There is no finer fishing partner than one's father. In my case, Dad has been not only my lifelong fishing partner but also one of my best friends. I am grateful for this blessing today, yet I also sense that decades from now the time I spent in a boat with Dad will take on even greater meaning.
Much of that time has been in Canada. In fact, my first Canadian fishing trip was a high school graduation gift from my old man: a week-long, father-son trip. We bunked in a rundown resort in the woods of Ontario. Wind and rain besieged the camp, and daily thunderstorms forced us off the lake back into our knotty pine cabin, which housed a pair of field mice. In the black of night, a wind gust blew open the cabin door and in our semi-awake state we shoved a dresser in front of the door to prevent it from blowing open again and letting even more rainwater pour in.
We loved every minute of it.
Since that stormy initiation, the Canadian wilderness has beckoned us back annually, and my dad and I discovered a new resort we escape to every Father's Day: Fireside Lodge. Fireside is special in many ways, from the owners (Alan and Audrey Brandys) to the fellow guests to the wilderness that surrounds the 111-year-old main lodge.
There's also the beautiful cabins, delicious food and impeccable service––not to mention word-class fishing––but increasingly I realize it's the unexpected experiences and funny moments throughout the week Dad and I share that make our annual trip matter. To both of us.
In that vein, I thought I'd share one highlight from each day of this year's Father's Day voyage to Fireside Lodge.
Day of Arrival: "We're Home!"
"Audrey, we're home!" Dad proclaimed as we arrived at the lodge after an 8-hour drive from St. Paul, Minnesota to Fireside Lodge, just south of Sioux Lookout, Ontario. It's become his customary greeting at the lodge, and on cue Audrey came running out of the kitchen to give us hugs.
It's such a great feeling, a combination of excitement and familiarity as we stand in that old lodge and look down at Little Vermillion Lake for the first time since last year. We've been anticipating this day for the past 365. And while the individual cabins themselves are immaculate and new, the main lodge––consisting of the dining room, tackle shop, fireplace and lounge area––is neither.
The historic building carries decades-old fish and animal mounts, antique tools and a distinct, musky, wonderful odor.
On a side note, there are two other noteworthy items about our arrival I should briefly mention. First, is that Dad caught a big muskie literally 15 minutes into fishing our first afternoon of arrival.
Second, is that Audrey and Alan asked us about our family back home, by name, within minutes of greeting us. That's just how they are. The couple is very genuine in the friendships they form with their guests, and you can sense how much they want you to enjoy your time at what has been their home for the past 26 years.
In their previous life they sold watches and managed a hair salon back in Chicago, but I think it's fair to say Alan and Audrey found their true vocation here in the Canadian wilderness.
Day 1: Father's Day––Lucky Seven
What better way to celebrate Father's Day than by fishing with your dad? And what better way to start your celebration than by catching a muskie on your very first cast of the entire day––which is exactly what happened to Dad.
Little did we know when we left the dock in darkness at 3:55 A.M. that we'd have our best day muskie fishing of all time. We spent the day on Closs Lake, a small portage lake where Alan has a boat cached you can reserve for a day to be the only ones on the lake. There are three other similar portage lakes that complement the four larger, connected lakes in the Little Vermillion Lake system on which Fireside sits as the only lodge.
We always have Closs Lake reserved for Father's Day, and this year we kicked off our Fireside trip by catching seven muskies on Day 1, eclipsing our previous single-day record by one.
Day 2: Go For a Swim
"Is that some type of bird?" I asked. I noticed a brown dot in the distance as we motored across Muskie Lake, a sanctuary lake that had been closed to fishing since the 1930s but opened up on a limited basis some two decades ago.
The dot looked out of place, so we motored over to check it out and quickly realized it was a young bull moose swimming across the lake! I had spotted its head from over a hundred yards away, and we were about to get an up-close-and-personal look.
Dad and I love seeing moose at Fireside and often get very close, but this bull swimming across the lake gave us an opportunity for our closest moose encounter to date. We got to watch the moose for about 15 minutes; it's amazing how fast they can swim.
