“Camping” / Fishing Trip to Bear Head Lake

The boys got done with school 11 days ago. In the middle of last week, we took off for Ely to spend 2 nights in a camper cabin in Bear Head Lake State Park. We visited this park last year (and it was between Lake Vermillion State Park and Bear Head Lake State Park that I ran into a wolf on my long run last year as well!), but we’d never stayed over at this park.

We stopped at the park, asked some questions and got some things squared away before our cabin was technically ready, and then went into Ely to go to the Wolf Center, get bait, and have supper.

One of their 4 big wolves through the window!


They had 2 adorable pups that were 8 weeks old (and gaining about a pound/day!).


My boys.

We got 2 dozen worms and some minnows at a bait shop, found a candy store for a few treats, and then stopped at Dominos (OF ALL PLACES) for supper. Then we unpacked in the camper cabin for a few minutes before heading down to the dock that was just 200 feet down the hill in the back yard of our cabin:

11’ of visibility in Bear Head Lake!


The view from the dock near our cabin.


The boys fished a bit.


Solid form.


Reading in their bunks before bed.

The next morning we rented a canoe for 4 hours ($15 total, which wasn’t bad) and tried our hand at fishing on the lake.

We found a spot across the lake where the breeze wouldn’t push us too much and the fish were biting!





We slid up along that downed tree to the right and had great luck there.


Both boys had a fish!


Henry’s small rock bass (or rock bass hybrid).


Lots of “cotton tree fuzz” on the surface, but great clarity below!


Henry helping row in after we caught 23 fish total! (11 for each boy and 1 for me.)

The biggest excitement when fishing was "one that got away." Henry commented that he had something big. He got it up to the boat right away and it was a northern - not a BIG northern, but they are fun to fight even if it was just 14-16" long. He forgot EVERYTHING I told him about fishing and didn't reel in any line. I was telling him to reel as it was running, and then he STOOD UP in the canoe! He sat down again before we tipped, but the fish got caught on the bottom (5' of water maybe?) on a branch. I used an oar to try to dislodge it, but then I lost sight of it thinking I had stirred up some muck. I tried again after getting into position maybe 30 seconds later, and I got the hook freed from the branch - I had lost sight of the northern not because I stirred up muck, but instead because I knocked it off the line. No fish, but no snapped line or lost lure either. And now a fun story. (And I may have a video about this to share later.)

We went for a hike later that day, but the bugs made us cut that short. So then Charlie and I did another hike just to root around and look for garter snakes, but we didn’t find ANY. We went back to fishing off the dock and found a few more fish. AND A BIG SNAPPING TURTLE that stuck around us for 90 minutes:

Constantly asking: "anyone have eyes on the turtle?..." before dropping a line in.




Direct Link: https://youtu.be/rrejD5q9Fcs


Charlie tried dipping his toasted s'mores marshmallow in chocolate pudding, and this was the reaction.


He loved his creation.

We left pretty early the next morning (day 3) as we had to get back for a Friday afternoon wedding. My wife laid out nice clothes for the boys, so I showered them off, got them dressed, we picked her up from work, and we went to celebrate Hayden and Shelby (my wife’s cousin).

Spiffed up.


Henry danced with Mama all night.




Family!


Aunt Nancy bought everyone tequila shots!




Charlie LOVED the attention on the dance floor!


After 2 nights of “camping,” we then stayed out at a wedding until 11:30! POOPED!


Dead to the world a little after midnight at home.

I may have a fun 90 sec video with the "northern that got away" story as told by the boys that I need to download and edit. I'll be back with that shortly. And a bit about a nice track workout!