On the lake and at the fair

Nikolai and his big catch.

By Allan Olson

It finally happened. For the first time since May, our boat finally got back in the water. Nikolai and I headed out late Thursday evening for a test drive, and tossed our lines in the water. We caught four little ones – certainly nothing worth bringing home to clean – so they were tossed back.

We had so much fun, though, that on Friday evening we made a repeat performance. The weather was perfect for a night on the water, and even better was the phenomenal sunset that we were treated to. The fishing was also greatly improved. I had no more than dropped a line before I was reeling in a fish. Unfortunately, that one was small enough to go in a fish bowl, so back it went. Not to be outdone, about 30 seconds later Nikolai was reeling in a perfect fryer walleye – the first one we’ve ever caught on this lake (although I’ve been told there’s plenty in there). Anyway, for the next couple of hours we fished in nearly the same spot and landed several non-keepers, along with a handful for the pail. All together we caught 17 and kept 11 – with yours truly catching in the most, although, in full disclosure, Nikolai did catch the most keepers.

We got off the lake just before 9 p.m., just as the rain drops started falling. By the time we got the boat on the trailer (usually a frustrating affair for me), back home, the stuff put away, the fish cleaned and everything else cleaned up, it was close to 11 p.m. Time to go to bed.

Saturday we were on the road again, leaving home in the late afternoon. I took some time to hide a few geocaches in the Bagley area for an upcoming event, and then we headed to the Clearwater County Fair. Our goal was to score some fair food and to visit with our friend who was running the pony ring. I looked through a couple of the barns and display buildings, but never did make it to all of them – it seemed like I was always running somewhere for food. My selections were a foot long corn dog (although I almost got the turkey leg), a snow cone and a bag of mini donuts. All of them tasted great. That evening, due to the rain that covered the Bagley area, we offered our friend’s pony partners a place to stay other than their tent, and even though we live over 40 miles from the fair, they accepted a nice dry place to rest with their young children. We fed them a good breakfast the next morning, and they headed back to the fair. I went back to bed hoping to catch another hour or two of pillow time, which turned into about four. I guess I was more tired than I thought.

I did some stuff around the house, made a late lunch/early supper, and then decided it was time to go fishing again. Nikolai and Abigail opted out, so Alivia joined me on the boat, while Mom and Marcus fished from shore. Alivia and I each landed one before we were called to pick up the rest of the gang. After returning to shore to grab the others, we went back to our spot. Alivia managed to catch one for the bucket, but everything else taking our bait was too small. We moved to a couple of different spots, but didn’t have any luck before we finally gave it up and called it a night. 

It was a busy weekend, and there are only four left until the start of school. And at least three of those are already booked with plans – just like the whole rest of the summer was. Once school begins, things will be even crazier. Just think, we are advancing much faster toward… SNOW. Enjoy what’s left of your summer.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that are carrying our most precious cargo. Also, snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.