I have a desire to catch a salmon or a trout out of my canoe. That desire has already been met. Now, my desire is to catch a salmon or a trout out of my canoe while fishing in the dark.

Part of my self-imposed rules, is that my canoe is paddled, no motors allowed in this fantasy.

As you are about to read, this is not an easy fantasy to achieve.

Saturday, Aug. 6: High 85, low 61

Two Rivers in Manitowoc County is where my latest adventure would take place.

A mild thunderstorm shortly before arriving at Seagull Marina and Campground would not dampen my spirits as I knew I was going hook into a big monster and get pulled down to Chicago, have a beer and get my picture taken.

I arrived at Two Rivers and rigged up my canoe, just in time to see the sun hit the western horizon. My mood was excellent as I paddled out of the harbor with a well-rigged canoe that included three rod holders mounted on a 2x6.

A portable Eagle-Fish ID for checking depth, my musky net, gaff and 100-quart cooler loaded with 40-pounds of ice to keep my "inevitable" catch cold.

I position the cooler in the middle of the canoe and that is where I sit, which gives me much better leverage when fighting high seas.

As can and so often does in outdoor adventures business, adversity struck.

I was enjoying life in mild, two-foot rollers when a bug became lodged in my left eye. No big deal, just rub it out. I tried everything I could think of and before I knew it the insect was half way down my face and here I am sitting in a canoe, in the dark on Lake Michigan. At about 10 p.m. I said to heck with this, I am going to paddle to my truck, get rid of the bug and come back out at 3 a.m.

When I found a mirror, my eye was swollen shut as was the left side of my face, the bug was removed and I entered the "Chevy Hotel" until 3 a.m.

                                                                                                                 Mark's rig for catching salmon at night from a canoe.

Sunday, Aug. 8: High 86, Low 62

Sometimes good luck comes in a negative package and that happened to me long before sunrise today! Here is the scoop: I get ready to start paddling out to big salmon country, but the four solar lights on my canoe are no longer charged.

Two years ago I was trying to catch a salmon after dark near Algoma and was nearly cut in half by a charter boat, back then I was using two lights and used a spot, light, just before contact was made with the bow of the charter boat and my body.

This morning I made the executive decision to wait until first light, which may have saved my life! Forty-five minutes after that decision was made, which would have been enough time to get me at least a mile out to sea, a powerful thunderstorm hit, which lasted three hours, dumped a bunch of rain and came with winds that shook my truck like a dry leaf.

I watched three-fishermen, launch and then retrailer their 24-foot boat just as the storm hit.

Had I paddled out to sea, the strong west winds would have been a big issue!

A new goal has been set for this trip! I still want to catch a salmon after dark, but due to a strong desire to see my daughter graduate from high school in 2019, I am playing it safe, how I do not know for sure.

I started paddling out of the harbor at Two Rivers with an hour of daylight left and after I hit 25 feet of water started setting lines with two- to four-foot rollers bringing an end to my forward momentum every time I put my kayak paddle down. My new goal was to paddle to Manitowoc, which was a distance of about 8-miles and return alive, hopefully with a salmon on ice!

About the same time I set my third line, the rollers which were out of the southeast (head on), went to 3-5 footers. I was in an open canoe two miles from shore and thus one of the most interesting situations of this year began. Fighting rollers is much easier than fighting waves as you just dance with them.

Occasionally, a "phantom wave" in the five-foot bracket would come out of nowhere and really challenge me!

After dark, fighting head on rollers, which grew to constant 3-6 footers at my bow, had the lights of Manitowoc looking really far away!

My body was aching from a constant pull on a kayak paddle that I built back in '86 and I was loving every minute of my challenge!

When I reached Manitowoc, I had met my goal and turned north toward Two Rivers! The high winds carried me back to Two Rivers with ease and just before I hit the harbor, I was struck by a "phantom wave" that scared the heck out of me!

Moral of the story, at this point I am still alive to see Selina graduate!
Sunset

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