Just a few miles from Grand Marais
and I’m in my own private Nirvana.

Sure, casting is intimidating, but so is all of the gear.
Chris had the kick boats all loaded,
so I didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Let me be the first to admit it: fly fishing looks intimidating. The line dances gracefully above the water until it lands in just the right spot. Then a fish bites and puts up a gallant fight that the fisherman nobly wins. Cue closing credits.

Yea, it doesn’t really work like that in real life. And real life is better.

On a sunny day this summer, Chris gave me my first fly fishing lesson. We didn’t start at a nearby lake or stream–we started in an open field. It was the perfect spot to learn how to cast without the risk of getting caught in trees or shrubs. Chris made it look easy but to my surprise, it is pretty easy. That doesn’t mean I could cast with the same ease and flair that Chris displayed, but it does mean I could get the fly to the spot I wanted.

And he carries the kick boat right to the water.
This is my kind of vacation.

It didn’t take long for me to get used to
trolling around the lake with my personal motor–me.

Having conquered the basics, we took the lesson to an inland lake the next day. (By the way, that’s the perfect spot for landing walleyes this time of year.)

I had imagined fishing from the weeds on the shore but inland lake fishing offers a much better alternative: a kick boat. I donned my waders and fins and suddenly I was the quiet motor for my own little kick boat.

The minute I hit the water and started casting, I realized that I didn’t care if I caught a single fish. Catching a fish was secondary to trolling the water and basking in the gorgeous scenery. Which was a good thing, because I didn’t catch a fish.

Of course, if I had caught a fish, I would have had to cook it, so it worked out much better this way. I had dinner at Trail Center and enjoyed a walleye there. Sarah and her crew are much better cooks than I am.

The trees, the lake, the fish and the rocks–a perfect day.

Chris ties his own flies. Kind of pretty, huh?

Chris always has a good time fishing. How can you not?