Last summer, I had the opportunity to go muskie fishing with one of my
brothers and two of his acquaintances.  We went to a big lake north of
Peterborough, and we were on the water by 7AM.  It was  a beautiful day, so even
though the first few hours were uneventful, the company was pleasant, the lake
was relatively quiet since it was the middle of the week, and we saw an osprey
tending to her brood in a low pine tree on a rocky island.  This was cool for me
because even though I know of at least half a dozen osprey nests in the
KW-Cambridge area, all of them are on artificial platforms.  So it was good to
see a natural nest of a bird that was in serious trouble 35 years ago. 

Anyways, the day was about muskie fishing.  4 of us had spent 4 hours
each casting giant baits with only a couple of strikes to show for all that
effort.  The smallest bait, a 9" long Jake (built to imitate a bass or a large
perch), was tied to my line, while the other lures being used were large soft
plastic lizard-like baits called Bulldawgs.  Sometime around 10:30 we were
fishing a strait between 2 islands when a fish took my bait.  I shouted "Fish
on!" and the battle began.  It was obviously a good-sized fish, but my gear was
pretty heavy, intended to corral giant 40lb muskie, so my gear held up nicely
after 5 or 6 years of hibernation.  The fish took off, and Bill and Mike
prepared to land him, one at the controls of the boat, the other coaching me and
keeping the net handy.  My brother Nathan was watching everything, too.  Then
the muskie jumped.
The boat that we were fishing on was an 18' Starcraft that is very
versatile and is perfect for family outings or for fishing.  It handled four men
casting giant lures, from each corner, without any trouble at all.  From my
position on the bow, my feet would have been easily 18" above the water, and I
am a fairly tall man, so my eyes would be over 7' above the surface of the
lake. 
Well, this fish jumped, and I don't think that I will ever forget it: he
jumped and it seemed like he was eyeball to eyeball with me, maybe 50' or 60' 
out from the boat.  He jumped vertically, his black eyes in sharp contrast to
the white belly, forming a classic 'S' in mid-air with his tail 3' or 3.5' above
the water, and his head skying 7' over the lake.  For an instant, time stood
still as I stared at this airborne muskie and he returned the stare. 
Then he flopped back into the lake, spitting out my lure as he hit the
water. 
Everyone in the boat got a great look at him and guessed that he was
about 40" long and maybe 12 or 13 lbs.  If that sounds like I am exaggerating,
well maybe, but not by much.  Bill and Mike have been muskie-hunting for years
and have landed and released dozens if not hundreds of them.  Plus, a little
while later, Bill boated a 41", 12.1lb fish that appeared very similar size-wise
to mine.  The other fact to remember about these fish is that they can often
reach lengths of over 4' and 35lbs in weight.  The Canadian record is 58+" and
65lbs. 
Two more smaller muskie were boated that day, although none by Nathan
or myself.  A couple others struck, and one nearly was netted, but I looked over
just in time to see a big, long tail disappear into the depths below the boat. 
Later, in the afternoon, we were casting lures very close to an island, and I
had a giant Rapala minnowbait on.  I could see the sandy bottom of the lake
about 8' below, with a big log that vanished out into the depths.  I watched as
half a dozen ciscoes (a muskie's favourite meal) swam by, and then a few feet
behind them a small -meaning 3+' long!- muskie came lazily by.  This was right
off the bow of the boat, so I stuck my Rapala right in front of his nose, and he
ignored it.  Completely. 

          That is why muskie are called the 'fish of 10 000 casts'! 

We actually had a very good day, boating 3, with 3 or 4 other strikes, and seeing
osprey, a brood of mergansers, a loon and her chick, and very good weather. 
I acually did catch a fish that day-a smallmouth bass hit the 9" Jake
that I had retied to my line at the end of the day.  The bass was as big as the
lure!  But it would have been a much better day had I caught that jumping 40
incher!  

Special thanks to Bill and Mike for letting us tag along for a day! 
It was a great day, and a valued opportunity.

           See ya,
               Dan

Greetings!  My name is Daniel, and I have resided in Kitchener for the last 6 years.  I am an uncle to a 7 year old boy and his 5 year old sister.  I travel as often as I can, recently having discovered the Lake Erie coast, and often to the North Bay region, 4 hours north of Toronto, where I finished high school and went to Canadore College.  I have been able to retain many friends from that area right up to this day, and I usually end up cramming many visits into a small time span.  When I am not visiting friends or family, I can usually be found outside.  Hiking, biking, fishing, canoe tripping...I always have my cameras with me.  One is a throwback-film!- Canon Sureshot that has survived many canoe trips, thousands of kilometres on my bicycle, a month long trip to Bolivia, and a drop onto the cobblestone patio at Casa Loma, and it still takes terrific shots!  My digital camera is a Canon Powershot SX 120 with ten times optical zoom, and it too is an excellent camera. 
         I have always enjoyed the outdoors world.  As a kid I remember wishing that we could move to Sudbury, where a pal of mine grew up.  Instead, my three siblings and I were raised in Guelph, which is actually a pretty good place to grow up.  The Eramosa River was only 3 or 4 blocks away, and that joins the Speed River near downtown.  The Speed, in turn, flows into the Grand River in nearby Cambridge.  We spent many summer days wading  in the Speed, catching gorgeous rainbow darters and tiny sunfish in our nets, or playing baseball at York Road Park, or swimming at the now-defunct Lion's Pool.  We also spent many summer weeks at my paternal grandparents' cottage out of Mactier, and other weeks tobagganing the hills at my maternal grandparents' farm near Chatsworth. 
        I have had the opportunity to do many unique and interesting things.  Sometimes, these adventures turn out to be crazy.  Like the time I waded across a small stream in the mountains of Bolivia to sit on the very edge of a 70 metre tall cliff!  Sometimes my adventures, when I look back on them, are ill-advised...Other times, most of the time, in fact, I see an interesting bird, or a huge buck, or a near perfect sunset.   Rarely, there is an experience that transcends my world, where I become even more aware of the spiritual side of Creation, such as the clear, crisp night a month ago when I found a little-used country road far from city lights to experiment photographing the full moon and a pair of trumpeter swans flew through the night, invisible but very audible-hence the name-singing that they had returned from their over-wintering grounds in Central America.  I have had mis-adventures, great adventures, and dangerous adventures, but through all of them I have had a great time, regardless of the weather-I am breathing fresh air, so why let bad weather get in the way of a good time?  (It helps to have water-proof and winter-proof gear.)  
       I intend to share many of my adventures in this blog, with a little wisdom hard-earned, and on occasion I will add photographs.  Other topics will appear here and there, such as how I have become a bird-watcher, and how and why I have become an avid outdoor photographer.  I have little to no wisdom to share, just, maybe, some good tales and a little common sense.          
        Now, I am off to explore a little piece of the Niagara Escarpment on this gorgeous April morning!
             See ya,
                        Uncle Travelling Dan