Isaac and a prize smallmouth bass in the Sylvania Wilderness Area.
Sam boats a smallmouth bass near the shore of High Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
My son Luke and I took his two boys, Sam and Isaac, to one of my favorite places on planet Earth last month, a small lake in a wilderness area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We’ve enjoyed the beauty and solitude of this lake many times over the years. The water is crystal clear, with a bluish tint, and filled with nature’s finest fresh-water game fish – smallmouth bass. The lake is accessible only by canoe, and by portaging from a nearby, larger lake. It’s not uncommon to go all day and not see another person.
We portaged into the lake by late morning and paddled along the shore, casting plastic worms along sunken logs. A few bright white clouds dotted the deep blue sky. The temperature was in the 70s. A breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay, a perfect day on the lake.
After a couple of hours, we pulled ashore on a small island in the middle of lake and ate lunch. Isaac and I changed into swimming suits, snorkels and masks, and explored the world under the water's surface while Luke and Sam relaxed in the sun.
Back on the lake, a loon paddled near the canoe, checked us out, and then disappeared under the water, emerging 100 yards away.
The fishing was slow, but the few we caught were big, and scrappy.
By late afternoon, only Isaac had yet to get a fish into the canoe. The breeze died down and the water became glassy smooth. We put on jitterbugs, a type of lure that gurgles along the surface.
Suddenly the water exploded around Isaac’s jitterbug, and his eyes lit up as he worked to crank the fish toward the boat. It was his only fish, but it was the biggest fish we caught that day. His broad smile told the whole story.
As the sun was dropping toward the horizon, we headed back, eager to catch that perfect hamburger.
I don’t know how long grandpas have been taking their grandkids fishing, but there’s not much sweeter way to spend a summer day.
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