Off to Canada to fish !

[APEXDUCK]

Well I'm off to Reindeer Lake in Saskatchewan this morning..... well sort of. My dad and I got to the airport and the lines to check in were completely overwhelmed and we missed our flight out. With this weekend being the first day of summer break for kids, every airlines is booked and we played hell getting any other flights out. He leaves today now at 2:30 to Minneapolis to Saskatoon. He joins my brothers there tonight flying in from VA and OH. I get the 5 city round about tour going from Raleigh to Detroit to Minneapolis to Winnipeg today (arrive at 11:30). The tomorrow morning I go from Winnipeg at 6:30 to Calgary to Edmonton to Saskatoon arriving at 2:20. I guess it is the ice hockey tour flight!!! Then we all get drive 370 miles to the lake to catch the float plane. Good news it is all worth it for the fish. Taking my 9wt weight fly rod this time and I will use it to catch fish with a new reel I picked up cheap at Bass Pro. Now I just get to spend some quality time in the airport surfing the net and dreaming of 42 inch northern! I will try to post some pictures this week if their internet connection is working at the lodge.

APEXDUCK

 

[graygun]

Have fun!

 

[Colonialgirl]

I always allow THREE hours before the flight to arrive at the airport; that allows time for the Obligatory "FEEL-UP" by the thugs called the TSA , a chance to buy a meal or snack and time to read a newspaper and do the crossword.
Good luck with the fishing .

 

[buckeyeshooter]

you just gave a great reason to drive!

 

[Jim Puke]

Catch a biggun.

 

[Colonialgirl]

you just gave a great reason to drive!

Too far and Too Expensive Fuel wise anymore to drive to some locations.
My brother lives in California, I get 22 MPG and for me it would be a five or six day trip with meals and motels along the way (ONE WAY !!); YOU figure it out. I'll take the three hours early ANY day of the week and I have NEVER missed a flight or failed to be boarded.

 

[APEXDUCK]

Well we made it to Minneapolis, but Dad's connection was missed due to bad weather. His plane was on the ground but there were no gates to empty passengers. My flight from Minneapolis to Winnipeg was canceled and they had me canceled from Detroit to Minneapolis as well! We spent the night in the airport with about 400 other folks. All the local hotels sold out. But as it turned out my brother just made his connection here to Saskatoon , but his luggage did not. It's arriving on the plane we take up there at 1pm today ! So with all the monkey business and missed flights we still would have had to wait for his luggage to catch up with him before we can leave. I was able to cancel my 4 city tour of Canada and get a full refund. Not much sleep last night. Coffee good this AM.

I hear you about being there at least 2 hours early. I was pushing but my dad insisted we would be OK. -------- NOT!

I'll try to post some pictures later this week. All is well, it will just make the trip that much more memorable. Fathers day in the Airport and off to fish.

APEXDUCK

 

[stevemb]

Good luck to you. We brought home 35 nice bluegills from Pymatuning yesterday. Nail that big Northern !

 

[Cooperhawk]

When I was still working for the FAA I flew all over the country. Since I retired I have not flown commercially at all. I try to avoid it at all costs. Now if it means a six or seven day trip just to visit, I will probably fly, if I have to, I guess.

Being retired, we motor home or drive the car.

BTW, the Minneapolis Airport Terminal is well equipped with some pretty good food. I do recall Cinnebuns! There are worse places to be, like for instance, Laguardia. :shock:

The weather is supposed to clear up this afternoon so you should be able to get out soon.

 

[buckeyeshooter]

you just gave a great reason to drive!

Too far and Too Expensive Fuel wise anymore to drive to some locations.
My brother lives in California, I get 22 MPG and for me it would be a five or six day trip with meals and motels along the way (ONE WAY !!); YOU figure it out. I'll take the three hours early ANY day of the week and I have NEVER missed a flight or failed to be boarded.

For me, the drive would be relaxing as compared to flying. If it were possible, I would drive.... sounds like for you, not so much.

 

[32shooter]

Good luck with the fishing. I have 2 months until we head to Ontario, approx. 18 hr drive and then a short float plane trip to cabin for walleye and northerns.

 

[Pierow]

You, your dad and brothers is where the fun is. Have a great, safe time Apexduck creating those memories.

Pierow

 

[Srb08]

You boys have a safe trip.

 

[Colonialgirl]

AH Yes Minneapolis; I had to go there with another person from the same company to attend a week long seminar; We were scheduled to fly home to Orlando on NWA. We got to the airport in plenty of time and checked in and were waiting at the gate, plane was sitting AT the gate. The lounge wasn't very full of people and then a "Flight Attendant" showed up with her bag; Just PAST time for departure, they announced that they "Did NOT have a flight crew for the flight and were cancelling it". The Flight Attendant was as PO'd as the passengers. Big rush to the desk to re-book to "anywhere", long lines, so me and the other person went down to the MAIN ticket counter, NO LINES !! and explained the problem. No flight to anywhere that would connect to Orlando, FL; So, we got a dinner and breakfast vouchers, rooms booked at a nice hotel, vouchers for Taxi travel BOTH ways AND First class seating from Minneapolis all the way to Orlando the next morning. Should I mention that we had been very polite in explaining the problem?
AH YES !!!; FIRST CLASS, the ONLY way to FLY (especially if its FREE !)
We were guessing that the passenger load was too light and that's why they cancelled the flight; They didn't NEED the aircraft at the end of the trip so it would have been a money loser.

The other interesting flight was at the end of my basic leave and I had to fly from SoCal to Seattle/Ft Lewis replacement Depot. Not sure, But I think it was on United and there were 20 of us headed to Ft Lewis. The flight from LAX to SFO was FULL, but from SFO to Seatac there were only the 20 of us GI's aboard. First class was NICE and we had FOUR Flight attendants that sat and joked with us. They told us that once on a mid week flight the SFO to SeaTac leg ONLY HAD ONE passenger and the flight would have been cancelled except they needed the aircraft at SeaTac for an early morning flight. They told him that the flight was being made just for him since he had paid for his ticket. Said that by the time they got there, he BELIEVED them!! :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[sebtool]

Good luck with the fishing! Better than at the airport/s, anyway! :wink:

With any luck my son and I will get to do a little salmon fishing on Lake Michigan next month. Talked to my uncle in the UP earlier today, and he said the water was still pretty cold, and they haven't had much luck so far this year. I'm looking for 'global warming' to help us out here! :roll:

 

[APEXDUCK]

Well after a couple of days of travel hell we did make it to Reindeer Lake and Lawrence Bay Lodge. 5 days of great fishing with my day and 2 of my 3 brothers. We all caught a great number of fish. My dad being very competitive with fishing we had to keep score. But I relinquished from numbers to quality and fun and fished the last day solely with the fly rod. I still caught 28 fish that day including a 39 inch pike and a 44+ inch pike that snapped the leader when the guide grabbed it and touched it to the gunnel of the boat in an effort to net the fish. Counted as a caught fish but I did not get an "official" length, but the guide said it was 44+ inches and I could tell from the 39 inch fish I caught a few minutes later that is was significantly larger. Sure would have been nice to get him on board and get a true length (or as the native guides say "Oh that's a tall fish!"). But the 39 inch pike took a run when he figured out he was hooked and ran out about 100 yards. Biggest run I have ever had from a fish on a fly rod. Smacked my left thumb twice on the spinning reel handle trying to palm the reel. When this happens you get about 5 quick snaps on your knuckle before you can pull you hand away. OUCH! My youngest brother and my dad each caught a "blue northern pike" which in the the 10 times we have been there this was the first ones we had caught or even heard of. Ontario did a study a couple of season ago and out of 19,000 pike 41 were the blue variant. Guide was excited and had to get his picture with the fish. Over all we caught over 700 fish in 5 days with 4 fishing. All lake trout and northern pike. We kept 2 of each to bring home and eat some for lunch each day. No rain but windy, cool (not cold) and cloudy all but one day. Man my arm was sore that last day casting big flies in the wind but well worth the pain for the fun of catching all my fish that day on flies I tied with feathers from pheasant, ducks, chuckers, and swan I had harvested.

We did run into a guy we met last year who was up to bear hunt. This year he brought is 18 year old daughter and she had her sights set on harvesting one with a bow! She hunted Friday but when they were replenishing the bait the bear walked out of the woods stomping and barking at them 15 yards away! They said it was like a 3 stooges scene all three: daughter, dad and guide scrambling for something to shoot the bear. Of course mister bear would have none of that and turned into the thick woods and was gone. We left Saturday before they headed out for the day. The dad teased her that if she shot a male they would dine on tasty bear nuggets that night. She said that was fine but she wanted the sack tanned so she could use it as a coin purse!!! Tough little lady who was not hard on the eyes at all. Told my oldest boy he needs to go up next year to meet a girl who would straighten him out.

Blue Northern Pike

39 inch Northern Pike

 

[RoninPA]

Wow, what great looking fish and a grand story. Always good when you can have that great a time with dad and brothers. Lots of good eatin' too!. Hope the travel home isn't/wasn't as bad as getting there.

 

[Cooperhawk]

Sadly we're not going this year. Other plans, but we will miss it. Really great fishing.
BTW, if you're coming back through MSP, expect delays. The Obamanater is in town tying everything up. :roll:

 

[Srb08]

Sounds like you guys had a great trip.
Snot rockets are fun to catch but hard on tackle.
No Walleye or Small mouth?

 

[APEXDUCK]

No small mouth in the lake. There are walleye but are on the small side even though it is a big lake. We're about 300 miles north of Saskatoon and I'm told it's just too cold for them to grow big. Folks head south to Lac LaRonge to fish for them. There was some caught last week but not by us. We tend to focus on Northern and Lake Trout.

I was teasing a small pike with a fly that was almost as long as him. He was focused on the fly and I though I would get him to bite and poof! he was gone and all that was left was a cloud of fish scales! He was lunch for a larger and wiser pike! It took me a second to realize what just happened but I further understand why we never catch small pike. They are all hiding and the dumb ones that come out are purged from the gene pool. Out go the slow and stupid!

APEXDUCK

 

[stevemb]

You guys are killin' me ! Camp buddies have been burying me in pics of muskies, another is off Hatteras, sending me pics of Bull dolphin, etc.. Arrgh !

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

The silver lining here seems to be that, regardless of the trials to get there, catching fish big enough to require a 9 wt outfit should make it all worth while! Have a great trip and good luck!

Rick C