About a dozen years ago I went fishing with my young daughter for the last time on a weekend trip. We bet gummy bears for biggest fish and first fish caught. Life caught up with us both and I lamented the fact that I should have nurtured that interest with the only one of my children who truly liked fishing.
This summer it was just her and I, 60 miles south of James Bay, some days full with 12 hours of fishing.
We started beautifully with a perfect day to fly, the gods were smiling on us both.
Unlike other fishing partners this one was adapt at taking pictures...1500 to be precise!
It was camera wars from the start..
While posed, her favorite pic of the trip!
This might be a close 2nd.
Here she begged me for my hat because she was getting burned...she loved my makeshift headcover!
This girl can take pictures.
...and for the first part of the trip she'd take pictures more often then she would fish.
..or she would happily sit back and read a book.
...but something happened on the way to the art gallery...
Dad just kept putting big fish in the boat.
...and when those "windows" opened she started to fish hard.
...she did have her chances but hey, dad scores again!
The week was coming to a close and all of sudden in those last days she was fishing along side of me most of the day. She didn't land a pike over 30 inches but she made contact with several biggies and that is all that you can hope for...the opportunity. From the swirl of one fish and the screaming of the reel, I'd guess one pike would have been at least in the low 40's.
Fish stories... here she is showing us how big it was!"
The Hudson bay lowlands has a way of charming you and she was seduced by a part of the world she had never seen before.
That northern big sky rain shower gives way to chairoscuro atmospheric lighting.
..and in the end that flame was lit again.
She loved it all and might work there next year.
...and I look forward to fishing with her again.
