There we were.

Surrounded by hundreds of trout in cold, clear water. In spots, we could have walked across the backs of fish to get to the other side of the ponds. The trout schools would move towards us every time we approached them.

To be so close to this many fish and not be able to fish them was like asking a 6 year old not to open their presents Christmas morning.

The guys in our fishing club (Triple L Fishing Club) were touring the Hill’s Lake Fish Hatchery in Charlton, Ontario. The staff at the hatchery graciously allowed us to walk around and snap some video of the fish we encountered. It was amazing to see our fish licensing money at work. We saw lake trout, speckle trout, and rainbow trout (I am not positive about the third species). All trout species were at various stages of development and safe from an angler’s lure.

For now.

A bunch were due to be released in a few weeks. The good news was that they get released all over Ontario. I captured a portion of the video footage I had of our tour.

Warning: Anglers are cautioned to tape their jaws up before viewing this footage. In case of intense urges to go fishing, Muskoka Outdoors suggests you ask your spouse to hide your fishing equipment.

Don’t let the snow get you down. Spring is COMING! This is a photo I took last year on our spring fishing trip.

-From Muskoka Outdoors

It’s funny how you come across fishing tips.

I was sitting with my friend, Darrell, in my dad’s living room when he shared this personal story of one of his fishing trips from years ago.

The story goes that, Darrell, and a friend had been fishing Tim Lake in Algonquin Park. They had been fishing hard without any success and were constantly weighing anchor, from spot to spot, around the lake.

Finally, they decided to quit and return to the river mouth that would lead them to their vehicle. As fate would have it, the winds picked up and they began to struggle against the wind and waves. They quickly became frustrated from the amount of work they were doing while fighting the wind. An hour and half into their battle, Darrell, noticed that they had canoed past the river mouth they were trying to find.

He told the man in the bow who was paddling ferociously against the wind. He did not say very much.

Fatigue and desperation began to ’set-in’.

At that moment, Darrell noticed something. He debated whether or not to tell his friend in the bow. He yelled one more time over the wind,

We forgot to bring the anchor up!

What?!

WE FORGOT TO BRING THE ANCHOR UP!

The story ends there. I guess the look that, Darrell, received from his friend was priceless.

The lesson is simple:

When fishing in high winds, don’t forget to bring the anchor up.

On a practical note - Is life, away from the fishing boat, sometimes like that? We all paddle furiously, at times, to get ahead and reach our goals. It can be so frustrating when the ‘over-worked’ ground we make is so minuscule.

Check for anchors.

Perhaps there is something that is holding you back. An anchor long forgotten. Something like a broken relationship, or a mis-management of priorities, or wrong you need to make right.

Your hardest and best work may all be for nothing if you have not dealt with a forgotten anchor. It can also keep you from seeing what is important - like the river mouth that leads you to your car.

End of sermon.

-from Muskoka Outdoors