nonamedufus

For over a decade now a buddy and I have spent a week either in late June or early September fishing. We go to a place called Loon Lodge on Lake Temagami north of North Bay Ontario. Sometimes, my brother Whitey from Toronto tags along. It's a fun week. We use it to decompress, fish, eat and - heaven forbid - have a drink or two. Now we don't drink out on the water. It's against the law in Ontario. And we've been stopped several times just to make sure we're good boys. But we more than make up for it in the evenings, back on dry land. Hey, a guy gets thirsty out under the hot sun on the lake all day. Okay, half a day. Okay, okay for a couple of hours. Then we'll head back for a meal, a brewski or two and a nap before heading back out again. We've had our share of fish tales to share. Not just about the one that got away and, believe me, there have been plenty of those. There was the time, for example, the boat engine stopped dead and we couldn't ge...

Every summer for the last 9 or 10 years a buddy and I have made our way to Lake Temagami in northern Ontario for a week or so of fishing at Loon Lodge.  We'd hook his boat up to the back of his GMC Jimmy and set out for the 7 hour trip from Ottawa to Temagami. About an hour shy of our destination, we'd stop in North Bay to purchase our provisions: groceries, beer and wine.  Enough to last us through the week.  Since we'd be eating our dinners at the lodge we only had to worry about breakfasts, lunches and snacks.  So bacon and eggs, cold meat, cheeses, bread, chips and pickled eggs rounded out our shopping list.  And ice.  After all we had to get a head start on cooling down the beer. An hour later we'd arrive at the landing, put the boat in the water, load it with our "provisions", park the Jimmy and slowly make our way to the lodge. Lake Temagami It's been the same routine every year.  And each year our enjoyable week of fishing and relaxing ...

My buddies at Theme Thursday have decided to interpret "breakfast" this week.  Well, last summer I shared with readers how I prepare breakfast when me and the guys go fishing.  I thought I'd repeat it for my TT buds today.   Keep in mind: it's a guy thing... If cholesterol be the food of love, stick a fork in me, turn me over and call me Eros. This high caloric, cholesterol-laden concoction is swimming in fat, grease and guilt but, nom nom nom, it is sooo good. Nonamedufus' Specials have become a yearly tradition with me and my fishin’ buddies. Each June several of us traipse into the wilds of the “near North” of Ontario to Lake Temagami once bass season opens. We tell our wives we’re roughin’ it and we kick back at a place called Loon Lodge and watch satellite TV, drink beer, eat huge Lodge-prepared dinners, enjoy the sun and swat at the odd black fly. Oh, yeah, sometimes we actually fish. Provisions for our fishing folly are procured ahead of time at the gr...

Earlier in the week I promised to share with you how I prepared breakfast on our fishing trip. I've kept my promise. Keep in mind: it's a guy thing. If cholesterol be the food of love, stick a fork in me, turn me over and call me Eros. This high caloric, cholesterol-laden concoction is swimming in fat, grease and guilt but, nom nom nom, it is sooo good. Nonamedufus' Specials have become a yearly tradition with me and my fishin’ buddies. Each June 3 or 4 of us traipse into the wilds of the “near North” of Ontario to Lake Temagami once bass season opens. We tell our wives we’re roughin’ it and we kick back at a place called Loon Lodge and watch satellite TV, drink beer, eat huge Lodge-prepared dinners, enjoy the sun and swat at the odd black fly. Oh, yeah, sometimes we actually fish. Provisions for our fishing folly are procured ahead of time at the grocery, liquor and beer stores in North Bay about an hour away from Lake Temagami. The local economy (particularly the beer sto...

For about 8 years now several of us have been hitting Lake Temagami in northern Ontario for a week of fishing in late June/early July as soon as bass season opens. The characters change a bit from year to year: another friend, a brother or two but the two mainstays have been me and my buddy Pierre. Some years we catch a ton of fish and others very few. But at the end of the day the beer's always cold and they have to carry you away from the dinner table 'cause the home-cooked meals at the lodge are to die for. Temagami is about an hour north of North Bay and for us about 6 hours from Ottawa. The first year I ventured forth I didn't know a bass from my ass, had to get Pierre to worm my hook and if I caught a fish, forget it, someone else had to take it off the hook! And clean it? Yeah, good luck with that. I've come a long way since then. I can bait my hook - using rubber worms. I call it the prophylactic approach to fishing. Don't laugh, you'd be surprised at ho...

I'm off for the wilds of near Northern Ontario for the next little while to get in a little fishin'. It's our annual trip to Lake Temagami and hopefully more than the mosquitos are biting. In the meantime, through the magic of post-dated articles, I've left a few humourous morsels for you. In particular, tune in Monday and Tuesday June 29th and 30th as the Humour Blogger Dot Com Virtual Tour rolls into Ottawa and I get to guide you around our nation's capital region. Mounties and tulips and politicians - oh my! In the meantime, Happy Canada Day and for my American friends Happy July 4th and I'll see you in a week or so.

Well, I'm back. Back after a wonderful week in Temagami, Ontario at Loon Lodge. Here's the dock and snack bar...and the cottage we stayed in. The weather was pretty good for the most part. It rained Thursday. It was somewhat threatening Wednesday and Friday, but those were our best days fishing. Pierre and I fished off the dock Monday and caught nothing to speak of. Tuesday we rented a boat and fished at Sliding Rock where we caught about 6 medium-sized bass. Wednesday the lodge owner, John Moskwa, took us way out somewhere on the lake where, using our own rods we drifted back and forth and boy were we succesful as the following pictures will attest. Boy were we happy. We just seemed to keep catchin' 'em. When all was said and done we brought back 16 fish among the 3 of us. That doesn't count the ones we threw back. Having caught big ones we started to get cocky and threw the smaller ones back. The 8 biggest ones are held by Pierre, John and John Moskwa, below. The...

Pierre and I spent the day on the Rideau River by Manotick today, fishing. It was a gorgeous day. We each packed a lunch, the sun was shining and, while the Weather Network said it was 25 degrees, it seemed much warmer sitting at anchor in the sunshine. I really appreciate going out with Pierre today...it was a most enjoyable day. And fish? We caught plenty of weeds, and Pierre lost two lures to trees - TREES! - along the shore. (Actually Pierre did catch a small fish but he tossed it back before I could snap a picture of just how small it was.) And I lost a lure to the bottom. That's fishing! Have to make a trip to Bass Pro soon at this rate. The Rideau at Manotick is such a picturesque area and some of the homes there are simply amazing... Book: Lisey's Story by Stephen King Music: Twelve by Patti Smith