To me Rainy River is very similar to Christmas or Easter mass, regardless of the conditions you go every year. Some years the choir is on point singing all your favorite songs. Some years you don’t recognize a single song, they have interpretive dancing (that’s another story), and it doesn’t feel like the joyous celebration it is supposed to be. Much like the Choir director and Priest directing mass, Mother Nature and Rainy River don’t care for your plans, and certainly not my forecasts.
Well this year was a lot of bad mixed in with a lot of good. This grind of good and bad combinations, along with the grind the weather put on us, and our grind to find the fish and stay on them resulted in a year that won’t be forgotten. The weather this year was really unreal. Saturday was straight up nasty, cold (high of 30) and windy (steady 20-30 mph winds) made boat control a challenge, and tested us as much mentally as it certainly did physically. But when you are committed to grinding it out, the universe can seem to work in your favor at times. Every time the wind was wearing us out, and another spot seemed not to produce, one of us would holler “Get the net!” or “Big FISH!” and it seemed instantly and artificially 10 degrees warmer. By the end of the day we had put together a nice bag of fish, and more importantly some pics of some pigs!
Sunday took the weather from Saturday, and found a way to make it even worse! We awoke to a wind that only Dorothy from Oz would recognize, and temps about 10 degrees COLDER. But when you commit to grind, you commit to GRIND. And on trips like this, that means putting every piece of clothing you brought on, filling the thermos and getting to it. Thankfully we gleaned enough information on Saturday to make Sunday seem artificially 10 degree’s warmer most of the day! We had dialed in a pattern, and continued to work it over and over. By the end of the day we had gone through 3 scoops of River Mix minnows, and at least a roll of film on big fish, if film were still a thing.
Monday was a day straight from January’s playbook. We pulled into the landing late by our standards, to see only one trailer there, and were challenging our internal debate. After launching the frozen solid boat, the motor wasn’t spitting which was our first red flag. Finally got that to work and drove up to one of our prior hot spots only to find the trolling motor FIRMLY frozen in place. Some mid-river fix-it attempts, followed by some failed on shore attempts meant our time was drawing to a close faster than we had anticipated. When you commit to grinding, that doesn’t mean you stop listening to the universe. Perhaps it is even more important to listen to these clues when you are distracted by a goal and possibly some ego, and the weather is dangerously cold. Prior to departing the Rainy blessed us with one more 25 inch eye, as if to say thanks for your time, you guys earned this.
We will be back again, and hopefully the Rainy is playing some better (and warmer) tunes next time!
