Sunday Afternoon...

Today Brian and I took some of the kids ice fishing. It was kind of a last minute decision that sent me scrambling through all the junk in my garage looking for gear that I knew I would never find. Finally after even trying to mooch some gear off friends I headed off to WALMART where I was able to outfit the entire group for right around $40. ....Right around what a case of beer would've cost me. LOL Good old WALMART. Anyway we didn't have far to go. The Pond is right out Brians back door. A quick trip to BUCKS BAITS for a few dozen minnows and we are in. Brian wasn't sure if we would even catch anything. This would be his first hardwater attempt out there but we must've gotten lucky and drilled out holes right above a giant school of Bluegill. Everybody caught fish ...and lots of them!! My daughter insisted that she catch the fish "all by herself"...and most of the time she succeeded!! Priceless day....very good for the soul. Gillies are very cool fish and I associate them with smiles and lowered blood pressure. They are also very beautiful. I just finished tucking Owen and Ella into bed and they both made me promise to take them ice fishing again. :o)

'They Ripped 'em Up...'

Well one of us did... lol Jeff Stuhan is the MAN! Yesterday Morin and I did something a little different. We hired a guide. doh! This is something I never thought that I would do.... Not that it was beneath me or anything ...because I am not like that...but more because of the fact that when I fish a river I am looking for an experience that I didn't think that I would be able to find with a stranger present,....particularly one that was actively involved in my day on the water. This is the same reason that I don't fish with just anyone ..and almost never in large groups. As usual Morin was able to talk me into it. It was easier for him this year because of the way the season over here ended for us. After the floods we both felt kind of cheated by mother nature and were eager to tie up again in order to get that monkey off our backs. Morin harps and harps about Michigan. You'd think the Mfer was getting kick-backs from the Dept of tourism over there. To be fair, I love it over there too, except for the fact that I can't seem to catch any fish over there. Jeff Stuhan of Jeffs Guide Service was to be the guy who could lift my curse. I don't know how Brian found out about this guy but I am really glad he did.

Jeff has one of these Jet boats that he uses to fish the Muskegon River. The Muskegon River is an awesome river with tons of big healthy fish that are full of piss but the river isn't one that is waded easily....At least that is the word on the street. I can understand now after fishing the river out of Jeffs boat that fishing it from a boat is really the only way to go. With his boat we were able to cover tons of water in a very short period of time and I was very surprised to find that we could even fish out of his boat comfortably with the float rods. Christ...Morin even brought his 15fter.

Jeffs intimate knowledge of the river and of where the fish hold coupled with the centre-pin trotting techniques we brought with us were the ticket on this cold winter day and we really put the boots to 'em. ...Heavily slanted in Brians favour of course. lol Oh well...what else is new. I don't need much ...but I do need something and I have to admit that I was really starting to sweat after Morin got up about 5 Zip. (POS) This is where I started to realize that Jeff Stuhan is more than just a guide. He is a Steelhead nut just like us and more importantly he is a great guy who I would fish with again in a heartbeat.

I could really tell that if I didn't get a fish that he was going to take it personally!!! Well I did finally get a fish....actually I was 2 for 6 on the day...which I will take any day...particularly this time of year on a river like this one. Getting the bait down with the pace just right and getting those hooks to stick when you're trotting through 7- 8 ft holes is a real trick and Morin really has a knack for it.

We all lost count of how many fish he got but it was well into double digits and for a five hour trip..that is awesome. The Michigan fish are no push-overs and it was pretty neat watching Jeff lift the anchor and break out the oars to give chase when the big ones would bolt down the river.

Brian got one legit 30 incher that really put on a show.

This thing was behind the boat ..in front of the boat ...under the boat... I was glad it was him...I know he needed that fish...and to be honest I don't think my back could've taken it. Great Day on a beautiful world class river with non stop Steelhead action for $200 split between two guys is a bargain in my book and I will encourage all my fish nerd buddies to give it a go. What a great way to extend the season for the Canadians and I can't wait to go back. Truth is I probably would've given Jeff $100 for that bag of venison pepperettes!!! :o)

Happy New Year....

We'll See..

Well the hangover has finally lifted and the haze has cleared...well at least cleared to the status quo.
We never did get that final fish in.
She was an angry river for most of the season and it was only fitting that the season would end with a flooding that was the worst seen in 30 years.
I hope the fishies had the sense to make a B-line for the lake.
Here I am flogging the water for the last time this season...


Maybe I would've toughed it out a bit longer if I'd thought that it was the last drift of the year...
It always manages to sneak up on ya and I suppose without getting too melodramatic or morbid we never know when that last drift will be do we?

I am glad the holidays are over. The kids were great and I love how happy the holidays make them. I have got good kids...really good kids and they deserve to be happy and I am really grateful that I am able to provide a decent life for them. That makes me feel good and Chrsitmas is a way for Kim and I to celebrate that together...but I can only sustain the warm and fuzzy for so long before it starts to wear me out.
I had one too many dinner parties last night.
Enough is enough.
During dinner last night my Father in Law informed me that The Bluewater Anglers were going to be purchasing eggs for the hatchery this year.
Apparently the collection up at Owen Sound and Thornbury didn't go so well.
I couldn't care less really...in my darkest moments I believe that their misguided efforts amount to little more than environmental terrorism...
Friggin Salmon....
He then went on to tell me that they were going to supplement the Salmon plantings with a type of trout that he had never heard of.
"It has a funny name in front of it"
??
Gerry is a good guy but a fish nerd he is not. lol
Being suddenly stimulated by a somewhat interesting turn in the conversation I roused myself from my drunken stupor and start firing names of fish at him.
He stopped me at Skamania.
"Yeah that could be it..I know it wasn't a Steelhead or a Salmon"
??
My Brother in Law piped up and informed us that a Skamania is half salmon and half trout.
Good to know.
These are the guys who are running our local hatchery....honestly.
I love the guy...dearly...but geez.
I received an email from him today that clarified it.
It wasn't Steelhead or Salmon ...it was Ganaraska Trout....ever heard of it?
These types of things make me depressed.
So it looks like the club instead of stocking their usual bunch of Kings are going to be dropping in Ganaraska Strain Steelhead...along with some Browns that the MNR is selling them.
I am not sure how to feel about this but I am sure they will have a higher rate of survival than the starving Tules....I just hope they don't screw up our river.
We used to get a mix of MI fish that would show up in the fall and they were quite a bit of fun. They always made for a nice guilt free bonk on the head for roe in the spring as well.
Who knows maybe the fishing will be good under the bridge again here in Sarnia?


Speaking of which the Philistines at Nova have locked me out of the Outflows this winter.
I have tried to get that Shitrat Morin to pull some strings for me ....but I think he is one of them...
...Of course it gives him a much stronger argument for the purchase of NR licenses this winter....
hmmmm...?
Come to think of it maybe he put the fence up??!!!!!!
Anyhoo...
I have added a new BLOGGER buddy to the Blog roll...
Its a new one and it looks like it is going to be interesting.
At the very least his writing has made me thankful to be returning to work this winter instead of searching for work....
Good luck out there Brother..

It'll Be Hard To Say Goodbye....

Well the river is raging and I don't think there is a chance that we get fish again this year although my knucklehead friend disagrees.

4 Days for it to fall into shape...we'll see. If I don't get another fish this year it won't bother me all that much. I ended on a good one and I got my fair share in my opinion.....but one more would be cool...

;o)

Merry Christmas Bitches!!!

Well ,..
It is very unlikely that I will be fishing again before Santa Claus comes to town.
The kids are feeling better and that is a very welcome Christmas miracle in the Norland house.
I may sneak out and fish the outflows tomorrow just to lower the blood pressure but even that is bordering on a pipe dream...
..Too many things to do.
With the forecast calling for massive amounts of RAIN...it could very well be that the season is over for me.
It kind of snuck up on me and in a way it makes it less painful..lol.
I enjoyed this season....even though the weather tested my patience at times.
I am a whiny bitch and thats fishing after all.
I think that 2006 destroyed all of our minds.
After all... There were some beautiful fish caught this year and that is all anyone can really ask for.

A very public and sincere thank you to my good buddy Morin for being such a good friend and fishing partner.

Merry Christmas.

Gene

Chow Down Cock-a-Roach ...

Well Morin and I went fishing today even though it was 'Snowmaggedon' outside...

There must be something wrong with our heads but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I was 0 for 3 which stings for certain.
It would've been cool to get a hero shot of me with a fish in that shit but it wasn't meant to be.
I am sure we could've flogged the water until I redeemed myself but I am also sure that if we'd stuck around I wouldn't be typing this from the comfort of my cosy warm home tonight and I would be holed up somewhere along the Huron shore waiting out the storm that eventually shut down all the roads and dreading the welcome my Wife would give me when I finally arrived home.
Instead we cut it short and rushed home to driveway shovelling and snowball fights...


..And relieved spouses.


I hope I get out a few more times before she closes but it is becoming crunch time...and I am wondering if I am up for it anymore.


I got some good shots of Morin fighting fish in the blizzard and we both got a great look at the Bald Eagle that calls the river home now.


That is worth the price of admission right there in my book......and caution to the wind is part of this sport....even with the full knowledge that it will catch up to me some day.

Flotsam and Jetsam

So here is my poor old fishy....dislocated and abused...hanging haphazard over my spawn tying desk in the furnace room.
For shame...
This mount didn't come with a back piece which at the time didn't bother me. I originally had the big fella on the pine walls of my basement and that seemed to look just fine.
Now with the new basement I need something. I would love to go with something black-ish?
Wood painted would probably be the easiest but there is a granite remnant place in The States that has fueled my imagination a bit.
I certainly have no time for it now as the real fish have priority and we are rounding the corner on Ho Ho...
Sounds like a New Years project.
Til then he'll just have to stay where he is. It isn't really that bad of a spot anyway. Less tempting for the kids. Owen had Obi Wan Kenobi in the fishes mouth the one day..LOL....
I didn't even have the heart to get mad at him,... I mean he is seven...how could anyone resist?
:O)
The cell phone is history and the camera...although working....is showing signs.

I am hoping that I have enough dough left over for a possible Boxing day upgrade.
It will have to be just a Point and Shoot dummy job and the two cameras that I have been looking at are the ,

Canon a1000
or the
Canon a590

I don't know squat about cameras and just about anything that you review on the net will have something bad attached to it.
I was at my Daughters Christmas concert yesterday and had a chance to use my wifes Canon S5 IS.
Aside from the 12x zoom I really wasn't that impressed.
I mean the photos were good but they weren't good enough to justify the bulkiness on a fishing trip and besides... I am going to destroy anything that I buy within a matter of months.
FACT.
Some of the reviews mentioned 'Noise' from too many Megapixels on a small camera. I have no idea what that means but if I upgrade to a 10 MP camera and have crappy pics I am going to be really bummed.
Oh well.
I have been pretty lucky so far and the Canons are tougher than Whale shit. For the price anymore there isn't that much of a risk anyway.
I was thinking the other day that since the advent of Digi Cameras our household has gone through at least 5 different models.
The population of Sarnia is right around 75,000 (I think)...
Lets say 10,000 households....
Even if we are above average,...and I don't think that we are...that is right around 40-50,000 cameras in a land fill somewhere.
Can that be right?
Now I am not exactly Green Gene ,..but it does get you thinkin...

I Was Overdue Really

...Today I ignored Morins advice and tried to cross a river that was really truckin at a spot that was less then friendly.
I almost made it.

Almost.
I used to go in on a regular basis when I used to fish Sauble Falls...but I was younger then
The digital sign we passed on the way home had the temp at a balmy -8...without the windchill and that water was cold.

Three quarters of the way across and up go the feet and I am swimmin. It was a pretty wild feeling with that cold water coming in over the top of the waders....
Not funny really... I should be more careful...
...and I should put the camera and the cell phone in Ziplock bags..
DOH!


As you can see from the pics ...my camera made it....but the cell phone is still DOA. I was secretly hoping that this little mishap would've forced me to get a new camera...and I know Morin was too.

Aside from that madness we did pretty good. One of the fish we got today had been attacked by an eagle or something. We took the photo from her good side as the other side was pretty gruesome. I don't like her chances but who knows...these fish are remarkable.




We fished some new water today and when you do that you always waste a little time searching but this is something we should do more often. I will be in no hurry to rush back to this little section but it is always nice to have spots like this in the back pocket when things get a little stale.
I wasn't sure if I would even be going today until the last minute. The baby is better but poor Ella is still running a fever. She does seem to have more energy though and her spirits are up.

Hopefully she'll get another good nights sleep and we'll see some improvement tomorrow.
Morin managed to land a stellar fish today that just put the boots to him!!

It was an epic struggle between man and fish and for once he didn't lose the friggin thing...LOL.
I am sad for him.
Watching that POS negotiate log piles ..cracking ice...overhanging limbs and submerged timber was absolutely priceless......
Must be hard hiking with that horseshoe up his ass.
Anyway...surprisingly enough today took a lot out of me ....so I will cut this one kinda short....
and maybe one more tea before bed..
Brrrrrrrr.



(laugh it up Wallace)

Otitis Media..

...My old friend.

Well last night the rod is tied and all the gear is loaded in the car. Permission to fly has been procured from the Warden and the water graph looks good.

A few minutes of Monday Night Football...which was one helluva game ..then off to bed to fortify myself for the next days riparian adventure.

Hit the Brakes

Both girls are sick...

Poor little Avery woke up with what is obviously an ear infection...nobody got any sleep.My Wife god bless her insisted that she could manage and told me to go anyway....Then Ella woke up with a fever...?Time to pull the plug....sorry Brian...I am Daddy first.Regardless what my Wife suggests...fishing is no fun when you are worrying about the kids.

Especially Ella...That kid is never sick.

Oh well the Steelies will catch a break from me today...with all this rain the river should blow apart ...I hope Morin doesn't get stuck on the far side....actually I hope he does...lol

Avery is very tough ...it appears she takes after her mother. I hope we can get this medicine into her...

Ella...well...as you can see ...she is very lethargic this morning.

BTW.. yesterday I made it official. I return to work on Feb 5th...
:o/

Eggs Benny

It is fun walking through 2 feet of snow.
Sincerely..

The thing is...even now in my decrepit state...if someone calls me and suggests that we bundle up and head out for a long taxing hike in the fresh virgin snow I am in!

I love the outdoors and I always have and in the winter being outside is really a blast if you are dressed for it. I don't even mind working in it, again, provided you have enough gear.



Morin and I are on the phone hm-hawing back and forth about whether or not we should even try when suddenly my wife pipes up out of frustrating and says "Oh for Gods sake just GO!!"

OK.
:o/

I think she is having an affair...or it could be that she is just sick of me. I have been home since June after all.
I think today is the day. I will grab a shower after this and a shave/haircut and head into to work to set the ball rolling for my return to the real world. My leave slip saw me through 'til late March but I think that I have had enough. I am thinking maybe the second week of January would be good....after all ...the seasons closed,...most the other rivers are locked up...and really ...what the hell else are you going to do....fish the outflows every day?
...I would rather look for bad guys.....and grab some OT $$.
;o)
So off we go yesterday through a blinding snowstorm in winds that threaten to flip the car...and temps that freeze the snot to your whiskers ala glazed doughnut...
The walk through the woods was gorgeous and would've been worth the trip alone....except we had our fishing rods ...which had us crossing the fine line from admirable outdoor enthusiasts to fucking meatheads...
:o/
The river was frozen...go figure.
Water freezes at the Big 0 so it only makes sense that at -13 all things riparian are less then friendly.
Oh Well...(I have been typing that a lot lately)
On the way home we stopped at Aunt Gussies where I lobbed one in to Morin by ordering Eggs Benedict.
Apparently I am gay because I like eggs benedict...which is strange because it is one fluffy dish that embraces the redneck.
The sauce is almost pure butter death and there are enough egg yellows in it to drop a Rhino....I even ordered a side of bacon to ease the tension.
lol
Oh well...I really wanted a beer to wash it down but I figured the milkshakes with the hairy eyeballs would have called the police.



I just heard my condensate pump kick on and I am filled with pride...maybe there is hope for me yet?

BTW...I have a foul mouth....and I am sure that at some point BLOGGER is going to catch up with me and give me the sack. Whatever.
I read a qoute once from Kurt Vonnegut that went something to the effect of "Profanity gives people an excuse not to listen to you".....
Fuck him.
Here is the thing about Blogger and I will try to be as sincere as anybody can be with themselves or others.


I do this for myself. It is my fishing journal. I share here because I enjoy reading other Blogs and this is my offering. Generally I am a miserable cunt and fishing is a way of calming my restless soul and offering me a respite from a stressful life. I've read a ton of books that I have enjoyed and probably barely understood but I don't pretend to be wicked smart. I cannot spell and my gramm'e'r is terrible. My thoughts are hackneyed and cliche. ....But I will continue with this. It provides me with something. It is not a place for me to brag about fishing ....trust me...I am useless out there. Yesterday I made four casts and had to retie twice...once pulling my line from a tree.
Here is the thing...some of you guys I know..some I don't..you are all welcome here but friends and strangers be advised,
I am not about to start policing comments like some sort of Draconian Blogger NAZI..
Feel free to attack each other all you want...I don't give a shit.
This doesn't mean that I endorse any of it but the thing is ...we are men...silly men....but men.
I take shots at everyone, in jest for the most part, but it was my hope that the latest round of pugnacity was more about the friendly jab?
If not ...so be it.


I am not Dad (at least not here) and the boys can work it out on their own....
..But allow me to say just this one thing.

It's Christmas.....
for christs sake.

A Face Only A Mother Could Love..

I suppose I could be talking about Morin....
Greg got me thinking about some of the uglier fish that I have caught over the years so I thought that I could dedicate a post to those unfortunate little fishys that are breathtaking in a whole nother direction..
8O/

Here is a Brown Trout from NY that stopped growing!!
Nice colour but WTF?
lol
If my memory serves me right (and it seldom does...I mean lets face it I am a fisherman)..Morin caught one that was picture perfect just before this abomination hit the beach.
That is just about Par for the course..

Here is a great example of the kind of sport created by our local hatchery.
I picked this thing off at the Outflows a few winters back.
At the time I was so stir crazy that anything with fins was beautiful to me...and that is how it should be really.
It is like setting up on a wet blanket most of the time with these beauties.
If you can pick up a pellet head that has been swimming all summer in the pond outside the hacthery before it dies of starvation out in the Lake ,you have a legit chance at a 20+lb fish...if you can call it that.
The club keeps them around for PR sake and the soccer moms will lob pellets in to them all summer long only to have them released to 'wild' in the fall....lol

This fish was caught few years back when the river saw a weird run of hatchery uglies... I don't know what was up with the gills.
I do remember distinctly releasing this fish only to catch the same fish again on the next drift...not too bright

I have no idea what this thing is....and the fish is kind of ugly too.
Gotta love cape Croker..
Oy..

Thought this post would be a good idea to bring some levity to what has been at times a rather frustrating season....might be cool to follow up with a post of dimes
...but for that I would probably have to borrow some of Brians photos.

Everybody and Their Brother...

I slept in a bit this morning.
Had a case of the Lazys..whatever.

I didn't expect too many people on the river today anyway...after all, twas a bit frosty and it was also midweek in the second deer hunt.

Turns out I didn't need to worry too much about getting shot unless it happened to be a through 'n through

I have never seen the river so busy...it was just beyond belief. I don't think that I fished anything but second water all day...oh...and I just love that. The great thing was that it didn't look like it was just today either. The place was trampled.



Ah well.

Oddly enough it didn't send me over the edge. Most of the people I ran into were surprisingly decent.



A couple of meathunting shitrats here and there but it wasn't like walking into an abattoir. I have seen that act before and I don't care to see it again.

Tough fishing with that much pressure. I had some Neophytes saddle up next to me at one point and completely screw up a piece of water. They might as well've been throwing rocks into the water. Frustrating...but even that might've saved lives.lol



Oh well close but no cigar. Water looked good....looked good to all fifty of us.
:o/
I was flying solo on this trip and kind of glad that Morin missed this shit.
He would've blown a gasket.