When Things Turn Out Better Than Expected, Our Week At Plummer's Arctic Lodges
Sometimes Life Gives You Lemons, But With Good Friends And Plummer’s You Can Make Lemonade
As I start this story, one of our group's good friends and fishing partner Al Davis overcomes Murphy’s Law to turn lemons into lemonade.
Al with just one of his 20+ pound Lake Trout
From The Past To Now
With the crazy world of post Covid 19, flying restrictions and flight cancellations that are still in full force when traveling abroad. It’s frustrating to say that Murphy's Law showed up to throw a monkey wrench into our groups well deserved trip of a lifetime.
Bill, Darren, Tim, Terry, JT, Jim, Al, Ron..Camp Host Dean In The Background
Our group had been going to the Arctic Circle Outpost for a few years until Covid 19 reared its ugly head and stopped travel across the border from the US into Canada. After a 3 year hiatus the borders opened and we were going back for our week of July 29th through August 5th at the Circle. Our team of Tim, Terry, JT, Ron, Jim, Darren, Al and myself could not wait to get back to Plummer’s for a break from this crazy world we live in, to hang out with great friends, fishing, and enjoying breathtaking scenery.
Preparation Hit A Snag In The Final Hours
With early preparation working with Brenda Prins, Office Manager for guest reservations for Plummer’s we had our rooms booked, plane tickets in hand, passports at the ready, and dreams of catching a true giant all in line. Then Murphy showed up and changed all of that in a hurry. Targeting a few from our group, the scramble was on with unexpected flight cancellations and undue stress. Al was the first to get the bad news the day before our flight and our other group members, Terry and Darren woke up early on the day of travel to find out their flight was canceled as well. Take note that some groups will also find themselves in the same situation, as sometimes we all can not start our journey from the same airport. As noted, Al was leaving from Las Vegas and Terry and Darren out of Sacramento, CA. The rest of us left from LAX to all meet up in Yellowknife on Friday night.
The Scramble
Luckily, with the power of cell phones, and help from Brenda from Plummer’s, all three of our anglers were able to find flights to get them in Yellowknife Friday night. The ripple effect from Murphy's Law when dealing with airports is the kicker. The more times you have to catch connecting flights with little or no layover time, your chances become greater for things not working out the way you want them to, as Al can attest to in his story below.
Terry and Darren were able to find a later flight but with adequate layover time, all their luggage made the connecting flights all the way to Yellowknife. Al did not get so lucky, having to go from Vegas to Colorado, the 45 min layover for connecting flights found his luggage never making it onto his plane. The final outcome, Al’s luggage never made it in time at all. We are talking about all of his clothes, fishing gear, electronics, rods, and even some medicine. To say that Al just got his balloon popped would be an understatement.
Having The Right Friends
By the time Al made it to the hotel in Yellowknife, that dreadful feeling of a year's preparation for this trip was just flushed down the drain. Pleading to Air Canada to get his luggage in time for our flight to the main lodge on Great Bear Lake was a no go, and he felt defeated and wanted to give up and just go back home. But having the right friends and enough of them being around the same size we told him we have you covered, literally. Everyone pitched in with pants, shirts, jackets, gloves, glasses, hats, socks, rain gear, and all the fishing gear he would ever need.
The absolute kicker is when Chuk Coulter who oversees everything during your stay at Plummer’s Lodges comes up and asks what else we need? Within seconds waterproof boots in case it rains were handed to Al. The saying, “Team Work Makes The Dream Work” is coined perfectly when you are dealing with Plummer’s employees and like minded friends.
Chuk Coulter and Bill Siemantel
Time To Start Turning Lemons Into Lemonade
By Saturday afternoon our group was boarding our float plane for a 45 min flight down lake to the Arctic Outpost to meet up with our good friends and camp hosts Dean and June that have been working the post for over 5 years now. With Dean's happy go lucky attitude and June’s outstanding cooking, things started to look up really fast, not just for Al but with our entire group. We were back home and within a few hours of arriving at the lodge, rooms were chosen, bags unpacked, boats setup, rods rigged, graphs mounted and we were ready to hit the water to see the conditions before dinner was served and game plans made for our week of hunting Lakers, Pike, and Graylins.
They Call It Fishing, Not Catching… Sometimes
The rumors were true that with the month early ice out and higher water temps than in all the previous years, we had to change up and be more flexible in our approach to locating and catching fish. Shallow water graylings where not in any of the local spots, shoot, the numbers of Lake Trout in the 5 to 10 pound class that usually run the shallows were not in the standard places. Even the community holes that carry the big Northern Pike were not in play and finding them was even a little tricky. The first day on the water our team started to break things down and as for Al and I, we fell back to the BBZ concepts of looking for fish on points, ridges, creek channels, humps, and flats. My same program while targeting monster bass at home in CA.
Let’s Go For Quality Not Quantity
Al with his “Hug and Released” PB
It only took us a half of day to find out that the bite was better on main lake points while working uphill from about 100’ into 25’ of water, either trolling or working tube or hair jigs. Keying in on the deeper side of the point that created a better J Hook or better known in the BBZ world as a Funnel, as defined as a compression point where fish push their prey to ambush from deep to shallow. After keying in on this little piece of the puzzle I looked at Al and asked if he was ready to start making lemonade? Then I asked if he wanted to go catch 100 fish in a day or look for the ones we all dream about? His response was quick and deliberate, “I want to catch my PB” personal best. Al was able to make it to Plummer’s a few years earlier before Covid hit, and being an avid angler that just loves to fly fish, a 16 pound Lake Trout topped his PB list. We were both hell bent, even with the tougher conditions to find and catch a fish big enough for Al to Hug and Release! So It Was Game On!
The Right Gear For The Giants
Lucky for Al, I have a slight disease of bringing everything plus the kitchen sink when it comes to my fishing gear. I also find myself bringing extra of everything just in case someone was unlucky enough to have their luggage lost, why? I have been there myself and it sucks! So we have the key things checked off to start hunting for a Trophy Lake Trout. We have a new Mercury 20Hp 4 stroke on the back of the boat, thank you Plummer’s. I brought the new Lowrance Elite 7” for my eyes, then I handed Al a new Okuma Guide Select 4 piece travel rod with an Okuma Komodo 350. Finished the setup with a snap on his SoftSteel line so he could change out to either a Husky Devel Spoon for trolling, 8” BBZ tube bait, or a 2 oz hair jig for casting deep and working shallow doing the BBZ uphill concept.
Breaking Down The Lake
It did not take us long as we concentrated on any long point that tapered from the shore to main lake drop offs into 100+ feet of water. To work fast and efficiently we started trolling the Eppinger Spoons 100’ behind the boat in an uphill approach or figure-eighting the very tips of each point we found using the new Lowrance Elite 7” to locate active fish or key structure elements. Within just a few hours we became very confident we were on the right pattern as the size and numbers of fish coming to the net increased.
I went back to my roots in bass fishing and a book that I wrote with Mike Jones in 2005 “The Big Bass Zone” where I explained a simple point system of adding numbers to structure from 1-5. Then for any variables that happen during the day, you can add a + or - scale that helps anglers find and stay on a pattern fast. We found a long tapering point (1) that parallel a deep creek channel (2) with a defined tip in 80’ of water with good 3 way ambush angles or also known as funnels (3). As for the + value, when the wind blew into the point +1, slight cloud cover +2, main lake current +3, with a good amount of Whitefish or Cisco as baitfish +4. So with the right mindset and tools we found a point value 3 with a +4 spot, and it paid off for Al and I.
When The Juice Is Worth The Squeeze
After we did our homework by using the Lowrance to make a detailed diagram of the underwater topography we placed waypoints along the key features on the point. We also marked the inside J hooks of the deepest side of the point that made sharper funnels closer by shore. Yes, we were getting ready for Bear! If a few of you are wondering by now, even though we have top of the line electronics like Lowrance graphs and having the most updated Navionics for lake contours, why are we doing all of this? Great Bear Lake at this moment in time doesn't have this type of information available. So good time on the water and understanding your equipments limitations and functions, you can separate the few from the many. If done right, taking the time to squeeze a few lemons will give you the right juice for success.
Lemonade Please
Al with another 30+ pounder
I kid you not, when someone takes the time to build confidence and has the right work ethic things fall into place fast. Just a few days before, Al, after dealing with canceled flights, lost luggage, and a feeling of disappointment of a year's effort going down the drain was starting to get that sparkle back in his eyes. My question to Al was, are you ready to make some lemonade? Within minutes of our first pass over the sweet spot, Al’s excitement was palpable! As we worked our game plan Al’s face lit up like a lightbulb and his screams, laughs and high fives was all worth it. The one angler in our group that got the short end of the stick starts to chip away at his personal bests. 20 pounders, 22 pounders, 25, 30, 35… In the end Al ended up besting our entire group for the quality of size and numbers of these beautiful fish.
It’s Your Birthday
Al with another beautiful Laker
Watching a person and friend so deserving of having things go right finally is an enjoyment few will ever take the time to witness. Everytime Al hooked into, fought, and brought to the net a bigger fish I wanted to say, man it’s like your birthday! But I bit and held my tongue time and time again as I had a secret I was holding onto for a while. 2 months prior to our trip to the Arctic Circle Lodge, Al’s daughter reached out to me and told me she wanted to surprise her dad with some type of birthday cake while up at the cabin. She wanted him to celebrate with friends and she wanted to have a part to do with it as she could not be there with her dad. Fortunately I was able to talk to Dean and June when we first arrived at the cabin and gave June the 411.
Sometimes It’s Funny How Things Work Out
Tim, June, Dean, and Al
June asked what day we should surprise Al and I left it up to her. On our 3rd day of the trip Al experienced the magic of Great Bear Lake as he broke all of his personal records for Lake Trout, but the timing couldn’t have been better as June had made the most incredible homemade carrot cake that anyone of us has ever had. It was just perfect! As Al was finishing all of his stories of monster Lake Trout for the day's outing, June and Dean walked from the kitchen to present Al with a cake and a birthday song.
When You Think It’s The Worst
This story is a little long but it goes to show you that when life smacks you in the face with some lemons, when you are down on your luck, or you just wanna give up, you have to get up and keep fighting. Go to places that fill your body and soul with happiness, hang out with good people, and never give up. Things always happen for a reason and though Murphy's Law showed up to throw a few lemons at Al, with the right mindset, good friends, and being at Plummer’s took the bittersweet taste of defeat and turned it into a really nice glass of lemonade.
In closing and a little food for thought, we should all prepare for the unexpected, This way when it shows up we will be better at making the right moves to get back on track and enjoying life.
Until We Meet Again…
Plummer’s Arctic Lodges- Bill Siemantel BBZ