Camping with Dad

NaomiTheMaineMom's story

August 01, 2007

Dad, Danny, David, Uncle Edmond, Uncle Ray and Uncle Charlie used to take fishing trips to Wood Lake in the Boundary Waters area. We would borrow Uncle Sully?s gear, boats, and canoe. We had to potage the gear into Wood Lake. Dave was still little, so all he carried was fishing poles, the minnow bucket, and the tackle box. He got so tired that he got a bloody nose! Dad, even though he had a backpack, boat motor, and gas can, took the poles for Dave. We had to bail the boat, and then motored out to an island and made camp. We set up huge white canvas tents on the rocks. We had to hang the food, and pots and pans from the trees above and near the tents to keep the bears from getting into it. Once, when we were in the tents for the night, we heard the pots and pans rattling. We knew it was a bear out there and we were terrified!
Once the campsite was set up, we would get back in the boat and head to the fishing holes (trolling for bass along the way) to fish for walleye and northern pike ? Dave recalls that it was awesome fishing! If we caught anything less than 10 lbs, we?d throw it back. Dave once caught a 12+ lb northern pike. He couldn?t reel it in because he was so tired from fighting with it and had no more strength. Dad said he?d help him, and when Dave handed him the pole he accidentally let go of the reel and the pike dropped the hook and took off. Dad reeled the line in so fast that the hook flew up out of the water, with the pike right behind it ? straight at Dave with its mouth wide open!! Dave just screamed in total terror as it went over his head into the boat. Dad pinned it, and put it on a stringer with the rest we?d caught. That night we had a great fish fry!