SALVAGE JOB

click on pictures to enlarge I know this is starting to look like a canoe forum, but believe me, it isn't. I just like the darned thing. The last time I visited Indian Boundary Lake, three weeks ago, I upset the canoe, as can be read in a previous post here on the blog. I went back up to the lake today and attempted to salvage the camera and the fishing rod that went to the bottom. I arrived at the lake at shortly after sunup and enjoyed watching the sun rise high in the sky. I didn't see my otter friends anywhere. A shame. They were the impetus for the new camera purchase. My friend Shaun and his son would be arriving around noon. So I loaded up the canoe and headed strait for the vertical pole I hit during the very windy day last week that upset the canoe. The surface of the lake was like glass. I mean there was not one imperfection to mar the marble like appearance. I kept my paddle strokes as silent as possible so as not to interfere with the stillness of the place. No people, cars, motorcycles or even air planes. All I could hear were birds and the droplets of water falling back into the lake off my paddle blade. The more shaded parts of the shoreline still held a thin layer of fog. I love this fog; this ghosty lake appearance early in the morning. It sometimes allows me to run my self made brain movies that I watch in my mind and I can regress back to an earlier time in history when life was simple yet dangerous. Lake travelers had to make easy targets back in the seventeen hundreds. A different breed of men, they were then. It didn't take me long to paddle to the other end of the lake where my camera lay under water. I paddled strait up to the pole and gazed down toward the bottom. The water here was only about five and a half feet and crystal clear. There was the camera sitting on the bottom right beside my fishing rod. How lucky! Yep; lucky. I attached the biggest lure I had to my fishing line and dropped it over. Fortunately, I was able to snag the nylon strap that was attached to the side of the camera and up it came. Next the fishing rod. It too was now in the boat. I immediately removed the digital data card from the camera and wiped it dry. I really wanted to know if the pictures were retrievable that I took the day I lost the camera. Now there was nothing left to do but fish. It would be hours before Shaun would arrive and I could pretty well cover this entire ninety seven acre lake throwing bass lures about. And it seems luck was with me today. Below is a beautiful largemouth bass. Shortly thereafter; another one. Not to worry. Each fish was handled carefully and professionally. The hooks were removed very carefully and the fish laid gently in the water with my hand under him until he could swim away under his own power. Each had lots of power to speed away. I decided to explore about the wooded shoreline and paddled into a section of water that lead into a trough no wider than a ditch. It meandered back under trees and into the woods only to circle around in the thicket and come out back on the lake. Great fun! The water was no deeper than three inches in some places. What a great place to camp! Deeper into the undergrowth Way back in there. What fun! Shaun and Wesley showed up and did quite well fishing. It was good to see them paddling up. A super day at a fantastic lake. Canoes; if I would have only known about them at a younger age. The photos below were taken by the camera that was under water for three weeks. I won't go into explanations about the photo's as this entry is getting lengthy. But amazing enough to find the camera let alone be able to save the pictures from it. Check out this Crappie. Great Scott! The pine cone has no significance here. I just thought it was a nice touch. Tomorrow I'll take the Gheenoe out on the lake. I will need a motor under me as I intend to go in search of the Garr fish. I usually can find them. If not; I'll have another tale I'm sure. Until next time; I hope you enjoyed the day in photographs.