Moosebunk

Walleye getting the suntan is my favorite.

That's time not wasted at all. Work & play together.

Not like them Boss. Like others have said, usually they're quick and easy. Too bad..?

It is buck! You're working with a nephew up there Bernie and a good friend of our family from Timmins. The ice road is incredible this year, you're right. In places walking it, I'd have to walk tight to the banks keeping one foot to the snow sometimes for a mile cause otherwise the whole road side to side was a sheet of slick glass waiting to slip me up. Friend travels from Mattice to Attawapiskat in about 8-9 hours... that's a good quick tour through the forest and swamps, and saw many ice road truckers while out walking some days. Always in convoy and everyone of them waves hello. Would like to load up the snowmobile in the truck some year and do some fishing along that entire route. Had my buddy and I had the time off together, was considering going about 60K up towards the mine by truck, offloading a sled and attempting to get some ice fishing in at an area I remember was good come spring for mostly walleye and pike, but, we didn't get time. It was freeeeeeking cold Jan and Feb so not too upset it didn't happen. Anyways, good to hear you're enjoying yourself Bernie. The quiet and shy with many people often changes to friendly, humorous and open. Show any of the younger generation your skills if you can, there's always room for more experienced workers back in the communities.

Waving a fly rod around, working all day with your hands, mixing and playing with concrete in your off time, reeling in freight train specks and carp and all the while with "sore" and often swollen hands... You get no sympathy after a report like that. Those first few fish are excellent man. I'd guess to say that many people don't quite realize the class of those trout. You pull rabbits out of hat (or at least the bushes) with fish like that around here... and you do it all the time. About the muskie... don't listen to Pete!!! He doesn't know squat..... KIDDING! Listen to Pete. Seriously. lol. I thought it looked kinda like a tiger... The vanity... Bren was admiring it and says it's a beauty. I tell her that's just you playing around. lol. Anyways... you got some more weeks to heal up and you know I'm waiting for that report.... waiting.... and waiting.

Missed that! Think you're right (and Doug too) Weird spot for an otter to be, quite far off the river but, come to think of it I've seen much similar tracks to that and it spotted the otter to go with it. Joe's didn't come with the wood rails. If it had, he'd be the first to take 'em off. It's about 8 feet long. The Boggan I have is the Polar Plus. They are lighter and more durable than the fiberglass Labradors, and the longer they are the less chance of flipping at higher speeds. Mr. Snuffleupagus... yeah, the Big Bird family often sees him roaming around. Quiet elephant, bit of a hermit, chills with Bigfoot too. After a week home Mike... pretty well a couch potato again. House of Cards has me glued to the toob too. Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

By third sentence Mike I thought this exact thing too... The oldest here nearing 16 wants to sway from meat (just red for now) as well, although she's a little too lazy to want to cook foods for herself to replace the meals we make. So she eats ours but, a lot of the better well cooked meals we do get to sit and enjoy as a family at home, Brenda and I are pretty well reminded during those dinners by her that she "doesn't like this or that." An example, last nights Sheppards Pie was "disgusting, but I'm hungry enough to eat it." We say something like that to our parents when we were raised and my dad's easiest response might have been, "you're cruising for a bruising." But like Raf has said, correcting/scolding/threatening her at the dinner table or otherwise, does nothing but make mealtime a worse experience in the end, or push her away. Girls are delicate creatures and constantly bogglin' the mind, regular open and caring communication is about the best we can hope to provide. Yet your daughter is 10 man! Like you said it. And she may be a brilliant little 10 (I have one of those too) but you are the boss (or one of) in the household and the more intelligent adult. I hear what guys are saying and agree about letting her do her speech and make her choices but, that aside I think in this case you still need to intervene somehow with this situation. The overall picture as you clearly feel, is both a little defiant and disrespectful unto you. And, if it's bothering you to this point, and she's still so young and having her choices granted already upsets your family balance, it's not gonna get easier when she's a teenager who feels more and more like she's entitled to take charge of EVERYTHING. I to admire how strong willed you say she is, but that said, you at the very least, need to take her aside and have a very meaningful and thought-out talk with her about all of this. Though... and another thought... even if your answer was still to be a flat out "NO," that could be acceptable. You probably understand already that the strongest willed people of this day and age, are actually those who can handle and accept hearing that word from time to time. Where that ability begins for most, is in childhood. So really, giving in to her or saying no is a personal choice here, neither is right or wrong, both will have positive outcomes one way or another, you must communicate with her lovingly and as effectively you can, your reasons, and remember that you are the adult, she is the child, you will have final say. Good luck.

I was gonna say the same Blaque. Wouldn't want to be handling that toy and playing fetch too often with it. Scuzzy wind. Chillin is fine, but wind chillin always blows.

That right there Al summarized the whole trek and post perfectly. Celebrating the winter cold in the sunny south like you've been could be quite positive too.

Drive thru or drive by fishing with the kiddie = great plan. Never tried herring. Ever. This may be the first post I've ever seen where somebody cooks one up.

Once bass season opens.... you could do yourself a favor and just keep fishing all the other better species still out there and available to catch. lol. Messing around. Spring is such a killer season for all sorts of species.

It can actually last for months. Had it as well two winters back. Using the hand auger for most of the season didn't help at all. Called it auger elbow but there was plenty jigging going on that ice season too. Last year on Slave with the week of lakers there it crept back and by weeks end was purdy sore on hooksets especially. Your best defense after it goes away is to stretch and work-out your arms and build as much strength as you can in the supporting muscles. Golfing is not your friend... The joys of getting older. lol.

I did Gerritt, have to wipe the drool off the keyboard. WOW! I wanna try. The best fish dish I ever tasted in my life was at the Fraser River Fishing Lodge. The chef poached some halibut stuffed with salmon in a very light buttery wine sauce. It was simple but intensely delicious... and really, it's hard to beat both those fish even when they're cooked poorly.

Thanks gents! Will try for some fish next time or maybe somewhere new. The place I want to try and get to most for work is Pangirtung at the moment. To hike the foothills and photograph Thor Peak and Mt. Odin and maybe catch some char inbetween shifts would be worth paying the employer for any work offered. lol. Read a little about "Fort Chip" last fall on route to Athabasca and you did miss out with that boat ride. You needed a rod too for that float. With respects to small and isolated communities as well, often there is nothing much bigger and more inspiring than the outdoors which surround them. Oddly no Chris. Even when we had one on hand to use his maps during a 2001 - 9/11 Temagami canoe trip, I didn't pay close enough attention. Those will be collectors items some day wouldn't ya think? It'll be a great time and looking forward to it. You can have all the big fish you want too... although my money would be on Lori, Brenda......... or maybe even WIG. Have no idea Will but likely not a sealion. lol. Something dragging it's belly anyways. Found lots of different tracks out there and couldn't tell ya what 90% of them were.

Any guesses as to this track through the snow? One of those colder days to be out for some frosty stachcicles and bearditalia. A Cross Fox followed me around two days in a row, once on the river, once along the ice road. I'd never seen one before. Hind foot into front. 6 1/2 or so inch print. Out of the alders, onto the river and retraced itself back into the bush. Few days later, five sets all crossed the river together heading towards town. Wolf pack... A favorite view. Second Rapids, Monument Channel, Attawapiskat River. Once I got close enough, there she was. And the chase was on... and on... and on. The trick was trying to get that owl to take to the tree tops. Because the shots taking flight were the prize. Bunk.

Winter 2000... Attawapiskat. Winter 2015... January 21st, this picture was taken on the ice road outside of Attawapiskat Ontario. Fifteen years to the day had passed; an Anniversary if you will, since I had once left a home in the Ottawa Valley to live in the north. These years later, on a first walk during this latest return to "Skat," did it really sink in how much of my life has existed on a border between two worlds divided, our north and south. With the latest diesel fuel spill beneath the Attawapiskat Hospital I knew this trip up would have some difficulties. My previous three week contract before Christmas I pounded away through 280 hours of work while assisting in the relocation of the hospital to the health centre and providing regular patient services. This January & February tour was slated to be five weeks at a slightly slower pace. Even still it's also difficult, because of being away from home and the girls for that longer time. To keep my mind and spirit preoccupied, I hatched a plan, and I called that plan the "Taiga Trek." Before or after work, between shifts, whenever able, I would hike some deeper river and bush snow, on beaten foot or snowmobile trails and hike the ice roads to reach a goal of 100 kilometers. Aside from that, I'd take on a 30 day plank, squat and push-up challenge, along with fitting in some other exercises. It would be somewhat like how it had been in the beginning, those 15 years ago when first arriving in Attawapiskat. The Taiga Trek was invigorating. (Some history with Skat, skip the italics if you like) When first moving to Skat at 23 there was purpose to gain experience in my chosen profession. Student loans, car payment and bank debts to clear, a smoker and drinker, 150 pounds of skin and bones, there was some healthier choices to make and financial ground to cover. In Skat, once alone and isolated from that person whom I had been back in Ottawa, the changes began the minute I stepped off the plane on a cold, dark evening on the 21st of January 2000... Six months passed with cigarettes or booze. A small home gym was put to use daily, and walks off into the bush over trails or ice roads became many. Solitude exploring in the outdoors became peace of mind away from a hardened community, and a people who could place great demand and challenge quite often. A high price for food I found the best choices were healthy ones. Shipping frozen meats air freight from Timmins and many non-perishables up from the south while ignoring costly local junk food, for months fat, protein, calories and sugar were counted as an exercise of education and importance. Despite the first months of "nic fits" as well, a becoming more naturally fit felt necessary. Each night no matter what, I wrote into a journal as my way of having someone there alongside. Work was something I tried very hard to leave at work, and so when home that often meant quiet isolation from others not able to do the same. No internet for a couple more years to come, I would write many letters to friends back in the valley to stay connected. On Sunday's at my computer, I would record all patients as I had seen them throughout the week, and oftentimes reflecting on difficult and specific cases in order to review care. These rituals helped greatly. Interested in fishing it was the one study I quite enjoyed. Pouring over maps, fishing magazines and books, those 18-months living in Skat I became a far better angler in theory than I ever was in practice. Huge hopes for the short open water seasons, the two half years in deep freeze always had me researching and meticulously preparing for the days ahead. I would dream about new places, new tactics, new challenges, new fish, many fish, bigger fish, setting goals and higher expectations, hoping to achieve those experiences in time. This lives on to today but generally with better actual fishing results. In a nutshell that was a younger life in Attawapiskat. Guess it was the beginning of an adult life... certainly a healthier body, mind and spirit. By the end of my days there 1067 patients received care and I learned a tonne within my job. Fifteen years later, eleven spent in the north, 800 to 1100 patients annually, many injured or ill with everything imaginable, I'm still learning... During those 18-months the weight shot up 26-pounds accommodating some lean and solid muscle. In Skat I had written four books worth in journals to forever treasure that time. My bank debts, car payment and student loans were quickly cleared and I walked away with a chunky amount invested. I found a greater love and a need to fish and be outdoors, not just because it's fun, challenging and interesting, but because it's a necessary balance to the stresses of work and isolation, and a reward for personal efforts and time. Finally there too in Skat, I found my wife and daughters, who's love and support allow me to continue chasing a better life understanding, and bigger, better fish. Some great things about life in the north... Hellos. I can't go to the store, for a quick trip to grab a coffee at the shop, or even walk down the street without many people waving and smiling a hello or taking the time for a chat. It's such a small community thing which in reality makes it so much bigger a place. Genuine friendliness or even just respectable manners are socially valuable and should remain common-place. Come winter I want to see the long and wolf moons. Absolutely fiery and enormous when they rise on a clear eastern horizon, incredible. The wood smoke. Stove fires burning in nearly every home, the streets smell of spruce smoke and it breathes easy past the nares. And the cold, ice and snow. That loud crunch beneath the boots. The still and the quiet, and the crisp and clear. The bigger horizons and the Northern Lights. The work. It's what I believe I do best, when I feel the most confident and valuable, and how I can help others the most. In the north I find you can be as important and successful as your strengths and efforts will allow, you overcome problems with less resources and, enjoy a greater autonomy and larger role within the organization and delivery of healthcare. Anyways to the Taiga Trek... I made it 107 kilometers. Totally happy with achieving the goal. That was 107 kilometers measured straight-lines on Google Earth after each hike. Adding the zig-zags, the off-shoot game trails and the photo-ops it could be significantly more. First day out was a fast push klick of deep snow and another klick of packed snowmobile trail through the bush. A couple kilometers quick paced which strained the legs wobbly. By the time the five weeks finished I was ripping up to ten kilometers on all terrain in an hour forty-five or less. Dressed light as able, heavy sweat and keep walking. Shaved nine pounds, felt revived, grew some greys and even managed to possibly walk from Ontario to Nunavut while out hiking to the east, at the mouth of the river on James Bay. (got a little nervous out there on the sea though, Akimiski polar bears eh) One day on a back trail a skidoo'er passed me by and stopped. It was my brother-in-law Joe out gathering wood, and being Family Day it was fittingly perfect to spend time helping him out a little with that chore... For all this hiking some new Kamik boots I received for Christmas were OK for the task, some good and bad points to make with them, but they were toasty for the feet. The warmest day hike was -16 and the coldest was -40 with -47 windchill. One day had a windchill of -53 but I happily slept through that. When reaching somewhere around the 70 kilometer mark, I was walking a back channel of the main river about 3K out of town when just crossing paths with the DeBeers ice road. Looking west I spotted a shadowed shape on the snow in the distance. It was awkward and stuck out because it was dark, on the otherwise snow covered riverbed. I moved on, and thinking about it later decided to re-investigate closer on a future walk. When I returned about a week later to that spot a snowy owl took flight. The wrong camera lens I still laid chase, following the bird for about three more kilometers west then east then west then east again. The owl got the better of me that day, so I returned with a slightly better 200X zoom lens. Same game and the owl kept on the move. This time though, I captured some decent photos, yet had to return one more time to try for even better. Didn't happen, for the camera froze and so did I. All totaled that bird put about 25 kilometers on the legs through hard packed snow to nearly knee deep powder, and the second camera battery completely died from cold and use while hitting the button as the owl flew right over head. Still, the experience ending a little too soon as there were a few days left in Attawapiskat, that owl photographed in the wild was as close a thing to catching some giant personal best fish I could have been chasing after for eons. Just a great and rewarding opportunity all around. There's a tonne of pictures and the rambling on has gone long enough. L to R. Catholic Church, Hospital and the Nurse Residence. Potato Island across from town... where some still grow, potatoes. Pics above and below are riverfront and street shots from just outside the Nurses Residence. Following the Monument Channel. Friend Stevie Z was up north working. Borrowed his truck to drive 12K out to James Bay at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River. Hiking James Bay. Looking to Ontario, Akimiski Island and Nunavut over the shoulder. It was a parka day out there, one of two. Ice Road Bus Stop. Young Rod and friend waiting... and waiting... and waiting... ti'll the freeze likely. An awesome new elementary school. FINALLY!!! Continued...

You won't forget this chunker on the wonky clunker reel.

This fish looks much bigger in the photos than 280lbs. It's a cow in size really.

4000 series reel sounds about perfect, 50lb braid. Without breaking the bank a Shimano Symetre 4000 served me well for about 10, maybe 12 years now... Used and abused it finally seized up last summer but it might still be salvageable if I clean it up. This reel with 50lb braid has taken countless pike up to high 40 inches, char over 20lbs in deathly currents, lakers pushing 30 pounds and even some chinooks and a few sturgeon. It'll handle muskie... it's just your rod choice that'll need to be up to the task of chucking the big baits and driving hooks. Symetre is a workhorse in the Shimano line-up and you could pretty well have two for the price of one. Happen to use the 3000 series reel quite alot and it's done for me everything the 4000 has. Just neither throw lures over 3oz too often as that's what baitcasters are for. Rod choices... some solid mentions but here's another. Check out the TFO Gary Loomis tactical Alaska Series or Inshore Series spinning rods. http://www.tforods.com/conventional-rods/gary-loomis-tactical-series.html

Probably the best fish EVER!!! Dave, my tuna melts for supper tonight didn't even come close to that scrumptiousness.

Wife, kids, cabin, boat, fishing poles, lotsa money, remote piece of land on some big out of the way lake.... Life would be so grand off the grid eh?

Sometimes when putting the hammer down after launch, the Magnum PI theme song comes into my head. Usually that puts me in the zone.

Sorry to hear bud. Sympathies.

Great thread and gets me thinking that I have no real set idea as to what I'd upgrade to. Enjoy the tiller Rebel SS 1650 I have immensely and it's gotten me weeks and weeks out on big water like Quinte & Nipigon and at the same time, has been put in at some rough ditch launches to different back lakes. One foot-itis does get the thinkins to 17 or even 18 feet though.