Bob Jensen: Angling as much about people as it is fish - Ames Tribune

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Bob Jensen, Fishing the Midwest  |  Special to the Ames Tribune

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I’ve had conversations recently with people who like to fish but are a bit or a lot frustrated and disappointed. Some of these are anglers who, in years past, took annual fishing trips to Canada. Due to the border closure, they are unable to go now, and they don’t know when they’ll be able to go again.

Other anglers describe their attempts to find lodging south of the border as being very difficult. Many anglers who would ordinarily go to Canada are staying in resorts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and other places. There are a limited number of resorts, and with more people looking for lodging, it can be challenging to find a place to stay.

A frequent comment from these frustrated anglers goes something like this: “Fishing in Canada is special. Fishing south of the border just isn’t the same.” Fishing in Canada, because of the huge supply of places to fish and fewer anglers, can be memorable, and the wilderness feel in Canada is hard to replicate south of the border. That’s a valid point.

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But the thing is, we can’t, for now, go to Canada, but we can still go fishing, and we should. Some of us want to go fishing; many of us need to go fishing. Just because we can’t go to Canada, though, doesn’t mean that we can’t have wonderful, memorable experiences. For me and many anglers, it’s not as much about the place where you are as it is about the people you’re with fishing.

I recall many years ago when Gary Roach, Jeff Murray and I took a Canadian fly-in trip to a lake 300 miles north of the closest road. We caught many big northern pike and lake trout, and it was memorable. But I also remember fishing with Gary on Lake Mille Lacs and Lake of the Woods in Minnesota. Those locations were closer and easier to get to, and those trips were equally memorable. The people are just as important and memorable as the place.

Some anglers who favor Canada suggest that there’s always something different around the next island and there are always new areas to explore. Point taken and I agree.

But, again, I recall the opportunity I had to spend lots of time with fishing pioneer Ron Lindner back in the mid-1980s. Ron and I headquartered at Camp Fish near Walker, Minnesota, a lot back then.

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We would leave in the morning, boat in tow, and head to a lake. It was always a different lake. We would fish that lake a couple of hours, put the boat back on the trailer and travel a few miles to another lake. We would do this four or five times a day. We did lots of exploring and made lots of nice memories. People, not places.

We can’t go to Canada for now, but there are still plenty of places to go fishing. It might require a bit more work finding a place to stay, but it can be done. And, although sometimes the fishing might not be quite as good as you might expect in Canada, it can still be memorable.

I have distinct memories of catching smallmouth bass on Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota that would rival any Canadian lake. The same thing can be said of largemouth bass fishing in central Minnesota near Alexandria and walleye fishing on Green Bay in Wisconsin. I remember the fish-catching part of those outings, but I have even better memories of the people that I shared the boat with on those days. People, not places.

There is still a lot of time to go fishing in the next few months. Make plans now and remember the people that you’re fishing with will bring fonder memories (usually) than the places where you go fishing.

The Link Lonk


June 28, 2021 at 06:28PM
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Bob Jensen: Angling as much about people as it is fish - Ames Tribune

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