Shore Lunch
We booked a fishing guide and it was the best decision. It also reminded me of my summer working at a fishing camp…
For a couple years now, Ed has mentioned wanting to catch a fish and enjoy a shore lunch. Having never fished before coupled with my tiny, remote fishing knowledge left behind at a summer job in 2003, neither of us was sure where to begin.
I responded to a newspaper ad in 2003 seeking cabin cleaners/serving staff at a fishing lodge - a fishing lodge in NWO - catering to American guests. The wages weren’t terrible at $1800/month for five months… but they sure got their money’s worth from each of us. We worked 12+ hours a day, every day, and were granted three “free” days – randomly assigned to us – during our stay. Cleaning cabins. Laundry for the entire camp. Prepping every meal service. Prepping shore lunch bins. Cleaning up after each meal service. Cleaning shore lunch bins (so gross, so incredibly gross). Wrapping hundreds of fish filets late into the night for guests to take home.
When I say “cleaning cabins” it glosses over the horrors of having to clean up after groups of (mostly, only) men who came to Canada to catch fish, eat fish, and drink beer. Check-out was always the same day of the week for all travelers, which made that particular day an exceptionally busy day. The cabins were left coated in grease and fish batter, trash, and empty beer cans.
I’ve never worked so hard.
When we thought we were done cleaning the cabins, the owner would come by. She would cruise through each cabin wearing her little white magic gloves. She’d slide her fingers along random surfaces and would stand there and watch us re-clean the entire room if the glove ever came up even slightly dirty.
It was here I met Ash and together we endured the toughest and weirdest camp season. We’re still acquaintances today.
Our time on the boats dipping lines into the water was limited to our schedules lining up with that of a sympathetic guide who would take us out. We had to pay for gas for the boat and buy our own bait. Those TWO evenings on the water, where the stars and schedules aligned, are unforgettable. I caught a tiny perch!
I used the money earned from this adventure to pay for the Red River College Health Care Aide course in February 2004. I loved the work very much and the instructor, Noreen Witt, urged me to continue with my studies.
I recently saw Noreen at the RRC Nursing Awards Ceremony in September 2022 and nearly cried while thanking her for encouraging me to continue on in to nursing. She remembered me! I shared with her my adventures in nursing through HSC ER, HSC SICU, and LifeFlight… and teaching at Red River. I shared a bit about Hike Manitoba. I also thanked her profusely for being a mentor and a coach when I had neither in my life at that time.
Back to fishing.
I wasn’t sure where to begin looking for a guided experience – very much like the ones I watched our NWO lodge guests enjoy – show up at the dock, hop onto a boat, and have the rest sorted out for us. Laziness or poor planning had nothing to do with it. We simply don’t own a boat, don’t know how to operate one, and don’t own fishing gear… nor do we know how to find the fish.
I put the question out to Instagram and received FOUR HUNDRED RESPONSES in under 24 hours. I was swamped and incredibly grateful. Over 200 of those responses were directing me to Bakers Narrows Lodge. The other 200 were a blend of well wishes, requests that I pass along any information received, and offers to take us fishing at a later date in another area of the province.
My Insta community is unreal.
I called up Bakers Narrows Lodge and spoke with Brett. Nice guy on the phone who heard what I was explaining (no experience, no clue, just want to catch a fish and enjoy a shore lunch) and Brett said that he had the perfect guide who was full of patience and good humour and connected us to Corrin.
We showed up for our adventure yesterday morning at eight o’clock and met Corrin on the roadway to the docks.
Embarrassingly, our plans for care for Jasper fell through the day before our adventure. Our plan was to arrive and ask Corrin for permission to bring him along. I’d have stayed behind if the answer was no and was fully prepared for this. Instead, Corrin welcomed Jasper aboard and made sure he was comfortable. Jasper was not keen on the flailing Lake Trout but was very interested in the bait situation. He also re-enacted the iconic scene from Titanic and stood at the bow of the boat, ears flapping in the wind.
The ride to Big Lake was gorgeous. The untouched shorelines of northern lakes have my whole heart, and they are largely the reason we spend so much time in the north every year. We spotted eagles, so many loons, and seagulls galore.
If you know me, you know I’m an uneasy boater. I watched Corrin’s cellphone perched precariously on the ledge in the boat and I used that to gauge the level of danger. If the cellphone disappeared into a pocket, I knew we were in for it. The phone never left the ledge and I never once felt unsafe, even while we were rocketing around the lake, cruising over big waves, and getting soaked in the splashes.
To his credit, Corrin never let on that he recognized that Ed and I were clueless. He was kind and funny in explaining how to jig, how to reel, and how to land a fish. We caught three beautiful Lake Trout, keeping only one for our lunch.
We saw signs posted near the docks of the lodge encouraging catch and release, and Corrin shared with us his and the lodge’s shared views of conservation and sustainability. This resonated; I shared stories of my time at the fishing lodge where conservation was the last thing to be considered and even the tiniest Perch were kept so that fishermen could return home with their max allowed. Corrin also shared that Lake Trout can safely be caught and released.
While we make a conscious effort to move away from consuming meat/animal products, we are still working towards leaving behind fish and sometimes chicken/turkey. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I don’t know if Ed will ever give up fish, and that’s okay, too.
When it was time for lunch, we pulled up on a sheltered little beach, in a bay, protected from the elements, boasting the brightest, clearest emerald green water.
If you haven’t spent time in the north, I strongly encourage it.
While we explored the island for mushrooms, Corrin prepared a shore lunch. We’re still learning how to forage, so we picked nothing, but took many photos so we could come back to identify them later. Jasper ran through the trees and along the shoreline like a wild dingo, crazed by the freedom of living off leash.
Lunch was homemade baked beans, fried potatoes, our beautiful Lake Trout, and spicy onion rings made fresh.
We highly recommend Bakers Narrows Lodge and the guiding service. We’re busy planning our return to the lodge in the winter for ice fishing, “tastiest burgers in the north” and a chance to catch the northern lights.
