BAUDETTE, Minn.—The mouth of the Rainy River, just north of here, was misleadingly calm as our 27-foot Sportcraft fishing boat joined the early morning charter fleet parade heading out onto the massive Lake of the Woods. The placid river waters immediately gave way to challenging 4-foot rollers on the lake, the waves pushed by stout northwest winds.
For Nik Nelson, our guide and skipper from Border View Lodge, it was just another da...
