fishing 3 years after the burn

[scuro2]

I became good buds with my internet friend Dan after talking lots about fishing online. We eventually did a few trips together and then one day he emails me frantically wanting the website of the daily satellite views of northern Ontario. He had to evacuate the family cottage in a hurry because of a major forest fire and he hoped that the firefighters had saved his cottage. No one was allowed into the area after the fire. Everything burned and what didn't burn melted. His aluminum boat had morphed into a coral shaped piece of dull silver because of the intense heat of the fire. I didn't hear a lot from Dan after that.


Dan spent every weekend and all vacation time for the last three years rebuilding the "camp" from scratch. Many hours were spent learning how to do things and sourcing materials. I was his first real guest, and the first time he had really fished in three years...what an honour!


The "camp" is north of Sudbury in one of the many "kettle" lakes in the area. We had fished BIG water previously so I didn't have any real expectations going...just a week up north relaxing was my only goal.


The lake really surprised me for mid-August fishing. I caught a lower 30s pike and probably the largest walleye that I have ever caught.


After three years of hard labour it wouldn't have been surprising if it was Dan who needed the break. They don't make like that down here, he was the perfect host and wouldn't let me pay for anything.


Thanks Dan!...you truly have made a wonderful thing.

[ckewley]

Gorgeous place he's got there, looks like a great time!

[manitoubass2]

Unreal!

 

Great story, i was hoping for more pics!

 

 

???

[4x4bassin]

Nice report , that's a shame about the fire but there is nothing you can do about it .

Glad to see he is rebuilt and things are getting back to normal , some what .

I guess it will take awhile for the trees to come back ?

[mr blizzard]

Nice to see things on the rebound, thanks for posting

[scuro2]

Didn't want to put too many devastation pics up but about 90 percent of the land around the lake got burned. It was a hot dry and very windy May 24 weekend where there had been little snow that winter. The fire moved very quickly and the lake didn't stop it's progress anywhere along the firepath. There was so much heat that only steel remained and the convection from the fire storm lifted some objects up like a tornado and deposited them several hundred feet away. Those lifted objects are some of the few things that they found afterwards.

 

In this silhouette pic you can see that most trees got scorched. After the fire it looked like some areas were apparently "saved". These were the areas where the fire didn't hop from tree top to tree top and you only had a brush fire underneath the canopy. But, the trees died there too turning brown the next year and losing their needles. Some trees made it through the fire...say 2% of trees and it makes no sense why some made while everything around them is scorched. Trees are coming up again and Dan estimated it will take 15 years until most of the burnt trees fall down and new trees take over. He has checked out other areas locally where there had been forest fires in the past.

Edited August 18, 2015 by scuro2

[4x4bassin]

Wow , thats unreal . Does he know if it will effect the fishery at all ?

I would imagine the average water temp might be higher with not as much

shade around .

[scuro2]

Good question...he got advice that there would be added phosphorus in the lake from the ash and he should expect a lot of plant growth. He never really saw that. These kettle lakes are relatively deep because of glacial action and not shallow like the Hudson Bay Lowlands. The water was cool while I was there...any colder and it wouldn't have been swimable.

[Walleye72]

Your friend has done a great job rebuilding his camp.

 

Nice "pic" of a "pic" by the way.

[can u fish]

It is nice to see your friend Dan was willing to put the time and energy into rebuilding his camp again a lot of great times and memories are created while up at the camp I am assuming his camp is off hwy 144 we were driving up to Foleyet for our annual fly in and you could see where the fire had jumped the highway in certain areas well thanks for sharing.

 

Cheers Mitch

[spincast]

very cool report. thanks for sharing. The new camp is a beauty.

[Moosebunk]

The burn Chris seems to only add to the beauty of that place. Some great shots there, and what a wicked "cabin in the woods" your buddy has for himself.