Give me Strength..

So I have finally got a couple of days off work.
I just put three 12-12 shifts in the can and got about 4 hrs sleep last night.
I am wiped.
I awoke this morning to find out that Ella has come down with something and she is laid up on the couch with a fever....
Nice!
Winter has decided to rear its ugly head once again and even though this has been a relatively soft winter...especially after last years meatgrinding horror show...this latest snowy round has me a wee bit down and out...

Aves first toboggan run Feb14 2010 from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

My youngest daughter loves it however...

Spring can't come soon enough....
It could very well be that another Stuhan trip is the medicine that I am looking for....

I Wonder If Tim Hortons Is Hiring???

Interesting day at work last shift in....

I can't say too much about it other than the fact that it is the kind of thing that you look forward to but when it happens things can get heavy in a real hurry...

I wonder if I will ever get used to the idea that this shit really exists?

I guess I'd better.

Salmon Part II

...You know?...
I do miss the Salmon.

I miss the trips to the river in Full Shitrat regalia...Jello cured Skeins the size of golf balls...giant k9 like teeth on fish that are half rotten and that have morphed into something out of a science fiction movie...

I recall a trip to the Bighead in Sept where I went 0 for 11 on giant salmon and drove all the way home smiling!!

My father in law and I used to chase the salmon around on that river during an annual family trip to Collingwood.

He used to just love it...

I used to have all kinds of skein left over from the open water boat stuff of the late summer and the nasty old boots would literally chase the giant skein balls once they hit the water.
There needn't be any subtlety to the drift...and Gerry was all over it!!!

This picture he has on a shelf in his sun room ....much to his wifes chagrin.
;o)


I remember an afternoon with JDA at Inverhuron watching a big old fella with no eyes left still trying desperately to defend his turf and secure his right to mate with the ladies present.
I love sex ...but if I had to go to that kind of bother?
There used to be a brilliant Coho run at Sauble falls and some of the males were as red as tomatoes..


World class fishing...


I haven't seen one there in some time.


Lots have taken a run trying to pay tribute to the trials of the migrating Salmon...
The relentless heroism of the fish returning to its natal stream...and all that ....it is almost cliche.
I have neither the energy or the skills to wax poetic about the stinky old river rats...
..But I do know that one day this past fall I stopped my hike to watch two lonely old Kings do the dance and my heart went out them...
Dislocated and now struggling....
It was sad and beautiful
The Alewife problem is gone...well done....maybe too well done.

Salmon

Last night Jason (Jackass) and I got together for some Skeeters Chicken Wings and Beer.
It had been too long..
Life can do that to you if you are not careful. It is tough to keep in touch when life is a warzone and I really hope things settle down enough in the near future for us to pick up somewhat where we left off.

I miss the fishing we used to do together.

Back when we were all a tight knit group J-Mike talked me into buying a boat with him....he used to talk me into a lot of shit.....all of which usually turned out to be a lot of fun....and invariably had us in and out of the matrimonial doghouse.
This boat purchase was no exception...taxed with the hairy eyeballs we'd get from wives and inlaws...
I miss the boats.
We had some catching up to do last night and it made me realize how much I missed his company.
Over coffee this morning I decided to take a trip down memory lane.
Some of the pictures had me laughing out loud.
Fuck I have aged...

Here is a picture of our first boat...LOL...
If I remember correctly boat,motor and trailer cost us $300.oo.

All of our Boats were Christened "The Blind Squirrel".....
As in "even a blind Squirrel will find a nut if it looks long enough".....


Well maybe at the beginning but towards the end we really had our shit together ...so much so that we smoked the Izumi team in the Tournament of Champions....
I think we came in 11th out of fifty or so boats...
Not too shabby.
;o)
...oddly enough this first boat leaked.
LOL
Come to think of it all of our boats leaked....but then thats why god gave us bilge pumps....and CBs...
:oO
Here is our second boat.


I think that this boat was my favourite even though it almost sank on us out at the shipwrecks....geesh ...there is an irony there I had never considered before!
LOL
I got the biggest salmon of my life in this boat and I will never forget it.
I had just put our first line down as we were pulling out of Port Credit..
Pop goes the rod and it just starts singin....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz....
By the time we got the boat turned the linecounter read just under 500 ft!
Screamers indeed.
I have tried like hell to locate the picture and I haven't given up either.
I had dug it out last year because I was sure that it was going to make the TOP TEN list but decided at the last minute to leave the salmon out of it.
It was an oinker that went just under 22 lbs....
Fun stuff.
The biggest fish we ever took in any of thses boats was a King from Lake Ontario.
We'd arrived at Bluffers to the thickest fog anyone had ever seen.
Rather than exercise common sense we went out anyway....Fuck it...we had the GPS...what else did we need!

This is a pic of Jason on the bow....you can't see two feet into the distance.
we hammered fish that day and that fish was just a hair under 30LBS.
Dumb ...but made a great story.
Over a two - three year period we went through 5 boats upgrading each time.
Here are the photos..and to be honest I can't be sure of the chronology!


Memory is a funny thing.


The last boat we drove deep into Quebec for only to run into an irate Francophone that could barely communicate to us that he'd expected to be paid in US funds!!!
Always drama and always a story...


Man I hope that fucking guy is dead.
Life...
We finally got the boat of our dreams just in time for kids to come along and place all of this on the back burner.


Distant memories now...but very good ones.
At some point I will own a boat again.

I have been thinking a lot about salmon lately...mostly because we were counting on Jeff Stuhan for some roe!!!
...and were bitterly disappointed.
That stuff was awesome this year and I have just under one trip left of it.
The poor old salmon don't get a whole lot of respect and I remember the quest to find a loose one at the beginning of every season.
It was never too hard...they were everywhere.
When I am with roe and on the prowl for Steelies I don't miss them much.
Do you remember how the rivers used to stink in the fall?
If not just make a trip to the Oak or Dirty B in late Sept/OCt....
There are still few Tules kickin about down at this end of the lake but it will never be like it was....
And ...anybody who has had a high teens fish take a bait in early spring will never look down his nose at the KINGS again.
Heres to em...

Belly Whopper...

Untitled from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

I took the kids tobogganing. yesterday and I am a wee bit sore...
I have been lifting weights again and it is taking my tired old body a bit to get used to the abuse!


LOL
Probably not such a good idea to follow-up a work out with flying down an icy hill on a crazy carpet with Ella on my back with me on my stomach.
We had a great day out there with this mild weather.


Almost makes up for last years horrific winter.
Back in for work on Monday Tuesday...
It will be the first time on a new shift of 07:00-19:00.
I think I will dig 'em actually.

Untitled from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

Gets me home in time to say good night to the kids and I am traditionally an early riser.

Work is always a great place to get some well needed rest.
:o)

Untitled from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

The Eye...

Yesterday Morin and I fished.

It was a good day.


A great day to be on the river....except for the fact that Morin caught a demon fish.
Fucking thing had the weirdest eye and it kept following him wherever he moved to...
Gave me the creeps and I was glad when we got the friggin thing back in the water...good for a few nightmares..

The weather so far this year has be unseasonably warm...knock on wood....and as per usual Morin was chomping at the bit to get some fishing in.



Well ..we both were.

Last year at this time we'd booked a trip with Jeff Stuhan.


Jeff is a fishing guide out of Michigans Muskegon area and this time of year he runs jetboat Steelhead trips up the Muskegon and Pere Marquette rivers.


We'd had so much fun and such great success last year that we'd pretty much decided to make this an annual thing. It is a nice way to usher in the new year and it offers a really unique way to fish for the fish that we have come to love so much.

Jeff is more than just a guide. He is a real hoot to fish with and we spent most of the day laughing our heads off and eating the venison pepperettes he brings along.
They are amazing...great big thick muthas with chunks of cheddar....


No iced guides to worry about this year...
It was like a spring day out there on the river and although the river had been fishing slow by all accounts we still put the hurt on them.



The Michigan fish are very strong an rank right up there with our own fish. The first fish I hooked I lifted up on at the end of a drift and fishy just turned and started swimming. By the time we'd decided that we should pull anchor and chase it there was a ton of line out....too much....then....slack line...ugh..


I had even beefed up a bit for this trip.
It was the first day that I have used the Kamasan Sedge Hooks and I am very impressed with them.


There is no relief on the Muskegon and it is a good place to test the gear as well as your shoulders.


Mine are still sore.
Road trips are awesome and this one was a good one.
I managed to pass my recert last week even though one minute I'd shoot like Wyatt Earp and the next Mr.Magoo. Being tested like that takes a lot out of you and a day on the river did wonders to help me unwind and put that shit behind me.


That big old river is a very peaceful place to fish this time of year and even though you can't help but wonder what kind of a smack we'd put on them during the peak times I'll take a lonely old flow with just turkeys and eagles for company any day.
I got lucky on this trip and landed a hen that after some consideration makes the top ten list.


LOL
Oh oh...
I am not sure which fish gets the bounce but this little lady gets the nod for sheer strength and beauty,
Amazing colours on this fish...breathtaking.
I still haven't bagged my Michigan double striper but this colourful girl is way sexy.
With the bigger fish Jeff lifts the anchor and breaks out the oars and yesterday he saved me from disaster a number of times just by maneuvering the boat.


It is a cool thing to participate in and I am glad we've discovered it.
Makes me wish I was back there right now.

I Am Coming Out...

....I admit it.

I love icefishing!

LOVE IT

Especially with Ella.

Icefishing with Ella 2010 from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

She has been bugging me to take her icefishing since like September so today I finally got the gear together and made it happen.
I am really glad that I did.
We had a blast....even though we had a couple of tag alongs.
My Mother in Law offered to watch little Avery and through that Gerry got wind of our little hard water action plan and joined us ...with my nephew Luke.

Gerry is one thing.....he is always welcome.

LUKE?
:o/

I wasn't sure how it'd go with little Lukey-Bear as he is a tad on the wild side but the fish action was constant and gave him very little window of opportunity for destruction.

Untitled from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

We hit the Pond at 10:00 am and had holes drilled 10 minutes later.....pulled the plug at 10:40 and headed for Hot chocolate which we had in hand by 10:55.
The kids got about 20 sunfish between them.. heavily slanted in Ellas favour ;o)
Sunfish are always so co operative when it comes to family fun.
I feel like I really owe them a debt of gratitude.



It was like they were waiting there for us.

I drilled the first hole ... scooped out the slush ...dropped down the line and as soon as the line went straight there was a fish pulling on it!!!!
LOL
Perfect for kids...but it made it tough to get on video.
I had to rush to get the camera ready or they'd have the fish on the ice.

Great day for all of us.

Special thx to Morin for the use of his auger among other things....

On the other side of life I have to recertify with my Duty Firearm this week and that has me a little worked up.
I don't travel well for one thing and I haven't shot very well at my last few practices.
If I fail I will have to travel yet again and probably be gone for a week...and that doesn't appeal to me at all.
I recognize the need for the F/A and I am glad that I have one at work but I don't like guns...gun people or shooting particularly much.
I am hoping that I shoot a decent number and work out whatever bad habits that have settled on my grip...and then I can get on with my real life....
<><
25 metres is a long shot with a pistol.
..Especially for this old fart...

My Cross To Bear...

Morin loses yet another fish from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

I have been going through some of my old pics and videos trying to get organized...
What a Mess!!!
It is easy to get sidetracked though and get lost on memory lane...
I was amazed at how many million videos I have of Morin losing fish...it is tragic...and nauseating...
This video was from last year on the Muskegon and I am dying to get back there..
Look at this Useless POS...
This was just before we threw him out of the boat!

On an side note ...my son scored his first goal in Hockey today!!!!!
I just about started squirten 'em like a bitch...lol

I am so glad I didn't miss it and he was very proud of himself.

Now back to the files....

:o/

This Is Pretty Neat...

I am a terrible photographer.


It is too bad because I have seen some pretty cool stuff.

Today on the way home from a jam session with my Jazz Guitar Buddy Tori I happen to notice this bird sitting on a post in the middle of a farmers field.

...Now Joseph Ahmad I am not...lol...but I had to try.

I walked close enough to him to spook him into a tree.



After that I decided to take a chance and whip home and grab the kids so they could see it.
We lucked out and he hung around for us.

The kids loved it.

Ella couldn't really make it out until it Lit out across the farmers field.

Really pretty sight..

Happy New Year

Last Chapter

Retards?

Maybe...

But I don't regret it.



If we hadn't gone it would've haunted me.

We had made plans to fish today and regardless of the forecast or deafening winds howling outside our windows last night we were not going to change them....

The cocka-roaches finally got shut down by the nasty old river...and maybe a slight touch of old age/common sense.


Sure...
.. if we'd made the hike we might of caught fish....but I am alright with the decision not to.


There was a token effort today and a nice drive through some beautiful winter ravaged countryside...hot coffee...Islay Scotch and Mennonite Baked goods.
Now...dare I say it?....Tis time to shut'er down for the year.

Happy New Year.

'Embarrassment Of Riches'

Enjoy..
Thx to all my fishing friends for the good times...

Untitled from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

Fishing Like An Idiot

Some days I just can't seem to get it going...
Yesterday was one of those days.

It didn't help that I was carrying around a significant amount of guilt.

Kimi had given me the nod to go ahead and fish even though Avery ..our little one was under the weather.
I have been going through a bit of a tough time lately and she has been extremely supportive.
I think she knew that I could really use a day on the water ....she is a good girl and I love her.
In my heart of hearts I knew I should've stayed home....even though I really benefitted from yesterdays jaunt...
Oh well ...fuck it...
She was in a good mood when I got home and Ave seems a little better...no harm no foul...
..But it is something that I should keep an eye on...priorities


The river was cold and the fish were lethargic...and I was a useless POS.

Not a good combo.



It didn't help that Morin got himself an absolutely stellar Buck before I even felt a tug.

I hate that POS.

Actually ,it was very good to be on the water with my friend...especially under these circumstances and I will take this opportunity to thank him once again for being such a good friend and for putting up with me over the years.

Gay people can be very kind.



Anyway..our day is recounted better Here ...but We left the water with yet another Norland Story where I defied the odds and stared death in the face....well whos kiddin who...but it was pretty funny and I will remember that little 2-3 lber all winter.

Extreme "Norland" from Brian M on Vimeo.

I was a little melancholy yesterday...particularly on the way out and back at the car. I spent quite a bit of time staring out at the surroundings.



I have a feeling that I am going to miss this River more than ever this winter.

A Muskegon trip with Stuhan could help assuage my 'end of the season' sadness and I am already going through my Videos/Pictures of the Spring Manistee trip from last year...

...whos knows though...I may yet get out again before the 31st..

Regardless whether I do or not...



I would just like to say....

Merry Christmas fish nerds.