Eagle at Sunset

Today was a pretty great day for fishing, even if the fishing was mediocre. Of course, a mediocre day on this lake beats good fishing in a lot of places.

We left the cabin at 9:00 this morning. It was overcast and cool, but dry, and the water was smooth as glass. We headed north to fish and had some success early on. We fished in several different spots, of course, and only experienced a light mist a couple of times before some blue sky started to show through the clouds around Noon. At one point we stopped at a rock to pee, and I noticed a fishing pole submerged under water as we were approaching shore. Dad pulled it out and we were surprised to discover that it still works!

Our plan today was to come in early, clean our catch, and have a large late lunch before going out to fish again in the evening. That's what we did. We brought in nine fish - eight to eat and one to take home. (Barry caught the big one to take home.) We only needed seven to eat (or six), but for some reason Larry kept the eighth one late in the day. Indeed, we had more fish then we could fit on two trays in the oven. Today we broiled our fish with lemon pepper seasoning, and it was just as tasty as the fried fish.

Around 4:30, after eating and having a nice chat with the property owner Colette, we went back out to cast for Northerns. By this point it was partly cloudy, calm, and gorgeous. I caught seven fish this evening (at least one at every place we fished), but dad didn't catch a thing. He even used his new rod and reel (fresh out of the lake), but with no success. Barry and Larry caught about a dozen between them; none were large enough prizes to take home.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful this evening, with sun shining on the trees, rocks, and water. There were plenty of dramatic clouds which turned shades of grey, pink, and orange as the sun dropped lower behind them. As we headed back to camp, Larry's wake cut through the still water and added even more interest to the reflections of the clouds and trees. On our final approach to the campsite, we saw an eagle fly across the lake in front of us. I would have said a "beautiful eagle," but that goes without saying.