Expensive Fish!

Preparing for my first over night camping trip in over 3 years.   I can't believe it has been that long.   The first year after my separation I didn't go out as I was starting to date and up to my eyeballs in moving and I was single and really didn't feel like it.    The past 2 summers I continued to be solo as Jen is a day paddler :-) and we moved both summers to new houses.    My normal tripping partner has started to paddle with his wife when they come out of the arctic so I never had anyone giving me a push.

This year I was invited to come up to Missinaibi Provincial Park for a fishing trip.  My first reaction - where?   Off to google I went and I was amazed how little information there is online about this place.   Even took me awhile to find it on a map.   Then to find an actual map of the park - forget it!    After a few more days I finally found a place where I could order one online.

Missinaibi is actually about a 10 hour drive from Ottawa and is north of Sudbury.  Why the heck way up there?   Apparently the fishing is amazing.  I won't say numbers but apparently the guys stop counting fish due to the large numbers of Walleye, Pike and Trout. 

The two guys who invited me are old friends who I haven't seen in at least 5 years and they are down in the Kingston area.  I had a partner here in Ottawa who was going to go with me but his PTSD demons kicked in and he had to take a pass, I then found another guy (I'm picky as to who I will go with) but he's still on the fence but I doubt if he'll be able to go given how much he has going on in his life these days.   So looks like I'll be solo with the other 2 guys, they are teamed up with a power boat, and I'll do my own thing and just hang out with them during the evenings.

So why are the fish expensive?   Well every fisherman or hunter will know exactly why.   If you take the cost of all your gear, supplies and gas and divide the pounds of fish by that number you come out with an insane number :-)  Makes that $30.00 piece of salmon at the grocery store look cheap!    Hunters have it even worse.    I have 99.9% of all the gear I need for the bush but just updating a few things and picking up supplies - crappy tire $160, walmart $115, produce depot $98 etc etc....  and I haven't even left yet!   At least 4 tanks of gas round trip and camping fees to go.   Not to mention all the stuff I've bought over the years, canoe 2.5k, paddles 200, tent, sleeping bags, stove, cookware, bug juice, sunscreen, fishing license, canoe racks for the truck, waterproof backpacks, propane, etc etc.... the list goes on and on.

But in the end it will be worth every penny!    5 nights with old friends hanging out in the bush seeing some amazing places in northern Ontario, wouldn't pass it up!

Fingers crossed I get some good pictures and maybe some movies from the gopro :-)