I was lucky enough to be able to spend this past week at the cabin fishing with Trevor, my oldest grandson. We fished hard and long and I wouldn’t have expected anything different. When we decided to take this trip right before he started school I knew he would keep me busy fishing. We fished a lot of different lakes and I knew that going in, so I asked only that he let me choose one lake; the rest of the choices were his. I chose Spider, of course, because we vacationed there for many years and that lake is where some of the best memories of past family vacations were made.
One of those special times was when Trevor and I were buzzing down the lake to a certain “hot spot” and he all of a sudden began yelling and pointing. As I looked over his shoulder I spotted a calf moose swimming towards an island where its mother waited half hidden in the trees but watching. I stopped the boat while we watched and waited for that little moose to climb from the water and join its mother. What a sight; nature at its best and it’s a moment we both shared.
While fishing Spider this past week we caught a lot of northern and some nice bass. Spider has a slot limit on northern that doesn’t allow any pike to be kept in the 24”-36” range and only one over 36. All of the pike we caught were either in the slot area and too big or were actually too small to keep. That lake used to have a lot of “fat” pike in the 22”-24” range that made for dandy eating, but this year we didn’t see any that fit that description. If that trend continues and the slot limit stays where it is, there will be plenty of bigger pike for catch-and-release but not many eaters. The way I look at it, the catching is the fun part and eating is the bonus.
While at Spider we decided to cast for musky in this bay where I had caught them in previous years. When Trevor’s dad Brian and his brother Brad were young we were fishing this bay when Brian sighted a musky. We then excitedly started throwing everything in the old tackle box at it but it showed no interest. We soon spotted many more and counted over 30 that day. The most frustrating part was when a fish of at least 48 inches in length swam directly under the boat and when I did a figure-eight with a bucktail, it stopped and watched then slowly swam away. Getting back to the present; Trevor spotted one big musky making its way through the lily pads but it had no interest in what he offered up; still exciting to see.
With the exception of the wind and rain on our first two days we had pretty good weather and I knew that Trevor wouldn’t let a little thing like the weather stand in the way of our fishing. We fished some lakes that were new to us and I do know that when I take another trip with Trevor to the cabin we will surely visit a couple of those lakes again.
During the week we reminisced about previous trips to Spider and some of the fun times we’d had at the cabin. Memories are priceless and I was able to share some stories of outdoors experiences I’d had over the years. I told Trevor I hoped he didn’t think I was talking too much because if you don’t share these things with somebody, you take them with you and nobody knows.
As we drove past this little creek running through a slough on the way back from Spider, I was reminded of the time my two brothers-in-law, Lynn and Ron, were staying at Spider at the same time as us. Lynn’s truck had a flat tire on the way up and he went to a nearby town to get it fixed. As he was talking with the old guy at the tire place the topic of fishing eventually came up. The guy told him that if he wanted really big pike he should go to this little lake just north of Spider. The only catch was that the only way in was through that creek. Lynn, being the adventurer he was, had his canoe along and talked Ron into going with him.
They were gone most of the day and when they came back they were pretty worn out and very testy when asked about the fishing. It seems the only fish they caught were pike in the 12-inch range. I’m not sure, but I’d bet you could hear that old guy laughing all the way to Marcell.
I’m sure Lynn wouldn’t classify it as fun, but I think he’ll get a chuckle out of it now. We all have our turn in the barrel and I am no exception.
I am so glad my oldest grandson shares my love of the outdoors and still wants to spend time with old Grandpa. We talked about how pretty this area is in the fall and Trevor said he wishes he could spend more time up here doing some fall fishing.
Take a little time to make a few summer memories by sharing time in the outdoors with family. This is a great time to get away from all your electronics and make your own outdoors adventure.
Please take some time to honor those that have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Take a little time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who served and those troops that are serving today.