*A Quiet Spot of Fishing*
Stupid Stupid Stupid!
Actually, that pretty much sums up my whole arrangement that week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The entire time we were there (some Boy Scouts, another adult and I) we were fighting headwinds. Sharing a tent with a man who snores like a chainsaw makes sleep impossible.
So anyway, midweek we pull into camp, set up, and I had some slack time until dinner. Figured I'd go for a quiet spot of fishing. So I grabbed my fishing bag (contents: one takedown rod and reel, a couple lures) and a PFD vest, and put into the lake, paddled out to the middle, and commenced assembling my rod.
Did I mention the wind?
When I looked up, I was a few miles from camp. Sky was starting to cloud over.
Notice that I never mentioned my survival kit?
My assets: fishing pole, line, lures. Swiss Army Knife, Woodsman model. Hat. Swedish made knife in sheath, very sharp. Canoe, a paddle, 50 ft. of nylon line.
I paddled crosswind. Ended up another mile downwind, but on the same side of the lake as camp. I tied up to a downed tree (rope already in the canoe), and said “Screw it, I'm gonna fish!” First cast with a spoon, got a hit. “WTF, you're not supposed to get a strike on the first blankety-blank cast!” Took the bass off my lure, took down my rod and stowed, untied the rope, and started back to camp.
Did I mention the wind?
The canoe was high in the water—large wind target. So I just hugged the shoreline as much as possible all the way to camp. Berating myself for having left ALL my survival gear in camp.
I made it back to camp in time for dinner, and got to spend another night in a tent with a chainsaw.
The moral of this story is: Survival gear is like Amex card. Use sea anchor in wind. Carry hennessy hammock on ALL outings.(But that's another story.)
Sasquatch
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