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  December 21, Words From The Wilderness  
Alan's Message

As we wind down the final work week of 2012, my thoughts are partly focused on goals for 2013. We strive to serve our guests with the best remote wilderness experience available and we know that starts long before you arrive at the lodge or outpost. Stay tuned, in January we are launching a new website that will improve your virtual experience with Wilderness North and we look forward involving all of you in this process and getting your feedback.

 

Our aircraft maintenance team has recently switched our Cessna 185 over to wheel-skis from floats. I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to visit the outposts and lodges on the ice in the New Year to carry out a few maintenance tasks. I will be sure to share some photos and stories and we might even make time to wet a line. In fact, I know I am going to make time for that....when you think about it, there's not many people on this earth that have had the opportunity to fish those lakes in the winter. Hmmm now that's something to think about.....

 

For now, I am reminded that I need to focus on next week's plans, which include a beach, a pool, a bar and a restaurant and not necessarily in that order. Over the holidays (December 24th - January 2nd) our phone lines will be monitored by our aviation / flight following team. Krista, Meryl and I will be checking emails, but, it might take a couple of days to reply. If the replies don't make any sense, well, you will understand why.

 

I hope you have a great holiday.

As always, it's great to hear from you! 
Alan and KC at WN

 Sincerely,

Alan Cheeseman

President, Wilderness North
1-888-465-3474

 

 
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Scott's Words of Wisdom

Remembering Outdoor Friends at Christmas

Scott Smith and Grand Daughter 

This past year was full of blessings, with a new granddaughter topping the list. Nevaeh was born on January 13th to my daughter Nicolette. Her husband Joe is the son of my friend Tom Mikulinski, an avid outdoorsman and one of the best steelhead fly fisherman on the planet - if not the galaxy. No doubt Nevaeh has the fishing gene.

 

I met some wonderful grown-up people as well. Through my involvement as a fishing and hunting guide and promotor I am getting to meet more and more of Wilderness North's staff each year. They are a fun-loving group of good people. It's great to be connected to an organization with such wealth in human resources.

 

Naturally I met some wonderful guests as well. Chronologically I'll start the list off with Steve and Ed Ford. These brothers make a yearly bucket-list sojourn to some far off place and do something exciting. The brothers alternate on who chooses what adventure. This past year Steve chose learning how to fly fish and catching a Canadian brook trout on a fly rod. They achieved both goals with style. And the three of us enjoyed many good laughs on Makokibatan Lake and the Albany River. I also met some great First Nations guides on that trip. Guys that are amazing boat handlers. I am always blown away by how well they know the water.

 

There were also many other guests at Makokibatan. Tom Ferris and his pals put on a master walleye "clinic" and showed me some advanced jigging techniques that I tucked away in my back pocket for future trips. What was especially encouraging was that these fellows were very generous about sharing their knowledge with other guests (and guides).

 

Throughout the summer I did some guiding of my own on the Nipigon River, where some of the world's biggest brook trout are caught each year. I met a number of great people on this trip. It's always so interesting to hear about other peoples' lives, families and occupations. My final guiding experience took place on the Ogoki River system where I guided two groups of moose hunters. The first was a group of four: Rich, Pete, Bob and Seth. These gentlemen hunted with me and another WN guide, Brian. We covered a lot of territory on Whitewater Lake and enjoyed lots of good memories. On the following week I guided Curt Dannen, a repeat customer from 2011 who wanted a second chance to harvest a moose. His two friends, Jack and Russ, were both successful on that hunt. It's always such a rich experience to celebrate the outdoors and enjoy good camaraderie.

 

Laughter always seems to be a common denominator. When it comes to making friends and creating bonds, laughter is good medicine. On one of my trips I was asked by a guest, "Have you ever guided a couple of real morons?" My quick-witted reply was, "You mean prior to you guys?" We shared a good belly laugh over that one. But truth be told, I've never guided anyone that I wanted to leave on the other shore. I've found that outdoors people are a good lot.

 

So this Christmas I'm particularly thankful for new people in my life. From the many folks I've gotten to know over a few days of fishing or hunting, to that little girl that is now the apple of Papa's eye.

 

I hope you'll join us on an adventure next year. We'd love to have you.

Merry Christmas to all!

 Scott Earl Smith

 

Krista's Corner

 

The holidays are always special for Alan, the girls, and I. They allow us to stop and take some time to enjoy being with each other. This year we are headed south for some fun in the sun.

 

We have several traditions that we celebrate the holidays with each year--like trimming the tree and going to my parent's for Christmas Eve dinner. It just isn't Christmas for me without several traditional Finnish foods that my Mummu (grandma in Finnish) makes. From turnip casserole (Lanttulaatikko) and her delicious potato casserole with allspice (perunalaatikko), to the must have salt fish sandwiches. They are all important parts to make the holidays just right! Every year I go to my Mummu's to try to absorb the cooking knowledge she has. Like most home cooks, she doesn't measure, but uses pinches and dashes as her tools of measurement. A lot of what she adds to her dishes is determined by taste and appearance.

 

Suolakala (pronounced soo-la-ka-la) is a cured salmon that is sliced thinly and eaten on buttered sour rye bread and sprinkled with green onions. YUM! The suolakala that I love to get here in Thunder Bay, also has fresh dill in it: It is similar to gravlax. It's very simple to make, and well worth the effort! If you're looking for something new this holiday, feel free to give it a try and let me know what you think!

 

 Happy Cooking,

As always, I enjoy hearing from you all.
Any requests on recipes or recipes you would like to share would be greatly appreciated!
Don't forget to like us on FaceBook

Krista 

Mummu's Suolakala

Ingredients  

One 3.5 -4lb salmon fillet (sushi grade if possible)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbsp freshly ground pepper

2 bunches of fresh dill

 

Preparation

1. Rinse and dry the salmon, making sure all the bones are out. Cut the salmon into 2 pieces.

2. Mix the salt and sugar together and cover the fish with the mixture.

3. Place one piece skin down in a dish, cover with chopped dill and pepper, and lay the other filet overtop flesh side down. Cover and let sit for 6 hrs at room temp.

4. Put another dish on top and weigh down with cans. Refrigerate for at least 2 days but no longer than a week, turning fish over every 12 hrs to ensure all parts are equally marinated. Recover and weight down each time.

5. After two days, scrape off dill, and pat dry. If not using sushi grade salmon freeze for up to one week.

6. Unthaw and slice into thin pieces, assemble open-faced sandwiches as shown, Enjoy! 

By the Way...
trophy fishing at WN
  
 Are you an "instinctive" angler? By that, I mean, when you see trout rising in the pool in front of you, are you locked into "predator" mode? Are your actions dictated by force of will? Or is your mind flooded with thoughts like making your rod tip stop as you cast at "10" and "2" on some imaginary clock face? Are you preoccupied with worries about drifting and mending? And when the fish eats your fly, does the fight come naturally? One of the great dilemmas for those of us who write "how-to" stories on fly fishing is that, while we want to offer good tips that help our readers get better and realize more success, we also know that information overload can be counter productive, especially on a trout river. The real truth is, there is no substitute for personal experience. Time on water equals fish. I've always felt that the best lessons come from guides. They have hours (or minutes) to get you dialed, and the best ones have means for imparting advice in a way that sinks in with immediate effect. Taylor Streit, a legendary guide from the Taos, New Mexico, area has produced a book called "Instinctive Fly Fishing" ($16.95, Lyons Press, now in its second edition) that does more to move the mindset of the angler from theory to practice and habit than the average book ever will. Whether you're a newbie who wants to develop good habits, or a serious angler who wants to hone instinct, it's worth the investment....»

 

Last year, I said that 2012 would be "The Year of the Carp." That was meant to be more of a personal New Year's resolution than a fishy twist on the Chinese New Year tradition. Indeed, this was a carp-filled year for me. I visited a number of destination hotspots with the unique bent of chasing trash fish. I think in a broader context, the fly-fishing world did indeed place more collective attention on carp fishing last year than in the recent past. I expect that to continue next year too.But I wonder if we were to predict a "theme" for fly fishing in 2013, what would it be? I think next year is more in line to be The Year of the Brown Trout for me. Then again, smart fly anglers have already been all over this species for decades. It may, in fact, be the most worthy all-around target for fly anglers. How about the Year of Bamboo, or the Year of Tenkara? The Year of the Streamer? The Year of the Redfish? The Year of the Spey Rod?

I can't make the call myself. You chime in, and we'll decide by committee. Click here to tell us what you think....»

 

Every year about this time, I have the same problem. First, fishing has pretty much shut down for the winter. I never got much into ice-fishing, so that's it until next spring. Instead, my fishing thoughts turn inward to all the things I might accomplish over the winter. Fly-tying is foremost. I've been tying since I was a little kid. I have an ideal spot-a desk next to a window and also near the wood stove. So I can gaze out at the snow while also being warm and comfortable. Maybe too comfortable. Because despite my early winter resolutions, by early spring most of them remain undone. All my thoughts about rod-building, tackle-sorting, fly-tying, lure-making and more haven't produced much. I might have made a dozen or so hare's-ear nymphs, and that's about it. And the same thing happens year after year. I do tend to various household repairs and chores that seem imperative. I go for walks in the winter woods, shovel snow away from the barn, and haul firewood inside from the woodshed. But beyond that I am frequently seduced by a comfy easy chair and a good book in which I might lose myself until dinnertime. This is indeed a very nice life. But it's not very conducive to fishing projects or other things that are easily put off. So what do other people do? Is there a winter to-do list in your life that involves fishing-related projects? Do you get them done according to some sort of self-determined schedule? Or are you more like me, with lots of good intentions but a bit short on follow-through?...»

 

If you're an obsessed fly fisherman (and your family knows it), you're bound to get some fly-fishing-themed gifts this season. Granted, whether or not you get that sweet five-weight you've been asking for depends on whether you've landed on the naughty or nice list. As my family was putting out some decorations the other day, I noticed that there's definitely a holiday angling theme going on in our house. That starts with the Christmas tree. My favorite ornament might be this pair of miniature rubber waders. I always hang that in a spot where we can see it. Then there's the mini creel, dozens of little trout ornaments, and at least three or four Santa ornaments where St. Nick is holding a fly rod. There's even one with Santa riding on the back of a rainbow trout as he casts. Just for kicks, I hung a few tarpon flies in the branches, and they look pretty nice when the lights sparkle on them just so. I think we're teetering on the Fishmas brink anyway. I've gotten into the habit though of taking the big fish photos out of their regular year-round frames, and putting them in the holiday frames. You know, the ones with the holly accents and jingle bells, and stuff like that. If you want to be merry, what better way than keeping the picture of the 22-inch brown you caught on a grasshopper this past summer on the bookshelf? After all, 'tis the season to be jolly, and if you get your jollies by catching fish with flies, why not amp up the celebration? I think the holiday season is for remembering the good times and great people in our lives. If Fishmas decorations add to that, so much the better....»