Monday, July 11, 2011

A Fishing Tale


                                     A Short Tale of Man & Boat
  It's been awhile, but hoping it won't be so long between posts again. This is just a short story told to me by a friend when discussing the stuff tourists and visiting sportsmen do when here.
    About 3 years ago a friend who runs a fish camp beyond the roads here told me about a NYC client. seems the guy had 2 big problems, very impatient and demanding, carried an automatic 9mm as he was afraid of bear??? Anyway, the guy and his buddy went off fishing in a camp canoe at daybreak and still hadn't returned at dusk. Getting worried, Emile got up in his float plane to look for them, no luck. Rather than try to find them at night they waited until first light.
   Finally, about 10AM they spotted them way the Hell up a stream with loadsa 'must portage' spots. They were about 7 portages up away from the place the stream emptied into the lake paddling downstream. Emile stayed over them as they kept waving at him and radioed for the air-boat to come get them. The NYC guy was offered a radio but said they wouldn't need it as he was familiar with the woods & streams etc since he came here often as a boy.
    Emile said he noticed something strange, they were beside the canoe and it was under water about halfway. When his son got to them in the air-boat he found out the problem. Seems they were about 9 portages up and he slipped and the canoe hit his knee and really hurt him. That wasn't why they were late though. Seems he got so pissed that he took out the 9mm and emptied 2 clips into the bottom of the canoe. That resulted in a hole about a foot across opening up when they re-floated it & got in. Obviously it didn't work well, so they decided to wait until daylight to finish going back so they'd have time to make a camp for the night. 

  End of story, almost.....forgot to say that he was so upset at shooting the boat that he flung his pistol into the brush, then to add insult to injury, Emile informed him that it was a 1926 Old Town moosehide canoe and rough estimate for repairing it that he got over the radio was $850 not counting pick up and delivery. Emile says the guy cancelled his reservations for the next summer. Seems it was too costly to fish here. 
    Until next time, be well and stay safe.