Boot Lake Spring Fishing Report

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I bring you the spring Boot Lake fishing report, based on my personal outings and careful daily examination of the fish bucket in the cleaning house. Largemouth bass, sunfish, crappie and northern pike are the most frequently seen species in the fish bucket lately, with the walleye bite being even more finicky than usual.

This spring fishing season has been atypical, the weather being unseasonably warm early on and hitting a cold stretch later in May. Mid-depth weed lines are beginning to fill out and seem to be the best place to find northern pike. The crappie bite was good about a week ago, although I haven’t heard any recent reports.

Targeting structures like downed trees with minnows for crappie seemed to be the ticket. Working shallow reed lines and lily pads with a jig and plastics has brought in some good-sized largemouth bass so far this spring. A personal favorite of mine lately on a newly acquired fly rod, sunfish and bluegill have been aggressive in the shallow to mid-depth weed beds.

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Waiting on the Weather

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Let me tell you something crazy. My mom currently has around a thousand plants which she somehow keeps alive and happy. Each day she checks the weather and they get specific care which includes, but is not limited to, keeping them from getting sunburned (plants get sunburned?!), keeping them pruned, starting new plants from cuttings, keeping them healthy with nutrient-rich lake water and or fertilizer, and moving them indoors or outdoors depending on the weather. The truck bed is currently filled with flats of plants that our house will not accommodate and is pulled out of the garage when it is not too hot, cold, or windy for the plants to handle. Although mom’s plants are a passion project for her, she eagerly awaits warm enough weather to move the small army of plants into their permanent outdoor homes.

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Springtime Syruping

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With my boots planted in the spring mud, seated on a five-gallon bucket filled with sap, I can’t help but smile. Mom, Dad, Ryan, Mabel, Mary Kate, and Caroline are perched on nearby buckets (or laps) surrounding the cinder-block structure housing the fire and holding the pans of boiling sap. Unlike smoke, the thick clouds of steam rising off the pans are easy on the eyes and slightly sweet-smelling. 

A day boiling sap is one to be relished. With hours of watching, mixing and skimming sap there is time to laugh and tell stories, or just sit in appreciative silence. Seventy-five gallons of sap are transferred from our bucket seats to the boiling pans over the fire in intervals. As the day wears on the sap deepens to amber and careful watching begins. The turning point from sap to syrup is 219 degrees. The temperature climbs slowly: 215, 216, 217, 218 and finally 219. Dad and Ryan have been standing ready and can now filter the thickening liquid. The only thing left to do after filtering is to transfer it into jars and set it in the pantry. It will be enjoyed throughout the year with the satisfaction that comes from the memories that went into making it.

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Boot Lake Public Access

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Often quieter than the rest of the lake due to the shelter from the trees, the north end is home to two beaver houses, two loons nests, and on occasion, some good fishing.  The sight of a small, fuzzy loon chick is not uncommon in the early days of June. I took this photo at the public access in the early spring, before the landing dock had been put in. The lake is clearest this time of year, with the clarity reading (more info on how this is found) often reaching 20-30’.  This north woods oasis is, by far, my favorite part of the lake.

Boot-Lake-Public-Access

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