We had a long, scenic walk out and were fortunate Scott had family not far away.
We never did wet a line that day, but it was far from a waste as I got to meet Scott's uncle George and the colourful cast of characters who live in that area, ; generous folk who were eager to help, but just as happy to give Scott a good ribbing throughout the ordeal. No fish again, but what an adventure.
One of the best things about fishing with Scott is that his adventuresome nature also lends itself to a willingness to try new fishing techniques.
A memorable trip came years ago on Lake Nipissing when our pike hotspot cooled to a dead stop. I told Scott about a story I had read the day before about jigging lipless crankbaits to call in fish.
Scott didn't hesitate and somehow dug one out of a tackle box. Sure enough, a pike that had to swim past a dozen set lines adorned with minnows to get to that lure smashed it. It was a cool moment, one I will never forget.
On another favourite recent adventure, Scott and I made our third trip back into another hard-to-access speck lake, this one known to host giant fish upwards of eight pounds, - trophies, a true fish-of-a-lifetime kinda spot.
Of course, Scott and I had been skunked on our two previous outings to the lake. Unbowed, we returned for a third try, and finally, Scott's rod was doubled over by a spunky brookie that came in just over a pound when it hit the ice.
It wasn't the trophy we were hoping for, but it was a fish, and I was so thrilled, that I wrapped my arms around Scott and the fish for a big hug and we toppled in a heap into the near waist-deep snow.
Of course, just at that very moment an older gentleman appeared out the bush and pulled up beside to us on his snowmachine. He gave an odd, uncomfortable look as we flopped around together in the deep snow struggling to get to our feet. Meanwhile, behind us, out of absolutely nowhere, appeared a group of about 30 Laurentian University students on snowshoes out for a wilderness trip craning their necks for a look at the crazy middle-aged guys rolling around together in the snow.
Just another great moment ice fishing – ice adventuring - with Scott.
We have already made plans for ice fishing this winter. However, specks are off the table - well, ok, for the first two weeks of the season we'll try them - and I'm not leaving the house until at least sunrise.