Best Trip Ever

[Bassblaster]

Well, Winter seems to be officially here which means spending more spare time at the keyboard and less time on the water. So with that in mind, what was the best fishing trip you ever had and why was it the best trip? No limits on this one. Could be a day out with the kids, or the time you caught a Marlin.

Mine was a fly-in trip to Namur Lake in Northern Alberta. I was 8 years old and a friend of mine invited me to go with him and his dad for a MONTH! I'll never forget it. First time in an airplane, a Harvard Trainer on floats, First time piloting a boat, first time getting drunk with a bunch of guys, and we caught and released hundreds of trophy class fish. My best of the trip were a 4 foot Northern Pike, a 36 pound Laker, and a 2 1/2 pound Grayling.

The most memorable fish was the Northern. Buddy and I are in our own boat, a 14' Lund, and a couple from Arizona were keeping an eye on us as chaparones in a second boat. While fighting a monster Northern as an 8 year old was amazing, the real fun started once we got it in the boat. When Danny went to help me unhook the fish it did a forceful flip and grabbed him by the pant-leg. Pandemonium ensued as he tried to get out of the fishes grasp while I was trying to make it let go by hitting it with one of the boat oars! He's screaming like he's going to loose a leg and I'm smacking the fish half the time and his leg the other half. Eventually the brute was subdued and we both practically collapsed into the bottom of the boat.

The American couple are rolling around in their boat trying not to pee themselves. Not much help to a couple of panicked kids, but intervention would have ruined the memory.

My only regret of the trip was that at the time cameras were a luxury that many families couldn't afford, especially to give to an 8 year old, so the only pictures I have from the trip are those locked in my head. Still, it was my best fishing trip ever, and probably always will be.

[Sea Ranger]

I started thinking about different fishing trips from the past, There are so many memories to think about and reflect on but there are a few that stand out from the rest. About 15 years ago, in between owning a boat I started to get a bit of a fishing itch so myself and my brother thought in might be time to go in search of some summer trout. I never was much of a trout fisher and when I did go trout fishing I would normally troll a gang troll and worm and catch football sized stocked rainbows. But without a boat we decided to try our luck in a river. We picked a river not too far away which made for a good day trip. So with rods in hand and a pocket full of spinners we headed for the water.
I didn't really care if we caught any fish, I just wanted to get away to the great outdoors. It was about a 30 minute walk to the river which was well travelled so it was an easy walk. Walking through the bush to the river we could see a big pool and thought this would be a perfect place to start casting. After a few casts to get back into the swing of things I was able to cast my little Panther Martin out to the middle of the pool but like normal no fish took my lure. It was then we heard it.... a large splash in the water, at first I thought it was a couple of kids playing on the other side and chucking boulders into the water but there was no one around, then another splash, this time I saw it.... Big silver fish the size of salmon jumping just out of reach of my lure. Try as I might I could not get my lure over to where they were jumping so a quick look upstream I noticed a nice shallow spot one could cross over the river to the other side and so I quickly gathered up my stuff and headed upstream about 100 yards. Once I got to where I thought it was shallow I noticed it wasn't shallow at all and not as good a spot to try and cross over the river as I thought. But I had to get to the other side to try my luck at catching those giant fish. I stripped off all my clothes except for my underware and proceeded to try and cross the river. It was a lot deeper then I thought but I kept going and soon the water was up to my waist, both hands up in the air holding all my gear and clothes I managed to make it to the other side. A quick walk back down stream to the pool and back to where those big fish were jumping. I was wet but not cold and with the summer sun shining down on me I figured I would let my underware dry out before getting dressed so there I was.... standing in only my wet underware watching huge fish jump clear out of the water. I cast my rod.... let the lure sink a bit then started a nice slow retrive back..... nothing! Cast again..... nothing! but on my third cast I felt a little hit to my lure and then the fight was on. He started to strip me of line and he fought like nothing I had ever caught on a trout rod before. Then I thought.... #%@& ....I must be dreaming. Here I am in the middle of summer out in the middle of nowhere next to naked catching the biggest fresh water fish of my life... it must be a dream.... so just like in the cartoons.... I pinched myself.... ouch!!! not a dream. That was the best day I've ever had on a river.... 2 fish were caught and released that day... first one was a 28 inch summer run steelhead and the second fish was a 32 inch steelie. Yes, fishing was good that day and I was glad to be able to catch fish with my brother. I have never gone back to that spot but I will never forget the fun I had that day fishing in my underware.

[Northof49]

Hey I've been to Namur as well. Was only there for a weekend though. My oldest son was 5 at the time and won a radio station Father's Day contest and the fishing weekend was the prize. Too bad it blew the entire weekend, didn't really get to fish the lake much. It was interesting to see all the pelicans there though, it's on their migration flight path.

Probably my most memorable trip was a fly-in trip to Wylie, even further north than Namur. Myself and one of the other 4 guys were actually there to do some fishing, the other 3 were more about drinking, smoking and partying. I was able to win $50 for each of the 3 categories we had earmarked...first fish, most fish and biggest fish...the biggest was a 45" pike caught near this bay where they were mustering to spawn. We called it the "Bay of Pigs" for all the big pike in there.

Anyway on the third day it blew up pretty good and chased us off the lake. Naturally we started into the liqour, by nightfall we were well on our way. The camp kitchen had a picnic table that wasn't quite on the level and was a little tippy. We had brought along a rifle as the operators had told us there were some problem bears around. A squirrel decided he wanted to get one from tree to another and used the tarp that was set up as a wall to make his crossing. Well 4 of us jump up with one grabbing the rifle..the 5th guy was a little slow and the picnic table toppled over and ended up on top of him. Of course we start yelling BEAR!! and this poor guy was screaming like a little girl while his imagination ran wild with pictures of a bear consuming him running through his head. D@amn near p!ssed myself laughing, good times.

[Fish Assassin]

Was today not your best day ever BB?? LOL ...It was fun though.. I look forward to another.

[King_Cod]

I have had two great fishing trips over the years. Headed out of Ucluelet on a fishing Charter. The Charter company was called Just fishing. I had been out with this Guide 15 years prior and was hoping for a great trip again. It wasn't a dissapointing day! At the 24 mile mark the blood bath began. Limit of Halibut and Just shy of a limit of Lingcod. Our Guide Bill got on the radio and checked with other guides where the good salmon fishing was that morning.At that time fishing on the inside was quiet. He gave us the option to stay out at the 24 mile mark or head closer into shore. My father and brother in law were pretty sick at that point but I made the call to stay out there. We were not dissapointed. The lines were going nuts! We got our limit of Chinook within an hour and a nice 31 lb Tyee in the bunch. We released several due to the amount we were catching.

Second in line was this years Sockeye run at the Sayward Tour de Rock derby . Crazy action as well as a pod of killer whales under the boat.

[leaseman]

I have great memories of fishing with my Dad and family as a youngster.... got away from fishing for better than a decade when I got married and had a family.....

Now , my best memories are made by my son...... we mainly fish the Fraser River and the memories of his fist 6" sturgeon on his tenth birthday..... to hook his first big white and fighting it the whole time himself..... ended up hitting the scale over 45 pounds..... to last year when he broke the 8' mark on dinos.....

Probably some of the most memorable is when we take out newbies to sturgeon fishing, usually try for a father/child to take..... I watch my son as he teaches the younsters the ins and outs of this fishery and trys his hardest to get them into something to remember!

I guess what I am trying to say is that it isn't the size or number, it is who you shared the time with that makes it a memorable event!!!.... To this I thank my son NICK!


Mike