Well, here we are again it's already time for my 2009 Boundary Waters Adventure wrap up. This year when we arrived up on Moose Lake the water temps were 55 degrees compared with last years 58 degrees. The lake levels were about average this year unlike the higher levels of last Summer. We thought the bugs were bad last year, but this was the worst I've ever experienced. You had to talk with you mouth closed and I'm no ventriloquist. The mosquitoes, black flies, and sand flees were all out in force to greet us.

 

After unpacking all our gear I was anxious to launch the boat until the big winds started to blow, so I figured I'll wait till morning. Unfortunately the high winds blew for 2 more days and I never even launched the boat. Average daily temps were 20 degrees below the annual July average. One morning it was 34 degrees and we had mostly Northeast and East winds for three weeks straight.

 

OK...OK, so you want to hear about the fishing. The patterns were all screwed up unlike last July. Therefore we had to work twice as hard to capture those bigger fish, but persistence has it's rewards and time was on our side. My Summer philosophy is when lots of fronts keep moving in and out a crawler will find you more action and it worked for me. My wife Kathy fished more this year than other years since she actually enjoys the cooler weather. I have to give her lots of credit for fishing on many cold and windy days.

 

Of all the days fished we only found some of the biggest eyes actually stacked on a day when the wind finally switched to a Westerly direction. Our best Eye was a 10#er with some other 9's plus and some 8's plus. The best smallie was 5 lbs 4 ounces and with my excellent photography looked like 6 lbs 4 ounces. My pal Bob Dahl from (Da hudder side of Gilbert MN) and his crew showed up on Basswood again this year to camp and was kind enough to contribute some photos for my report.

 

We also ran into friends Duane and Renee from Babbit who were camping for the weekend. They each managed a dandy walleye on a rare day when the Wind blew in from the west for a change. They were good enough to send me two nice photos (View on my photos page). They both have the same philosophy as Kathy and I about releasing all big fish. I have the feeling Renee will be accompanying Duane on a lot more of his Basswood trips after catching her trophy walleye this year. You rock Renee!

 

This year I once again donated a free Basswood trip in support of the CWCS for their early dues/enrollment drawing. This years winner was Ely resident Gerry Danzel who works for The Forestry Dept. During an introductory phone conversation Gerry informed me that he hadn't been on Basswood since the big blow down in 1999. (Boy do I remember that day since I was up there when it hit.) When we first arrived in Ely while buying our groceries & supplies this guy stopped and was staring at me. He kept bobbing his head for a better angle. Finally he said "Lee?" I said hey how are ya not knowing who this was? ( I hate when that happens) He then introduced himself and it was Gerry Danzel whom I had never met. He recognized me from a picture on my web-site. What a small world.

 

Gerry and I had set up July 6th as the date for our outing and he arrived at the cabin at 6:00 am. After I whipped up a couple of meaty sub sandwiches we loaded the boat and were on our way to Prairie Portage. We were the first boat to cross the portage with eight miles left to go before hitting one of my favorite spots. Having given my partner the usual big speech about hunting big fish, it turned out to be just that "a big speech". With recent weather conditions having been less than favorable Gerry managed to remain focused and we were not to be denied.

 

Four honey holes later (without much success) I decided to attack the the maze of twisting reefs near Half Dog Island. We set out 4 well spaced markers over a vast area and began to backtroll. Bingo a walleye in 17 ft. The magic depth wound up to be 15 to 18 ft. While spotting multiple walleyes bunching we threw out a spot on the spot small marker being cautious not to land right in the center of them. The rest was history as we began to fill the cooler with eater size walleyes. My thanks to Gerry for making it a fun day together and remember my partner to go out and buy some of those tiny hooks I use Bro.

 

One tip I would have is that we all have our favorite hot spots. Most times we approach them anxiously and start to fish immediately with great confidence. I've found that if you approach the area at a slow idle and refrain from pitching out your line in haste, there are benefits to be had. I slowly cruse that complete area with a small marker in hand until I've covered all the depths in search of fish. This can save a lot of unproductive fishing time if you can locate actual fish. If for some reason you don't mark any fish then proceed to strain the area by covering all the various depths. 

 

Lot's of proven honey holes can be empty during your first stop. Don't let this discourage you from hitting them a second and third time on the same day. That philosophy has paid off for me time and time again. This years trip we logged 445 miles by water in the BWCA and never got tired of the beautiful scenery God has created for us. Many of the trophy fish I caught were never photographed since much of the time I fished alone, but as you view the trip photos page you can get the general idea of Basswood's potential.

 

Don't get me wrong about the fishing here since they surely aren't jumping in the boat, but if you pay your dues on the water you'll want to come back year after year. For those first timers on Basswood you may want to invest in a guide for a day. This year I fished only 14 days out of 21 days of vacation due to severe winds and my common sense.

 

I hope you found my report somewhat interesting and I wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience the BWCA and I'm sure many of you already have. If you would like to see some of the photos from my trip, please visit my web-page at http://leeslakegenevaguideservice.com/boundry_%2709.htm As usual all of the larger fish are photo and release with most of the fish never being photographed since I fish alone most of the time.

 

 

This year our best Walleye was 10 lbs 1 oz and the best smallie was 5 lbs 4 oz. Looking forward to next year and more Boundary Waters Adventures.

On second thought we may just go back for a week in August this year