1 big knife, 1 little fish – memories of my first remote fishing trip

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My First Remote Fishing Trip

Reeling in the Memories: Somewhere in the late 1960’s.

Actually this would be a couple of separate trips to the same location and as best as I can remember the 2 trips would have been spread over 2 consecutive years.

The location was Aylen Lake. Aylen Lake is located in Algonquin Provincial Park and a family friend had several cabins there. The details of the lake and cabins escape me now but there was one remarkable feature that I’ll never forget.

A single pine tree had grown nearly parallel to the ground and extended for a dozen yards over the lake.

This was a perfect opportunity for a young boy to slither out onto the tree and be suspended over the water. Lots of fun was had in the branches of that tree and I don’t recall any of us ever slipping off and getting a dunking which seems amazing to me now.

That tree and the fun it represented have stuck with me ever since. It’s interesting to look back through the mists of time and think about the scenes we remember of certain places.

3 Memorable Events

One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is that fishing and camping trips often become the backdrop for unforgettable stories.

Being my first foray into the wilderness, I was to get my first exposure to this inevitability with 3 events that I have never forgotten.

Each one is a testament to the magic of the great outdoors, the bond between a father and son and the unexpected surprises that nature has in store.

The first and foremost is that my father thought I was old enough to have my very own hunting knife!

There was a small store not far from the cabin and they had several selections that I had to choose from.

I anxiously pointed to a beauty of a knife with a translucent green handle. It was amazing and when it hung from my belt I felt like a true outdoors man.

I recall the box for the knife mentioned in bold letters that it could cut through nails. This was a big enticement to me even though I couldn’t think of why I would want to cut a nail with a knife.

The other thing I recall is that it cost $10. wow! Thanks Dad!

The second thing I remember is that the beds in the cabins were hung from the ceiling!

I was told that it was to keep the varmints off of the beds but I knew that any self respecting varmint would simply drop from the ceiling onto the bed and a couple of inches of space between the feet of the bed and the floor wouldn’t mean a thing.

I didn’t give it any more thought.

Finally, and this is the most unbelievable part ...

We only caught ONE (1) fish the whole week!!!

Even though I say ‘we’, it was my granddad that caught it but I was in the canoe with him and I helped – at least with moral support. This fish was a record breaking SIX (6) inches long.

And it was a bass – not the walleye or pike that I was looking for.

My new knife was bigger than this guy!

It promptly got tossed back in the lake and we continued fishing but to no avail.

I still shake my head at the thought of this whole thing.

So this was my introduction to the great Canadian wilderness. Stay with me – it gets much better… Thanks for reading!