Paulus

Lol, thanks - believe it or not, those schtoggies were beautiful. They've become part of the experience for me now, though. I can't smoke'em unless I'm fishin'! p.-

Well, we're nearing that time of year where maybe - just maybe - Spring might perhaps kind of slowly start & we there might actually be some open water for us steelhead afficionados. Speaking of afficionados, does anyone else here appreciate "schmokin a schtoggie" when fishing, steelhead or otherwise? Share your pics if you got'em! Stoggie + MO-stache + steelhead. Gotta love it! Bent-rod stoggie... Soon, very soon. In the meantime, stay schmokie, my friends. p.-

Your buddy up in Thunder Bay, and his disciple down in Georgetown, brew their own. They also told me (and I'm about to try it myself) that Magnotta has really good kits to brew your own. If thou seeketh new Understanding, yea then thou wouldst brew thine own! p.-

The Steelheader's Lament. Before: "Should I bring the net? Yeah. But it's too big and bulky. Forget it." After: "Should have brought the damn net!!!! " Repeat. p.-

lol! I can imagine the conversation... never had any of those myself In the end, though, it paid off - and that's all that counts! p.-

Congrats on publishing your articles, Mike! Not only that, they're both great reading. Now I have even more reason to keep my subscription going . Good job by Bill M., personal photographer , as well! I love the opening pic of Mike battling chrome on a wild river! Ontario Out of Doors have already published the Attawapiskat piece on their site: http://www.oodmag.com/fishing/pike-fishing/exploring-new-water-attawapiskat/ Enjoy! p.-

Gee guys, thanks for the heads-up! I guess I don't need to let my wife know that I'll be part of the group, since you already spoke to her about it, right Mike? p.-

Let's not count out Reimer just yet. Bernier has yet to play a full season in this league, and he's getting the chance now; can he remain consistent? Rand Carlyle's got everybody pegged on this one, when he says we all want to "annoint" Bernier as the starter - nobody really knows yet how he will be at the 40 or 50 games-played mark. With Reimer, you know what you're getting - and it wasn't that long ago that we were all annointing "Optimus Reim" as the uniquivocal Savior of Leafs Nation (which I think he may still become). p.-

Ditto (and Ditto!) - in fact, learning to fish the bigger river will help you read the smaller ones; but once you've achieved success on a good-sized river, going back to a smaller river feels like the kiddie rides at the EX, after you just got off "Drop Zone." lol!

Simms & Patagonias are probably at the top of the heap. Simms G3s are likely going to be my next purchase, whenever my current pair gives up the ghost. That said, aquaseal will prolong the life of your waders, if all that's wrong with them is a few pinholes or a bit of stitching on a seam. I have a 10 year old bootfoot pair of Orvis Silver Labels that would have been in the garbage a long time ago, if it wasn't for aquaseal. As it is, they are my backups - or my gotos if I'm fishing before work. My current pair are Dan Baileys which have a zip front and are tough as nails (have them since 2009) and have at least 2 more years in them (for me...); but they are so-so for breathability. If you want to try to fix them, Simms has a great set of videos to show you how to go about it. I "recharged" the breathability of my DB's this pas Spring, using these tips - it worked. http://http://www.simmsfishing.com/support/repairs.html Then, you can still get a new pair, but keep the old ones "in case." p.-

I have to grudgingly admit this, because I learned the hard way a few springs ago. We like to think that wild fish have a sleeker outline & are more powerful, and it may be true; but it doesn't mean that a stocker won't get the proper genetics & display the same thing. Case in point, this lovely fish from 2010. I was convinced it was a natural fish - until I got home and looked at the pics on the computer (note the clipped pelvic fin!) The first fish is definitely a stocker, and you can compare with the second on which you can definitely see the huge pelvic fins are intact. The stocker far outperformed the other... but even so, not all stocking programs clip their fish's fins - so they might both be stockers! Luckily there are some tribs (eh, Bill?) where they are pretty much all wild anyway... Hen has clipped pelvic fin This guy got to keep his... at least he didn't fight as well as she did! p.-

Totally. I was there as a teenager, 25 years ago, and it was a blast. It was easy, fun and with delicious consequences. Our family trip took us through Gaspé that summer as well, and catching mackerel off the piers was a hoot! p.-

Salmon are fun, for sure. If you go, please don't litter! Bring a bag for your garbage and take it home, or place it in one of the many public trash cans available.

Excellent as always, Mike. Sounds like this lake could be a smallie heaven, if it were further south . I'm glad you never wrapped your boats on any of those rocks! p.-

Who knew you could find such luxury in the North? Sounds like it was a great trip & a good place to return to on future outings p.-

Although, reportedly it did complain about feeling bloated at the time.

Thanks Mike! Another awesome trip and awesome story! I want to come with my little fisher-guy next time! p.-

Awesome write-up as usual, Mike. You have a real knack for tellin a good story & keeping your readers engaged. You're right, too, in that this is unforgetable for kids. I have fond memories of similar trips in my youth . Let's see if we can make it a foursome next year! p.-

Almost as gratifying as having one on the end of the line - but they are very fun to watch. Thanks Bill! Coming from you, that's a gold star . p.-

Went down to the local no-fishing area yesterday, to see if our little friends have arrived yet... This little male got beached.... ...but he did manage to get off this step & back into the main flow. 2 for the price of 1 Closeup on the bottom fish... Best for last... I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully, I get out again soon and can share some more. p.-

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery p.-

Thanks for a great trip, Mike. It was the most fun "near-frostbite" I've had in years! I think I lost 10 lbs trudging through those kilometers of snow. Thank goodness the American micro breweries turn out a better product. I got to really put the boots to my "après pêche" thirst - and no hangover! (haha billyyyyy!) p.-

I was wondering when you were gonna air this episode, which is why I did my best to avoid the trailer-parkian vocab... p.-

<---------------- Envious! (Sweet water in those pics, as well as the incredible fish! - thanks for sharing!) p.-

Agreed! It's nice to see good memories from that beautiful stream. As I recall, a few old hens cried fowl the last time you and I were up there and posted such nice pics as these. Nice recount, Chris - thanks very much for sharing! p.-