Note: Other than a few minor and inconsequential variations, Day 6 and Day 7 came to pass in basically the same manner from daylight until dark as did Day 5.
 
I awoke around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday to a sunny and cloudless sky, but in spite of these sunglass-wearing highlights, the backwoods of Manitoba, Canada, still felt cold, and the wind had a definite chill to it. 

 

I got dressed in several layers of warm clothes and then headed over to eat some breakfast with the rest of the gang.  We discussed our options over another early-morning feast and agreed that it would be a good idea to check all of the bait sites for bear activity before noon.  Mark and I would make a decision on where we would hunt, if we would hunt at all, based on our findings.

 

None of the baits, including The Marina, The Isthmus or any of the new bait stations, had been touched.  With long faces and nothing to say we headed back to camp for an afternoon snack.  It was during lunch that Mark and I decided to take the afternoon off from bear hunting and do a little fishing.  After all, we both had brand new Canadian fishing licenses tucked securely in our wallets, and we hardly had them broken in.  It was time to relax our minds for awhile and have some fun!

 

Around 1 p.m. Mark and Monty teamed up in one of the boats, and Tim and I commandeered the other.  We spent the rest of the day tossing spoons and other fish-attracting enticements into weed-choked bays and along rocky outcroppings in the unspoiled waters of Giraffe Lake. 

 

Just as Tim and I were about to change locations to try our luck in another area, a hefty Northern Pike slammed my lure and the fight was on!  It honestly felt like I had a snag at one point as the hefty fish arrogantly refused to rise from the shadowy depths.  With my pole bent over in question mark like fashion and line rapidly separating itself from the spool of my reel, I excitedly told Tim to “get the net!”  After several minutes of animated tension, Tim finally lifted the thick-backed, 35-incher into the boat, and we laughed and carried on like a couple of rowdy school girls.  A few hours later I had another big fish encounter with a dandy 25-inch walleye.
 
Here's a picture of a thick-backed, 35-inch Northern Pike -- one of many -- that fell victim to a Len Thompson spoon.
 
It was thrilling to catch those fish, but my biggest kick came from watching those two big girls swim away after I returned them to the water.  Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the heck out of eating freshly-caught Canadian fish -- and we kept plenty of eaters for supper each day -- but knowing I was doing my part to help protect and sustain this seemingly magical and awe-inspiring fishery was simply beyond words.  I was having f-u-n!  Monty and Mark experienced the same type of action for most of the afternoon, catching countless numbers of pike and walleye before we all called it a day.
 

Here's a picture of my 25-inch walleye that was taken using the same specially-made lure/Thompson spoon that many of my Northern Pike were caught on.

 

We then took another long and cold boat ride back to camp and sat down for a late supper around the campfire.  We decided to forego the nightly ritual of gathering around the cook tent and picnic table and instead chose to build a cozy fire along the shoreline.  We hung out long past our bedtimes roasting marshmallows and commiserating before resolving to hit the sack around 1:30 a.m.

 
Note: Other than a few minor and inconsequential variations, Day 6 and Day 7 came to pass in basically the same manner from daylight until dark as did Day 5.
 
 
Stay Tuned for Day 7