It will be getting dark earlier tonight – probably about midnight here in northern Saskatchewan. I think we can live with that but it’s still sad that days get shorter starting the first day of summer. In a few days we’ll be further north at Selwyn Lake at the top of Saskatchewan and bottom of the Northwest Territories. Though the days are officially getting shorter we’ll be so far north it won’t get dark at all.
I had a seriously needed relaxing day in Missinipe today. I slept in. For me that meant till 7 AM. Then I sat out on the porch with our host Ron and we drank coffee and shot the bull about planes for an hour. Once RA and Austin got up it was time for Ron to do some errands that included shuttling supplies to a fly in Lodge called Twin Falls. Ron invited us along for the seaplane ride.
The plane is a classic old De Havilland Beaver built in 1962. They stopped building Beavers in 1967. Of the 1600 that were built, 1300 are still in circulation. They are durable as all get out and I get excited every time I get on one. Not only are the cool but they mean I’m fishing off the grid. We’ll have this plane with us until June 30th!
Twin Falls Lodge is a beautiful place nestled between two rapids connecting a couple of lakes. The area is loaded with pike and evidently at night you can catch walleyes off the dock nearly every cast. As we were unloading our supply delivery we learned that their generator was out so Ron ended up helping to solve the problem. Although we’re anxious to fish it was a spectacular place for RA, Austin and I to hang out for a few hours.
It turned out the generator problem wasn’t fixable so we had a nice lunch at the lodge then returned to Missinipe to get a new generator. Ron and the Thompson’s Camps staff moved in to help and an hour later Ron flew off back to Twin Falls Lodge to deliver the new one and help get it started. Twin has twenty anglers coming in tomorrow so there’s no screwing around.
As for fishing, today wasn’t planned to be much of a fishing day. Ron had flying errands to do anyway and we only hoped to get out for a few hours tonight. We relaxed at Ron’s house. I worked on the blog and took some pics and sorted my gear. RA slept and Austin tied up some bugs. One of the most interesting parts of the day was the discovery of a new Ruffles chip flavor called flame grilled steak. The chips taste exactly like steak bites and I’m not so sure about them at this point in the trip.
We in fact made it out tonight for an hour around Thompson’s Camps. We headed back into the weedy bay behind town and CRUSHED the small northerns. The biggest was a mere 30” so we’ll call it a warm up for the days to come. I tell you, I think where we’re headed is the best pike fishing in North America.
A special thanks to RA Beattie Outdoor Productions and Adventure Destinations for bringing me along on this incredible adventure to Saskatchewan!
Hi Jeff, looking forward to your update on pike! Any news on when we can expect your 50 countries book?
Shaun, I fish too much and don’t foresee slowing down much yet. That means the book is still a few years out. But it will be good!