BWCA WILDERNESS – After a 20-minute snowmobile ride, we reached the edge. Orange markers drilled into the ice by the U.S. Forest Service indicated the line where motors weren’t allowed to cross. No problem, we parked the snowmobile and happily swapped horsepower for snowshoes. All around Nate, Jason, and me was an unbroken landscape of snow. Our own tracks quickly became the only signs of life. We would be blazing our own trail today. Just the way we like it.

The weather was deteriorating with every passing minute. The forecast called for temperatures to drop into the low teens, with winds gusting over 30 miles per hour. Snow and whiteout conditions were expected. The weather was not great, but you fish when you can. Furthermore, we had no idea if the fishing Gods would smile on us today. Really, we knew only one thing was certain: These conditions weren’t going to make it easy.