Cabin 14

And So it Begins....

To be precise, the adventure began on July 10 when six of us gathered in Edmonton in preparation for heading off to Yellowknife and then to the main lodge on Great Bear.

Together with yours truly our group consisted of Art Ross, Ken Gold, Derek Ballantyne, Rodney Harback and his nephew Kevin, which gave us a cumulative total of well over 100 years of fishing experience on Great Bear  - so there could be no excuses in the event we did not catch a truckload of big fish.

The Petersen Lake monster made a rare appearance this past week.....

The Petersen Lake Monster, affectionately known as "Bruce" put in a rare appearance this past week, but unfortunately for him it was on the end of Jeanette Nooren's line.

The "Monster" who is rarely seen, and according to Bruce anyway, had never been caught, weighed in at a solid 18 pounds and was an impressive 38" in length.

When asked how he managed to grow to such gargantuan proportions while at the same time being dumb enough to fall for the old jig and grub trick he replied:

"She got lucky and I guess you could say I was a bit lazy thinking that I would grab myself an easy snack. When I got up to the boat and she hauled me in, I gave her my best evil Pike stare and she immediately put me back into the water, but not before some dork with a camera snapped a couple of pictures.

It's a good thing she did let me go because I was some pissed off and looking for something - or someone - to sink my teeth into."

We are pleased to report that other than a slight stinging sensation in the corner of his jaw, Bruce was back to ambushing prey almost immediately after this most embarrassing incident. 

Don't forget to take a look at some of Bruce's Petersen Lake buddies in the Image Gallery below,

These spicy/sweet nuggets make an excellent first course.

There are stretches on several rivers in South/Western Ontario that create the illusion of being in a remote, pristine wilderness setting despite the fact they run directly through or are adjacent to large urban centres.

 I have been somewhat remiss in keeping up my Great Bear Lake trip journal over the past 2 or 3 years.  What follows is my attempt to get back on track, and, create a record of the various experiences and events that take place during our annual sojourn to the land of the midnight sun.

While driving along Highway #11, about forty-five kilometres north of the city of North Bay Ontario, you will come across a sign marking the turn off for Beaverland Road. Make the turn and after a short drive along the relatively narrow dirt road you will arrive in Beaverland Camp.

Years ago it was common practice for explorers, adventurers and just ordinary folks to keep a personal hand written journal.

For some their journals were used to compile and publish books about their experiences after returning from the field and for others, finding the time to quielty reflect and record events as they were happening was the most effective way to leave behind a permanent record of their life experiences.