Fishing with the Babe

Conclusion

2009-01-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

We finally made it back home the following afternoon. It's always nice to come home.

Overall, the trip was truly awesome! We met so many wonderful people, fished with some of the best, caughts hundreds of fish, saw some spectacular scenery, shore lunches worth the trip alone, etc, etc. Sure, I could have done without locking my keys in the car, the delay at the border, etc....but those just add a little twist to the fun LOL.

Am I disappointed that we had to leave early? Of course I am, who wouldn't be? But I also realize that that's fishing (and life in general). There are some things you can't control. But instead of pouting about the weather and leaving early, I prefer to be happy for the good times we did have...and we DID have a good time!! From the awesome fishing to the entertaining dinners and 'after hours', we had fun!! And most of all, I got to watch Louis have the fishing trip of a lifetime...how can you be disappointed in that?

Some final thoughts and comments. Anyone contemplating a fishing trip to Ontario should definitely consider Lake St Joseph and The Old Post and Village. This place is one of a kind! Everyone there was very helpful and kind. The food was great! Awesome scenery. Fantastic shore lunches. A rich history. Oh, and lots of fish!! What more could you ask for? Check them out at http://www.oldpost.com/index.php

Also, we had a blast with JohnnyB, his brothers, Joey, Jimmy and Michael, and Pat. What a great bunch of guys. And talented musicians, too! And most of all, they made sure to include Louis in their fun. That meant a lot to me (and Louis). We really enjoyed our time with you all. Wish we could have spent more time together. Thanks for everything!! You guys rock!!

And what can I say about Babe and his camera crew, Nate and James. These guys were awesome! All of them are very knowledgable when it comes to fishing and hunting, and all three were kind enough to help us and offer pointers, tips, etc...heck, I even learned a new way to get my line unsnagged LOL I bet these guys have forgotten more about fishing and hunting than I'll ever know. Thank you Babe, James and Nate, you guys are true sportsmen and I'm glad to count you among my freinds! And don't forget to check out the show! http://www.winkelman.com/

Before I finish, I'd like to thank all the folks who voted for us and made this trip possible for us. This was truly the trip of a lifetime for Louis and I!! Thank you!!

Day 5

2009-01-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Fishing Day 3

The plan for day three of fishing was to go for large pike...as in 40" or more. We'd been catching smaller ones throughout our trip along with the three large ones during the shore lunch and then the one that got away from Louis/me. But the weather was not looking good. Although last night's storm had passed, more storms were forecast for throughout the day...for the next few days in fact. This was a large system that covered a good portion of Canada. In fact, I know a few other people fishing other parts of Canada that got hammered by the same storm. It was bad enough that other people were leaving early as the outlook for fishing seemed grim and they wanted to hit the road before the storms. Johnny and his brothers decided to leave early too, as they could not afford to take a chance of being caught in the storm and missing their flights back home.

Babe, Louis and I decided to stay and look for pike, even though the lake was choppy. The guide, Mike, said he knew of some sheltered bays where we might have some luck that weren't too far from camp, so we decided to give them a shot. We fished for about an hour under tough conditions...I landed the only fish...a small pike....and then the storm started raging again, rain came pouring down along with lightning, and we decided to play it safe and head for camp. Since I'm the only one that landed a fish, I can truly say I outfished Babe Winkelman...not something many folks can say LOL

After consulting with Mike, John (the owner of the lodge), and using the knowledge he's gained from a lifetime of being outdoors, Babe realized that any hopes of fishing for the next few days was out of the question...Mike and John pretty much agreed...the storms were too severe to head out fishing. With that decision made, Babe and his crew decided that they may as well leave ASAP also so that they could beat the storm and nightfall.

But there was one small problem...Louis and I had flown in and there was no way a plane could pick us up in this weather. So Babe offered to drive us back to our van in Fort Frances before going home himself. We had a nice conversation on the ride back ( a seven plus hour ride at that). I'm sure I bored him some as I tend to babble when I'm tired, saw some bears, some grouse, bald eagles, etc...talked about all kinds of things...from illegal immigration to hunting to hobbies (Babe loves music, golf and shooting pool in case you're wondering) to some of the charitites he does work for to how he met his current wife. He made sure my van would start before leaving and gave me his number and said I should call him when I made it home and if I ever needed anything....Babe is truly a class act!!

Day 4

2009-01-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Fishing Day 2

...today's plan was two fold...they wanted to search deeper water for big walleye to film.....and they wanted underwater pics. So we took off in the morning to find some walleyes in deep water. But there was one problem...the weather...while not raining, it was very windy causing large waves in the open water where we had hoped to find larger fish. While still fishable, the waves prevented the camera crew from filming as it was impossible to hold the cameras steady in the large waves. So much for the first part of the plan

So they decided to skip the search for big walleyes for the time being and we headed to some sheltered areas out of the wind to get underwater pics. For this, they had a small video camera in a waterproof case that was attached to a long pole. When someone caught a fish, they'd move over by you and lower the camera into the water. You then had to swim your fish around the camera and then lift it straight out of the water when it was directly above the lens while they taped. At other times they would have you toss your fish back on top of the submerged camera. Like I said before, I could have done without this part, esp since I have a face for radio. I just wanted to fish. But it was kind of interesting to watch and I know Babe and the crew had a show to do, so I tried my best to do my part.

We had another great shore lunch. Not only is Mike a great guide, but he can cook, too!! And if you recall, yesterday Joey caught a 40+ inch northern pike while waiting for lunch. Today, JohnnyB cast out a line, right from shore and wouldn't you know, on the very first cast he brings in a 40+ inch northern pike!! After releasing that monster, Johnny walked about 75 yards down the shore, casts a second time and hooks another monster northern...again over 40 inches!! What are the odds of that happening!! Two casts, from shore resulting in two 40+ inch trophy pike!! Unbelievable is the only way I can describe it!!

After another great shore lunch, we were hoping to try again for big walleye in deep water, but the waves were still bad and getting worse. You could feel the change in the air, the dropping temperature and it wasn't long before we could see the storm moving in. We decided to just go back into the sheltered areas and have fun catching the fish like we had been doing. And doing more filming, of course LOL. We literally caught hundreds of fish...walleyes and small pike.

Louis cast out one time and thought he got snagged. He pulled and pulled and it didn't budge. So I started reeling my line in so that I could give him my fishing pole while I worked on his. But before I could get my line all the way back in, Louis says his broke free and I looked and sure enough, he was reeling it in easily. So I went back to working my line. Suddenly Louis shouts out that it wasn't a snag...he had hooked a large pike!! When it saw the boat, it wasn't happy. Louis got it to the back of the boat, which is a miracle in itself bcause the pole was set up for walley with a 3/8jig and 8lb test and NO wire leader. How that big fish didn't break the line I'll never know. On this lake, nets are not permitted, so I had to reach over the back of the boat and lift the pike out by hand...and this is where the trouble began. The fish didn't seem to mind when I slid my hand in his gill, but as soon as I got him about half way out of the water, he realized he didn't want to be here and used his muscles to make one last push...and unfortunately, he was able to push himself up off my hand and away from me, snapping the line with ease as he came back down. Louis was very disappointed...but he'll never be as disappointed as I was/am at not getting that fish on board . That was easily the largest fish Louis had ever caught...hopefully, they got enough of it on film for us to see something. Oh well...that's life sometimes.

And to add to the disappointment, it started raining. But we kept fishing anyways....until lightning started. The last place you want to be is in a boat holding a graphite rod. Babe said the graphite rods conduct electricity better than aluminum...so we made the long dash back to the lodge. It was pouring by the time we got back (about a 40 minute boat ride). We were lucky as Babe had his own boat....a nice 19ft Polar Craft with a 225hp Evinrude outboard. Nice and fast!

Johnny's brothers had the boats the lodge provides...16ft, open bow, 25hp outboard. So while we were gracefully flying through the water with the windshield protecting us, these poor guys were getting hammered by every wave. And there were plenty of big waves! They were soaked through and through by the time they got back . We got to watch a spectacular storm that night with lightning, etc from the warmth of the lodge.

Day 3

2009-01-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

I know...you all are asking...WHAT ABOUT THE FISHING?!!! I'll get to that now...

The first day started out overcast and not looking too good, but that wasn't going to keep us from going out (after a great breakfast)! It was Louis, Babe and JohnnyB and myselfon Babe's boat. The camera crew had their own boat, though they'd occassionally hop on ours for some different angles, etc. Johnny's brothers were on the boats the lodge supplied. Not bad boats, but we had Cadillacs compared to theirs LOL. Johnny's brothers had to fish a different area than us because they were afraid of having clutter in the background while filming. It's amazing how much time, effort and forethought they put into making these shows. We teased the brothers saying we put them on the bunny hills.

Anyhow, we head out, find a nice spot and guess who caught the first fish? Babe? Nope! Johnny? Nope! Me? Nope! Louis? Yes!! I was so happy that Louis caught the very first fish of the trip!! The plan for the first day was to find a place where the walleyes were plentiful and shoot a lot of action...and when we were hot, we were hot!! Sometimes there would be three of us with fish on at the same time...nothing real big, but a whole lot of good eating sized ones with a few larger ones tossed in for kicks. Small pike were also plentiful. Couple of times the action would die out to nothing and we'd have to find another spot...which Babe happens to be very good at and with the help of our guide, Mike. But for the most part, we were catching plenty of fish.

And what can you say about the shore lunch other than awesome!!! Mike, our guide, made the best shore lunch I've ever had! Those lunches alone would be worth the trip!! What can ya say, fresh walleyes, potatoes, etc...all cooked on the spot so you not only get great food, but spectacular scenery to boot...can't beat the dining room Mother Nature provides!!

While Mike was cooking lunch (Louis, Babe and I were still fishing), Johnny's brother, Joey, decides he'll toss a line out for the heck of it....and ended up catching a huge 40+ inch northern pike!! He was ecstatic and I can't blame him as it was a beauty from the pics and video we saw of it!! Since the point he was on didn't have a name, custom is that anyone catching a pike over 40 inches gets to name the point. So he named it Woodpecker Shore.

The weather, which started off looking bad, actually cleared up and turned out to be the nicest day we'd have. And here is the drawback of filming...Babe and some of the others had dressed for bad weather (full rain gear), but now that it cleared, they were stuck wearing all that clothing for the sake of film continuity.

Louis was really hot after lunch, often getting fish after fish after fish on consecutive casts...he was havin' lots of fun! And I had fun watching him. We finished the first day fishing for more walleyes and got plenty...nothing spectacular as far as size, but lots of nice sized ones, and lots of them in the perfect eating range We spent over 12 hours fishing the first day!! And a good thing we did, because that night, the weather took a turn for the worse. Anyhow, we got back to the lodge and settled in for another fine dinner and more entertainment.

Day 2, part two

2009-01-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Finally made it to camp about 7:00pm, only to find out that Babe and his crew had yet to arrive. They were supposed to be there by noon so they could talk to the guides, make plans for the following days' fishing, etc and then be ready for dinner when we arrived. Johnny and his brothers also had failed to arrive on time. Looks like we'd have to start the party without them LOL

Babe arrived at about 8:30pm....they got caught in construction traffic, etc....I was originally planning on pretending I thought he was Bob Vila, and how I think he got screwed by Norm Abrahms, etc and even brought a dvd for 'Bob' to sign. But when I saw him, he looked really beat from the 12hr drive. He had drove by himself, bringing his boat, equipment, etc. The camera crew brought another truck with their boat, equipment, etc...they switched off driving duties but, since Babe was alone, he drove it all himself. Anyhow, I could just see in his eyes that he was exhausted and just wanted to get to his cabin and rest for a bit, and I can respect a person for that, so I just introduced myself and told him I'd catch up with him later.

Johnny and his brothers didn't get there til almost 10pm...they almost didn't catch the boat to camp (you park on one side of the lake and catch the camp ferry to get to camp). They also missed dinner. Timing is critical with the owner...he reminded me of the soup nazi on that Seinfeld episode. He had a schedule and you were expected to follow it...no exceptions. Can't blame him as he needs to keep things on schedule. Well, that's what he wanted you to believe. But in reality, he was kind enough to have the cook rustle up some food. Did I mention how good the food was? It was awesome!!

So anyhow...late arrivals didn't stop us from getting the place rocking. Johnny and his brothers are all talented musicians, and so is Babe. One of the things I learned about Babe during the trip home was that he used play as a fill in lead guitarist for bands...and would join in many jam sessions also. He can't read a note of music...plays it all by ear. Anyhow Johnny's brothers brought guitars, etc and the lodge had a few instrunments as well. It didn't take long before Johnny, his brothers and Babe got the place rockin'!!

Louis kept busy hustling pool LOL

Needless to say, it was the first of many long, entertaining nights!

Day 2, part one

2009-01-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

Spent Thursday bumming around town getting some last minute items, fishing license, etc. Not much else to do in that town. We mostly drove around, doing a little shopping for last minute items, etc. The plane came at 4:30pm to pick us up. We can see him landing and then taxiing to the dock. The plane pulls up to the dock and some kid jumps out and ties it off, looks to be about 16....I'm looking for his dad, or the real pilot, waiting for him to step out too...then realize this kid IS our pilot! LOL

We ended up with an extra passenger when Johnny's brother-in-law, Pat, showed up at the airport with an expired passport (you now need a passport when flying to/from Canada). He ended up changing his flight to Int Falls and then taking a taxi over the border and just made it in time for our plane.

The pilot was only planning on two passengers (Louis and I), so he only had two extra seats in the plane...says they always travel as light as possible. I volunteered to use my duffle bag as a chair. The pilot had a heck of a time getting the plane airborn with the extra weight. He was actually trying to bounce off waves in hopes of catching some extra air to get airborn...but after a very long time (I'm talking MINUTES of taxing on the water at high speed), it finally broke free of the water and lifted...which was good because we were entering the boat traffic lanes For a while there, I thought we'd have to taxi all the way to our destination.

You really realize how desolate it is when you fly for two hours and pretty much see nothing as far as real civilization goes...a couple logging camps, a few waaaaaay out there homes....it's beautiful.

We finally arrived at camp around 7:00pm, thankful for having made it this far with any major incidents LOL

Day 1

2009-01-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Our fishing trip actually began a week earlier. The whole family went to our place in Hatfield, WI for the 4th of July holiday and spent a few relaxing days in the sun, water, sand, canoeing, biking, etc....we even did a little fishing and just plain goofing around LOL. After four days or so, though, it was time for Louis and I to start heading north.

The plan was for us to head up to Fort Francis, Ontario which is just over the border from International Falls, MN. From there we would catch a float plane and fly to our destination, the Old Post Lodge on Lake St Joseph. We'd fish for four days and then fly back to Fort Francis and return home much in the same way we came...with a stop in Hatfield for the night.

So on the morning ofJuly, 8th, 2008, Louis and I set out for Fort, Francis, Ontario...the first stop on our trip. Not very eventful.....except for the stop at Target on the way. Louis ripped his gym shoes while playing in WI so we stopped along the way to replace them. Ever close your car door and realize right before it closes that you left your keys in the ignition? Yep, that's what I did. Louis is like, 'Just call mom'...not realizing that we are at least six hours from home....I highly doubt she would come. LOL

Now Louis is worried...I told him to relax, we'll just do our shopping as planned and worry about it later. Well, he didn't even see any dang shoes he liked, so it was a wasted stop. But I did buy a package of wire coat hangers, a small pry bar and a screwdriver So I have Louis popping open the side window while I have a coat hanger in each hand trying to push in the buttons for the window lock. As I'm doing this, an old lady walks past with her husband and I hear her commenting "Look! Someone's breaking into that white van!" Yep, that would be me she was referring to. LOL I half expected the police to come screeching up. Took me a few minutes, but I got it open and we were on our way...before the police came LOL

Got to International Falls, MN/Fort Frances, Ont about 7pm Wed night. If you've never smelled paper mills, consider yourself lucky.

I did get some flak at the border because of Louis's paperwork. We adopted Louis in Guatemala when he was a baby, so his records, etc are a little harder to come by. We had applied for a passport, but it got delayed because I sent a certified copy one part of the adoption paperwork rather than the original...well excuuuuse me!! I knew before I left that we needed either a passport or his birth certificate...so there I was, a day before leaving and I have neither because I sent his birth certificate to the passport office since they needed it for documentation. Undaunted, I left with just certified copies of his adoption AND that one piece of ORIGINAL documentation that was holding up his passport...I figured if it was that important, it was going to have to be important enough for us to cross the border LOL Did I even mention I'm the type willing to take a gamble?

So of course, when we went to cross into Canada, they asked for our passports and/or birth certificates. I gave him my passport adn the adotion papers for Louis. He asked if I had a passport or birth certificate for Louis and I told him yes and no...yes he has both, BUT, they are still at the Chicago office...needless to say, we were asked to pull over and step inside LOL Louis was worried because if they didn't allow him to cross, then we couldn't go on the trip...I told him that, like at Target, he needs to learn to relax. After some phone calls, lots of questions, etc we were allowed entry to Canada...took a half hour but we made it!!

We had completed the first leg of our trip. We got our hotel room, went out to dinner and then settled in for the night.