Well 2016 is behind us, and from the perspective of spending time with family and friends on the water, and in the outdoors in general, it was a great year. The combination of sunny and dry summer, along with an unusually warm fall meant that I had more opportunities to get outside when the opportunity presented. The spring was a bit off for me locally, as the times I had available often happened during some poor whether. I’m really excited to get things going in 2017, so I thought I’d lay out my plans. As much as I’m a HUGE fan of fishing, I’ve never tried ice fishing, ever, so really my goals all focus towards open water season. There is lots’ to do in preparation though, and it helps me get through those days of limited light, so here goes.
Trade Shows: I’ll be making my way to the Toronto Boat Show one of the next two weekends. I use that as a time to check out both the new designs and features in fishing boats and accessories, but of course to spend time with my Princecraft dealer who has been so great to work with. Following that I’ll be at the Toronto Sportsman Show on the 17th of March. I always look forward to my day at this event, where I attend workshops and presentation, check out gear, but mostly I’m meeting face to face with various lodge owners who I’m considering using in the coming years. The list of exhibitors is available in advance, so I do some pre-research and then short list the face to face time. This year I’m looking for a new location for my couples trip, my father and son trip, as well as the potential for another serious fly in or remote drive to trip. The ability to hit so many outfitters in one location makes it great.
New Boat: At at the very end of 2016 I traded in my Resorter DLX BT for an Amorak DLX BT. I only had it out on the water for one day and about 4.5 hours of total fishing time at that. So look for a review on that new boat, or another depending on what happens when I get to the boat show!
Perch Festival: Last year I got the open water season going early by entering our family in the Orillia Perch Festival. The spring was off this year so we missed out on the few good days of schooling perch, but we’ll be out again this year to give it our all. As the kids get a bit older, their enjoyment of and patience with fishing has increased, so I have high hopes for this year. If you are looking to have some fun on the water with the family check it ou.
Opening Weekend: I have two opening weekends to plan. One is easy, it’s my Fly In Fishing Trip which takes place in Zone 15 in Ontario, see below. The weekend before though, Pike and Walleye open in Zone 16 which is closer to home. Each year (weather providing) my brother Chris and I head out for a day on the water to get the season going. It’s a great way to catch a few fish, shake the rust off so to speak, and a chance to try out each rod and reel before the fly in trip the weekend after. If I find an issue, I still have a full week to solve it before I’m in the middle of nowhere with no camp store or local lodge to replace equipment. Last year high winds kept us off the water, so we don’t plan to miss a second year in a row. To mix things up, we may drive a bit further to get onto a lake that has a few more fish to help us start off the year right.
Fly In Trip: As in past years, I’ll be heading with a great group of guys on what has become an annual Fly In Fishing Trip. I’ve had the pleasure of flying with some great outfitters over the years, and this season I’ll be flying again with White River Air. Last year we had a great deal of success on Shekak Lake, and this year we’ll be trying out luck on Pickle Lake. We’ll be heading up the third weekend in May, and we’ll have a full 7 days / night as the only group on the lake, and the first of 2017.
Day Trips: Towards the end of 2016 my brother Chris and I made a point of trying some one day trips. This was mostly brought on by the exceptional fall weather, and us thinking “we can get one more outing in…” over and over. What we realized though, was that if your schedule is flexible, and you have access to a boat, you can watch the forecast and come up with some great fishing. So this summer we’ll be doing the same, and watching the weather to see if we can fit in a few more run and gun 1 day trips.
Couples Trip: Another one of my annual, and most anticipated weekends is our Couples Trip. This past year we were at Totem Point Lodge on the French River, This year we’ll be heading to a new destination, and I’ll be using my visit to the Toronto Sportsman Show to help determine the new location. We’ll be looking for some nice scenery, comfortable accommodations, and easy fishing, so if you have any ideas, please share!
Guys Weekend (s): Another annual trip has a “to be determined” location, and that is my annual guys trip. We had been going to the same place for about 3 decades before trying a new location this past year. Now that we have broken out of the routine, we can either go back to our old haunt with confidence that we are not just too stubborn to move, or we can continue moving around to new locations. I love finding new places to fish, but I love the nostalgia of going back to the same place year after year. If you notice the (s) in the header, I could have a second guys trip next year. I was fortunate to be included on the annual trip of another group of guys this past year, and I’ve been given a return invite! Now, I just have to work out some dates, but I’m optimistic I’ll be having another great trip.
There you have it, a full year ahead, and I’m sure I’ll be able to add in a few surprises along the way, so stay tuned. As always don’t forget, to sign up and have my most recent post sent right to you!