LCEF donors register prize fish in Canada's Trophy Waters
Four Lake Cities residents were lucky enough to escape the summer heat with an unbelievable week of fun and fishing at Northern Ontario's Trophy Waters, a catch and release conservation area. Local dentist Dr. Danny Baird and Larry McCurley purchased the Halley's Camps Canadian Fly-in Fishing Trip last fall at the Lake Cities Education Foundation Gala. Mark Tucker and Jerry Goodale were persuaded to join in the adventure and all set out for the twenty-seven hour drive to Minaki, Ontario aboard Dr. Baird's Winnebago. All went well until Goodale dropped the rear axle of the motor home into the ditch within fifty yards of the float-plane base. Three hours, three wreckers and several hundred dollars later, our trekkers settled into a lengthy two hour sleep before the fishing adventure began.
The five-day American Plan Package included a cabin at Kettle Falls Lodge… with all meals, boats and guides provided. The group supplemented the trip with two fly-in Smallmouth Bass fishing trips to secluded lakes teeming with scrappy Smallmouth. On the first morning, the float-plane dropped the four into Lake Houston at 7 a.m. They caught bass literally all day long with every kind of bait in the tackle box. The following day, the plane left our anglers on Lake Margot where the biggest fish of the trip (40-inch northern pike by McCurley) and the smallest (3-inch bass by Baird) were landed. All fish were released. Margot is a pristine lake removed from civilization with a small cabin for two. (See it at www.outpostcompany.com.)
At day's end, the float-plane delivered the exhausted anglers to Kettle Falls Lodge where they were just in time for Sharon Halley's evening meal. People actually charter float- planes and fly into Kettle Falls just for one of Sharon's dinners. It's worth the trip.
The breakfast bell rang at seven each morning and the foursome was off for a big water adventure on the English River. Legendary Walleye Guide Bryan Parker and Pikester Mack Gordon covered the massive river basin from tiny backwater creek inlets to open water honey holes, jigging for Walleye and casting for Northern Pike. As soon things slowed down, the lines were reeled in and the action soon resumed in another location. The fishing is anything but boring at Halley’s Camps. Bald Eagles swept down within thirty feet of the boat… Loons popped up out of the water and filled the silence of the Canadian wilderness with the song of the north. Moose peered from the shoreline. The weather ranged from 65 to 90 degrees. The rain never interfered with the fishing and fell mostly at night. The conservation guidelines allows for two fish per angler to be used for a shore lunch, expertly prepared by the guides each day. According to area guides, you can eat fried Walleye every day for lunch and never grow tired of it. Our fishermen agree. The Halley’s have been entertaining fishermen and hunters for over sixty years - it is no wonder that they have a ninety five percent guest return rate. Add four more.
Article Submitted by Jerry Goodale, 7/19/2006 - to be printed in the Lakes City Sun.
