My First Fish!

A weekend spent fishing on Caribou Lake at Bear Paw Lodge was heavenly, to say the least. One of the many reasons I haven’t posted in a while.

The idea started when my uncle promised to take me fishing during his most recent stay in the Yukon, but due to circumstances, the fishing trip never materialized. On to Thunder Bay, he and my aunt moved to be closer to kids and grandkids, so when I announced my plans to visit them, they decided that a weekend fishing trip in their favourite spot was in order.

After a three-hour drive on a winding road north of Thunder Bay, we arrived in Armstrong and quickly made our way along a small dirt road leading us to Caribou Lake. The owners of the lodge, Joy and Darcy, met us with their pontoon boat to take us to Garden Bay, a beautiful spot just a short ride away. And what a spot it is! After settling in and cooking a few steaks on the BBQ, I couldn’t wait to hop into the boat the next day for a glorious afternoon of fishing. On with my first official fishing trip. I don’t know if it was beginner’s luck or my uncle’s expertise and knowledge of the waters, but boy did we catch fish. Big, beautiful pickerel, two lines being bitten at once, and because of limits, we had to throw some big ones back in. THAT hurt.

So, not only did I catch my first fish, but yes, I put my own minnows on my hook (live bait is still legal in Ontario) AND I cleaned my own fish, thanks to Joy’s amazing patience with a newbie that kept getting her fingers poked by the sharp fins. This woman can clean fish blindfolded, I’m sure. To every one fish I worked on, she cleaned three or four.

The owners of the lodge are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Kind, generous, and neither of them ever stop working for a minute (except to get a little fishing in once in a while). The two kids, Rachel and Alex, were a hoot too! What privilege for these two young ones to spend their summers helping to run the lodge in such a beautiful spot. I know we have it good in the Yukon with the scenery and the fishing, but there are sure as heck nice spots in other places too. I can’t wait to do this again; I’m hooked!

Here are a few more pics, and I’ll be posting more as soon as I have some time in order to do the place justice as the website for the lodge is in the midst of being updated.

Another nice pickerel for dinner! (I know, I know… I don’t know how to hold fish for pictures…)

The best part was the three of us girls getting one of the American tourists to take our picture with this string of fish. Their drooling could’ve drowned a horse! I definitely came home with bragging rights after this trip.

Cleaning fish Caribou style