Journal of a Minnesota Angler

Date: 7/24/2009 Time: 9:30-11:30am Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: overcast and windy at first, but cleared out Ken and I got a pass from working on the raised walkway to fulfill The Mission. We first needed to tour our bay for a line with a bobber that had broken off a cane pole that morning. We were looking for the bobber and decided to fish the bay a bit as we went. I first tried white pearl and bubble gum flukes at the neighbors’ reeds. My bubble... (more...)

“Good morning, Minnestoa Angler, “This is a picture of a 14” smallmouth bass. It is needed for a dinner party at 4:30pm at a cabin on the Gunflint Trail. Earlier in the week, the family had secured three smallmouth bass, but consumed them in an event they called, “a fish fry,” so another one is needed. You may obtain this fish in any of the local lakes, but be aware that catching a “smallie,” as many fisherman call them, can be a difficult challenge under... (more...)

Date: 7/22/2009 Time: 8:30-10:00pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: clear Later that night, as we were heading out, Ken asked if I wanted to go back for that bass I missed earlier in the evening. I thought it was too soon, so Ken, George, and I went around Young’s Island instead. That turned out to be a bad decision because we all got skunked. I did, however, get a bite on the South shore. It hit my bubble gum fluke and I set the hook hard after the... (more...)

Species: Northern Pike Size: 23″ Lure used: bubble gum super fluke Date: 7/22/2009 Time: 5-6:15pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: clear with some clouds, thunderhead to the North After a hard day’s work building a raised walkway for the cabin, we workers decided we deserved a pontoon ride. Ken, George, George’s wife, my kids, and I took off and decided to check out walleye alley again. On the way, I noticed a channel we usually blow by.... (more...)

Date: 7/22/2009 Time: 5:30-8:00am Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: some clouds, little bit of rain Being as passionate about fishing as I am, I’ve never gotten up super early to go fishing. Mainly because I’m not a morning person. I’d much rather fish late into the night than at the break of dawn. However, Wednesday morning, I woke up at 5:15am and got an urge to be a “true” fisherman. I got out of bed, launched the fishing boat,... (more...)

Date: 7/20/2009 Time: 8-10:00pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: partly cloudy, wind from the South The next night, Ken took my kids out on the pontoon and I took George and his wife out on the fishing boat. Since she was coming along, I thought I would get us some action and took them out to Ken and I’s secret fishing spot where there is always fish. When we got there, another fisherman was in the bay, so we went to the bay next door to cast for a few... (more...)

Date: 7/19/2009 Time: 11:00am-12:00pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: clear I took my younger sister-in-law and the kids on a joyride on the pontoon in the late morning. We cruised to walleye alley off the shore about 300 ft and down to the public boat landing at the far Western end of the lake. Of course the fishfinder was on, but the only fish we saw was one or two fish in the lane to the boat landing. They were right off the tip of a fallen tree. No fish... (more...)

Date: 7/19/2009 Time: 8-9:30am Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: clear I got up at about 7:30 and decided to head out for a little while before breakfast. By the time I got everything set in the boat, it was 8:00. I didn’t want to start the gas motor because it would be too loud, so I turned the trolling motor up full. I headed for Kloek channel and the trolling motor was taking a while, so I threw out a Rebel crayfish to fish on the way to my destination. I... (more...)

Species: Smallmouth Bass Size: 12″ Lure used: white pearl super fluke Date: 7/18/2009 Time: 8:30-10pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: cloudy all day, but cleared out with a few clouds My brother-in-law, George, has done some fishing with friends, but not a lot. He hasn’t fished much with Ken and I, but was intent on doing a good amount of fishing while he was up with us at Ken’s cabin. He came out with Ken and I where we fished the South... (more...)

Date: 7/17/2009 Time: 8:30-9:30pm Body of water: Poplar Lake Location: Gunflint Trail Weather Conditions: mist in the air, good breeze from the West, slight chop, thick clouds We were headed up to Ken’s cabin for a week of fishing and deck building. I took the afternoon off and we were supposed to be on the road by 2pm so I would be able to do some fishing before sundown. We got a late start on our drive up, so I thought it would be too late to get on the lake by the time we got to our destination.... (more...)