Blog

Marooned

5.01.2012 by Harold Ball

“For the next twelve hours we busied ourselves doing Great Bear Lake castaway stuff.

We skipped stones until all of the flat ones for 3 miles in either direction were gone, burned every piece of driftwood within the same radius, got rained on, watched the huge, hungry trout thrash on the surface a few feet away, while they chased after the ciscoes, got rained on again, kept an eye open for the bear, watched the boat continue to drift further away - and waited…”

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Lost Lake

5.01.2012 by Harold Ball

“So where is Lost Lake and how do you get there?

I forget where it is exactly, but I can tell you that if you manage to find two white fence posts, with a rusty old chain strung between them that is across the road from an old farm house - the nail holding the chain to the post on the right hand side will come out very easily, and you can then lower the chain, and take the short drive to the lake. Got it?”

Larry the Lund

5.01.2012 by Harold Ball

“Dave pulled off nothing short of a miracle in keeping us from going under, but there was nothing he could do to stop the pounding that our old boat and the three of us were taking.

Each time we hit the bottom of one of those deep troughs, it was like being hit in the ribs with a sledgehammer…”

Guides

5.01.2012 by Harold Ball

“A first class guide must be a master seaman, chef, marriage counselor, confidant, mixologist, sommelier, meteorologist, whipping boy, tackle consultant, mechanic, ichthyologist, zoologist, expert fisherman and have x-ray vision.

They must also be imbued with the patience and demeanor of a saint, because if anything- and I mean anything - goes wrong, it will be their fault…”

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An Afternoon at...The Waldorf Astoria

5.01.2012 by Harold Ball

Every other year during our annual spring fishing trip to Northern Ontario, I make a point of booking a fly out to some remote lake with one of the local air services.

Jack - O

2.01.2012 by Harold Ball

“It was always a good idea to keep an eye on Jack, and pay very close attention to what he would bring in on his stringer, because when it came to finding creative ways to recycle a dead catfish or the like, he wrote the book.

In his opinion they made great hot water bottles, and it was not unusual to find one tucked up under the sheets to keep your toes warm and toasty at night…”

The Victory Lap

2.01.2012 by Harold Ball

If you’ve read any of the material I have been plastered this site with over the past year or so, you will have likely figured out that I have taken up retirement on a full time basis.

While it was a long time coming, as I suppose most retirements are, it has certainly been well worth the wait...

Breaking Twigs

28.12.2011 by Harold Ball

I've done my fair share of fishing over the past 50 years. Some might even say more than my fair share. Travelling in search of fish has taken me to some of the most "exotic" places throughout North America and beyond, but none perhaps more "exotic" than Great Bear Lake.

So what and where is Great Bear Lake or Sahtu?

Imagine

27.12.2011 by Harold Ball

Imagine a place where the only sound you will hear is the wind and that of your own voice.

Imagine a place so beautiful and unspoiled, that on any given day or moment it can, and will take your breath away.

Imagine drifting through a place where fish float silently just below the surface to soak up the summer sun, not noticing or caring as you pass.

Imagine a place where the Dogrib and Sahtu Dene have gathered for centuries.

Imagine Hottah Lake.

Baptiste

27.12.2011 by Harold Ball

When Esnagami Lake Lodge in Northwestern Ontario changed hands a number of years ago, it came along with all the usual stuff, such as boats, motors, miscellaneous equipment, and one other unexpected and, as it turned out, critical asset - a very special guide by the name of Baptiste.

As close as anyone could figure he was likely in his late sixties at the time, but no one really knew for sure.