A Trip of a Lifetime

I have been a die-hard fisherman since the age of ten, starting with a cane pole and worms and soon progressing to casting rods and artificial baits. I used ultra-light spinning outfits with small Mepps spinners and Beetle Spins for panfish. For smallmouth bass I used a medium weight spinning combination, but for the bigger fish; largemouth bass, northern pike and muskies I went with casting rods and reels. Early on I fished for anything and everything depending on my mood and what was biting at the time. But after awhile, like many fishermen I focused almost exclusively on muskies. I like to eat fish, especially fresh-caught fish, but the unwritten code with musky fishermen is catch-and-release, which I fully support, so when I wanted fish to eat I'd bring out the ultra-light equipment and catch a meal of crappie of bluegill.

When Maribel came to the United States I taught her to fish and she absolutely loved it. There was a lake only 10 minutes from our house that was the closest you could get to a fish factory for panfish, pike and bass. It was she who usually said, "Let's hook up the boat and go." We left that all behind us when we moved to Peru in 2008, including the boat and motor. We moved to Georgia in July of 2017 and haven't done any fishing at all. We both miss it. Given my age, and the lack of lakes in the area as opposed to Wisconsin I don't think that a boat is in our future. I've talked to people and looked for places to shore fish for panfish but the opportunities are really limited. There are public fishing piers on the Tennessee River but from what I've seen they don't produce much action. So when my son phoned last June to suggest a musky fishing trip in Canada with he and my grandson I jumped at the chance. I wasn't happy with the thought of leaving Maribel behind, but she encouraged me to go.

So one day in July we arrived in Morson, Ontario, Canada on the shore of the fabled Lake of the Woods. It was a 20 minute drive in my son's boat to the resort, which is located on an island, of which there are hundreds. A GPS and depth finder are absolutely essential to navigate that body of water. It is huge and treacherous to those who don't know it. The name of the resort is Grassy Narrows and I highly recommend it.

After eating breakfast at the lodge we were usually on the water by 8:00 AM. It's not necessary to be out there at the break of dawn; muskies hit all day long. The staff at the lodge packed a lunch for us which we either ate in the boat or on one of the islands. We would return to our cabin in mid-afternoon to stretch and take a break but were back on the water shortly fishing until dark

In the evening the guests gathered in the lodge to talk about the day's fishing. We'd compare results, baits (most favored the Double 8) and talk about fishing in general.

We were there four days. My son and grandson caught muskies and pike. I didn't catch a musky but led our group in the number of trophy pike, with three reaching 40 inches.

Even tough I didn't catch any this was without a doubt the best musky fishing trip I have ever had. Everything about it was perfect, topped off with the presence of my son and grandson.

I'm going to make another effort to find some place here in Georgia to fish from the shore to catch fish to eat. I know Maribel would like that and so would I.