Our last morning started out like the day before. A quick breakfast, hop in the truck and go fishing. The only difference this morning was that we had to pack the rest of our stuff in the truck.

We hooked the four wheelers up and headed back to the secret spot. Only this time there was road construction on our way. We didn’t have to wait too long which was good because I think we were all a bit antsy to get back out and fish.

We finely got to the spot where we unload the four wheelers. We got them all off the trailer and took off down the trail. This time we were going to stop at the unnamed lake we saw the day before and check out the campsite. The ride was about 15 minutes to the lake with out a name.











When we arrived at the lake Gary grabbed his fishing pole and started to fish to see if it would be worth all of us fishing from the shore of this lake. George and my self grabbed our cameras and started to take a few pictures of this beautiful little lake and its surroundings. After walking around for about 10 minutes and Gary not getting a single bite we decided it was time to head back to the secret spot.










When we arrived at the secret spot today we immediately tried casing in the spots we caught trout the day before no luck. This was completely opposite from the day before. Oh well we decide to keep moving up stream to the other spots we caught fish. I think I caught one or two little trout but nothing to brag about.

Gary decided to try his luck down stream while George and I wanted to see what was further up stream. Oh my, what a brave choice George and I made. The woods were incredibly thick and walking was almost impossible. We would find a little spot here and there where we could cast and see if we could catch any fish.

Along the way I head a snap from behind me I didn’t really think much of it, but shortly after I heard the snap George said,” OH NO!” I looked back at George to see him holding his fishing rod which now was in two separate pieces. “I did it again”, he said. I responded with, “You did what again”. “Broke another rod” George exclaimed. I came to find out on just about every fishing trip Gary and George take together George either seems to break a rod or loose one.

We continued up the river for a little while longer. I tried fishing here and there and didn’t really have any luck. Finally George and I decide we should head back to the four wheelers and see what Gary was up too. The way back was just as tough a walk as the way up stream. It probably took us a good twenty five to thirty minutes to get back to the four wheelers.

Upon arriving I decide to cast a couple of times and see if I could catch anything. I didn’t have any luck. Gary was no where to be found, so George and I grabbed our cameras and started walking around. I was a gorges day and we got some good pictures of nature.

About twenty minutes or so went by, and Gary came back to the meeting spot. Everyone was kind of pooped out, but we wanted to do some exploring for next year before we went home. The four wheeler trail we road out on crossed the stream we were fishing so we decided to follow it.
The trail was narrow and had lost of twits and turns. Needless to say it was a slow ride, but still lots of fun. Along the way we came across some fresh Moose, and wolf tracks. It almost looked as though the wolf was following the Moose, but for some reason I doubt it.













We arrived at our final destination when we came up on a big river (it was big compared to the streams and creeks we had been fishing). We think it was the South Brule? It looks like we found a spot for next year. We might even be able to catch some small mouth bass and pike here.





It was getting close to lunch time which was time to eat and hit the road. We decide it was a good time to head back to the truck and go home. By this point I wanted to really ride the four wheeler. I took the lead and made the 45 minute ride into a 30 minute ride what a blast.

After a quick stop to eat lunch and grab the 4 wheelers we were off to find our next creek. This time we wanted to find a place to ride the 4 wheelers and fish.

The three of us stopped at Buck’s in Grand Marais. Gary stared talking to one of the guys that worked there and asked him a good spot to go catch trout. At first he suggested this one spot I can’t even remember where it was, but he made the mistake of mentioning his secret spot. Well after all three of us talking him into it he finally spilled the beans. It just happened that this spot was also great to ride the 4 wheelers to. After a few small purchases we were on the road to one of the best brook trout spots.

It was maybe about a half hour drive up to the point where we unloaded the wheelers, and packed all of our fishing gear on them. Maps in hand we took off down the forest road. It was a beautiful ride with perfect weather.

Along the way we saw a short trail leading to a small lake. We went down the trail and found a nice little campground and a great little lake. We didn’t stay for long because we had other things in mind, like finding the secret trout spot.

We came to a fork in the road and with the maps not being the greatest and having to remember our directions we went straight and it happened to be the wrong way. It was actually a nice little two mile ride.

Once we got back on track we kept driving and driving a lot longer than I had anticipated. We came to another fork in the road. After stopping the four wheelers and having a short discussion we all decided to go to the right. It was a great decision and it brought us to the unnamed secret spot.

The closer we got to the creek the smaller the trails got.

I grabbed my gear and started to fish. Cast one trout, cast two trout, cast three trout, you get the picture. I’m not sure how many casts I made and caught fish, but I know it was more than any other place we had fished so far.

Down stream look at the spot

The fishing was the same as most other spots we leapfrogged each other up stream. This spot was quite a bit harder to get to the shore and get good casts with out getting snagged in a tree or falling in the water. As any fisher person will attest if you want to fish it you will find a way.
We saw a bunch of moose tracks along the edges of the stream, and at one point I swear I heard a cow moose blaring off in the distance. We saw a beaver busily working on his dam. What a beautiful place this was. I was having so much fun I didn’t even care that my line kept tangling in trees, and I was loosing lures.

Up stream look at the spot

We ate good this night!

We drove a ways down the path and decided to hop out of the truck and walk because the trail was getting smaller and smaller. We didn’t have to walk very far to find a sweet fishing spot. The three of us scouted around looking for good places to fish from shore. There were plenty of them all around.

We got gear and started to fish. It wasn’t long before we started catching fish they were nothing to brag about, but our luck would start to change. Gary caught a very nice brook trout, and then we decided to keep working our way up the river.

It was a ton of work to keep walking along the shore of the Cascade River, thick trees, tall grass, and big holes you couldn’t see. After a while we gave in, and just started walking in the river in our shoes. That is when we started to catch a lot of trout. We would walk cast a few times then walk further up stream and cast in another promising spot.

after the fog rolled in it was eerily quiet

This picture and the next give you an idea of the size of the rocks we were climbing

To my surprise Gary and George said lets go fishing and we were off the trail and through the trees to the first giant rock we had to climb down. I didn’t even see any places to fish on this river with the water moving so fast there was no way any fish would be here.

Once we got down the rocks to the fist pool the humidity seemed to jump up 100% on this already 80+ degree day. It was what I would imagine a rain forest to feel like. Already sweating like crazy I casted my spinner into the fast moving current thinking again to myself “no way I’ll ever catch any fish in this river.”

Rock climbing and fishing our way down the river it was about twenty minutes before anyone caught a fish. I was so surprised when George held up a trout he had caught I didn’t know weather to jump for joy or throw my line in. Not much after that Gary caught a nice keeper size trout. It was the fist keeper of the trip and it looked pretty tasty to me.

George right before he caught the first Trout

Gary fishing in one of the pools on the river

It was a while before I caught my fist trout on this crazy rock climbing adventure, but once I caught one I had it figured out. I never caught a keeper on this river, but it was still a blast. Gary ended up catching two keepers. George did have one, but after I pulled it off his line it flopped out of my hands and back into the river.

Looking down stream

After what seemed like only about an hour of fishing (actually almost four) we decided it was time to get back to the truck and eat some supper. I was beat and ready to get to the cabin, shower, eat and relax.

I forgot the walk back to the truck was going to be up hill the whole way. I remembered fairly quickly when we got out of the woods and on to the ski hill. I looked up the hill it looks a lot bigger from the bottom then when we drove past on the top. What a long and never ending walk it was. Soon enough we were back to the truck and on our way to the cabin.

We checked into the cabin showered, ate some chili, and watched a movie before we went to bed. The first day was a blast and I couldn’t wait for day two.

We only had two fish from day one of fishing. That just meant we were that much closer to a trout supper.

Gary's fish day one

Ben G.

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As you probably already know last weekend I went on a trout fishing trip. This trip was way more fun than I imagined it would be, so here is a bit about the first part of our trip. Hope you enjoy.

We started out early Saturday morning. I was up at four and George picked me up around 4:30AM. Then we headed over to Gary’s. When we arrived we put all of our stuff in the suburban and were off on our six hour drive to the north shore. It was a pretty uneventful drive Gary brought along some magazines for us to read, we talked a bunch, and I think George took a snooze.

Our first stop was the cross river. My guess was that Gary and George had fished this river before, because they knew right where to go. After we parked I packed up my backpack with all my new fishing stuff, changed my shoes, and grabbed the camera. We were off on my fist Minnesota trout fishing trip.

We walked down a short trail, over a bridge and then down to the river bank. We started fishing almost right away. Fallowing Gary and George I watched them as the hopped from rock to rock. We stopped not far up the river when Gary said, “Ben cast in the small eddies and you will catch fish because that is where they are hiding.” So the next eddy I saw that looked promising I casted my spinner out into, and wouldn’t you know I caught a little brook trout. At that moment I knew this was going to be a good trip.

The three of us kept leapfrogging each other up the river catching small rainbow trout all the way. Just as we arrived at the fist big pool I realized I was missing the top portion of my new fishing rod (which was in my backpack). I did a bit of backtracking and couldn’t find it any where. Being the fishing was so good I decided I would look for it on our way back down the river so I could keep fishing.

Right when I got back to the pond Gary and George were fishing George caught a very nice rainbow. It was too bad he couldn’t keep it. In Minnesota you can only keep the stocked rainbow trout (you can tell because they have a clipped fin).

George's Rainbow Trout

Photo Credit Svadilfari

I am starting to get really excited about this coming fall. I already have a two day fishing trip set up and a tentative one day small game trip.

If all goes as planned I will be heading up to the north shore area of Lake Superior. I am leaving the Saturday fallowing Memorial weekend for some trout fishing with my Father-in-law George & Brother-in-law Gary. I can’t wait; I haven’t been trout fishing since I lived in Idaho in over ten years. I know they have been doing this for a few years now, but I’m not sure how many. I was going to go last year, but, Wyatt was due to be born around that time.

I am also going to go small game hunting with my buddy Luke. I believe we are going to go mostly for ruffed grouse. I haven’t been out small game hunting since the fall of 2007 again because of the birth of my son. So this will be Daffy’s first official bird hunt. I hope the training I gave her last summer stuck. I guess I’ll find our around the 19th. Maybe I should give her a little refresher in the next couple of weeks. I’m getting butterflies in my stomach just writing about this stuff.

From what I have been reading lately it seems like we are going to have some luck on this hunt. The drum counts were way up this spring. Also when Luke and I were out turkey hunting this spring I couldn’t help but notice the grouse drumming all day long. This looks like a good time to hit up some of our old hunting grounds. We may even stop by my Grandparents house for huge lunch, and take a short nap (just like we use to do every fall). I can’t wait.

Ben G.

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