Members of the Mahar Fish N’ Game Club just returned from another canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area in Ely, Minn. This is the seventh Minnesota trip undertaken by the club, and the first one that this writer, who formerly served as club advisor, did not take part in. This year’s trip was led by club advisor Evelyn Gonciarz, who was accompanied by students Haley Jean, Jordyn Berry, Joslyn O’Brien, Anthony Nye, Miguel Arce and members’ parents, Roland Jean, John Berry, and Pat O’Brien, and Ms. Gonciarz’ fiancé, Anthony Cunha.
Weather in this northern wilderness, which is a stone’s throw from Canada, can be unpredictable, and out of the five days in the wilderness, four were sunny and hot, with the fifth and final day bringing in thunderstorms and strong winds early in the morning. Those storms were accompanied by winds that were strong enough to lift a canoe and fly it across the campsite. Everything about the BWWCA is focused on preserving the wilderness state of the huge area, which encompasses over a million acres. The rules created to preserve the BWWCA limit the maximum number of people allowed at a site to nine.
Two Fish N’ Game Club groups entered Snowbank Lake and portaged into Disappointment Lake. Disappointment Lake was anything but a disappointment for the visitors from Massachusetts, as the fishing was phenomenal. They caught a lot of smallmouth bass with many in the 2- to 3-pound range. Yours truly can attest to how much fun that can be, as the inaugural trip in 1999 provided the best smallmouth fishing I have ever experienced. Miguel Arce caught just more than 40 smallmouth through the duration of the trip. Some great eating walleye were caught and some big pike, as well.
While one of the groups stayed at Disappointment Lake the whole week and couldn’t get enough of the fishing, the other group headed northeast toward Lake Ima for some sightseeing, where they found a campsite with thoughtfully crafted stonework and a beautiful view of the sunset. In addition to fish, the group had fantastic wildlife watching and were able to observe a variety of animals and birds, including loons, eagles, hawks, ducks, beavers, deer and a swimming bear that appeared to have raided another campsite. One of the prime rules in the wilderness and bear country is to always hang food and clean up sufficiently after preparing food, so as not to attract any bears.
The Minnesota trip is a great experience for the students, which in my opinion, changes them forever. It is a unique chance to be a part of the wilderness and “leave it as you found it.” The pace of life is something that needs to be experienced to be appreciated. The relaxation and delicious freshly fried fish are extra special after hours of paddling and carrying all the gear needed for the week on the portages.
A special shout-out to Athol native Steve Piragis, proprietor of Piragis Northwoods, the business that has outfitted all the Fish N’ Game Club trips. They are clearly the leaders in that business, which is the lifeblood of Ely, and they make each trip the best possible experience for all who travel with them.
There was finally a chance to do some shooting, and Father’s Day began with a round of sporting clays at the Petersham Gun Club. It is a very good clays course, with all automatic target throwers and a huge variety of presentations geared to be challenging. There were close to 50 shooters, and the course easily absorbed the groups. Not having fired a round before Sunday, this shooter was badly overmatched by the shooters in my group, but it made no difference — I had a great time and set my baseline. That was followed up on Thursday with hunter’s clays at the Orange Gun Club and the Browning Citori Lightning “Feather Combo” Over/Under Shotgun 28-gauge barrel got a chance and it did well. It took me a little adjustment, but hunter’s clays allows you to shoot twice at a target, so the score was quite good for early season.
After nearly 30 years of perfect service, my MotorGuide Great White trolling motor needs a part replaced, as the knob on the hinge door that holds the shaft disappeared during the winter. While looking for the part, my curiosity decided to see what was new in trolling motors. The Great White is the salt-water model, and it is absolutely corrosion resistant. My first trolling motor died after exposure to salt water, and the Great White, a 67-pound thrust model, has been perfect for me in every use, from the rocky North Shore of Massachusetts striper fishing to trolling for calico bass (aka black crappie) on White Pond.
My research, and conversations with product specialists at both Minn Kota and MotorGuide has been very informative. The new generation of trolling motors is very intelligent, and you can wirelessly guide them with a hand-held controller, foot pedal or your phone. You can point it toward a distant landmark, and it will go there using GPS. You can also use it when you find a hotspot, as it will keep you in the same spot as long as you want, regardless of wind or current. And, surprisingly, all that for a price not greatly out of line with what I paid for my Great White back when George H.W. Bush was president. Stay tuned. Now I am trying to figure out if I also need to upgrade my fish finder to a compatible unit for the new trolling motor.