THE
REEL THING September
2004
Hi
everybody:
Just a few months ago I wondered if I would ever be able to cast
competitively again and just as important, even fish, especially on the
Broadback River in Northern Quebec. Well, as you probably read in the last
bulletin, Sheila and I did cast in the National Championships in Kentucky last
month and my buddies, Paul Kentucky and Rick Matusiak and I just returned from
another wonderful trip to the Broadback……and yes we caught enough brookies
and pickerel to eat, but we still haven’t caught Mister Big…..maybe
next year.
We
know it’s there and have visual proof in Rick’s fabulous underwater
movies, which if you haven’t seen yet, give me a call and we’ll arrange it
for you. Rick also shot another couple hours of film on the Broadback which he
will be editing and assembling before too long and hopefully we can all get
together for an evening for a look-see.
Ray Cockburn and I had a nice outing on the Red River stretch of the
Ganny a few weeks ago and had a few thrills with really big resident browns,
but, alas, couldn’t keep even one of them on the line. Only a couple of
weeks left there before the Chinooks move upstream. Then the brownies go into
seclusion until the salmon go back to the lake. Please give me a report if you
get out to give it a go so I can spread the word to our other fishermen and
gals.
A few days before we took off for the Broadback, I had the pleasure of
wetting a line once again alongside Pat Walsh, the editor of Outdoor Canada.
We worked over the waters of Limit Lake - thoroughly, with both feathers and
tin, but the trout had lockjaw as the barometer was dropping out of sight, but
as he had displayed on the Ganny on an earlier outing, this fellow showed he
has both the aplomb and patience of a veteran skilled angler and is eager to
try either Limit or Beanpole again later in this fall
When the steelies begin running the rivers in a few weeks I will be
setting up my smoker and brine and you are all welcome to bring one or two of
your fish over and I will do them along with my own……preferably, trout
between five and eight pounds, please. They fit in the coolers and smoker best
at that size, as well as being more succulent to eat.
We do not know for sure yet, but more than likely next year’s
National North American Casting Championships (first week in August) will be
staged right next to the giant Cabela’s store in Michigan, about a half-hour
drive from Toledo. This is our club members’ chance to see some of the best
casters in the world in action and test their own mettle against them. We
definitely have enough good casters to put up a fine show and even field a
team that could open a few eyes in some of the other clubs.
We have enough bamboo to get the rod building underway and if anyone
would like to build an arsenal of rods like Jim Lloyd has in the last four or
five years, please let us know soon so we can plan accordingly. The bamboo to
build a couple of rods costs between $35.00 and $40.00; pretty cheap when you
consider the finished product could be worth well over a thousand bucks!
If
there are at least a half a dozen folks in the club who would like to
participate in a weekend fall fishing trip we will make the arrangements and
book a cottage or two. I would suggest, either the Haliburton, Georgian Bay or
Saugeen areas, but if you are interested I will have to know fairly soon to be
able to make reservations.
Just a couple of reminders; if you haven’t looked previously, perhaps
you might like to look at some of the early editions of the Reel Thing.
My son, Ron, has affixed a link to our web-page pathcom.com/~coachman where
you can go back to the very early years of our club. Reviewing the club’s
history makes for an interesting read. Also, for the folks in our club, annual
dues are payable now (September).
See you soon,
Gord
SELECT
ANOTHER ISSUE
HOME
