Lac Du Bonnet Fishing Weekend

Fishing the Lac Du Bonnet

The weekend of August 10, 2012 and we are invited out to my best friend forever, Tanis and Leo's place out at Poplar Bay.  My mission is to catch fish, drink and be merry not in that order.  My sweetie Keith is out on the road and its unlikely he will make it back Friday so we can leave Friday night.

I've already told my other best friend forever, Dawn that I'm dragging her kicking and screaming with me.  She calls me Friday late afternoon and it is at this point we decide to be spontaneous and drive out that night instead of Saturday.  After a quick stop at the grocery store and liqueur commission, fishing gear, and sleeping bags packed we set out.  I've recently given up my gas guzzler of a Jimmy for a Ford Focus and can't believe the miles I get to the gallon from my blue beauty.

It's only one and a half hours north west of the city and we arrive while there is still daylight.  Unpacked there wasn't much as we came light, grabbed a beer and sat out on their deck on a beautiful evening.  There were a few people sitting around the table and after introductions we continued to have a good time.  I noticed one guy who I thought might be good for my friend Dawn and apparently my best friend forever, Tanis thought so too.  So it was a matchmaking weekend that we were in for.

I had brought out the new Coors light in these large tin cans, 8 of them made up a 12 pack of beer.  We stayed up that Friday night chatting until around one am.  Both Dawn and the object of our matchmaking Ken seemed to be drinking a little too much, unusual for Dawn but it worked out for Tanis and my plans to get the two together.

New 16 oz aluminum cans

It's 8 am when we wake up and decide to get out and get some fishing in, most of us are feeling a little off from partaking of refreshments from the night before.  Ken we find out letter who doesn't drink too much is really hung over.

Soon we load up our fishing gear and head down to the dock where Leo's boat is docked.  It's a beautiful day out and we head out to a spot where they had caught fish earlier in the week.  The water is warm but also filled with green algae. As the morning wears on and no bites from that spot we move to another spot.  There Leo catches a small pickeral too small to keep and release it back so it will grow up.  After awhile we decide to put pickeral rigs on, I have a minnow on one hook and a leach on the other.  Not long and I have a bite that I start reeling in, and before my very eyes out of the water jumps the 24 inch Northern Pike.  I smile because it is giving me a little fight just what a true fisherman likes.  After taking a picture and measuring it we release it back into the water, Pike are boney things and the warm waters will not make for good eating.

 

24 inch Northern Pike returned back for someone else to catch

The next one to catch a fish is Tanis another Pike and it's let go, still not getting many bites we move on.  I have given Keith Leo's phone number because my plan Telus doesn't get reception out there.  While I have my fishing rod in Leo's phone pings and it's a text from Keith.  So Leo being Leo decides to answer for me, needless to say the text conversation back and forth between Leo and Keith who think its me has all of us laughing.  One texts has Keith asking if I've had too much to drink, we all laugh at that.Then he texts me that  he decided to drive up instead of me picking him up, so I text him the directions.  Since the fish were not biting we decide to head back in for lunch.

Brunch eaten soon I get a text from Keith he is just up the road, so I go up to the entrance to the camp and wait for him and finally I spot his vehicle, the weekend is here for both him and I.  Introductions done we set into another evening of sitting around the outside table on the deck chatting away with the many fellow campers who come to share a story or two.  Keith has his stories to share and have the place laughing with his wit.  It feels good to know he fits in so easy with my friends and I very pleased how easy he can banter with people, he certainly has a good rapport with people.

Dinner cooked, eaten we share a night of music and laughter, Tanis's uncle was a truck driver and he comes over and chats with Keith about trucking, as I listen to Keith and his travels throughout the middle east I'm smiling.  It is amazing how he survived three years trucking from England to the Middle East in one piece, I tell him he really needs to write a book about his life, he has led the most amazing and interesting life of ever listened to.

Up early Sunday morning we have a good hearty breakfast and head out on the lake to fish, the day starts off beautifully but no luck fishing and so it gets cloudy and it's time to head in, pack up and head back into the city.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend with good food, good times and good friends new and old and of course our matchmaking plans worked out perfectly.