Arctic Adventures: Dragging a trailer to Inuvik in January (long)
Bob Giddings
roads of the Canadian Arctic. If some of you decide to do this,
I'd like to hear about it if you survive.
Some of you, as I, have driven to Alaska over some of these same
roads. But this was a little different!
I got permission from the person who sent it to share the
following adventure. The original was a PDF, with pictures.
Here, of course, I can only share the text. I tried to format it
in a readable fashion.
Bob
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THE ROAD SHOW LETTER
I THOUGHT I WOULD
NEVER WRITE!!
Road Show January 2007
Back a few years ago when life presented me with the opportunity
to become a truck driver, I did not imagine going this far north.
Even when my stepson lived in Inuvik, my thought was -glad you
are doing it for me, take lots of pictures and tell me the
stories. Vicarious experience works really well for me!
Moreen Reed
The Road Show Letter I Never Thought I Would Write
Our recent return to work brought with it a new destination:
Inuvik NWT and the Mackenzie River Delta. Now I don't know what
images your imagination comes up with but mine instantly went on
overdrive as soon as the boss confirmed the trip. We were to take
a load of blasting agent to an exploration site near the Beaufort
Sea!
Right!
Let see. That would mean miles and miles of barren, empty frozen
white expanses that one would get instantly lost in and then die
some horrible death! Or at the very least we plunge through the
ice on the river and turn into an ice cube!
Oh and it will be pitch dark up there. A quick scan of the
calendar showed me that the moon would not be of any help either.
(At this point the northern lights had not occurred to me.)
Wow I got to revisit my fear like when I first faced winter
driving in a big truck. Paralysing mind altering terror started
to invade my thoughts..... Slow down, just breathe.... I do have
a reliable source for information on the far north?
It is really surprising just how many people I know who have
spent some serious time in our distant north! Hmmm my very good
friend Donna Rasplica worked in Sachs Harbour, other friends in
Tuk, ..... My oldest stepson Shawn, lived in Inuvik for three
years and his oldest, Eian, was born there. I immediately called
Shawn to answer some of my pressing questions about the Dempster
Highway and what we might find or not find in Inuvik.
I did listen and yet my mind’s movie was not changed much. Shawn
said that the road maintenance crew was very good and if
conditions were bad they would shut the road down. Ah
but would they go looking for someone who had lost the track and
had driven off into no mans land???
Inuvik had all the basic necessities but we would find the prices
very high..... Also there would be light for a few hours a day
and he wanted me to take pictures. Huh! Truly, taking pictures
was the last thing on my mind at that moment.
Meanwhile Larry a real adventure type was on the Internet pulling
up maps, which surprisingly showed the Dempster Highway as the
only line on the map that far north. Of course the Mackenzie
River Ice road was not marked... How on earth were we supposed to
find this mine site or what ever it was! The weather for the
area, if you could trust the report, was actually not all that
bad. - 25c. Ah but what about the wind chill factor, my mind
chirped in that it will be at least a zillion below.
What are we nuts! Oh yeah lets go to the Arctic in January,
perfect!
The day did arrive for us to leave. I found a very good
snowmobile suit at a local second hand store and I had boots and
toques, candles and lighters... even. Larry brought a propane
cylinder. We also decide that it would be best if we left Curly
at home as he really has no fur to deal with the cold. We would
also take lots of food with us, just in case, you never know and
my mind would go wondering off into some gruesome fantasy....
STOP!
The BC Interior
Right, first we have to negotiate British Columbia's interior and
the real winter this year; lots and lots of snow especially north
of Prince George around Mackenzie to Chetwynde and Dawson
Creek BC.
It amazes me now just how comfortable I have become with winter
driving in a big truck. This has to do with some of the unique
handling characteristics of a big rig. For starters you have
weight to help with traction when the snow starts to pile up on
the road. Secondly your visibility can be better, because you are
higher up.
Our trip began with an overnight trip across Georgia Strait on
the barge. Our drive up to Clinton BC was perfect -even warm. But
by the time we got to Williams Lake all that had changed and the
road was snow covered and it was still snowing. The four wheelers
were down to 60-70k and on one hill near Quesnel the "B-trains"
had to chain up. Fortunately when we got to this hill there was
room to manoeuvre around them. But the road was getting worse and
we wondered if it might be closed north of Quesnel.
It was time to switch drivers so we pulled into a closed scale
and got promptly stuck! The snow accumulation was about 18 inches
and it was heavy wet stuff. Although it was not cold putting on
the chains they are always a pain. Especially when you only need
them for 100 feet or so! It was my turn to drive and even though
the going was slow it was okay for me.
Things did not get interesting until after Mackenzie. I have yet
to see this leg of the northern route in the daylight so I only
know from Larry that you cross the Rockies here. At
the top, the storm was doing a dance and sent snow devils like
the dust devils of summer. I am used to the wind blowing snow
horizontally but not in cute spirals. About the time I had
declared to myself that the going was too dangerous and I should
stop I was out of it. By now I was past Chetwynde and I planned
to end in Fort St. John, which was in theory only another two
hours away.
The road now is relatively straight and I was able to make good
time until I caught up to a snowplough. I had to wait behind
until he hit a section of road that had no snow, and then I
could see to pass. By the time that happened the other transport
truck was right behind me. Not long after I passed the snowplough
the trucker passed me.
The first few seconds after the pass didn’t bother me. The road
was bare and he didn’t kick up any snow. Ah … but just as he got
beside me and before he turned in -he hit snow! All of a sudden I
was in a complete white out. No road, no truck, nothing. I had
been traveling about 80k and immediately slowed down. By the time
I could actually see where I was going I realized much to
my horror I was headed for the ditch on the wrong side of the
road! Heart pounding I corrected my course and -not quietly -was
saying oh shit oh shit..... My guardian angel was probably in a
state of panicked shock as well. Fortunately I found a spot in
Dawson Creek to pull in and quit for the night.... enough was
enough.
The following day, road conditions improved significantly and the
trip to Whitehorse was uneventful. Now from Whitehorse we were to
take a new route for us. The first leg was on Highway 2 the road
to Dawson City, though we would be turning just shy of there onto
the Dempster Highway. As luck would have it the sun was shinning
and the temperature was only around -20c.
Beautiful mountain vistas, frozen lakes, and snow-shrouded trees
were only occasionally interrupted by wee communities of people
like Carmacks. We arrived at the start of the Dempster highway
the daylight had long since left. There is an outpost store there
the Klondike River Lodge. They had a motel, post office, bar,
restaurant and gas bar. We had super here and I wound myself
up for the first leg of the trip to Inuvik. From this junction to
"Eagle Plains" is about 365 km we had already heard from the
folks at the scale in Whitehorse that the road was closed after
Eagle Plains so our plan was to go that far and wait. Okay I
thought it is just a road I can do this.
Too bad it was dark or maybe it was a blessing in disguise, cause
the road was like any other road sort of. For starters it is a
well-built road. Though it is truly only just a single lane road
and gravel, because it is built on top of the existing terrain,
there really is no way to straying off it. If you did night I saw
three vehicles in 5 hours. One pickup and one truck passed me
stray you would get stuck, or turn over, in places it is eight
feet above the surrounding ground. That Klondike River Lodge
and another was behind me near the end. Mostly I saw runty black
spruce trees, the occasional cliff side that hinted at a lake on
the other side or river. The night was completely dark and I
expected it was socked in with clouds. The really big surprise
was the temperature. We have a thermometer
mounted on the truck to let us know what the road conditions
might be. And at one point it went up to -7c. Now I never would
have dreamed that. I also hit one snowdrift, but just one. It was
about 2 feet deep, caused by wind blowing over want must have
been a bald hilltop. Oh yes and I saw three white rabbits!
The road was very windy and I crept up a few long steep grades
but really no big deal. The only signs of human habitation
were road crew out post, which are about 150km apart. All that
invented horror movie for naught!
I arrived at Eagle Plains around 11pm. Tired but none the worse
for my leg of the Dempster highway. Eagle Plains is an outpost
with the Bar, the restaurant, the motel, fuel pumps and a
garage to fix any number of broken vehicles which as it turned
out was us too. We had a flat tire on the trailer. In the dark I
could not make out any of the terrain but knew from the drive in
that it was probably on a plateau of sorts. The road had a big
flashing red light just opposite the buildings declaring that the
road was still closed. There were three other semis parked and
two pickups as well. The sign on the main door of the motel
declared that the garage would be open at 8am.
Road Closed – see the tiny red lights?
Morning arrived with wind still blowing and now too the snow was
falling. Inside the restaurant was open and we joined the small
group for breakfast. Here we heard tales about the next section
of the road called "Hurricane Alley". Okay my mind said, it knew
it had had a good reason to generate all that horror movie
stuff earlier... it felt vindicated! What on earth did they mean
by Hurricane Alley anyway. The stories being told did not make
sense. But one thing was clear no one was going anywhere till the
red flashing light went off.
While waiting for the mechanic to open his door I saw the grader
head down the road past the flashing red light.... hmmm maybe the
road would open today. The time was 7am, and of course it was
still pitch dark, in the restaurant I had heard that we could
expect daylight around 10 am... Hmmm but just how much would we
see I wondered.
The tire fix went well. I saw a sanding truck head out past the
red flashing lights, a good sign I thought. But as light arrived
the wind was still blowing and snow was falling. What I saw was
not what I would have expected. All around in a very bleak and
monotonous way was rolling hills covered in short scrub spruce
trees. Like a strange kind of dessert. Not inviting at all... The
distant horizon was obscured because of the weather. Larry kept
to the bunk tiring to catch more sleep. I sat upfront reading.
T’was only by chance that I happened to look up around 11am to
see the other semis pulling out and heading past the still
flashing red light! Heh what’s up with that! Why did they
go, and why did they not tell us the road was really open?!?!
I roused Larry and in a flurry we headed out past the red
flashing light too! Hmm hope this is a good idea... at least we
can see. It was light no sun, much like a cloudy day would be. We
knew it would be dark again by 4pm so I was determined to see the
landscape roll by till then. For the first 20 kilometres we drove
down through a valley and back up to a plateau.
Scrub trees and an occasional glimpse of mountains close by. They
were hard to pick out against the white cloudy sky; mostly a
ghostly line was all you could make out. 20 miles past Eagle
Plains we crossed the Arctic Circle.... a sign and too much wind
to get out and take a picture. The trees too were thinning out
and now the wind made a running river of snow over the road. For
those that have traveled the prairie in the winter the image will
be familiar.
Because the trucks were a long way ahead of us the blowing snow
did not affect our visibility. No way could anyone travel right
behind us and stay on the road. A big white cloud followed us. By
the time the trees had completely gone the words "Hurricane
Alley" became clear! We were in a mountain pass, above
the tree line and the wind was howling.
I was very glad to be loaded down and in a big heavy truck! At
one point we came around a corner and saw just what that wind
could do. Only moments before the wind had taken a trailer being
pulled by a pickup truck and hurtled it over the edge, throwing a
snowmobile and a boat off into the weeds. The driver was
attempting to manoeuvre around his truck to get to the stuff but
could not stand up to the wind. We stopped and he yelled that he
was just going to leave the stuff and head back the way we were
going. Later we were told that even loaded tractor-trailers have
been blown off this road.
As soon as we passed over to the other side of this pass and
began our descent the winds stopped completely. Below us
was the Mackenzie Delta and a ribbon of a road making its way
down too it.
Cameras can't really do this scenery justice. The drive down was
just about not letting your brakes get too hot. At the bottom was
the first ice bridge across the Peel River. What is strange
about an ice bridge, is the approach. Now image a boat launch,
one that is not paved, you leave the road and bump down to a very
flat surface that has been graded, like a paved road, quite wide,
say three lanes wide and it meets up with another boat launch
like road on the other side. The Peel River is not very wide at
this crossing maybe 300 hundred yards across so is too
short to be exciting. The ferry that takes you across in the
summer is high and dry, waiting to go back to work.
Fort McPherson is only a few kilometres from the crossing and
looks like a community of about 500 people. It is only an hour to
"Tsiigehtchic" or "Arctic Red River Crossing" the ice bridge
across the Mackenzie. We still have a wee bit of light when we
get here.
The Mackenzie is much wider and the ice road over it has an
intersection half way across with a sign pointing to the
community of "Tsiigehtchic" which is all lit up on the cliff
above the river. Here too is a ferry high and dry waiting for
summer. The road from here too Inuvik is pretty darn straight
and very flat. Larry gets us too our destination in no time. Tis
about 7pm when we see the lights for Inuvik, well it turned out
to be the airport first and a paved road. Okay it looks like we
have arrived back in civilization.... only why doesn't our cell
phone work. Inuvik even has a truck route around the outside of
the town proper. Okay how are we to make contact with our
contact. Tis now that I notice the phone number we have been
given is an Alberta number, right that makes it long distance...
What are the chances of finding a truck stop with a pay phone??
None. But we do find a fuel stop with a large enough ploughed
area for us to park and the guy inside said we could use his
phone. The plan is to call Courtenay in the morning, the office
has an 800# and they can get the contact to find us! In the mean
time we are HERE alive and well and it is only -25c. Much like
any day/night in Winnipeg.
There is no early morning dawn, it would get light by 10:30am,
which turned out to be perfect. I called the office at 8am and
with in 15 minutes the contact person drove up to the truck! The
rendezvous place was only a block away. The first order of
business was to lighten up the load so we would be legal to drive
to the site which was two hours down the Mackenzie River near the
Beaufort Sea (30 miles). We would be unloading product into a
cube van and then heading out.
But while we waited for this to happen we got a chance to have a
shower in town at the hotel. No need to ask twice, off we went in
a rented pickup truck. ‘Tis a shame that it was still dark out.
But Inuvik was larger than I expected and looked like any other
small town at night. The hotel was very snazzy, just like any up
scale place in Victoria, heated bathroom floors and all!
We left for the ice road just as it was getting light, YES! I was
not so surprised when we went only a few blocks and turned down a
back road to the river. Lumped and bumped onto that amazingly
flat smooth surface! So the protocol is to follow no closer than
200 metres apart, and to go only 60 km, cause of the wave that
the vehicles create. Okay, I was ready to see an actual wave,
which I did not, and maybe that is a good thing.
What I did see is a graded 6-lane roadway down the middle of the
river, or the channel that goes by Inuvik. The Mackenzie River
Delta is very big. This road had traffic on it, snowmobiles, a
taxi (not cheap I bet), trucks, cars, pickups.... and plenty of
side roads. The view is of course is the same as you would get in
the summer if you were in a boat! There are still plenty of trees
and they are not so scrubby by the river. The closer we got to
the sea the shallower the land beside the river got, till it was
just a low grassland, which probably was wet in the summer. The
surface of the ice came in two styles an eerie dark blue, which
looked way too thin, like the ice was only a few inches deep, to
being total white and snow covered. Here and there you would see
a cabin and a snowmobile trail heading up too it. The day was for
the most part clear, much like the time just after the
sunsets.... The sun would not show for awhile truck it would be
way colder!
The Drop Site
After a time the threat of breaking through the ice just sort of
faded and I enjoyed the sightseeing out to the site. A wee
explanation, "the site" all of the many side roads we passed had
names of exploration companies who were out looking for black
gold. The winter is the only time they can explore in this
fragile landscape. We were providing the blasting expertise and
the blasting product for one of these sites. The supporting
company was an Inuit company that provides heavy equipment for
the project. These guys all drove very expensive tricked out pick
up trucks.
We did not actually see the "site" but unloaded our truck out on
the ice into a trailer on sleds. The wind made for very cold work
and at one point I commented to an older Inuit man about the
temperature, sort of indicating that he probably would say that
today was not that cold. His comment back to me was priceless...
"We get just as cold as anyone else does!" A GPS reading
for our location that day was N69 06 W134 54.
By the time we got back to Inuvik it was dark again. We headed
out in the dark and made it to Eagle Plains that evening. I was
glad that we would see the first half of the Dempster in the
daylight. I was quite surprised to see the landscape I had driven
over in the dark. I had gone along the ridge line of a mountain
pass.
The day was clouded so again the mountains blended into the sky
and made them almost invisible. Even so the grandeur was not
lost. It has made me wish to take this road in the summer. I
would recommend as do many who have traveled the Dempster, that
it is a trip worth taking.
Moreen Reed 8 January 2007
Tom J
> Thought you guys might enjoy this story. Driving on the ice
> roads of the Canadian Arctic. If some of you decide to do this,
> I'd like to hear about it if you survive.
We made that trip towing our 35 foot RV with a 1986 F-250 Super Cab
Diesel, EXCEPT we did it in summer and the sun never set. That road
bed is way move than a few feet above the tundra in many places,
sometimes as high as 25 or 30 feet and the shoulders of the road are
zero!! A caution if you do go in summer, ask before you head up there
what is happening up river from Inuvik. We made it onto the last
ferry that would run for 21 days when a flood came down the McKenzie
river and stopped the ferry. It was a great trip and we toured the
largest Hudson Bay Company store in the chain while there. They had
everything, like Sears use to!! We would love to go back, but it's
just too long a trip at our age.
Tom J
Bob Giddings
The pictures are all grey. Grey ice, grey snow, grey sky. I'm
sure the landscape would be monotonous if you didn't know it was
trying to kill you.
David The Hamster Malone
> The pictures are all grey. Grey ice, grey snow, grey sky. I'm
> sure the landscape would be monotonous if you didn't know it was
> trying to kill you.
Great trip report... reminds me of when I used to go ice fishing and
get into white-out situations and especially pea-soup fog that had
settled into the valleys between the hills. Several times I've driven
onto lake Simcoe without realising it because all I could see was tire
tracks... and I followed the wrong set. Not a big problem (with
normally 4-8 feet of pretty solid ice) but not where I intended to go.
Had to follow the ice-fishing roads marked with discarded christmas
trees to get off again - thank &deity for the compasses in my trucks.
It sure sounds like a wonderful trip to make in the summer...
David "The Hamster" Malone
Lone Haranguer
> Great trip report... reminds me of when I used to go ice fishing and
> get into white-out situations and especially pea-soup fog that had
> settled into the valleys between the hills. Several times I've driven
> onto lake Simcoe without realising it because all I could see was tire
> tracks... and I followed the wrong set.
Did you see that video clip on Fox News 2 days ago where the woman
newscaster drove the station's satellite truck onto a lake and it broke
through?
She didn't realize she was on a lake; thought the road was just drifted
over..... They need to spring for a GPS too.
LZ
David The Hamster Malone
> Did you see that video clip on Fox News 2 days ago where the woman
> newscaster drove the station's satellite truck onto a lake and it broke
> through?
Sure did... and ironically they were doing an article on ice-safety at
the time. I think it was in Wisconsin. Wonder how much a truck like
that costs - the electronics at least must be a write-off...
David "The Hamster" Malone
David The Hamster Malone
> She didn't realize she was on a lake; thought the road was just drifted
> over..... They need to spring for a GPS too.
We could have used one a few years ago...
I've had a few escapades on the ice in Lake Simcoe - been through the
ice twice but got out of the vehicle safely both times before it sank.
In one case the Bombardier only went in up to its 'elbows' and the
other, the whole thing went through, but in relatively shallow waters.
Far more dangerous was one winter when Ortelia and I were about eleven
miles out on the lake fishing for lake trout. We were having a great
time - and the fish were biting like crazy...
I should tell you a bit about Randy, our Indian ice-fishing guide. His
family has lived on Georgina island on the lake for centuries. Randy
is a tough, wiry looking man, around late fifties, with a dirty, fish-
stained, brownish-grey floater suit... no teeth but nevertheless a
wonderful smile. He is one of the most naturally likeable people you'd
ever get to meet. And he's married to an absolutely stunning blonde
which is one puzzle I've never figured out.
Anyway, around 4pm, Randy suddenly appeared at the door of the hut and
said,
"Get in the Bombardier quick... there's gonna be a bad storm and I
want to get everyone off the ice..."
For Randy to consider it a bad storm, we knew there was something a
bit scary coming. So we piled in and started the long trek back to
shore but before we'd gone more than a couple of miles, the wind
picked up and it started to snow - a few minutes and we were in total
white-out conditions. There were about eight fisherman in the
Bombardier including a young kid and his Dad right at the back. The
kid was looking out the plexiglass window, obviously a bit scared and
asked if we would be okay.
"Sure", says Randy, "I know this lake like the back of my hand..."
which is fortunately true enough.
We sped onwards at about 50mph without being able to see anything and
Randy suddenly made a detour to his left... and stopped. We could
vaguely see another Bombardier beside us - Randy knew his employees
wouldn't dare drive in these conditions and he'd stopped to pick them
up. How he found them I have no idea. He has no GPS - just a compass.
Back on the ice-road with now around 12 or 13 people stuffed in the
Bombardier, we cruised on in total whiteness. It felt like quite an
adventure what with the driving snow and the wind buffeting the
vehicle and the smell of the fish and the diesel fuel...
That's when we hit the ice-wall.
Randy knew the crack was there and fortunately he had slowed to cross
it, but he didn't realize that the wind pressure had lifted the ice
over the crack to create a four-foot wall of solid ice. The impact
threw everyone into a heap at the front of the cab - the kid sitting
at the back actually went over my shoulder like he was tobogganing on
the curved roof. Fortunately no-one was seriously hurt although I
banged my head on the ceiling. Randy took a quick look and, satisfied
the damage was minor, drawled with an evil grin...
"Next time wear a hat like everybody else..."
We'd lost a ski... so Randy simply tore what was left of it off using
an ice chopper for leverage and we continued along the fault line
until we found a place where it hadn't lifted enough to form a wall.
The problem was, there was about 3 feet of open water between the two
sheets of ice. We waited while Randy got out and took a closer look at
it and then held our collective breath while he backed up the
Bombardier about 100 yards or so... and then took a flying run at it.
He'd chosen a slightly ramped edge and we flew across quite nicely,
thank-you, landing breathless with a loud thump on the other side.
The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful, although the snow and
wind didn't let up at all and I think all of us were a bit astonished
and relieved when we found ourselves going up the ramp out of the
lake. I know I'd pretty well given up at that point and Ortelia was
sure we were going to die. But Randy is the best at what he does. If
it were anyone else, we'd have been stuck out on the ice for two or
three days in minus 30 temperatures without any propane and no chance
of getting any. I tried to slip him a twenty before we got in the
truck, but he refused to take it and instead apologized for not
anticipating the ice-wall condition. As I said - one of nature's
gentlemen.
David "The hatless Hamster" Malone
Lone Haranguer
> Randy suddenly made a detour to his left... and stopped. We could
> vaguely see another Bombardier beside us - Randy knew his employees
> wouldn't dare drive in these conditions and he'd stopped to pick them
> up. How he found them I have no idea. He has no GPS - just a compass.
Good story. In the dozen years we took houseboat trips in Voyageur
National Park, we were socked in by fog twice on the same morning when
we had to check in by 0930 or pay for an extra day.
Using just a compass and map, I managed to navigate all the islands and
reefs and find the buoys you need to find in order to navigate the channel.
Visibility was 50 yards and the Coast Guard had advised no travel. Even
the owner of the houseboats who had lived on the lake his entire life
and been a game warden on the lakes half his life admitted he wouldn't
have been able to do that.
We had many interesting adventures on our houseboat trips but I wouldn't
call them life-threatening as yours was.
LZ
David The Hamster Malone
> We had many interesting adventures on our houseboat trips but I wouldn't
> call them life-threatening as yours was.
Worst storm I can remember in over 20 years of ice-fishing. We didn't
realize at the time exactly how life threatening it was. Three people
died during that same storm by going through the ice (two of them
accidentally drove up the river in the white-out conditions) and a
number of people were hospitalized with frost-bite and exposure after
spending up to four days on the ice. The faultline crack opened
completely and stranded dozens of fishermen on the lake side where
they had to be rescued by the coastguard, the RCMP helicopter, or
Randy (who found and rescued most of them in his V-8 modified Florida
air boat).
David "The Hamster" Malone
Jimi
"Bob Giddings" <bo...@escapees.com> wrote in message
news:4ag2s2d4opd8gmbo7...@4ax.com...
> Thought you guys might enjoy this story. Driving on the ice
> roads of the Canadian Arctic. If some of you decide to do this,
> I'd like to hear about it if you survive.
>
> Some of you, as I, have driven to Alaska over some of these same
> roads. But this was a little different!
>
> I got permission from the person who sent it to share the
> following adventure. The original was a PDF, with pictures.
> Here, of course, I can only share the text. I tried to format it
> in a readable fashion.
>
> Bob
>
>
> http://www.arcatapet.net/bobgiddings
Hi Bob,
I lived in Tuktoyaktuk for three years and Ft. Machpherson for another
three. 12 yrs total in the Arctic and I could tell you stories of winter
drives my wife and I have had on the Mackenzie river that would make your
hair curl.
One particular story comes to mind is when we
were living in Tuktoyaktuk and she needed to take a police cruiser to Inuvik
( wife is an RCMP Sargent) . The cruiser was a Chevy Scottsdale 4x4 four
door truck. The cruiser was in need of about 1200 dollars worth of parts
and maintenance. It was our fifth year wedding aniversary so she thought we
could take the truck in for the repairs, have a nice meal in a restaraunt
and get a hotel room for the night, then drive the repaired truck back to
Tuck the next day. Their was a highschool volleyball tournament in Inuvik
and a lot of the Tuck school kids were going to participate. Since they were
all going in a van there was no room for their baggage and sleeping bags,
they asked my wife to load the bags in the back of the cruiser. Normally
most ice roads in the arctic are maintained by a grader. The grader has
serated teeth on its blade to cut grooves in the ice to help vehicles with
traction, however, sometimes a high wind will actually move the road
snowbanks so you end up driving on sheet ice.
We were about half way to Inuvik when my wife hit gare ice that had
not been maintained, the truck started to slide sideways. We both froze with
fear as we could see a hard snowbank coming at us. The truck was totally out
of control on glare river ice. We hit the snowbank sideways and cleared it
upside down and landed on the roof of the truck. I had a steel thermos full
of coffee nail me in the side of the head . When I came to I could make out
my wife frantically digging away out the drivers side window. The cab was
buried under a snowbank. We managed to dig ourselves out and used the kids
sleeping bags to stay warm. The bags were strewn all over the place as they
had been in the box of the truck. My wife crawled back into the cruiser and
as luck would have it, the radio still worked with the truck upside down. We
had help arrive within about three hours.
The truck was a write off. The going joke after that was if the
detachment wanted to get a new truck, they were to let my wife drive the old
one.! Hope you founs that interesting...Jim
Bob Giddings
Very. Everybody's slid on ice somewhere, but not driving down
the middle of a great river.
Once in Monarch Pass, CO, coming back from skiing, I just tapped
the brakes to slow down, and instantaneously found myself facing
the other direction, in the other lane, and going just as fast as
if I'd always been going that way. Bing. 180 degrees.
Glad you weren't hurt.
Bob
David The Hamster Malone
> Once in Monarch Pass, CO, coming back from skiing, I just tapped
> the brakes to slow down, and instantaneously found myself facing
> the other direction, in the other lane, and going just as fast as
> if I'd always been going that way. Bing. 180 degrees.
Bing...? You get fresh cherries at that time of the year?
My wife and I were driving down a one-lane back road in North Bay once
- it was a solid sheet of ice. Despite that, because it was 4:30am and
usually nobody is about, I was going at a good clip. Suddenly we came
over a small hill... and there was a pick-up truck spinning towards us
completely out of control and taking up the whole road. Ortelia just
covered her eyes with her mitts. Since I couldn't stop in time and had
nowhere to go, I took a guess at where I thought he'd be pointing
straight down the road versus sideways and sped up to pass him at that
point in his rotation. Missed him by a fraction of an inch. He
eventually slid off the road and into a tree. I backed up and he was
OK since he'd more or less backed into it... but the truck was a write-
off.
Ortelia was a wreck and trembling like a leaf at the thought of what
could have happened. I, on the other hand , was quite pleased with
myself and rather happy that we'd missed him.
David "The Hamster" Malone
Bob Giddings
<mal...@ca.ibm.com> wrote:
As hamsters go, you are a fortunate furball.
bill horne
Could have been skill developed during all those years in pool halls
- learned how to use the other guy's english.
--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.
Tom J
My bet is he wouldn't be so lucky these days. North Bay has grown so
that nothing looks the same anymore. I bet there is not a silgle lane
dirt street left.
Tom J
David The Hamster Malone
> My bet is he wouldn't be so lucky these days. North Bay has grown so
> that nothing looks the same anymore. I bet there is not a silgle lane
> dirt street left.
Are you from North Bay area, Tom? I said North Bay because most people
would recognise it - we were ice-fishing on Lake Nippissing (Calendar
Bay) slightly south of the actual town of North Bay. A place called
Glen Echo...
David "The Hamster" Malone
Tom J
> Are you from North Bay area, Tom?
Not from there, but have traveled there many times over the years,
starting in 1992 and the last trip through there was in 2002. Never
did any fishing but once and that was also just south of the city on
the East side in a lake on a huge private estate, the fabric coating
plant if you know where it's located. I caught 1 & the cook caught 2
fish that fed 35 people and had fish left over!!
Tom J
Bob Giddings
Tom J
> On Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:22:11 GMT, "Tom J"
>> Not from there, but have traveled there many times over the years,
>> starting in 1992 and the last trip through there was in 2002. Never
>> did any fishing but once and that was also just south of the city
>> on
>> the East side in a lake on a huge private estate, the fabric
>> coating
>> plant if you know where it's located. I caught 1 & the cook caught
>> 2
>> fish that fed 35 people and had fish left over!!
>>
>> Tom J
>>
>
> You got the fishes down. How did you do on the loaves?
The bread was baked in the company kitchen. :-) I don't know what
species the fish were but they look similar to our chain pickerel in
the south, except they were about 60" long and it was all the 2 of us
could do to lug those 3 fish from the lake to the kitchen. The cook
had a long pole that he ran through the gills to string the fish on
and then we hoisted the pole on our shoulder to carry them up the hill
from the lake.
Tom J
Bob Giddings
I can just see that. Hail the Conquering Heroes! Applause all
around.
Something to remember.
David The Hamster Malone
> I don't know what
> species the fish were but they look similar to our chain pickerel in
> the south, except they were about 60" long and it was all the 2 of us
> could do to lug those 3 fish from the lake to the kitchen.
Northern Pike... tastes better than walleye to most people (based on a
study done by a fishing show I saw once). Just have to avoid those Y-
bones in the filets. They can get pretty big... my wife once caught 4
big ones in a row within 2 minutes through the ice on Lake Nippissing.
I was literally 4 feet away and catching walleye at the same time -
odd. Thick weedbed.
David "The Hamster" Malone
-Gar
Naw HamPster, I think they were Gar's... I
lost my daddy and 2 brothers to sicko's like
you and this guy on my 'home' lake..
Some bastard actually had me in the boat
once... I did a super back-flip and escaped...
Shit.. I don't eat hamPsters... or
humans... what's wrong with your species?
[besides your "Liberal" politics?]
-Gar<what a hoot... wrapping your hooks on
these big logs down here...
David The Hamster Malone
> Naw HamPster, I think they were Gar's... I
> lost my daddy and 2 brothers to sicko's like
> you and this guy on my 'home' lake..
I have to admit, I've fished for alligator Gar on a small lake in
Florida - caught a few big uns but I swear I put 'em back - didn't
like the look of all of all those teeth... predators all of them.
Don't preach to me about killing other species. Are you aware that Gar
have been known to eat frogs like Kermit and those oh-so-cute little
fluffy ducklings...? Natural born killers.
> Shit.. I don't eat hamPsters... or
> humans... what's wrong with your species?
There are plenty of species who do... c*ts and o*ls come to mind...
it's a dog-eat-dog world out there Gar and you learn to live with it.
<g>
David "The Hamster" Malone
scha...@webtv.net
imagine making it in the winter. wouldn't even try it!
you need to submit this to some magazine. it's a great article. i
enjoyed it.
Bob Giddings
Not mine to submit. Just an interesting email I got via my web
page.
R.J.(Bob) Evans
<mal...@ca.ibm.com> wrote:
>Northern Pike... tastes better than walleye to most people (based on a
>study done by a fishing show I saw once). Just have to avoid those Y-
>bones in the filets. They can get pretty big... my wife once caught 4
Jackfish definitely does not taste better than walleye to anyone who
has actually eaten them. Slough sharks we call them & they go
straight back into the water anytime we catch them. They are fun for
kids to catch - especially the hammer handle ones but essentially
inedible. If you boil them for a week and serve them with garlic
butter they are OK as long as the butter & garlic is fresh.
--
R.J.(Bob) Evans
(return address needs alteration to work)
David The Hamster Malone
net> wrote:
> Jackfish definitely does not taste better than walleye to anyone who
> has actually eaten them.
I have eaten them many times - it sounds as if you haven't. One of the
Canadian TV fishing shows did a blind tasting of pan-fried walleye vs
pike amongst 30 or so tasters and the pike won with a margin of almost
3 to 1... IMHHO, it is at least as good if not a better tasting fish.
Don't knock it if you (obviously) haven't tried it.
David "The Hamster" Malone
Tom J
> net> wrote:
>
>> Jackfish definitely does not taste better than walleye to anyone
>> who
>> has actually eaten them.
>
> I have eaten them many times - it sounds as if you haven't. One of
> the
> Canadian TV fishing shows did a blind tasting of pan-fried walleye
> vs
> pike amongst 30 or so tasters and the pike won with a margin of
> almost
> 3 to 1... IMHHO, it is at least as good if not a better tasting
> fish.
I don't know what they were, but it was good eating to me. The meat
did have some bones in every piece, but they were big enough it was
easy to pull them and keep eating. The only thing that would have
made them better is if they had grits up there!! :-)
Tom J
David The Hamster Malone
> I don't know what they were, but it was good eating to me. The meat
> did have some bones in every piece, but they were big enough it was
> easy to pull them and keep eating.
As long as they are fresh (they don't freeze well) and you filet them
(ie. don't cook them with the skin on) they are very tasty... my shore
lunch on many occasions.
> The only thing that would have
> made them better is if they had grits up there!! :-)
We do indeed have grits up here...
http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003463
David "The Hamster" Malone
R.J.(Bob) Evans
<mal...@ca.ibm.com> wrote:
>As long as they are fresh (they don't freeze well) and you filet them
>(ie. don't cook them with the skin on) they are very tasty... my shore
>lunch on many occasions.
>
I suppose if you were really hungry & couldn't catch real fish then
eating jackfish would beat starving to death but only just barely.
And in response to your earlier taunt about my never having eaten them
I'll hazard a guess that I've eaten 3 shore lunches to your one over
the course of my life and, yes, when I was younger and less wise I ate
my share of jackfish.
But then I learned how to fish and now I don't have to settle for
jackfish.
In response to whoever it was that complained about the bones in
jackfish, if the guy running the fillet knife knows what he is doing
that doesn't have to be a problem. But, OTOH, that's just one more
reason to throw them back because, by the time you get done cutting
the bones out, there ain't much left.
Bob Giddings
evans at sasktel d0t net> wrote:
You know, this is beginning to sound like the story of the two
blind Canucks and the Elephant...
GBinNC
<mal...@ca.ibm.com> wrote:
>We do indeed have grits up here...
Betcha don't know what to do with 'em....
GB in NC
Lone Haranguer
Horse pebbles. I would wager that if I blindfold you and serve you
both, you can't tell the difference. (I've run this test many times and
won every time.)
When eating ALL fish, stick to the smaller ones, preferably from cold
water lakes with clear water. Even bass which often become mossy
tasting from warm and weedy lakes will taste great from the right waters.
LZ
Kevin W. Miller
Glue them to thin sections of wood and call it "sandpaper"?
--
Kevin W. Miller
http://www.bluemoongemworks.com/rv/index.asp
Lone Haranguer
I know people who believe the same thing. In Texas I was told that
Alligator Gar and "Gasper Gou" (Sheepshead) were unfit to eat.
Then we actually tried them and people fought over what was first used
as bait.
I'm surprised these old wive's tales are still floating around.
LZ
Lone Haranguer
Removing those "Y" bones takes only a minute or two and is a poor excuse
not to eat a tasty fish.
Keep only fish under 3 lbs.
Fillet exactly as you would a walleye. Roll in flour and seasoning, fry
in hot oil until a light brown and fish is crisp.
The entire lower half of the fillet is bone-free. The upper portion has
the "Y" bones. Lightly cut with a knife halfway down the upper half.
Separate the lower portion; all the bones are now revealed so you can
remove them.
I've fed them to seafood lovers from the Gulf Coast, California, Spain
and Germany and was told they were the best fish they ever tasted.
LZ
JerryD(upstateNY)
lakes with clear water. Even bass which often become mossy tasting from
warm and weedy lakes will taste great from the right waters. LZ<<<<<<<<
I'll take Sunfish or Blue Gills or whatever they are called in your area,
over any fish going.
I fillet them and get 2 fillets about the size of your finger, but 50 or so
fish will make a good meal for 4-5 people.
Breaded and deep fried they are the best eating fish you will ever eat.
--
JerryD(upstateNY)
Lone Haranguer
> On Feb 6, 3:13 pm, "Tom J" <tomn...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
>>I don't know what they were, but it was good eating to me. The meat
>>did have some bones in every piece, but they were big enough it was
>>easy to pull them and keep eating.
>
>
> As long as they are fresh (they don't freeze well) and you filet them
> (ie. don't cook them with the skin on) they are very tasty... my shore
> lunch on many occasions.
They freeze well if you put them in milk cartons and fill the cartons
with water before freezing. No air (and as little of the carton as
possible) should touch the fish. We're still eating northern pike and
bass I caught last summer and they taste as fresh as if they were just
caught. We do this every year and have for many years. One of the
reasons we've toted a small freezer in the motorhome since 1987. I also
used to bring back catfish from Texas in this way for our annual fish fry.
LZ
Lone Haranguer
> I suppose if you were really hungry & couldn't catch real fish then
> eating jackfish would beat starving to death but only just barely.
Then you don't know how to cook fish.
> And in response to your earlier taunt about my never having eaten them
> I'll hazard a guess that I've eaten 3 shore lunches to your one over
> the course of my life and, yes, when I was younger and less wise I ate
> my share of jackfish.
>
> But then I learned how to fish and now I don't have to settle for
> jackfish.
Eating carp now?
>
> In response to whoever it was that complained about the bones in
> jackfish, if the guy running the fillet knife knows what he is doing
> that doesn't have to be a problem. But, OTOH, that's just one more
> reason to throw them back because, by the time you get done cutting
> the bones out, there ain't much left.
More hogwash.
One fillet from a 3 lb northern pike is a meal unless you are really
incompetent at cleaning them.
LZ
R.J.(Bob) Evans
<jer...@wherever.com> wrote:
>I'll take Sunfish or Blue Gills or whatever they are called in your area,
>over any fish going.
>I fillet them and get 2 fillets about the size of your finger, but 50 or so
>fish will make a good meal for 4-5 people.
>Breaded and deep fried they are the best eating fish you will ever eat.
Walleye cheeks are pretty fine eating too but most people don't ever
catch one big enough to know and I wouldn't want to guess how many it
would take to make a meal.
Lone Haranguer
> When eating ALL fish, stick to the smaller ones, preferably from cold water
> lakes with clear water. Even bass which often become mossy tasting from
> warm and weedy lakes will taste great from the right waters. LZ<<<<<<<<>
>
> I'll take Sunfish or Blue Gills or whatever they are called in your area,
> over any fish going.
They too are one of my favorites. Believe it or not, bass from some
lakes taste as good as bluegills. Of course bluegills never stop biting
and can be had any time of year.
> I fillet them and get 2 fillets about the size of your finger, but 50 or so
> fish will make a good meal for 4-5 people.
Errrr, the daily limit is now 20.
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/fishing2006.pdf
> Breaded and deep fried they are the best eating fish you will ever eat.
>
They make great appetizers for the real meal. We call them "potato
chip" fillets.
LZ
David The Hamster Malone
net> wrote:
> And in response to your earlier taunt about my never having eaten them
> I'll hazard a guess that I've eaten 3 shore lunches to your one over
> the course of my life
Well you'd likely be wrong - as you are about pike. I've been fishing
my whole life year-round and I eat what I catch - spring/summer/fall
and ice-fishing.
> But, OTOH, that's just one more
> reason to throw them back because, by the time you get done cutting
> the bones out, there ain't much left.
Lol... this once again demonstrates that you've never actually fileted
one.
David "The Hamster" Malone
David The Hamster Malone
> I'll take Sunfish or Blue Gills or whatever they are called in your area,
> over any fish going.
They are tasty.
I also fish for black crappie - I don't even bother to filet them...
just gut them, scale them, clip off the fins and then BBQ them on the
portable BBQ. Most fish dry out if you cook them that way, but crappie
are delicious. I caught one that was 3lbs 2oz in the Trent-Severn a
couple years ago - a record for that waterway. Ate it anyway... :-)
A smallish fish that's prevalent in this area is rock bass. When we're
camping, we catch a coupla dozen or so and prepare them the same way
but deep pan-fry them until crisp instead... I can eat a dozen of them
myself in one sitting...
David "The Hamster" Malone
David The Hamster Malone
> They freeze well if you put them in milk cartons and fill the cartons
> with water before freezing. No air (and as little of the carton as
> possible) should touch the fish.
Good idea, I'll try that... I freeze my perch filets from ice-fishing
in Lake Simcoe that way and it does a good job. Nowadays there's a 50
fish limit but in the old days there were endless supplies of fish and
no limit and we'd catch 2-300 a day and freeze them.
That reminds me, perch may well be the toughest fish around. I catch
them and throw them on the ice where they freeze immediately in the
-30 temps. Hard as a carp. After I take 'em home, I throw them in the
sink to clean them, and as soon as they hit the cold water, they come
back to life and start splashing around. Scared the heck out of my
wife the first time she saw it...
David "The Hamster" Malone
Bob Giddings
<mal...@ca.ibm.com> wrote:
>On Feb 6, 6:51 pm, Lone Haranguer <lin...@direcway.com> wrote:
>
>> They freeze well if you put them in milk cartons and fill the cartons
>> with water before freezing. No air (and as little of the carton as
>> possible) should touch the fish.
>
>Good idea, I'll try that... I freeze my perch filets from ice-fishing
>in Lake Simcoe that way and it does a good job. Nowadays there's a 50
>fish limit but in the old days there were endless supplies of fish and
>no limit and we'd catch 2-300 a day and freeze them.
I had a friend who used milk cartons. Do "milk cartons" still
exist? I haven't seen anything but plastic for years.
>
>That reminds me, perch may well be the toughest fish around. I catch
>them and throw them on the ice where they freeze immediately in the
>-30 temps. Hard as a carp. After I take 'em home, I throw them in the
>sink to clean them, and as soon as they hit the cold water, they come
>back to life and start splashing around. Scared the heck out of my
>wife the first time she saw it...
>
>David "The Hamster" Malone
The only ice fishing I've heard of that I think I could
countenance is the sort seen in "Grumpy Old Men". A nice little
cottage on skids, with a couch, and a TV, and central heat... and
o yeah, a hole in the living room floor to pull the fish up
through.
Bob
David The Hamster Malone
> I had a friend who used milk cartons. Do "milk cartons" still
> exist? I haven't seen anything but plastic for years.
They exist up here... but then we're primitive Canadians.
> The only ice fishing I've heard of that I think I could
> countenance is the sort seen in "Grumpy Old Men". A nice little
> cottage on skids, with a couch, and a TV, and central heat... and
> o yeah, a hole in the living room floor to pull the fish up
> through.
On lake Nippissing (a native word that means... please don't pee on
the ice) they have 2 storey cabins with all mod cons including
bedrooms, kitchens, and showers. The ice gets very thick up there. On
lake Simcoe, we usually fish in heated fish huts although I like to
wonder around outside and cut new holes if the fish are not co-
operating.
David "The Hamster" Malone
Lone Haranguer
>
>
>>They freeze well if you put them in milk cartons and fill the cartons
>>with water before freezing. No air (and as little of the carton as
>>possible) should touch the fish.
>
>
> Good idea, I'll try that... I freeze my perch filets from ice-fishing
> in Lake Simcoe that way and it does a good job. Nowadays there's a 50
> fish limit but in the old days there were endless supplies of fish and
> no limit and we'd catch 2-300 a day and freeze them.
Same was true of MN at one time. Nice sized yellow perch could be
caught 2 at a time while ice fishing and it was easy to catch a couple
of 5 gallon pails full. My FIL used to smoke them and they were great.
I recall catching a bunch of them while on leave in Feb '63 and taking a
paper bag full on our travels to Utah.
>
> That reminds me, perch may well be the toughest fish around. I catch
> them and throw them on the ice where they freeze immediately in the
> -30 temps. Hard as a carp. After I take 'em home, I throw them in the
> sink to clean them, and as soon as they hit the cold water, they come
> back to life and start splashing around. Scared the heck out of my
> wife the first time she saw it...
>
I've experienced the same with bluegills and crappies. They would be
frozen as hard as a rock and I'd throw them in a sink full of water for
the kids to play with before cleaning them.
LZ
> David "The Hamster" Malone
>
David The Hamster Malone
wrote:
> I like to
> wonder around outside and cut new holes if the fish are not co-
> operating.
People often wonder why I'm 'wondering' outside when I should be
wandering. Makes you wonder doesn't it?
David "The wanderful Hamster" Malone
Lone Haranguer
You can rent them on Mille Lacs lake in MN. People have been known to
spend their honeymoon in them.
Hardy types, of course.
LZ
>
>
> http://www.arcatapet.net/bobgiddings
Lone Haranguer
> On Feb 7, 10:56 am, Bob Giddings <b...@escapees.com> wrote:
>
>
>>I had a friend who used milk cartons. Do "milk cartons" still
>>exist? I haven't seen anything but plastic for years.
> >
> They exist up here... but then we're primitive Canadians.
Orange Juice cartons also work...
>
>
>>The only ice fishing I've heard of that I think I could
>>countenance is the sort seen in "Grumpy Old Men". A nice little
>>cottage on skids, with a couch, and a TV, and central heat... and
>>o yeah, a hole in the living room floor to pull the fish up
>>through.
>
>
> On lake Nippissing (a native word that means... please don't pee on
> the ice) they have 2 storey cabins with all mod cons including
> bedrooms, kitchens, and showers. The ice gets very thick up there. On
> lake Simcoe, we usually fish in heated fish huts although I like to
> wonder around outside and cut new holes if the fish are not co-
> operating.
My younger son had a fancy fishhouse he built with wheels that
retracted. Tow it anywhere, retract the wheels and fish in comfort. I
usually sat on a 5 gallon bucket in the open although I did try a
folding windbreak for a season or two.
My trusty dog at the time loved ice fishing. He whined when the bobber
did the slightest wiggle so I could read or gape at the scenery if
things were slow.
Fishing at 30 below zero and a 50 below wind chill, freshly caught fish
would freeze while still flopping and be frozen as stiff as a board with
their tail still held sideways.
Frank Howell
What's a jackfish?
--
Frank Howell
-----------------
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Access your favorite newsgroups from home or on the road
-----------------
David The Hamster Malone
> Fishing at 30 below zero and a 50 below wind chill, freshly caught fish
> would freeze while still flopping and be frozen as stiff as a board with
> their tail still held sideways.
Speaking of 'folded' fish, I once caught a lake trout in Lake Simcoe
which had a broken back so it was permanently at a right-angle. It
seems they seed young lake trout in the lake by dropping the fry from
a 'plane every year and some of them get injured from the fall... how
it survived to get to around 10 lbs is a mystery to me but it was firm
and healthy apart from its 'disability'.
David "The Hamster" Malone
Lone Haranguer
> R.J.(Bob) Evans wrote:
>>In response to whoever it was that complained about the bones in
>>jackfish, if the guy running the fillet knife knows what he is doing
>>that doesn't have to be a problem. But, OTOH, that's just one more
>>reason to throw them back because, by the time you get done cutting
>>the bones out, there ain't much left.
>
>
> What's a jackfish?
>
LZ
David The Hamster Malone
> A disparaging Canadian term for Northern Pike.
Not at all, my dear fellow... if we'd wanted to be disparaging, we'd
have called it a 'GeorgeFish'...
David "The Hamster" Malone
Tom J
>
>> I had a friend who used milk cartons. Do "milk cartons" still
>> exist? I haven't seen anything but plastic for years.
>
> They exist up here... but then we're primitive Canadians.
They are in most stores in the US also, but most milk is sold in
plastic jugs these days, with only the specialty stuff in the 1/2
pint, pint, quart and 1/2 gallon cartons. Orange juice also is
available in the "milk" cartons.
Tom J
Bob Giddings
I was thinking of the half gallon ones. You're right. If you
are catching only sardines, there's plenty of cartons out there.
Lone Haranguer
The name predates our president.....unless you meant King George the III?
LZ
David The Hamster Malone
> The name predates our president.....unless you meant King George the III?
Or Washington...
David "The Hamster" Malone
Lone Haranguer
You wouldn't disparage Washington, would you? After all he helped the
Brits kick
French ass in earlier days.
LZ
David The Hamster Malone
> You wouldn't disparage Washington, would you? After all he helped the
> Brits kick
> French ass in earlier days.
Hey, you know me... I'll disparage anyone if I think there's a joke in
there somewhere. <g>
David "The equal-opportunity-disparager Hamster" malone
Frank Tabor
> What's a jackfish?
That's what Jack Schidt fishes for.
--
Frank Tabor
Living your life is a task so difficult, it has never been attempted before.
Robert Bonomi
Frank Howell <fpho...@usermail.com> wrote:
>R.J.(Bob) Evans wrote:
>> On 6 Feb 2007 12:36:58 -0800 "David The Hamster Malone"
>> <mal...@ca.ibm.com> wrote:
>>
>>> As long as they are fresh (they don't freeze well) and you filet them
>>> (ie. don't cook them with the skin on) they are very tasty... my
>>> shore lunch on many occasions.
>>>
>> I suppose if you were really hungry & couldn't catch real fish then
>> eating jackfish would beat starving to death but only just barely.
>> And in response to your earlier taunt about my never having eaten them
>> I'll hazard a guess that I've eaten 3 shore lunches to your one over
>> the course of my life and, yes, when I was younger and less wise I ate
>> my share of jackfish.
>>
>> But then I learned how to fish and now I don't have to settle for
>> jackfish.
>>
>> In response to whoever it was that complained about the bones in
>> jackfish, if the guy running the fillet knife knows what he is doing
>> that doesn't have to be a problem. But, OTOH, that's just one more
>> reason to throw them back because, by the time you get done cutting
>> the bones out, there ain't much left.
>
>What's a jackfish?
>
Brother to a jillfish, maybe?? <giggle>
Lone Haranguer
Well, I'm telling your mom.
LZ
R.J.(Bob) Evans
<fpho...@usermail.com> wrote:
>What's a jackfish?
Its what you'all call a n'awthun.
And contrary to what someone has already suggested, its not
disparaging - its the name of the fish. Come up here and start
talking about Northern Pike and everyone will know you aren't from
around here.
Lone Haranguer
> On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 09:13:14 -0800 "Frank Howell"
> <fpho...@usermail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>What's a jackfish?
>
>
> Its what you'all call a n'awthun.
>
> And contrary to what someone has already suggested, its not
> disparaging - its the name of the fish. Come up here and start
> talking about Northern Pike and everyone will know you aren't from
> around here.
>
If you're looking to fish in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba,
Northwest Territories or one of Canada's other beautiful provinces, this
is the place to learn about the country's pike fishing, find the right
trip, and outfit yourself with tackle, lures, clothing and other great
stuff for the adventures ahead.
One of the world's great freshwater predators, the northern pike
delivers bone-jarring strikes and line-stripping runs -- making it the
ultimate quarry for both the fly and plug angler. Put that together with
the whole Canadian wilderness travel experience and you have the fishing
adventure of a lifetime.
************
In all the Canadian fishing brochures I looked at, "Jackfish" are not
mentioned, but Northern Pike are heavily featured.
"Jackfish" is merely a colloquial term, like "bream" "shellcracker" or
"Gasper Gou".
LZ
Table Quality
The white, flaky meat has a good flavor, but each fillet has a row of
Y-bones. By cutting around the bones, they can easily be removed.
Rudy
"Lone Haranguer" <lin...@direcway.com> wrote in message
news:52ulenF...@mid.individual.net...
Possibly so, however the species does match the currents IQ. Rudy
Lone Haranguer
I don't think water has an IQ.
LZ
Rudy
Great there are 3 of you retards
Lone Haranguer
> "Lone Haranguer" <lin...@direcway.com> wrote in message
> news:5313qvF...@mid.individual.net...
>
>>Rudy wrote:
>>
>>
>>>"Lone Haranguer" <lin...@direcway.com> wrote in message
>>>news:52ulenF...@mid.individual.net...
>>>
>>>
>>>>David The Hamster Malone wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>On Feb 7, 12:22 pm, Lone Haranguer <lin...@direcway.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>A disparaging Canadian term for Northern Pike.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Not at all, my dear fellow... if we'd wanted to be disparaging, we'd
>>>>>have called it a 'GeorgeFish'...
>>>>>
>>>>>David "The Hamster" Malone
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>The name predates our president.....unless you meant King George the III?
>>>>LZ
>>>
>>>
>>>Possibly so, however the species does match the currents IQ. Rudy
>>>
>>
>>I don't think water has an IQ.
>>LZ
>
>
> Great there are 3 of you retards
>
LZ