To say I am behind on my blogging would be a severe understatement, which begs the question, “Why?” I could blame it on being swamped with business, or I could blame it on snorkeling around the BWCA for fishing tackle while wearing combat boots. You will only find the answer if you choose to read on!
For quite some time, now, I have been bragging-up the fishing in Moon Lake to our manager, Roxy. I’ve threatened multiple times to take her along on a fishing expedition. Finally, last Thursday, I made good on my promise. Zach, being the genius that he is, opted to fish from a kayak, being that we had an uneven number in our fishing party. Despite the fact Roxy and I had opted for a lightweight Kevlar canoe, I was still hurting by the time I found my way to the end of the portage. As I flipped the canoe off my shoulders, I heard splashing as if a herd of bison were running across the bay. I looked up, face to face with a cow and calf moose.
The three of us watched, mesmerized, for about 10 minutes, while this beautiful pair fished for tender water lilies and roots in the bay. Eventually, they decided they were tired of watching us, and swam off and away to climb out towards East Bearskin. We proceeded to put our vessels in the water and head out fishing. Our goal was to fish until around 6 pm, assuming it would be around 7 before we made it back to the lodge, and then around 8 before we had all the fish cleaned. After quite a bit of success, Roxy and I were tucked in along the shoreline and fishing a dead tree. Roxy hooked a nice bass. Not far behind, I hooked one too. Only problem is, it also snagged the tree on its trip towards the boat. Fish visible in sight, I decided I was going to net it and save it from my jig head (or possibly vice versa). I had it in my net. I was bringing it up. It was at this moment when I realized the water was getting very close to my face. NO! Wait! My face was IN the water! We both came up laughing as we watched the apples we had packed for dinner floating away, like a scene straight out of Lord of the Rings. “Roxy! Your phone!” I exclaimed. She laughed while fishing her backpack out of the water and hanging it on the tree. “Wait! Where’s the stringer?!” I shrieked. Again, she laughed. “Grab it, it’s right in front of you!”
By now, Zach had paddled over, DYING of mirth. “Ruth hasn’t caught a fish until it’s on the dock,” he said with a smile. He proceeded to help us fish our small tackleboxes, sandwiches, etc., from the lake. We opted to come back to the lodge, get snorkels, and head BACK to Moon Lake to try to find the valuable tackle that had not been retrieved during initial retrieval. By the time the two of us got home, it was nearly dark, and we were chilled to the bone, after an hour of snorkeling in our clothes. Zach had the fish all taken care of, cleaned and ready for the freezer. The packaging says it all: “The Canoe Flip Trip.” So, if you ever see Roxy and I canoeing on Moon Lake, do not be surprised if you also hear banjo music floating across the water!
