Fish Catching Travel
I actually woke up this morning not sore and tired. It just takes a little longer to recover, but that is sure not going to stop me. I have been trying to catch up on things, emails, messages, etc., and it is taking me a little longer than I thought. I did want to post a few things I got from readers while I work on the wrap up of the big Canadian adventure.
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I got a message from Johnny Kerr, alias Kerr_Kidd on 2cool, and I wanted to share it with you. Their trip was an adventure like ours, and the times we get to spend with family and friends on trips like this are invaluable and can never be replaced.
“I thought you might like to hear this Canadian fishing story. I hope you do.
A couple of years ago my grandad, my dad, my uncle and I went on a 7 day fly in trip in Canada, in the quetico wilderness. We flew into international falls, Minnesota and drove up to Atikokan canada from there, we contracted with a group called Canoe Canada. It was an amazing trip, I like to call it the trip of a lifetime.
I was fishing with my grandad this particular day, we’d been fishing together all day, only seeing my dad and uncle when we had lunch on one of the islands on our lake. I call it our lake because we were the only four souls on those waters for 7 whole days. This particular day I had been in the back of the boat all day running the motor and trying to fish, not the ideal set up but when you’re fishing with grandpa, whose passion in life is fishing, you deal with it. Well, about 45 minutes before sundown, grandpa said “hey Johnny, why don’t we switch and you can come up here and fish” so I did. We were mainly after smallies and walleye, this particular cove we were in we had some success with the smallies every morning and most evenings. I decided to throw a topwater lure, a zora spook. I cast out into the lillies hoping for that topwater explosion, I got it, right away. Reeled him in and found that he was a northern, about 12″. We weren’t interested in keeping or even touching a northern of that size so I decided to play with him in the water hoping he’d get off my spook and I wouldn’t have to touch him. Well, while I was letting him play in the water just outside of the boat I felt a big tug on my line, I looked down and hollered at grandpa to get the net, which made him chuckle because he had seen the size of fish I had caught. The large tug on my line turned out to be a MUCH larger northern taking bites out of the smaller one that I had caught. When I finally convinced grandpa we needed the net, he grabbed it and I pulled both fish around the 14′ aluminum boat we were in and right into the net. I think this is the point where the larger of the two realized something was not normal, and he spit the smaller fish out, to no avail though because he was already in the net. We brought them into the boat, I unhooked the smaller northern off the zora spook and turned him loose. Of course we kept the larger one for pictures and dinner that night. My grandpa could not believe the way it had happened, he told me that in his whole life of fishing he had never seen a fish caught that way.
We lost grandpa on Sept 14th, 2013. This story is one I will tell forever, with pride. My grandad was an amazing man and a great fisherman.
I hope you enjoyed the story, which is all 100% true!! I’d like to send you pictures of this fish but I don’t think I can do it in a private message, I’ll post it in the forum.
Thank you for your post and your time.
John”
“Dad, Uncle, Granddad, and Me.”
“Granddad Johnny, the best man I have ever known.”
“Granddad and I”
“Johnny with a nice smallmouth.”
These kinds of trips build bonds that last forever. You can tell from Kerr_Kidd’s report how much the time with his Grandfather meant to him, and the memories he shared with Grandpa will carry him for his lifetime. I am sure Grandpa would have kept up with us and we would have been better fishermen for knowing a man like him. Thanks for the share Johnny.
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Todd (tmart on the Austin Bass Fishing website and my POC buddy) sent me a note that he had kept up on the Canada trip. He is headed to Louisiana for a little marsh fishing and I will be so interested in getting a report and some pictures. I love the LA marsh, pull out the Strike King Redfish Magic and go to whacking them. And of course add the old popping cork with a Gulp and you have it all covered.
He has also been doing a little bass fishing, a real fisherman takes what he can get. My rule is if there is a puddle and one might be there, I hit it, as long as it might hold a fish. Variety is the spice of life as far as catching fish goes, and while we all have our favorites, nothing like a little change of pace.
Probably one of those Austin bass who lives in a cool remodeled bass condo off Congress.
So good luck on the trip Todd. The fishing should be great and lots of folks will be waiting to see the results, so keep us informed.
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As long as I am rambling there is one thing I wanted to comment on that happened on the Canada trip. I have been making fun of Power Pole folks lately, especially bass boats with 2 of them. Well that was topped by the 18 foot aluminum bass boat at the resort which had 2 big poles on it. Now we use ours on the flats boat occasionally, and while it is a cool gadget, the best use I have found for it by far is holding the boat while I get the trailer. It has just amazed me how quickly they have spread and have become as much a part of a boat as the locator. Not only have those guys have done a great job of marketing, they make a great product that they stand behind.
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I got this comment form Dale and wanted to share it with you.
“Enjoyed reading the fishing report every day-I went to Nestor Falls when I was 13 in June 1964 and remember fishing Crow Lake for smallies -your adventures brought back memories -caught a lot of smallies on crow along with a lot of bites from deer flys -bays on lake of the woods full of pike-walleye shore lunches -and still remember one big Muskie blowing up a Shakespeare mouse -good to see some old guys having some fun!!”
Thanks Dale, I am already wanting to go back.
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I also heard from Rusty, the Fayette County lake master.
“I will be praying for safe travel home for you guys. It’s been great reading each day. I’ve been going to Canada for 32years and cannot go this year. Your posts made me feel like I was there with you. Thanks for the thrill of “being there”.
Thanks for the prayer for the home trip. Towing a boat that far is an adventure and at times it seemed like disaster was just a swerve away.
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I am working on a recap which I should have up tomorrow. My granddaughter Mia is here and we tried to fish the pier at Coleto but the rains came. The weather will straighten up the next couple of days so I hope to get her some fish. And with a 4 y/o you need to get em fast! Their attention span is short. And with catching a fish she wants to see the alligators, and that should not be that hard to get done.
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Of course while I am gone someone gets bit by an alligator. If you spend any time at the lake you know better than swimming not only at night, but anywhere above the bridge. I have seen some real giants, and as far as I am concerned the lake is for fishing and not swimming. But no matter what I would hope most of us would be smart enough to not swim in there at night. You are nothing more than tasty topwater to a 10 foot+ gator. And why that thing let go of him I will never know.
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I will try to catch up on lots of things the next couple of days, with the recap coming later today or tomorrow. And thanks to all the folks who send us comments and pictures. If feels good to know you are out there, so keep those cards and letters coming. Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Fish Catching Travel
