RED CLIFF, Minn. _ Already, this February day in the Apostle Islands had provided a lot of lake trout action. Four- and five-pounders, plus a few smaller fish for the frying pan.
This was a day off for Iron River fishing guide Josh Teigen. He guides winter anglers four or five days a week, and often goes prospecting new areas when he's not guiding. A couple of buddies he has known since childhood _ John Darwin and Acorn Armagost, both of Iron River _ had joined him on this outing.
We had made the snowmobile run several miles into the islands out of Red Cliff, near Bayfield. Teigen knew the spot, over 120 to 130 feet of clear Lake Superior water. He had fished it before and had returned for a reason.
"You have a chance at bigger fish here," he said.
Three years ago, at this same spot, he and friends had caught just three lake trout one day.
"But all were between 35 and 39 inches long," he said.
We were jigging PK spoons in fire-tiger and white patterns, and Teigen used a chartreuse "banana" jig. We tipped them with two or three shiner minnows and fished them just off the bottom.
It wasn't long before our group had caught a half-dozen lake trout. Teigen was looking for more.
"Now we're a big one away from a very good day," he said.
We took four more lakers before we heard Darwin shouting across the ice.
"Got one," he hooted.
What he meant was that he had hooked one. He didn't have it yet.
"A big one!" he yelled.
So the rest of us hustled over the wind-crusted snow to monitor the fight.
