Little Vermilion Lake 2007
During our last epic voyage to Little Vermilion we stopped at several locations to fish and stretch our legs. The luxury of time was not on our side this trip however, and we decided to drive straight through the night and day, covering all 2000 kilometers in a non-stop 23 hour marathon.
We rolled into Red Lake around seven in the evening and we immediately headed to the docks to target some pike. At the docks we spoke with some locals about the recent fishing conditions and sadly they did not have any encouraging information to share with us. Apparently there was snow that very morning – a huge contrast to the weather we experienced on our last trip to Little Vermilion in 2005.
We packed it in after an hour and headed to a nearby bar called “The Bomb” in Balmertown to grab some food and drink. The beer was good, but the food was pretty greasy and it left a lot to be desired as our last meal before the trip. I don’t think we talked much about food on our last trip, mostly because we didn’t bring any, and the same held true this year. In true Fishing Fury spirit, we we’re to become one with the lake over the next week. Aside from a single case of beer, that miraculously turned up empty on the fourth night, everything we would consume would come from the lake and the fish would be cleaned and cooked by the same hands that caught them, and there is no meal more satisfying than that.
We left the bar as it was getting dark and headed down the road to the pre-designated meeting area. As the last glimpses of sunlight fell below the tree line we made a few casts off the dock and started catching some good size walleye on spinner baits and jerk baits. The temperature dropped quickly as darkness fell and we decided to call it an early night so we could wake up early for our plane ride to Little Vermilion Lake. With our seats reclined and sleeping bags zipped up tightly, we discussed our plans for the following day and drifted of to sleep.
We woke up around seven in the morning as the other fishermen started to arrive. As the groups started unpacking their gear from their trucks others were already getting on the airplane and on their way to Little Vermilion. Unfortunately for one of the gentleman, whom I believe I was talking to just before he jumped in the airplane, he had some how displaced his hip while getting in. He was in a great deal of pain and now perched in the tiny flight seat of this small aircraft. An ambulance had to be called in and it took nearly 8 of us to help him out of his seat and on to a strecher, it only took about 5-10 minutes but it must have felt like years in all that pain. That said, he left in the ambulance greatful to everyone that helped, but what impressed me the most was that a few days later he had finally made it to the lodge and was able to fish and have a good time. If I had any extra Fishing Fury shirts, that guy would have deserved one for sure.
After the short delay, each group took their turn climbing into a small airplane packed with their gear, and after several trips back and fourth we found ourselves touching down gently onto Little Vermilion Lake. We were greeted by Brett Geary, the owner of Sportsman’s Lodge, and just after that we ran into our good friend Connie Inman who had been instrumental in helping us organize our trip. We sat down with Connie to catch up on things since the last time we’d seen each other, not to mention to share photos of monster pike, he also informed us of the unseasonably cold weather – the worst he had seen since 1984. That just goes to show you how long Connie has been coming to Little Vermilion Lake, and just how well he knows it, but to put it into perspective he hasn’t just been coming here for the last 30 or so years, he’s been doing it almost 3 times a year.
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