First, thank you guys for asking! So many of you have been looking for Canada photos and I'm finally catching up. This year sure had a different underlying feeling from last year's serious health issues and upcoming surgery, etc! It felt like being home again! This one was our 20th wedding anniversary and our 22nd trip to our home away from home.

We started the trip arriving on Lost Island to a warm welcome and reuniting with old friends and new friends. We got our stuff situated in our cabin, put rods and reels together and went out fishing for a few hours. The walleyes were waiting.



The view from our cabin in the morning. It makes me want to go fishing!


Heading out early to fish as the fog burns off.


We saw the usual freeloading eagles.


Lots of nice fish.


A fun northern pike. Never enough of those!




A fun northern. Too much fun! Not too big, but all teeth and attitude!


Example of the aftermath of fires in Canada. (They have them every year, but seldom like this year.) The shoreline you see was completely burned in a fire in that region in 2002. It was black and ash when we first went up there in 2003. You can still see what is left of the tall trees that didn’t burn completely years ago. Fire is required to open the cones of the jack pines and allow their seeds to disperse, and as you can see 21 years later, the jack pines cover the landscape first as the forest renews.


Beautiful rock shoreline we fish often.


(Part 2 below)

Some of my favorite things in this world: rock, lichens and moss leading into the forest.


Zim with a 28” walleye this year!


Yep, I caught a 28” walleye this year too! Huge fish!


This is my favorite kind of sky. I just love it.


Another massive rock shore way up in Sen Bay where we caught a lot of walleyes. We went up there with our friend and guide Basil. We go with him once or twice each year and he takes us to places farther away from camp than we would go ourselves. Basil and Zim voted to name this spot “Patrice’s Rock.” I am famous now.


This was a shore lunch spot with a sand beach. No crowds to fight. There were wolf and bear tracks in the sand, however. Nobody showed up to eat us or steal our lunch.


Here is one of our shore lunches. Walleye were caught within the hour! Tomatoes from Zim’s garden!


This is the Smiley photo for 2023. He was with us at that shore lunch in Sen Bay. (That’s an old Labatt’s bottle cap I’ve been photographing for years up there in different settings. I was surprised at how many of you keep track of this guy!)


Fall colors with yellow birch behind the evergreens. (A little blurry because we were hauling at full speed when I tried to get a photo.)


Coming home at the end of a calm day. Look for the glass windows in the trees on the island on the right That’s home. That’s Lost Island. The docks are all just around the rock point you see ahead.


This is what a rainbow really is. Beautiful.


That one became a “doubler” as we stood on the docks back at camp. We see lots of rainbows up there and it never gets old. Nice way to end a day!


Here are our 2023 fish counts:

723 walleyes
3 sauger
15 northern
5 perch
1 smallmouth bass

Total: 747 fish

We had our second highest fish totals in 21 years and more larger fish than ever before. We caught more walleyes in the slot (18-21”) and over the slot than we ever have in one trip. Less northern than usual, but every one of those guys is fun!

I cannot even describe how wonderful this trip was for us. Thanks for looking, you guys. And thanks for putting up with my lichens and moss and rocks and Smiley and ...

Patrice

Thanks for posting, always look forward to viewing you and Zims trip

Holy Smokes,,,shore lunch cant get any better than that!!! Looks like yous had a great time.

Great pics.

Yep, blue smiley cap made my day

Looks like was a dandy trip for sure. Bet the chooks were glad to see you back though.

Great catches

Excellent pictures, good job on them fish.

What a wonderful time , once again , Chickie !

It's as if the fish were waiting on you to arrive , to begin the paahty .

Love the unique shore rocks that Canada , Maine and MI show in such neat formations. I think you enjoyed seeing everything except a little froggie

Glad you had such fun. I know y'all live for this trip every year, and you deserve it.

You're stylin with that cave hair , ya know. You both look great.

Been thinking of you, and wanting to catch up asap.

Thanks, Lee.

We did, Upstate. It's hard to beat that shore lunch out in the fresh air!

That is so nice to hear, Bucksnbears. I know you've been watching him for years!

They were, Drifter. They are all starting to molt this time of year and they're all crabby, but they came running and are all glad to be free ranging again.

Thanks, Savell!

Thanks, Beartooth! They were begging for punishment.

Ha! Thanks, Sharon. A day or so in, and I have cave hair and walleye and northern hands. I still have tooth and fin punctures on my ripped up hands. That spells happiness to me.

Weather looks great. Some very nice fish and it looks like a great time. Water level looks low. Drought there too?

looks like a great trip ,thanks for taking us along,

Great fish and great looking maters, what variety you grow up north

Great pics and fish Patrice and Zim.

Hey, Corky! It was a great time. The water level is always a lot higher in spring before they open up dams and let water go - at least from what they tell us up there. I think the water was about 8" below normal for this time of year.

Thanks for coming with us, Dahlgren!

Thanks, Jalstat! Zim will fill you in on his tomato varieties when he gets a chance.

You're welcome, Leftlane! He is my handsome prince!

Thanks, Boco!

Great trip!!!

Very nice pics, glad you had a good trip.

Thanks, Swamp Wolf!

Thank you so much, Leftlane. We are definitely two peas in a pod.

Thanks, Flipper!