It's good to be home?

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig yep vacation's over and it's back to the real world for me. 

My vacation started with a fun-filled week in Canada again this year. Monday I woke up in Indiana and went to sleep in Ontario. This the sight I had the next morning fishing Strange Bay.

Black bear watching some geese

It was definitely cooler than it was last year, I think every place had a late spring though. The cool spring was also a little rainy and windy, more so than it has ever been. The cooler weather did effect the fishing, the big pike I did battle with last year just seemed to not be around.
The weather didn't stop us from catching fish... just the size of the fish was an issue.

Sauger- red-headed stepchild of the walleye

                        

first pike of the trip

The divers were able to find the baitfish early one morning.

Notice the strand of lights... remember them for later

One of the high points of this trip to the cabin was my Aunt Nae, Tom, Uncle Rick and Beth were up for the first couple days. It was a super fun-filled time for me watching Nae, Tom, and Rick fish on their boat, from my boat. 
Sometimes the Circus sets up its tent only a cast away.....

Rick and "the kids" out fishing

Outside of our slotters, the big walleyes were kinda hard to come by. Tom hooked up with a 21" and 22" walleye Rick caught a 21" and Nae caught brunch (most days). Trust me if I'm wrong about any of the lengths or numbers they'll let me know, and I'll have an update for you at a later date.
Anywho this 21" was my first decent walleye of the trip.

one of these years I'll have to get my camera stick set up

I wanna say this was my slotter for Thursday

  Every day I would fish Strange and Moose trying desperately to catch a decent pike. On Thursday I tried for some smallies and hooked up this 17 1/2"er.

not Nessie just a beaver

do you see the mink?

   I've found walleyes in Strange for the past couple years... it took me a minute but I finally hooked one this year again. I didn't make this my goto slotter spot, like in years past, but it was nice to know they're still there.

he wasn't bigger than the slotter I already had so this guy went back

 Well, the fam vacated the cabin on Thursday afternoon and I had the run of the place.
Most of the kidding aside, I had a really good time fishing by day and playing cards after supper. I was happy to spend some time with Renee and Tom, when I go home it gets harder and harder to get together with them.
When I got back from fishing in the afternoon my buddy from the Falls had arrived at the cabin with his wife and youngest, we caught up for a couple hours then they headed back.
Friday was hot and full of firsts. I fished the morning for brunch and... I guess I left the fish oil on too long and seasoned it. This was my first first of the trip. I strained the oil and cleaned up the pan and strainer I thought it was fine. When Rick showed up on Monday he said it was burnt and changed it out for the third time this year. I'm just glad I wasn't the only one to do it 😓.
Second first of the trip- I was on my way back from the high lines, the motor was kinda sputtering then it died. I didn't think anything was wrong with it so I checked the gas can and it was empty. I gotta tell ya it is alot of work to row a 14-16 foot boat sitting on the bow paddling with one paddle for over 1,000 yards (according to google earth). Well, I paddled as far as I could but with a pretty heavy SE wind, I wasn't going any further until the winds laid down. I checked to see how much gas was left and it did have some in the tank, so I thought if I held the tank at an angle I should be able to at least get around the corner and maybe all the way to the dock. As it turns out I did have enough gas to make it to the dock WHEW, wow was I lucky and a little sore, lesson learned.
Don't run out of gas on Rainy Lake it really sucks.
Jessie's husband, Jason "I'm a walleye guy" Ellman, showed up after brunch Friday and we went out to see if we could catch some bigger toothier fishes. I thought he would take to some of his hot spots. Nope, he set out to conquer new territory just trying to stick a decent fish, to no avail.
Saturday was again hot both in temp and the fishing finally picked up a little. We started with each of us nailing our slotters on Moose right in the morning.
Then we hooked into Strange and found some good walleyes and the biggest pike of the trip thus far.
Check out the lure I was using.

21 inch

22 inch

30 inch

Thanks for coming out with me Jason it was fun.
Well, the walleye guy couldn't stay for the weekend so before too long it was just me again. Which brings me to my third first of the trip. Try as I may I wasn't able to hit my slotter on Sunday. I stayed out in the rain for hours pullin' short after short prayin' for a slotter to end it. I finally cranked the motor over and headed for the cabin with no fish for Sunday brunch. I got to the cabin started a fire and made it Bethable so I could dry my soaked clothes, took a nap and waited for the rain to stop. Went out for a while after the rain stopped caught some fish but nothing big enough to report on.
Remember those lights????
Funny thing... Beth had Rick put some solar lights on the boat deck railing this year, and they were really nice.

this is the type of light that was there

this was the after

something took the bulbs and left the wire

Too damn funny
Monday I went out and caught a slotter in the morning for brunch then I switched to pike and smallies which were hard to come by on this trip. Finally, Rick was able to come up as did my buddy with his son again. While Rick and Kevin went out fishing Steve and I stayed at the cabin and talked.
Tuesday was my last day to fish, so Rick and I went out in the morning and caught our slotters. There was weather moving in so we headed to the cabin for brunch.
 After our meal, we changed out some solar batteries and then the rains came along with the wind and some hale. All the while we were under the deck of the boathouse pouring cement to secure one of the stilt footings that the sand under it all but washed away from the previous high waters. When the storms passed we were able to make it back out for the pm tour.
 Apparently, all I needed to catch some nice pike was Rick, while he was fishing for walleye he would swing me close enough to Moose to cast for pike and finally I hooked up with a couple nice ones.

35 1/2

little smaller than the first one

 When we got back to the cabin we had supper and watched some TV before turning in. Wednesday we closed up the cabin and headed to the Falls. Rick made it to the border before I did, it must be the racing rims he's got on the Buick. He was going to have the border agent give me a hard time if I was right behind him but it took me a little longer, I drove the speed limit. For the first time in a couple years, I didn't get tossed at the border either way. 😲
Huge Shout Out to my Uncle Rick, Thank you once again for allowing me to use the cabin and for wrangling me up a boat and motor again this year.
On Thursday my Uncle Dave took his son Pete and Petes son Isaiah along with my cousin Corey, and myself out on Lake Superior for an evening filled with laughs, log dodging and a couple fish.

28 inch King

They have had a ton of water this year just like the rest of us and the lake was silty and log ridden, we fished until 11:30 pm and went home with a nice Laker and this King. Good times.

Saturday Corey and I were going to go fishing but that got bumped to Sunday to go out with Dave and Isaiah again. It was pretty bumpy but we gave it our best shot with only one fish being missed...don't worry Corey I won't say it was your side.

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Thanks for taking us out Dave it was a super good time. The BBQ was awesome too.
Sunday I headed to Corey's at the crack of 8am for breakfast that his wife Jen made. It was really good Thanks again, Jen. Corey already had the boat hooked up, so we jumped into the truck hit the bait shop and gas station then off to the lake. We got to fish lake launched the boat and turned the key only to have the engine start right up and promptly start spitting water out the cowling where the cables and gas line go in. Corey took the cowling off and there was a straight stream of water shooting out of the sparkplug. Til we turned the motor off then we realized the heads are liquid cooled and there is a cover to keep the water circulating that had blown a gasket that was around the spark plug. So we loaded the boat up and headed to Corey's house, I thanked him for the good time and headed to Mom and Dad's house. I got home just in time to help mow the lawn and then we dug a couple horseshoe pits. Digging in this yard is horrible it is all rock and stone past the topsoil that was brought in. Digging is just a term used for the actual action, in order to get the holes dug out you actually need a ginormus crow bar. Anyway, I think Dad paid Corey to get me home early enough for the aforementioned work detail.... Dad said he didn't have to pay him......
We finished the pits up on Monday then we had a belated Fathers day supper, prime rib, MMMmmm. Thanks for putting me up while I was in town Mom and Dad I appreciate everything you did. Then I loaded the car got some sleep and started out Tuesday morning for Indiana.
Vacation over... now I just have to wait 'til next year.