Canada Fishing, 2012 Wednesday, August 22 Day #1 Start: Home End: Watertown, SD Notes: Got to Dougs about 10 AM, packed Alex and sitting around gossiping with Ruth Ann when got a call from Harley that they were 3 hours from our meeting point - well, we were 3 hours from our meeting point and not on the road yet. Who would have thought that Harley would be running on time, yet alone ahead. So, uneventful trip to Lincoln, NE for the 2 PM meet with Buddy and Harley just a little late. Stuff into their vehicles and on another 6 hours toward Canada with boats trailing along. Lunch/dinner at Famous Dave's in Sioux City and stop for the night in Watertown, SD. Whiskey and bed. Nice start. Thursady, August 23 Day #2 Start: Watertown, SD End: Baudette, MN Notes: On the road about 8:30, easy drive to Baudette, MN with a great walleye lunch overlooking Lake of the Woods. Checked in, drove around town with stops at a tackle shop and a photo op at the big walleye statue. Evening snack - beer, popcorn, few wings and zero candy bars at a lodge on the river. Back to the motel to finish up the bottle of Bird Dog blackberry whiskey.
Friday, August 23 Day #3 Start: Baudette, MN End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: Easy border crossing and easy drive into Nestor Falls. Messed around town then met up with Ronnie and Eddie (Frick and Frack) for lunch, once again overlooking the lake. As funny as ever. More walleye with pizza, onion rings and a few pitchers of beer. Got to Young's put-in about 3 PM, launched the boats and loaded out stuff into the camps barge. Unloaded at the camp, settled into our cabin then dinner. Couple of hours fishing after dinner - Buddy and I caught 13 pike - one nice one - and one small walleye. Back to the cabin for some unwinding and bed.
Saturday, August 24 Day #4 Start/End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: Thunder storm during the night and rain off and on before noon. Pretty tough fishing as the front moved thru. I got a couple of pretty nice small mouth bass and we managed a few pike - no size but still fun. Buddy and I gave up about 3:30 for a short break then back out, others out until dinner. Some fishing after dinner, poker, whiskey and bed. Sunday, August 25 Day #5 Start/End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: No rain but windy. Doug broke the ice and managed to land a Muskie and some walleye. Great. I only caught four all day but one was a 36 or so inch Muskie and a couple of nice pike. Buddy and I back out after prime rib dinner. Campfire and bed - all pretty whipped.
Monday, August 26 Day #6 Start/End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: Jerked the boats and trailered to a deeper lake a few miles away so Buddy and Harley could play with their down riggers. Fished 100 feet down in water 110 to 135 feet deep. Not my cup of tea but nice weather and pretty scenery while they futched with their 5 pound weights. Nothing caught in the deep water but boated some nice pike and a small mouth fishing coves on the way back to the dock. Grocery and whiskey and beer run before back to Young's Camp. Couple of hours fishing after dinner, I got a nice pike and Buddy a smallmouth and missed a Muskie.
Tuesday, August 27 Day #7 Start/End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: Nice weather all day and caught some fish. Ron and Eddie caught a Muskie too big for them to handle but a great 20 or so minute adventure before it finally got off. Was way too big for their net. Buddy and I missed two Muskie, not so big but wished we could have hooked. Wednesday, August 28 Day #8 Start/End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: Good fishing. Everybody in the action. Buddy and I saw 10 Muskie, hooked 4 and boated 2. One almost and one just a few good pulls before lost it. Doug and Harley got some pretty nice walleye and Ron and Eddie caught steady fish all day. Even had a black bear watch us fish for awhile. Quite a few eagles and hugh pelicans feeding in the shallows. Loons and ducks - Canadian stuff. Only down side was the weather could have been a little cooler and more overcast.
Thursday, August 29 Day #9 Start/End: Youngs Wilderness Camp Notes: Just a great day. Buddy and I and Harley and Doug trailed back up to Whitefish Bay and enjoyed 74 degree lite breeze weather. A relief after yesterday's heat. All caught lots of fish, Buddy a photo op Northern and I missed a Muskie. Ron and Eddie had a good day also. Pack up time in prep to hit the road toward home tomorrow. Promised Doug hard traveling, hard drinking, hard eating and hard fishing and think all came to pass.
Friday, August 30 Day #10 Start: Youngs Wilderness Camp End: Watertown, SD Notes: Every time Heidi or Becka asked Harley what he wanted to drink in his lunch pack he said "whiskey!!". Well, this morning he finally got his wish when Heidi brought him Perry's bottle of Crown Royal. Packed up cabin, breakfast, boats trailered and on the road at 8:30. Lunch in Grand
Fork, sporting goods store stop in Fargo, into Watertown about 7 PM in time for happy hour before dinner at Culvers. Nice to have a hamburger. Saturday, August 31 Day #11 Start: Watertown, SD End: Home Notes: Short stop at SGT. Floyd Welcome Center and Museum in Sioux City, Iowa then to Lincoln to pick up the van and last leg home. Harley and Buddy off to Colorado, boats in tow. Home about 6 PM. Pretty worn out. Great trip - lots of sun, fish, food, drink and comradery.