bassnass Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 (edited) January 2nd, 2011 found me almost fully recovered from my previous day’s hangover and busy at work trying not to over-pack for an icefishing trip to Nipissing with Rob Hyatt Outdoors (http://www.robhyattoutdoors.com) I’m a self-confessed gear-hog and that really doesn’t fit when you’re headed to an ice bungalow. I packed as light as I wanted to and still wound up with a large dry bag, small boat bag, three totes and two coolers. I was prepared to down-size further, however. I wanted to get to Barrie and speak with my long-time friend, John S. Jr. It was to be my first outing with John and his usual crew, also my first outing with Rob Hyatt and only my second time in a Nipissing shanty. Based on my understanding and limited experience I was headed there mainly for the social aspects. As a generality, I feel that fishing in an operator’s bungalow tends to mean fishing in one location for fish that have been pounded 24hrs a day. I was not expecting fast and furious action. I was, however, not going to let that stop me from fishin’ the H-E-double-hockey-sticks outta my hole! Go big or go home – that’s how I roll. Aside from the fishing, I was going for the camaraderie and the drinking. Let’s be honest, drinking to excess is a huge part of the experience. I arrived in Barrie to meet John at his home and have dinner with his family (a delicious pasta dish that consisted mainly of moose meat!). He confirmed my fears that I would need to down-size my gear pile. It wasn’t too painful to rein it all in to more reasonable proportions. Word to the wise – any underwater camera won’t function very well on Nipissing. The bottom tends toward silty, and there is a heavy tannin load. High turbidity = poor visibility on an underwater camera. Leave it and take your [insert sponsored sonar unit here ]. We finished up the hearty meal John had prepared for us and the whole family (John, Shannon and their two boys Aiden and Liam) headed for John’s in-laws. Shannon’s (step) father Don and his son Nate were to make up the balance of our fishing foursome. A bunch of family and friends had gathered at Don’s house, and were enjoying the parrot-like antics of Aiden (the older of the two boys). We all (except the children, of course) had a few drinks and a final chat about how the next day would go down. "Uncle Poopy" "Took the boys a minute to figure out I put their reel on that rod upside down " "Brand new, beautiful closet-ness - freshly stained." Afterward I was back to John & Shannon’s for a flick, a couple of drinks and bed. I was reminded of being a kid at christmes (I know what typed) when it comes to sleeping before a fishing trip. Too much anticipation to sleep! I managed about an hour of sleep before the alarm went off and we were on the roll. Nate and Don arrived just shortly after 6:30 am and we loaded Don’s big, red dodge to the brim with gear and four hefty dudes. We were on the road and headed for their traditional breakfast stop at ‘The Blue Roof’ in Sundridge (http://ontario.hihenry.com/sundridge/blue-roof-restaurant-68337). It’s just a road-side diner, but the food is good, the desserts are home made, and the girls that work there, are lovely. After dippin toast into some runny-sunny’s (made to order), we were on the trail once again under pretty nice conditions for a Canadian January day. Nate grabbin' my breakfast for me (I bought bread) - thanks, dude! We arrived at Rob’s outfit a little before we were supposed to, but John’s been going up to Rob’s operation for almost a decade now, so it was cool of Rob to take us out to our Shanty right away. We loaded a trailer with all our gear, hopped on and headed for the hard water. We got out to our new home-for-the-next-three-days, got as settled as we could and dropped our lines. A note here on ice bungaloo living – with everyone and their gear, it tends to work a little bit like a Rubik’s cube in there. Keep it light. Bad attitudes are contagious, so learn to laugh it off (no problem for this group of cats). This crew is also always a betting crew and I had plenty of loons and toons for the festivities. ‘First fish’, was obviously the first bet. The rules were: Perch needed to be 8 inches plus to count, Walleye 10”, 12” on pike, and any Herring that will hold on the hook counted. Mudpuppies did not. With the regulations set, and all lines down, it was GAME ON! TBC... Edited January 11, 2011 by LincolnG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 It was nice of those guys to invite a lesbian on their fishing trip! HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I thought you were gonna say you drank the cupboard dry... Still gotta read the rest.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassnass Posted January 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Lol @ HH Irish - nope, but I did root through the delicates drawer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 It was nice of those guys to invite a lesbian on their fishing trip! HH Huh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Huh Check out Lincoln's profile! HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwpowell Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Part 2 http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49794 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassnass Posted January 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 @ HH - lmao! I edited that out. It's still true though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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