By 4:30 we were on our way to old town with our packs full of snacks, sweaters, rain gear, gloves and anything else N could squeeze in. We also had our rubber boots. left our fishing rods at the trailer as our guide was providing all of the equipment. We arrived at Bluefish Charters (www.bluefishservices.ca) and our guide Mike was waiting for us along with the owner Greg Robertson. Our little outboard was loaded and ready to go. Mike informed us that he was taking us some 22 miles up the coast out of Yellowknife Bay where the fishing was really good. Our boat was an open aluminum 16 footer, broad beam, with a large outboard on back. Two seats for N and myself and mile at the tiller had a consul with marine gps, radio and sounder. All the deck was carpeted. There was a water holding tank for our catch, and several compartments with an assortment of rods and reels and other fishing necessities.
We headed out of Yellowknife bay, keeping a careful watch for landing and taking off float planes, into a cool breeze and slight chop (white caps). N was holding on for dear life as she felt like she would be bounced right out of the boat as we sped along at a really fast clip. Mike really knew what he was doing and got our confidence very Quickly. He slowed down to show us an Bald eagle nest with a fledging in it and momma watching us closely. Because it was blowing a bit and cool, Mike decided to head to another place just 18 miles out. He took us into a group of islands where the wind dropped off and the sun was warm. At our first stop, Mike was advised of N’s just acquired fishing skills and assumed that I was old enough to look after myself and not fall overboard. He spent a lot of time with N. teaching her the proper way to cast as well as providing her with a lot of fishing hints. I had the first hit, but lost the fish. So guess who caught the first one, N. It was less than two pounds and had to be tossed back. I guess I should say here that we were fishing for Pike. Things were slow where we first stopped so mike took us to another spot about 15 minutes away. N landed the next one and it was a keeper for our shore dinner. I was starting to feel like I should jump over board as my amateur fishing wife as putting me to shame. Then my male ego was restored when I landed an 8lb pike. It had to be tossed back in as it was too big to keep for dinner. The outfitters up her throw back the big ones and the small ones. This is all a part of conservation and ensures they always have fish for their clients to catch. They keep the 3 lb ones for dinner. After my “big one” was thrown back, N caught one almost as big and then caught the second fish for dinner! At the end of the day she out caught me by the count of 4 to 2. Nuff said! Mike found a nice spot on shore and brought out the food. He prepared the fish fillets, batter and deep fried them in a cast iron frying pan over a portable stove. We had baked beans, crusty Italian bread and pickles. What a feast. No bugs, warm fall evening ( fall starts up here on Aug 1), no wind and nothing but quiet! If they had more than 2 seasons up here (winter and mosquitoes) I might consider living here!By 9:30 in the evening we were speeding back over calm waters back to Yellowknife and the end of this short but fun filled adventure. We said our goodbyes to Mike and headed back to the trailer, tired, stomachs full and ready for a good nights sleep.
We were up bright and early the next day to head out on the Ingram Trail, a 65 km stretch of road that heads north out of Yellowknife and ends at a lake with a sign “ice road closed”. This is where the “ice road truckers” start their run over the ice roads to the many diamond mines up north. We walked a neat trail to Cameron River Falls, looked around three territorial parks, did some fishing and generally had a good day. It’s really stating to feel like fall up here. The trees are starting to turn yellow and we are waking up to temperatures in the 4 to 6C range.
Thursday we woke up to a cold rainy day. High of about 10C. We did a bit more shopping, got the truck fueled up with a load of diesel, and got groceries. Still trying to figure out why diesel is cheaper here than in N.S. (every liter of fuel come in by tank truck from Edmonton), and why groceries are cheaper as well!!
We visited the new legislative building. It is beautifully designed and truly represents the culture of the NWT, one land, eleven languages, thirty three communities. The are no political parties, everyone elected has to have 51 % of the vote or there are run offs, the premier and cabinet ministers are chosen by the elected representatives and decisions are reached by negotiation and consensus. The caucus room and the legislative assembly rooms are set up in the traditional circle. The acoustics of the caucus room are such that the slightest whisper in any part of the room can be heard by all present, so there are no on the side deals made during meetings. Sounds like a model that the Canadian parliament should use in these days of partisan BS looking after the interests of the party as opposed to the interests of Canadians. It’s interesting to note, that only the speakers office overlooks the city of Yellowknife and the offices of all other elected officials overlook the lakes and wilderness of the NWT. This was purposely designed to remind the elected officials that their interests are those of the people who elected them, and not the “center” of the NWT, Yellowknife!
We had a great guided tour of this fantastic building and then headed over to the Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Center. This center covers the history of the NWT, it’s many peoples, economic development and environment. It has the latest cutting edge in interactive technology that is user friendly and easy to use. We arrived back at the trailer for a late dinner, ran into Bob and Luci whom we had met in Louise Falls and had an enjoyable evening exchanging notes and experiences. We were packing up and getting ready to leave the next morning, but after our discussions we decided to stay an extra day, until I found out on Friday morning that out site was spoken for the weekend. We wound up leaving Yellowknife on Friday morning around eleven pm and headed back towards Louise Falls.
We checked into Louise Falls campground around 5 pm after an uneventful drive from Yellowknife. Got dinner ready and then an early night to bed as we were both tired. Two more days should put us back in Grande Prairie.
Quote for the day:
Perhaps the most valuable result of all you learn is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.
Cheers
P & N
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