Fishing Trip

I have always longed to go trouting or trout'n and for me not to go, the weather had to be pretty nasty. It was in the spring of 1985 and a couple of us had made plans to take the trikes and to go back about 8 miles into the country. Our plan, was to leave after work on friday and return saturday evening. The weather, on friday, was cold, wet and windy, however; we decided to go anyway. The trike ride in was very difficult as the marsh's were soft and we had freezing rain. This was not good trouting weather. We were going to stay in a tent but with the freezing driving rain, we decided to look for a cabin. 

It was dark and around 10:00pm when we found an old deserted cabin.There was an old wood stove and a couple of bunks.  It was better than nothing and it did providr some shelter. We were able to get a fire going, although we had to be careful with a rusting stove pipe. There were holes in the walls, however we made the best of a bad decision and bunked down for the night. My young son, who was 12 at the time, was with us and I let him get in my sleeping bag with me to keep him warm. It rained all night and it was damp and cold. We didn't get much sleep and when we got up, it was still raining and the trees were bent over from the ice.

After breakfast, knowing that the weather was not co-operating, we decided to try our luck at fishing. It was freezing with a north easterly wind and freezing rain. We caught a few trout but it's usually the one that got away that is the story. We were fishing off a small island when Junior hooked into a large trout. As he reeled it in, we saw that it was a 3 to 4 pound mud trout. It's belly was red and we couldn't wait for him to land the fish. If we didn't catch another trout,this would have made the trip worth while. We watched as he reeled it closer and closer to shore. Then it happened, he slipped on the icy rocks and pulled the hook. The fish was gone. We were extremely disappointed. But fishermen always rebound and although we didn't get the big one, we still had a story to tell of the one that got away.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for the ride back to the vehicles. We were wet and Junior, who lost the big one, rode his trike into a deep bog hole and was covered with mud, We managed to haul him and the trike out and finished our trip. All said.."It was a great trip!" 

Note: Fishing location: Split Rock on The Witless Bay Line. Newfoundland Labrador.

                                                                  Sugarless Partridge Berry Pie

Partridge berry pie is a favorite dessert for most Newfounlanders and Labradorians. My sister--in-law was baking partridge berry pies for a church function. She delivered the pies to the church and they, as usual, looked mouth watering. The desserts were served and we noticed that a number of people were making all sorts of faces. One of the men, who were serving, came over to the kitchen and said that there was something wrong with the partridge berry pies. He took a bite and in his words, "my mouth almost went over to where my ears are." Now partridge berries are very tart and my sister-in-law forgot to add sugar to the jam. For those of us who have eaten partridge berry jam, without sugar, we know what he meant.  

note: Place: The Salvation Army, Conception Bay South, Newfoundland (formerly Long Pond)