Fishing for Trees

(Still crapy internet, sorry.)

Isaac and Erica departed for Uganda yesterday. In his final year at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, where he is studying international development, Isaac had an option to do a year abroad. He and Erica chose Uganda. It was not only more affordable than some of the other options, he felt it was more credible than a year abroad in London or Ireland, two of his other choices. My final text to him yesterday was a bit smug – I’ll catch you the big fish, Isaac, while I’m on Lake of the Woods.

Fishermen (and fisherwomen) everywhere know about Lake of the Woods. For me, it has always been the mecca of fishing. It is a big lake with lots of arms, channels, islands, and bays, making it more dynamic and interesting than, say, any of the great lakes. It is also more remote, although its popularity means lots of traffic. Still, it boasts big fish. For me, some of my biggest are from Lake of the Woods, as it was here, while ice fishing for pike or walleye, that I caught four lake trout. No fish tale, one had to be fifteen or sixteen pounds. Another was pushing ten. Staying here I hoped to spend a few hours fishing this wonderful lake, and I told Isaac I’d catch him some hogs.

Nope.

For starters, I’m not fishing Lake of the Woods. I’m fishing Dogtooth Lake, which is the lake Rushing River is situated on. I had hoped to go out on Lake of the Woods with Doug, and did hear from him, but he never gave me his number nor suggested any plans. I had thought about renting a boat, but the reality is that I’m with the wrong crowd. The cost of renting a power boat wasn’t a problem – knowing that none of the four girls would be willing to fish for eight hours, even if we were catching fish, however, was. Driving back and forth to the campground, or arranging pick-ups, etc., was just too much of a pain. So, we rented a canoe.

I love canoeing, and I love canoeing flat water. While I have been converted to thoroughly enjoying white water – and am sad that I’ll be missing this year’s Madawaska trip – I still enjoy being on a lake. One big reason is that I can fish. Today, we had the whole family in a canoe, and at one point, all five of us fishing.

Canoeing has been part of Leia’s and my relationship from the get-go. Shortly after we first met, in July of 2002, I went to Algonquin with friends while she was at a camp nearby in Pembroke. Canoeing came up in our discussion about our trips. She knew I was a fisherman and avid paddler, so for my birthday that summer she purchased me a beautiful bent-shaft paddle. I used it today. It was a fantastic gift. For our first anniversary, Leia surprised me with a get-away weekend, where we went to a bed and breakfast in Maryhill, had dinner at a bookstore-café-restaurant, and followed that up with a paddle down the Grand River. We’ve not done much canoeing in recent years, given the babies and pregnancies, but last year we got out on Oastler Lake. I think that was the moment the idea for this trip was born. So, it is fitting that on our tenth anniversary tour we went canoeing. While the paddle I am using remains the same, the space between Leia and I in the canoe looks much different. Three burgeoning canoeists now fill the hull.

I should have had dinner caught tonight. I had a really nice fish on for a few seconds. Not long enough to positively identify it, but I did see the its size as it was running with my line. I lost it. In fact, I’ve lost many fish this year. It has, overall, been a terrible fishing year for me. My trip to Temagami with Isaac was mostly a bust. We caught fish, but not many – and the ratio was bad if you consider how many hours we fished. One great thing about fishing with another fisherman is that even if you aren’t catching, you keep trying. Isaac and I were dedicated, and spent many an hour paddling and fishing that trip. The highlight of that trip was Isaac catching his first and second pickerel. The joke was on me, as I caught more trees on shore than fish. Something was just off. I also lost numerous fish; I just couldn’t keep them on, and I can’t explain why. On top of that, for our tenth anniversary Leia purchased me a new fishing reel, collapsible rod for backcountry trips, and three Mepps Sycolps (as the chartreuse Syclops is my favourite lure) which represented our kids. On my Temagami trip, in the course of about 10 minutes, I lost two of my lure-kids.

Tonight was more of the same. Things just didn’t work out. We had planned to canoe as a family tonight, and thereby increase the odds of catching fish. But, a thunderstorm with massive rain in the afternoon dampened the mood. As thunder was still rumbling, I fished from the dock for a bit, before finally heading out on my own. I went to where the girls and I had been earlier in the day. While unsuccessful then, I had a good feeling. Shortly after arriving, I cast out a worm, on a hunch, and then had a hit. But, my reel jammed. Not even sure why. The fish got off. I fixed the problem, and tried again. A few minutes later, I had the big fish I spoke of earlier. I set the hook, and began the magical task of playing the fish when … not sure – either line broke or knot came undone (didn’t seem to be the case), needless to say, the fish was gone.

Undeterred, I tried again. But over the course of the next hour, everything went wrong. Lines were birds-nesting (if you don’t know fishing, they were tangling due to the use of lure that spin the line, in my case, the Syclops I love so much), casts weren’t working, I even got a hook stuck in the fishing net. It was one frustration after another. The beautiful rainbow I had seen, the mist floating eerily off the lake, and the silence be damned, I wanted to catch the fish I lost.

I never got it again. I did catch one, measly, pathetic, 3-inch perch.  Some Lake of the Woods lunker!

But, as Isaac knows, I didn’t get skunked. And, that’s all that matters.

Hopefully fishing is better next year. I know I already look forward to Isaac and Erica’s return, so that Isaac and I can get out in a boat, do some paddling, and hopefully catch some trophies.