Abby and I go geocaching

I've been looking forward to trying to find a cache for months now. I was going to go in May but first it snowed, then it rained and then things just got busy... Today I decided that we were going to go no matter what. And then I realized why I hadn't gone before now as it got later and later in the day. When my little girl decided she was not going to nap this afternoon I seized the opportunity.

I wanted to try what looked like a nice easy cache for our first one and went to the picnic area at Net Lake. Believe it or not I have never stopped there before. I was surprised by how busy it was and I quickly wished I'd brought a little picnic for us to enjoy. We always went on picnics with my family and I have lots of great memories of enjoying the outdoors and family and great food. As Abby gets bigger I'm sure we'll head back here for a picnic or two.

I got out our little yellow Garmin Gecko 101 and Abby was immediately interested. Yellow is her favourite colour and there were buttons to push! As we followed the arrow to the cache I

discovered that the pipeline passes through the area and there is a well used ATV trail on it. We followed the trail until the GPS showed us that the cache was off the trail. Now this was something I was not prepared for. Carrying an eight month old baby and wandering through the bush was not an easy task. I was worried about the branches hitting her face so I was moving slowly. Unfortunately, our little Gecko needs movement in order to work properly and in the bush it just didn't go very well. Judging from the comments on Geocaching.com I spent a bit too

much time in the bush and overshot it. I know I was close. I could see where others had also searched for this cache. I probably almost stepped on it.

We did have a lot of fun. Abby discovered leaves

and needles and tree trunks and ferns. We also saw a family of almost grown grouse. I'm sure they thought we were chasing them as we went round and round looking for the cache. We had to give up because it was supper time and almost bedtime for a little girl who hadn't wanted to nap. Maybe when Abby is a bit bigger we'll try this one again when she can help me search for the cache and I don't have to worry about her so much. I can see this being a lot of fun with our little girl in a couple of years!

Grocery News

We are very excited that our grocery store has reopened. It is now under the name Our Daily Bread. As with most new beginnings it takes a while to get everything running smoothly, however things are coming together nicely.

If you went grocery shopping in town the first few weeks after the store opened you may have been surprised by what you didn't find. The stock was quickly bought up by our enthusiastic town visitors. It was great to see how quickly inventory could be turned around in our little community.

All of the basics are there: bread, milk, eggs, meat, ice cream and ice (in the middle of summer when it's 30C these are staples), and dry goods can all be found on the shelves. You won't find three different brand names of each product for comparison shopping but you will find what you need as you shop the aisles.

There is a good selection of fruits and vegetables which are grown right here in Ontario making them nice and fresh when they arrive. The meat is also grown and processed locally either in Warren by Creative Meats or by our butcher, Norm Lacroix.

Nine months without a grocery store in town certainly made us appreciate the convenience of being able to run to the store to pick up what we need. We hope that Our Daily Bread has a successful season and will be around for many years to come.

Hike to High Rock

A few years ago my sister and I had a chance to take a trip on one of our houseboats. We have lots of special memories from those few days. We swam and fished and roasted marshmallows and laughed and explored. All in all it was a great weekend.

It was my first experience houseboating without my husband who has grown up on Lake Temagami and driving boats. It was fun to get to be a tourist for once and explore somewhere I had never been.

We decided to go to Cross Bay to a campsite that turned out to be perfect for one houseboat and two sisters to have a weekend getaway. We dubbed it 'Sisters' Sanctuary'. One of the reasons we had chosen that location was because I wanted to hike up High Rock. We towed a 14' boat behind the houseboat so we could easily get to the landing for the hike since I didn't know my way. While we were there someone came along with a pontoon boat so I'm sure we could have driven the houseboat right there. The dock was a bit worse for wear but maybe someone has fixed it up a bit since then.

The hike itself was not too hard. There were a couple of spots that were steep but it wasn't so hard that we couldn't visit as we walked. This is a well traveled trail so you don't need to worry that you might lose your way.

The big boulder was along the trail and left us wondering what had made it stop there instead of continuing down the slope. The other two pictures give you an idea of the view from the top. High Rock is located at the hub of Lake Temagami and in one picture you can see some of Temagami Island and just a few of the many island that dot the lake. I would highly recommend this hike because it doesn't require you to be a great athlete and because of the fantastic view. Bring some water to drink and even a picnic if you want and definitely bring your camera.

Night skies

Ever since I was a kid I've enjoyed watching the night sky. I grew up in Northern Ontario on a farm. With the lights of the nearest town miles away we had the perfect location for seeing the night sky in all its beauty. We used to take our sleeping bags out on our front lawn for the night just so we could watch the stars until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.

Now I live in Temagami and we don't really have a lawn to sleep on but I still love to watch the stars in the night sky. Really I don't think anything compares with a clear sky on a moonless night on Lake Temagami. Far from the bright lights of the city the countless stars shine brightly. Something I never had a chance to see on the farm was the reflection of the stars on the water on a calm night. I think those calm nights are now my favourite to be watching the stars move across the sky.

Mid-August is a great time for stargazing with the Perseid meteor shower peaking Aug 12-13 this year. There can be up to 50 meteors an hour during this time. Unfortunately this year the full moon is on the 13th but the weeks leading up to it should have a good showing of meteors in the hours before dawn.

If you want to watch the planets bring along your telescope and check out which ones will be in the sky while you are in the area. www.nightskyinfo.com or www.stardate.org might be helpful to you if you don't already have a sight that you check to see what is interesting in the night sky.

Also keep your eyes open for the Northern Lights. If you are on the lake shortly after a solar flare you may get the treat of watching them dance across the sky.

Campfires and water levels

It's funny that just last week we were starting to talk about how dry it was. Now it feels like the rain just keeps coming although we certainly haven't had as much as southern Ontario or Manitoba. All this rain is good news for a couple of reasons.

For starters it means there is no fire ban yet this year. So when you are thinking about your houseboat vacation plan to relax around a campfire while enjoying marshmallows and bannock or hobo pies. There are fire pits at most campsites and dead falls and branches which can be cut up for firewood. Make sure your water buckets are ready to put out any flames that may escape. When you have a campfire please be sure you put it out ... and then put it out again so that there are no coals to flare up and cause problems after you have left.

A lot of people have been asking how high the water levels are this year. Lots of rain this spring means that the water levels are normal for this time of year. That is good news since last year was so dry and many shoals were surprisingly close to the surface. For those of you who have been coming for years this means that you can go to all of your favourite haunts without worrying about what surprise rocks might be lurking just below the surface. For those who are new to Lake Temagami this means that the shoal maps are accurate, making navigation easier.

The rain combined with cool nights means that the water has taken longer to warm up and the smallmouth bass spawn is later than usual. The little guys in our boat ramp have just risen up off the nest. So although bass season opened on Saturday it would be wise to not fish the shorelines for them just yet since they are still protecting their little ones from predators.

Of course lots of rain also means that there are some bugs around but bring your bug jackets, citronella and bug spray and you'll still be able to enjoy being outside.

Gearing for Spring - Hook, Line, and Sinker

This is probably the top necessity for my tackle box - a snelled hook, a small sinker, swivel, and a small bobber that is just enough to keep the gear afloat without giving too much resistance when a fish comes along to bite and start swimming away. Likewise, the sinker should just be enough to do the job, while not giving the fish too much to think about when they are biting.

I use this setup extensively, sometime with a bobber for bass or for hunting the sides of weed beds with a worm or minnow, and often with a bobber just to cast and let the worm sink to the bottom, then holding my rod high to discourage snags, and giving a slow and steady pull to let the worm jump off the bottom before letting it settle back down and reeling in the excess line created by the pull.

This method works great for bass and pickerel. I've often found a hotspot while trolling, and then hanging around that spot casting worms. It also works well around beaver huts and weedbeds, or when you are getting busy with BBQing supper on the houseboat. Throw out a line with a bobber and watch for those bass to come along.

With this combo, you are always ready to fish. I've dropped the weight and just let a minnow swim around on the hook by a beaver hut with great results too. Change up your methods and try different techniques to hook those fish.

One tip, if casting with worms, check your worm after every 5th cast or so and make sure it isn't about to rip. Often I've watch worm land in one spot and hook in another because the casting was too hard on the worm's body. I like to leave a lot of the worm to trail behind the hook so it looks like a leech swimming through the water. Cast as smooth and gentle as you can and your worm will last a long time, with a few adjustments on the position of the hook. When I get back into fishing, I'll make a video of the worm hooking method I use. Fishing season is only a couple weeks away!

Gearing for Fishing - Williams Wobbler

The Williams Wobbler is a classic spoon that can be used a variety of ways. I tend to pull mine out in the summer when fishing weed beds and want to see what is around. They are successful jigs, can be used for casting, and used as a substitute for live bait behind trolling rigs like hammers or "Christmas Trees" when trolling for trout.

Although I've focused mostly on spring gear and I use this mainly in summer, it deserves a mention as one of those lures I'd like in my box if I had to choose my top ten. Casting off the dock has netted me whitefish, pike, bass, and walleye. Casting by weed beds often bring a pike in if there is one around. Sometimes I'll use a Williams to bring fish in, then follow up with a minnow or worm on a hook. One thing is for sure, that flashing attracts fish. There is no reason why trolling a Williams in spring wouldn't net a trout as well while they are up high. Once they go deep, you'll need lead core or a downrigger to get down to them.

A quick tip on use when casting - you'll have to give them some time to sink towards bottom. When you reel in, some of the best action is to jerk them forward, then reel in slowly as you bring your rod back, letting the lure flutter back down towards bottom, then jerking again to bring the lure in. This jerk-flutter-jerk-flutter action mimics a minnow that is injured and shooting forward, then sinking, then shooting forward. Nothing attracts a fish like an injured minnow. You can get fish just using the slow and constant reel in method, but adding the jerk and flutter gives the lure that much more action and some of those lazier fish.