Long time, no blog.

First, I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates. First few weeks of open camp always seem to be busier than they should be. Getting all the guests everything they need, keeping motors and boats in good condition and functioning smoothly. The fishing on this lake always seems to impress me and with the way this year has begun already, it seems as though it will continue to. The water levels here are very low, mainly due to the lack of snow this winter. The usually get in the neighbourhood of 10 feet over the winter, but this year only received a mere 20 inches!!! The lake is lower than it was last season when we left, and the river, lowest I have ever seen. This has caused us, the guides, to do a little more searching than usual this spring trying to stay on pike and walleye. The low water conditions have made the river trips extremely difficult. Most of the rapids that we either float or run in the boat are far too shallow. This is really too bad because the fish are stacked in the holes. We have continued to offer our river trip to guests as a wading trip, and we generally do not get as far down as the normal trip. The fishing for the 4 wading trips we have done has been incredible. Lots of nice aggressive brookies, some exceeding 22 inches, on nymphs, spinners, wax worms, foam bugs, and mainly floating small river critters. As the water temperature begins to come up, the fish become selective and in turn more difficult to catch. Using live bait and floats for slow easy meals definitely keeps the action, and for the fly guys, very easy to match these bugs and nymphing produces large fish and good numbers.

A collection of photos from the first few trips will be posted most likely tomorrow, and I'm anxious to read your comments.

Spring Pike on the fly.

Beautiful day today!!! Setting up camp is going as well as could be expected. We have almost all of camp set up and functioning as well as almost all the boats ready to be in the water. So, early day today. We finished work at 5pm, and headed out to do a little pike fishing. I was slinging a fly, while Kyle works a Yozuri, and Ben a Blue Fox vibrax, #5 Blue and silver, destination, Brian's Bay. We had worked the majority of the bay over, when we decided to take a quick look into a productive trough, where the wind just happened to be hitting all day. We were into fish almost immediately. Mostly small, however as we drifted tight to shore, we spotted a big fish laying right up close to shore. I casted a few feet past his nose, my eyes widened when he turned, and in one motion he coasted up and smacked my fly. He went crazy and quickly took my excess line, and got into my drag in just seconds. After a great run, big jump and what turned out to be a great fight, i reached in and grabbed him. We took a photo, and measured him at 43". I got him back into the water quickly, and smiled a big crooked grin after being splashed as he disappeared into the darkness. We landed about 25 Pike tonight, and had a great time.

I returned to camp only to find out that my boss, owner an operator, Eric Lund had caught a 44" Northern on the fly. So, I think it's safe to say that tonight was a good night.

The Drive, and The Arrival.

Saturday, approximately 2pm, myself, and owner/operator of Enagami Wilderness Lodge, Eric Lund departed from London heading north. We planned on meeting up with co-guides Kyle Mudge, Mark Gryszczuk, Andrew Lee, and Ben Overeem in North Bay, at the local Don Cherry's for dinner. Eric and I, coasted along the 401, 400, and eventually Highway 11, smoothly, if not to mention the rain, sleet and snow we drove through to get there. Stopped in Powassan to pick up two refurbished boats from Giesler Boats. There was 4inches of snow in Powassan, and we decided that after dinner we would stay in North Bay, and not push on to New Liskeard as we usually, and had planned to do.

Dinner was great, catching up with people you may have lost touch with, or didn't see in the off-season. Sharing stories, and of course watching the Montreal Canadians, hold there own against the Penguins.

After finishing dinner and heading to the hotel, we were quick to bed. Exhausted from the long drive, and thinking of the day to come, it proved to be a popular decision.

6am is when the next day started, 9 or so, hours ahead of us, nothing but open road, nature, and every Timmy's from North Bay to Nakina. Stopping to grab some supplies, and eat were the only slow downs, and before we new it we were arriving at Nakina Air Service, to unload and organize our gear. We crashed that night in a cabin located directly beside the Air service, settled in and had a beer or two. The morning seemed to come fast, and before I knew it, I was back in the Sky, turbo Otter just soaring along, destination: Esnagami Wilderness Lodge.

Once back on firm ground, we sort of milled around camp, showing first year guide, Ben where everything is. Camp was in extremely good condition, which made opening camp a piece of cake, I mean still work to be done, but we minor slow downs. As well as the shape of the camp, the weather as we headed up from North Bay on Sunday, did nothing but got better and more beautiful. Got some boats in the water, and hopefully will wet a line tomorrow. Till then.

Monday with Dave, and some Ontario Steel.

Monday I finally got into some of our Ontario Steelhead, or as myself and good friend Dave Allen have deemed them, "Migratory Rainbows". We discussed over lunch, that if we marketed these fish as migratory rainbows, they would be huge bows, instead of small Steelhead.

For everyone who doesn't know Dave, he's an extremely talented tattoo artist, who manages to live out both his passions, the first obviously tattooing and the second being fly fishing. His journey has brought him from BC to Kincardine to work at a friend's tattoo shop, The Sugar Shack.

We have been trying to wet a line together since we first met at the Toronto Spring Fishing Show. We managed to get out on Goderich's Maitland River, to swing some flies for steelhead. The lower end of the Maitland, was where we started and didn't find anything but small mouth bass.

We decided on moving farther up stream, and found ourselves fishing Benmiller Falls. The water levels are low, but we were basically sight fishing for bows, and it wasn't long before Dave showed his technique, and was into one of our gorgeous fish. There were two more landed by Dave and myself, as well as two more lost. The warm water made for exciting fights with lots of jumps. I am planning on being out again thursday morning.

Anybody who's going, see you there!!!

Things I'm Doing, Things I have to do.

This is getting down to crunch time.

I am finishing up my last few weeks at the bar I work at, and things are beginning to get busy. I had to sit down and make up my list. My list usually consists of all the important things I have to do before I go. Deal with my cell phone, gym membership, let the bank no why they'll be no account activity over the next 4 months, pack, and that's just a fraction of the list. The funniest part is that with all the things I have to do, I always still get out for the opener. This year I am fishing with LOOP Pro Staff, and good friend, Mike Barrand. We will be swinging for steelhead on the Grand. I have been tying for a few days, and can't wait for saturday.

My mind however, with my departure date fast approaching, starts to wonder to Northerns and Brookies, anxious to take any flies I'm willing to give. We have a exciting season this year, we are expecting FISH TV, coming up to fish Big Esnagami Northerns, and The New Fly Fisher, coming up to chase brookies. Hopefully the weather, and fish will cooperate and the shooting will go smoothly, only time will tell.

For anyone fishing the trout opener this weekend, Good Luck.

And for everyone here reading, they'll be more posts to come!

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Welcome to Guide's Perspective!!

For everyone in their life, there is something they love, or are extremely passionate about. For me, in my life, that passion is fishing. I did not find fishing at a young age, I was heavily involved in competitive sports, and really never did any fishing that didn't include a bobber and a worm. In my early teens, I began to camp and fish more and more with some of my very good friends and it wasn't long before i knew this was something i wanted to do for the rest of my life. Shortly thereafter, I applied, and was hired at Esnagami Wilderness Lodge in Northern Ontario. This for me was undoubtedly a life-changing experience. I work there still to this day, and it will be my fourth year as head guide. I have been guiding on the lake for Walleye and Northern Pike for my previous 5 summers, and been running guided days down the Esnagami River for trophy Northern Ontario Brook Trout for the last 4. I have managed to meet a ton of amazing and extremely helpful people along the way, and continue to hone my networking skills, hence this blog I have decided to start.

My purpose for starting this blog is to keep a day to day journal of the life of a Fishing guide. For myself, for my writing skills, as well as for anyone who wants to support me by reading it. I will be keeping it updated on a daily basis, and will include photos and videos of myself, and guests. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you back here soon, or better yet, Hope to see you out on the water. Tight Lines.