We decided to change things up this year and have the trip in early June. We thought that having an earlier start might improve the fishing. However, the drawback to the early summer is that we would expect a couple of extra mosquitoes and black flies. Planning the trip to the camp seems to be getting easier. Maybe keeping those old lists around was a good idea...

Unfortunately Ron was not able to attend this year's trip. Work commitments with a new position required that he forego the fishing trip. New to this year's edition of FishingPals was George. George has been invited to this trip for years, but has been unable to join us, until now.

Peter and Fred head up to Gravenhurst Thursday after work. George, David and Eric leave from Ajax and head up around the same time. Andrew was already up there by the time the rest of the gang showed up. The usual festivities take place except that this year, no black and tans.... :(

On Friday morning, the drive up to Chelmsford was uneventful. We took a couple of wrong turns on Hwy. 17 through Sudbury, but that could happen if you use a GPS with outdated maps. Note for next year, add some webpages with maps. We ended up at Signatures in Chelmsford, and were able to get lunch in quickly. The gas tanks were filled, and we stopped at Canadian Tire for some PIC coils and the beer store for more suds. Next stop --- Gogama.

The bait shop in Gogama had regular minnows at premium prices, but beggars can't be choosers. We picked up six dozen and were on our way. The store proprieter made a big push on mosquito jackets, but we didn't oblige. David left his mark in the backyard...

It didn't take long to familiarize ourselves with the camp again. We put away our groceries and started getting our sleeping quarters setup. As we anticipated, the bugs were brutal... Fishing rods were prepared, and we had a dinner of burgers and sausages.

Saturday morning started off a little overcast. Peter and Fred took one boat, while the rest of the gang were on the party boat. David and Peter were able to snag a couple of good sized walleye, so we had enough for fish sandwiches at lunch. A moose (cow) was spotted grazing at the far end of the lake. We had cowboy steaks and potatoes for dinner. The pontoon boat would not start, but we did have a second boat so we were still able to fish. We tried everyday after, but we just couldn't get the motor to start. A few visitors stopped by (Gilbert) and said that they were looking for their fiberglass boat, which Ed was supposed to retrieve for them.

We discovered a flat tire on Eric's van on Sunday. It had a slow leak, so we were able to pump it up using an air compressor. A drive over to Kenogaming Lake was made to look for a good landing for the canoes. The canoes were put on the trailer and Eric was able to set up his hitch to fit. Horseshoes and euchre rounded out our activities for the day. Chili and sausages for dinner. We had our first campfire of the trip.

On Monday, Eric, David, Ben and George went fishing on Kenogaming. Peter, Andrew and Fred remained fishing at Sashihaw. The weather took a drastic change, and it became very sunny and hot. No luck with the fishing from all parties. A spectacular race was held which pitted a younger, heavier adolescent against an older, agile pentagenarian. See the DVD for the exciting race! Spaghetti dinner is traditional for our Monday night meal.

Tuesday morning had an early start. With nothing but one small walleye in the fridge, we were faced with eating leftovers for dinner. It was Ben's Steamed Fish dinner night, and we were focused on bagging something to eat. Again, it was turning out to be another scorcher. Eric, Andrew and David were in one boat, while George, Ben and Fred go in the other. Peter stayed back at camp and was trying to learn something about HTML. Around 10 AM, Ben pulled in the biggest walleye we have ever seen come from Sashihaw Lake. It weighed about 2.5 kg (about 5.5 pounds) and was about 25 inches. We're having dinner tonite! The capture was made on video. Order your DVD today!

We began cleaning up Wednesday morning and had a long day of travel ahead of us. With everything locked up and turned off, we headed off for the Hungry Bear in French River. With lunch under our belts, Eric, David, George and Fred head off straight down to the Big Smoke. Andrew, Peter and Ben head off towards Gravenhurst to pick up their vehicles.

One more year down, and plans for next year will be in the works soon.

Order your DVD today!