so after our brook trout stops we decided to get the lakers and deliver them to Gary by noon.
If you can find acre sized flats averaging 8-20 feet deep that are surrounded by much deeper water, that’s where the lakers hang out in late May. While these places are common on this side of the lake, Joe and I have a few favorites. We hit the one close to the lodge and we weren’t disappointed.
Anyone who tells you they don’t like to fish for lake trout because they don’t fight has likely never caught one. Or the only lake trout they caught came from downrigger trolling in which the lakers air bladder blew up in the transition from very deep water on the way to the surface. I refer to these folks as “Experts”. I’ll tell you right now, lakers are hard fighters, strong as heck and hard to handle. I personally love fly fishing for them and back in the day, ice fishing for them.
Being we could only take four of the oversized Superior char, we sifted through about a dozen for the four biggest. I’d say the ones we brought in were fat 25” or better.
We had our usual mix of more coasters then a break from them for more lakers throughout the afternoon and evening. The wind kicked up in the afternoon to 18 mph and fishing and handling the boat was a chore. There are a few places you can tuck in but our best approach was to park and get out.
Hands down, one of todays highlights was a black bear swimming to an island. Joe was driving and I was scoping the shoreline when he said, “Wait. Is that a loon? There’s no way that’s a loon. What the heck?” About that time I saw the low profile swimming animal as well and we both said “Bear!”
While we did ease nearer to the speedy swimmer, we respected the bear by giving some distance. The last thing we wanted to do was scare it back the direction it was coming from. It was a small bear and when it hit the ground, the soaked animal didn’t even glance back at us it took off so fast.
It was a great day that ended with a phenomenal lake trout dinner. Gary had them all prepared and ready for the grill when we got back around 8 PM tonight. And good news, tonight the clouds should clear and the wind will settle for fishing tomorrow. Stay tuned!
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