Wake up a
nd start the coffee pot, pre-heat thermos, transfer soda pop, water and smoked fish to small cooler, put ice in fish cooler in case we keep fish to eat. Next, check the most recent weather forecasts and have breakfast while replying to emails and any text messages.
A quick breakfast of eggs or toast and I’m four-wheeling down the road to my boat to start another fishing charter. There’s a few more details, but you get the picture. The routine part of fishing on Lake Superior starts bright and early…in fact it starts the night before with preparing as much as possible before bed – clothes, ice making, snacks and breakfast ready to cook.
At mid-day, when we come in from the morning charter, we fillet fish (if we kept some for meals), clean up, then get ready for the afternoon outing, whether it be sightseeing or trolling/jigging for trout and salmon. Repeat the fish cleaning process at the end of the day, then look forward to supper, sauna and a quick dunk in the lake to cool off and go to bed – tired, but it’s all fun.
This week was slightly off the normal routine, as we fished at Stannard Rock (See an interesting history lesson here) and Gull Rock Lighthouse, then enjoyed the beaches and agate picking at Manitou Island Lighthouse. Daughter Julia and I were lucky to visit all three of these lights (friend EJ joined us for Stannard Rock) and see the insides of them as some contractors did their research on the facilities – an opportunity of a lifetime! (see more pictures on FaceBook, Here)
This morning that old enemy wind of the gale force variety is keeping me off the water. Hopefully Ma-nature will reward us with a calm lake this afternoon.
Brian Helminen
