Jack Fishing

Day 186

Every time I tell someone that I am from Canada I usually am asked these two questions.

1) Why did you move?

and

2) Do you miss it?

I will try to address the 2nd question with this post. I do miss Canada, there are many things that I miss about Canada. I miss their chocolate, I miss the cool culture in Edmonton, I miss watching the Oilers play a couple times of the week, but what one of the things I miss a lot is the fishing.

My dad and I used to go to a lake called Lake Wabamun about 40 miles outside of Edmonton. We would pack a lunch (usually consisting of Greek Kalamata Olives, Greek Cheese and some sort of beef stick) and head out in a canoe into the lake to catch Jack fish.

Now these fish were something else. Jack fish are more commonly known as Northern Pike and they are fighters! You know when you catch one since they are so strong and jerk your pole out of your hand! They not only have a 1st class temper but they also have a set of razor sharp teeth capable of easily shearing off the bone. My dad used to beat the heck out of them when we would catch one before he would stick his fingers in its mouth to get the lure out. Visitors to the lake were warned not to wear nail polish on finger or toe nails since the Jack fish might take a digit or two.

These fishing trips were a lot of fun. Sometimes we would go out with a couple of my dad's friends and sometimes it would be just us. A few occasions were certainly memorable. One time it was so windy that we could barely get out into the lake, we would just be drive to the shore. One time it was so windy that we almost capsized. This gust hit and I looked down at the canoe and we turned and the side of the canoe became level with the water. I don't know how we survived that. Right after that happened I looked at my dad and he said we should head back. Which was funny since he was the one telling me that it was not that bad out. I know now that he was just protecting me from realizing how bad it was!

Another time I tossed my line out and it went into the thick weeds. I quickly tried to reel it in so it would not get so stuck in the weeds. When I pulled out my lure it was hooked with a ton of weeds and thrashing around in the weeds was a Jack fish! He was barely an inch or two from my lure. So my dad tossed the whole thing and put a golf putter to it.

Notice that my dad and I are wearing the same hat? I would also like to note that I have always liked wearing sport jerseys. And sweatbands. And to be really cool I wore my watch on top of my sweatbands.

Catching these fish was worth the fight. They had the best flavor. My dad would cook them up with a little lemon and butter and these things were amazing. Unfortunately they were not easy to de-bone and you had to be careful while eating them but they would be so worth it.

There are some places here in Utah that have Northern Pike but I have yet to try them out. Unfortunately I have not been fishing for years but it is something that I would like to get back into.