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Woodland Caribou 2022 Solo Trip

 

Part 2

 

Day 6

Sunshine and more fish

Another morning with clear blue sky except for a thin strip of high clouds over the sun. Still working on getting caught up on battery charging. When it has been cold and wet for several days, sunshine can be a real mood lifter. Today would be a good day. I was out fishing early and tried some different areas. I had been catching all the northerns along about a half mile stretch of shoreline between the two falls. I paddled a couple miles of shoreline without a bite. I ended back at the proven spot and back to catching big fish. Temps warmed into the 50s for the first time. Despite lots of sun today there was still a pesky afternoon shower which happened almost every day of the trip. In the early evening a boat went by from the outpost. I figured they must have finally been able to get to the upper part of Artery with their boat. The water had been dropping and inch or two each day. They headed into the bowl at the south Falls. That is supposed to be the hot walleye spot. Later I saw them leaving and they motored over to where I was. This was a different group than the day I arrived on Artery. They wanted to check me out. We had a nice 30 minute chat. Turns out they were also from Minnesota and had been coming to Artery Lake for 20 years. As they were leaving they offered me an cold beer. I couldn’t turn that down. Back at camp it was burrito and beer late supper next to a warm fire and clear sky. Tomorrow would be a travel day but for now just a relaxing peaceful night.

Some hot to to start the day

Finally some good sun to charge batteries

The nicest day of the trip so far, no hurry this morning

Lots of this 30+ inch northers

Light tackle added to the fun of getting them up to the boat

Smallest catch of the day, Beer and a Burrito for supper

Best day of the trip so far, Life is Good!

Day 7

 Mary’s Lake, moose and walleyes

It’s a beautiful morning. Sun and no wind. It’s a short portage to Mary’s Lake but the portage is flooded so I wind my way through the burned out landscape. When I went this way in 2015 I passed right through Mary’s Lake. This time I wanted to explore it, make it down to Moosekan Lake and check out some campsites. It was a perfect morning for paddling. I soon encounter a young cow moose swimming along the shore. I stopped to take a few pictures.  It had warmed up nicely with lots of sun. As I work my way south I am looking for a good campsite. From there I will set up camp and then go explore the lake and hopefully catch some supper.  As I approach an island that is supposed to have a couple campsites, I see a cow and a calf moose feeding in the birch trees. They let me get really close for some good pictures.

The first campsite I checked had little use and no fire ring but it is a nice site. I get camp set up quickly, have a chicken salad wrap and then head out to explore. The wind is still light and I troll for walleye as I work my way south. Fishing is getting hard with all the aspen tree blooms floating on the water. It would collect on the line and clog up the rod tip and spool. It was almost impossible to clear without removing the hook and sliding it off the line. I did catch a few walleyes though as I made my way to Moosekan Lake. I paddled around Moosekan without a single bite. On the way back to camp, another Cow and Calf moose were swimming across the lake. I was able to get close enough to get some pictures of them coming out of the water. Back at camp I fried up the walleye and was enjoying the meal when suddenly, without warning a rain shower passes overhead. That caught me off guard as I had all my gear out in the open. Fortunately, it only lasted a couple of minutes and rainbows followed. I enjoy a ration of bourbon and into the tent for a good night sleep.

A young cow moose watches me paddle by

A cow and her calf

Mary's Lake fish fry

Sun and rain, it really snuck up on me

No mosquitoes, but the black flies were bad a times

 

Day 8

Back on the Bloodvein and on to Barclay Lake

I’m in no big hurry getting going. It is a beautiful morning and I take my time. The calm water is covered in tree blooms and pollen. No fishing in that stuff. It's a really nice day to paddle. As I work my way across Mary’s and back into the Bloodvein the fire damage here is extensive, especially on the south side of the river. Many square miles of scorched earth, everything burned down to the rock. This is the result of reburning an area that burned 4 years ago and there was lots of dead and very dry fuel for the fire to burn hot. The river is high  and wide, not much current to paddle against.

As I enter Barclay Lake, I plan on camping on an island I had camped on in 2015. As I approach it I can see the fire had skipped over it and it looked promising. I circled the island and no campsite. I pulled in where I thought it was based on my old GPS coordinates. It was then that I realized the flat rock I had set up on was under water. As I got back in my canoe a boat from Sabourin Lodge came by. They have a huge fly-in 5 star lodge about 15 miles away. He came over to check me out. He was a guide out scouting the area for his clients who were arriving the next day.  He said he was 65 years old and had been coming here since he was 14 years old. He had never seen the water this high. We enjoyed a nice 20 minute chat, then went on our separate ways. It was mid afternoon and I needed to find a place to camp so I went to check another spot marked on the map. I was not able find anything that looked like a campsite at that location but not too far down the shoreline looked like there might be a promising spot. It checked out ok, no fire ring and I had to hike a ways up the hill to find a good spot for a tent. The area had been lightly burned. I got camp set up, had some supper and went out to try fish the shoreline near camp. No luck and the floating junk on the water made me give up early. Back in camp I set my camp chair on the shoreline while sipping my ration of bourbon and watching the sun go down. 

A beautiful morning, notice all the flotsam  on the water

The post fire landscape

Lots of sun, nice paddle day

 

My campsite for the next 2 days

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Day 9

Musclow Lake?

Another nice morning. No hurry today. I am going to go check out the Musclow River and see if the portage to Musclow Lake is accessible. In 2015 I had checked it out and it a tricky landing right at the bottom of the rapids and it was a steep landing. With the high water I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to access. But I really wanted to fish the bottom of the rapids as in 2015 I caught nice big walleyes on almost every cast. I had a big plate of hashbrowns for breakfast before I left. A really nice day to paddle. The Musclow River was a lot wider than what I remembered. High water had flooded the lowlands. It was about a 5 mile paddle. I could paddle to the landing however the water was waist deep and fast. There would be no safe or easy way to get out of the canoe and onto the landing. That was king of disappointing as was the fishing. Not a single bite. The bottom of any rapids in Woodland Caribou is always good for a fish or two. Post spawn and cold water? Maybe it was a time of day thing. I checked a possible alternative portage on the other side and it is ok but it follows the top of a rock ledge and there is no way back down to the water. I decide to head back and fish along the way, stopping to have some lunch.  Back at camp I take a nap before heading out to fish some more. No fish and lots of floating cotton so I just gave up. Enjoyed a fire along the water’s edge as a watch a distance thunderstorm pass off to the east. I also see a bull moose swimming out to an island. Tomorrow was going to be a long travel day, no portaging but hopefully an 18 mile day. I’m in the tent before sunset.

Rise and shine

5AM on Barclay Lake, another nice morning

Hashbrown breakfast

The falls out of Musclow Lake

Day 10

16 mile paddle day

I am up before sunrise, eager to get an early start. I’m all packed, loaded and on the water at 6 AM. I did have a false start though. I had the canoe mostly loaded and sitting on the edge of a shell rock. I turned around to grab the last couple things, maybe had my back to the canoe for 10-15 seconds. When I turned around the canoe was 5 feet off the shore. It was perfectly calm but somehow it drifted away. The shell shaped rock sloped down, slippery and then dropped off. I was waist deep when I latched onto the canoe. Another step and would have been in over my head. It is amazing I did not get wetter than I did.

As I make my way across Barclay and back into the Bloodvein I see a boat coming my way from the direction of Sabourin lodge. It is the guide I met the other day. He has his 2 clients with him as he pulls up and we exchange greetings. Then he asks if I would like an orange….oh heck yeah. He tossed it over and then was on his way.The orange was sweet and very much appreciated. It was the last people I would see the rest of the trip. I was enjoying the paddle, a windless day, burn areas mixed in with untouched areas. I felt strong and was happy to be putting some miles behind me. I stopped on a big rock point for some lunch and a break. Then back on the water, navigating the twists and turns to Simeon Lake. There was a campsite I stopped at on my 2015 trip that I hoped would work. It was nicer than I remembered. Someone had fixed it up a bit. I set up camp and had some supper. After a long day of paddling I feel strong and in good spirits. The plan is to push hard and try make Wanda Lake tomorrow. I got everything organized for an early start and a long hard day of paddling and portaging.

 

Sunrise as a small thunderstorm passed off to the southeast

As I had my back turned, my canoe tried to leave without me

This is why I go, days like this

Lunch break

The view from my canoe

Small islands of trees untouched by fire

 

Continued -Part 3

 

I hope you enjoy the virtual trip. Feedback is always welcome. I can be contacted via email at bill@hobbydog.net