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03/21/2001
- SPECIAL FEATURE
Over
the next six days, beginning on Friday, March 16th,
you’ll have inside access to ON
ICE TOUR’s 2001 Spring Media Jamboree,
which transpired in early March.
It
will read somewhat like a journal, but more like an article.
I’ll take you to places where fish grow large, behave
savagely, and footprints are few. Where trees sprout from cliffs and “Minnesota nice” is
matched, and sometimes bested, by Canadian hospitality.
And where a geographically diverse blend of outdoor writers
and photographers hoed common ground.
ON
ICE TOUR cofounders, Chip
Leer and Tommy
Skarlis put on quite a show.
Won’t you come along?
Archive:
03/16/01 Day 1: Travel
Archive: 03/17/01 Day
2: The
Core Group Hunts Trophies
Archive: 03/18/01 Day 3: Experiencing
Nipigon and Old Fort William
Archive:
03/19/01 Day 4: Tackling
Lake Superior
Archive:
03/20/01 Day
5: Back to Nipigon .... the day of all days
The
Thunder Bay Chronicles
Day
6: Walleyes and Cappuccino
ON
ICE TOUR’S final day of fishing would take us to walleye country.
Our destination, Lac Des Mille Lacs, a massive and sprawling
assemblage of bays and smaller lakes that lies within an hour’s
travel west of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Lac Des Mille Lacs isn’t like the etched out, craggy and
cliff-trimmed shield lakes we’d visited all week long.
Its waters aren’t transparent and lake trout don’t top
the food chain. Instead,
the shoreline offers more bog than rock.
The water has more hue than Cappuccino, and walleyes and
northern pike rule the roost.
 But
for what it might lack in glacial aesthetics, it more than makes up
for in bountifulness. Lac
Des Mille Lacs is ripe with walleyes, and big ones at that.
Equally as impressive is the lake’s ability to nurture
gigantic pike. Oh, and
if I might editorialize on beauty as it pertains to fishing
scenes… Low-lying
moose and Tamarack habitat holds as much splendor as precipices and
eagle’s nests.
We
entered the lake through Camp Sawmill Bay, a classic fisherman’s
resort that is owned and operated by former NHL’er, Eddie Kuchar. I heard that he even gave Tommy an old trading card – hope
it was signed.
The
snow returned, so did the wind and cold.
Following
the resort’s marked trail, which was hard packed and easy to
navigate, Gord led us toward his spot.
Gord veered off at some unmarked point along the trail.
We followed. The
lead sleds arrived simultaneously with Gord, we were given brief
instructions, and then Gord and Smeds, who were participating in an
ice-fishing contest across the lake, motored into the distance.
ON
ICE TOUR, meet Mr. Slush.
One
of the middle sleds bogged down and sunk with a “ploosh”.
The following drivers made the grave error of slowing down
and subsequently went “ploosh”. In all, three snowmobiles, portable fish houses, and a
carrying sled were stuck in some of slushiest slush I’ve ever
encountered. Somewhere,
Gord and Smeds, our Canadian leaders, were trucking along, probably
on a firm trail.
I
think Gord left us there on purpose.
Who can blame him? If
he left us in slush, we’d still be in slush when he came back. Would you want to be in charge of bunch of American
journalists that strayed off and got lost?
I wouldn’t. No
hard feelings, Gord.
American
resilience, organization, Tommy’s “never say die” attitude,
and the latest and greatest gear combined to save the day.
We got unstuck, shuttled our equipment, piece by piece, back
to the main trail, and sought harder fishing terrain.
John
Peterson and Chris Kuduk, performing as scouts, located a group of
occupied permanent shelters on a heavier fished but solid chunk of
ice. We were there.
Incredibly,
the water in this popular place was only four to six feet deep.
Canadian walleyes, winter ones, in only four feet of water?
Yes. And for the
first time we weren’t alone.
A dozen or so permanent shelters littered the ice, and some
peculiar looking ones at that. One, the ultimate dwelling for babysitting setlines, featured
more windows than siding. Its
long rectangular pieces of glass could have come from the Orient
Express. And man, did
their inhabitants know how to embrace winter.
They positioned rows of setlines leading away from the
shelter; each constituted of a loose spool of line or spinning
outfit, short tree limb, and a hunk of orange trail tape.
The limb was stuck in the snow next to a hole, the tape was
used to signal strikes. I
watched our Canadian friends ice several sizable walleyes.
Between bites they relished in each other’s company and
laughed at Old Man Winter.
Gord
Ellis was once quoted as saying, “winter’s much too short.”
The
ON ICE TOUR crew must have hooked a couple dozen fish.
Bright and noisy spoons were the tickets, especially
Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons and System Tackle Rattl’r Spoons.
No surprise that sound and fury prevailed in waters that have
been filtered through a bog like Folgers through a screen.
A
local walked up to me and asked, “What, did you guys get some kind
a deal on Clams?” Referring
to our platoon of blue fish houses, which were actually Fish Traps.
I
said, “Sort of.”
“Where
you folks from?”
“Most
of us are from the stateside,” I answered.
“I
can tell, Americans are always wearing camo.”
I
panned the group, and he was right, there was a lot of camouflaged
cold weather clothing. I
imagine that Larry Curthoys, the writer and turkey-hunting virtuoso,
even owns Real Tree undergarments.
Gord
and Smeds returned from the great event with less than great
results. It seems that
we banged more walleyes, per capita, than did the field of
contestants. Served
Gord right for stranding us earlier.
Chip
and Tommy whipped up another fantastic spread.
We stuffed our faces with cheese soup and crackers, brats and
hotdogs, and some leftovers from the previous day.
The
flag of a Finicky’s Fish Factory flew high and Bro nabbed the
perpetrator, a golden Lac Des Mille Lacs walleye.
A
gathering wind migrated northward.
Air temps fell. And
with plenty of walleyes and fond memories in hand, we packed it in.
Again,
I was the lone angler as ON ICE TOUR faded into the distance.
Unlike yesterday, the cold made me anxious for someone to
come back, that was until I realized Rob Danchuk needed another
driver, one for his other snow machine, The Ski-Doo Skandic.
As Canadian as it gets.
With wide skies and untold inches of track, I motored toward
shore, feeling pretty Canadian, knowing I wouldn’t get stuck.
Definitely highlight number two from Thunder Bay…
Special
note: If you’ve enjoyed reading The Thunder Bay Chronicles, I
encourage you to experience it, first hand.
The following list of providers will gladly assist in the
planning.
ON
ICE TOUR wishes to thank all those in Ontario, as well as sponsors,
who helped organize and contributed to the 2001 Spring Media
Jamboree.
Webmaster’s
notes:
Noel Vick is a freelance outdoor writer and member of ON ICE TOUR. meadowlark@uswest.net
Special
thanks to:
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Bill
Lindner Photography (651) 487-0586, www.blpstudio.com
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The Best Western Nor’Wester
Resort Hotel, located on Highway 61 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
They can be reached at 1-888-473-BEST (2378) or www.norwester.net
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Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources Great Lakes Heritage Coast
Project
(807) 475-1274, www.mnr.gov.on.ca and www.ontarioslivinglegacy.com
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Sleeping Giant Taxidermy & Bait
(807) 622-9989
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Old
Fort William
(807) 473-2344, www.oldfortwilliam.on.ca/homepage.html
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CANUSA
Travel Information Network (807)
475-3035, www.gottagonorth.com
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The
Neebing Road House
(restaurant & tavern) on Highway 61, across from the Best
Western
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Nor’Wester Resort Hotel (807) 475-0792
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Airlane
Catering
(Travel Lodge) (807)
473-1607
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Wisk-Air
(helicopter service) (807)
475-4510
Tight Lines,
Noel
Vick
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