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Thunder Bay Chronicles
The
Thunder Bay Chronicles
Day
4: Tackling Lake Superior
Okay,
I stand corrected. The
spirit of the game must have fogged my memory.
Yesterday, Team Canada in fact obliterated Team USA.
There, I said it.
I
do need to offer the facts that Team Canada had home ice advantage,
as well as species.
On
this day, Lisa Brygidyr, Laura McLennan, Bill Schrader, Kimberly
Hegg, John Peterson, and Chris Kuduk would join our burgeoning crew.
 From
the top. Lisa is
Project Communications Officer for the MNR Great Lakes Heritage
Coast Project. She
worked hand in hand with ON ICE TOUR to pull this whole thing off.
Laura is a cog in the wheel at Old Fort William.
Bill Schrader is a graphic designer, whose contribution to
fishing is Ready Rig, a novel rod and reel carrying case system. Kimberly is a fishing electronics expert, who has worked with
ON ICE TOUR since day one. John
is President and founder of Northland Tackle, manufacturer of
Fireball Jigs, Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons, and other prestigious lures
– he’s the most likeable tackle mogul I know.
With John, traveled his ace roadman and prominent Mille Lacs
fishing guide, Chris Kuduk.
Again
guided by Gord Ellis, an hour and some drive from Thunder Bay lead
us to Lake Superior’s Kama Point region.
Remember a couple of days back when I mentioned the
breathtaking view of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN?
Well, this slice of Superior is equally as magnificent, but
for its glacial islands and complex shoreline rather than sheer
water volume.
More
unsullied ice ahead, and untrammeled paths to get there.
Trail breaking was in order.
The snow was deep and drifted.
Gord
and Smedley pushed into the woods, searching for adequate passage.
They returned having blazed a course that wound through
deciduous forest, roller coastered beneath a bridge, along a
tributary, and eventually touched the majestic shores of Lake
Superior. A trail that
pure snowmobilers would die for.
Ice
fishing Superior is to have access to lake trout, whitefish,
herring, coasters (big lake going brook trout), and a zillion other
species. A veritable
freshwater ocean.
Today’s
conditions were the antithesis of two days ago, when we basked in
March’s sun, sheltered from Canadian gales.
An unblocked northwest wind discharged frigid air and sprays
of fresh powder, the kind that settle at the back of your neck.
Certainly a day for Fish Traps.
Not
far from shore, the group positioned over holes that ranged in depth
from only 10 or so feet, out to about 50.
Again, a lone hard-sided shelter was the only sign that
others used these waters. Gord
probably considered it a community spot.
A
long and snowy winter takes even the most social of neighborhoods
and renders it reclusive, a ghost town.
The ON ICE TOUR crew, a gregarious bunch, was likewise
effected by the weather. We
resigned to fishing as ones and twos inside portable shelters.
Forced anti-socialism. That
is except for the Canadians. Gord
and Smeds, stalwarts, stood outside like summer tourists.
Smeds, a lank gent, must have Prestone running through his
veins.
Fishing
shoreline holes, Mike Hehner rapped a dandy coaster. Smeds another. The
two twenty-inch plus specimens were quickly released. Lake Superior’s coasters are protected during the winter
months.
The
bite was tough. Lakers
kept a low profile, but we did eke out a few whitefish, and their
close relative, herring. These
vile and overgrown baitfish hit big tackle, the same ones lakers
inhale. And Ontario’s whitefish ripen to colossal proportions.
Only upon close examination is it possible to differentiate
like sized whitefish and herring. Herring are more golden in color and whitefish carry a more
pronounced snoot.
Chill
in the air or not, Tommy was determined to cook on the ice.
Tommy, Chip and I banked up a couple of Fish Traps as wind
blocks for folding tables and Coleman cooking gear.
It worked, sort of. The
swirling wind sent paper plates-a-flying and toiled to keep cooking
temperatures down. Tommy
then had a brainstorm. Without
ado, he retracted a two-man Fish Trap to the halfway point, removed
the seats and replaced them with a pair of cook stoves.
A well-oxygenated and breeze-less food-preparing environment
was created.
Lunch
was served. The crew
awakened from hibernation long enough to enjoy Michelle’s Chili
(Tommy’s wife) and brats.
Anglers
returned to their shelters, unidentifiable, faceless. If you were looking for someone specific, you’d have to
call out their name and listen for a “what?” or “over here”,
then head toward the sound of their voice in the sea of blue Fish
Traps.
I
found Larry Curthoys and sat with him for a spell. Delightful man with that fun-to-listen-to eastern tinge.
Larry carries turkey calls, mouth calls, which he blows on
command with authority and accuracy.
He also wears, as a necklace, the spur of his largest tom, a
monster bird. I’m
convinced that given an ultimatum, Larry would choose the language
of wild turkeys over English.
I
also peeked in on the Mikes, Mike Seeling and Mike Jackson.
In front of their boots were four symmetrically positioned
holes, each with its own purpose and customized rigging – a
tangled nightmare if something wicked this way came.
But it was evident that the Mikes were serious.
Mike
J. yelled out to Bro, “Cut another quadrant of holes in case we
decide to move.” Leaving
the comfort of a shelter on such a blustery day is uninviting, but
like I said, they were serious.
The
day’s fishing ended with a clutch of whitefish and herring, which
Bill Lindner shot and re-shot, as sunshine permitted.
No matter how many light fabricating gadgets you bring on the
ice, nothing touches the real thing.
The
camera smiled on Lisa, Laura, and their catch.
A
dramatic ice landing made the day complete.
Bruce Carrier circled, circled again, and set his Cessna down
into a strong headwind.
The bird created the sound of a hundred outboard motors.
Drifts of snow whorled and volatized into crystals.
Cool, an airplane on ice.
Today,
the USA vs. Canada rivalry simmered down.
Tonight,
dinner would be served at The Neebing.
Tomorrow,
back to Nipigon.
The best day yet.
Webmaster’s
notes:
Noel Vick is a freelance outdoor writer and member of ON ICE TOUR. meadowlark@uswest.net
Special
thanks to:
-
Bill
Lindner Photography (651) 487-0586, www.blpstudio.com
-
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
-
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources Great Lakes Heritage Coast
Project
(807) 475-1274, www.mnr.gov.on.ca and www.ontarioslivinglegacy.com
-
Sleeping Giant Taxidermy & Bait
(807) 622-9989
-
Old
Fort William
(807) 473-2344, www.oldfortwilliam.on.ca/homepage.html
-
CANUSA
Travel Information Network (807)
475-3035, www.gottagonorth.com
-
The
Neebing Road House
(restaurant & tavern) on Highway 61, across from the Best
Western
-
Nor’Wester Resort Hotel (807) 475-0792
-
Airlane
Catering
(Travel Lodge) (807)
473-1607
-
Wisk-Air
(helicopter service) (807)
475-4510
Tight Lines,
Noel
Vick
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