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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 8:15 am 
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Location: Lake Catchacoma
Bring a book.


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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 10:12 am 
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Mollycollie wrote:
Eat lots of fish! Saves weight.




At the risk of dragging this off topic I've often wondered if that's really the case or not. On an extended trip where I'm going to be working hard I've always understood what my body really wants is fat, which is in short supply in most fish. I've googled it before and it sounds like man can not live on fish alone so you're still bringing other foods to give you fat and carbs.

So when you figure in the weight and bulk of fishing rods, tackle, and maybe a larger frying pan I wonder how much weight you really save. What foods could you leave at home that fish will replace?

Reading accounts of northern travel from 75-100 years ago it seems that whitefish (which is high in fat) was the one sought after fish. Not that other fish weren't eaten but I believe it was Downes who said you can't do any real work on pike.

Alan


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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 12:11 pm 
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Alan Gage wrote:
At the risk of dragging this off topic I've often wondered if that's really the case or not. On an extended trip where I'm going to be working hard I've always understood what my body really wants is fat, which is in short supply in most fish. I've googled it before and it sounds like man can not live on fish alone so you're still bringing other foods to give you fat and carbs.

So when you figure in the weight and bulk of fishing rods, tackle, and maybe a larger frying pan I wonder how much weight you really save. What foods could you leave at home that fish will replace?


Sadie might like a fresh fish fillet in her kibble ;-)

I have not much bothered to fish on paddling trips in several decades. I bring decent food and enough of it, and fishing no longer high enough on the list of things I enjoy doing around camp. Even with my usual abundance of down time, unless I am in an area where I know it will productive, meh.

I will readily forage for clams and mussels on coastal trips, but that is as easy as dragging a clam rake or easier still plucking mussels off the bank. BTW, clam rake, think - thick 6’ long handle, wide rake, a dozen deep (sharpish) tines and wide basket. Tines sunk in a chunk of ethafoam for storage safety. Not small and not light, so there better damn well be clams.

We always brought some light tackle on backpacking trips in the Rockies. And always caught trout, which was appreciated and tasty in augmenting yet another noodle or rice supper. That frequently allowed us to stay a day or three beyond the planned limit of our foodstuffs.

Part of it, for me, was simply the carnivorous pleasure of fresh flesh with a limited food selection.

The difference in taste between something that was swimming around an hour ago, and something that was swimming around days or weeks (months) ago, in distant lands, that got here by trawler, packing house, freight and retailer, is what you might expect. Astounding.

Folks who have never actually eaten fresh fish (yes, those poor souls do exist) are often surprised at first taste. My wife did not and had never liked fish. Until she ate her first trout high in the Wind River Range.

Entering a retired stage of life I have been considering taking up rod & reel again. Maybe just catch and release; the feel of a fish on the end of a line is thrilling in a uniquely tactile “There’s a live thing on the other end of this line!” sense, and if properly waged the capture involves some thinking and reaction and quick strategic choices.

Hmmm, I’m talking myself into pulling out the rods and reels. A fish on the line is still a very special feeling, and one that transports me back to childhood.

Question for frequent fisher folk – is there still a bit of thrill when you set the hook?


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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 12:26 pm 
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Mollycollie wrote:
Here’s a couple of little things we do:

Wrap your cheese in paper towel lightly soaked with vinegar, then put it into a zip lock to extend its shelf life.

Eat lots of fish! Saves weight.

Haven’t run into too many people who don’t like a game of connect 4. The dollar store sells the micro-version of this classic.

Enjoy your trip :thumbup:


Disagree with the wisdom of intentionally working wild caught fish into the meal plan. There's simply no guarantee that you will catch any fish. Sometimes, they just don't bite, the only biting species are over your catch limit or protected/out of season, or for a myriad of possible reasons beyond your control, you are behind schedule and lack time to fish. Fishing poles are easy to break and fishing gear is easy to lose as well. But most importantly, you are not ever guaranteed a catch.

Sure, extend your trip if you have the time and, thanks to a nice catch, excess food. But don't plan on it. In my opinion, this is unsound advice and potentially dangerous planning... but then again, I may just be a lousy fisherman :lol:

Agree with everything else though - I use the exact same method to preserve cheese, and have been able to keep it for up to two weeks, depending on weather. I also have a micro connect 4 game I take on trips when not solo.

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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 2:28 pm 
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Quote:
Maybe just catch and release; the feel of a fish on the end of a line is thrilling in a uniquely tactile “There’s a live thing on the other end of this line!”


I used to be an avid fisherman, catch and release. I still tend to think like a fisherman when canoe tripping and never get tired of spotting fish in clear water. But one day I woke up and added a slightly different ending to the sentence you wrote above......"There's a living thing on the other end of this line that is fighting for its life." Kind of took the fun out of it for me.

I'm not going to ascribe human emotions to a fish but whatever triggers a panicked fight or flight response in us is sure to do the same in a fish. This is no game for them. And even if released that fish is now exhausted and more prone to be eaten by a predator or has a lot of extra energy that needs to be replenished. I've caught enough fish that were obviously hooked before that I know most survive just fine. I've also hooked a lot of skinny, sickly, fish and wondered if the energy they expended to get caught was the final nail in the coffin. Their life is much more difficult than ours and I don't need to make it any harder on them just to get myself a few jollies.

Sorry, don't mean to be preachy. I fault no one else for doing what they do and still enjoy talking to fisherman about their day's catch. Just that I don't choose to participate anymore. Someday I might take rod and reel and shortened rations on a long remote trip and fish for some of my food. At least then I've got a little skin in the game too.

Alan

Alan


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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 3:51 pm 
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I was a fishing guide in NW Ont. ( Long-Legged Lake) but I hate fishing! However, if someone catches a nice pickerel I'll gladly clean it, cook it and eat it.


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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 5:11 pm 
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Alan Gage wrote:
Someday I might take rod and reel and shortened rations on a long remote trip and fish for some of my food. At least then I've got a little skin in the game too.

Alan


Well I suppose that's an interesting way to look at it. Never thought of it that way. I do fish, but I don't rely on it as a food source. But if I think hard on that statement, it may sway my opinion.

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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 5:40 pm 
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For whatever it's worth, that living thing on the other end of your line that is fighting for its life is only there because it was in the process of trying to devour another creature.

I don't think too much about that stuff.

I used to hate fishing. Would never think to bring fishing stuff on a canoe trip (I think that's from being a canoe trip leader with a camp - the kid who always wanted to fish was annoying, and his tangled stuff was annoying). But then I kinda enjoyed it a bit on a Phil Cotton trip years ago, and now that I've got young kids, I'm getting into it the 2nd time around and I look forward to fishing on canoe trips. Actually, maybe I'm becoming that annoying kid!

Fish to eat would be a bonus though, wouldn't plan on it in the meal plan. But I (now) think that having fishing stuff is a good tip/trick to add a bit diversity/enjoyment to a trip.

P.

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It's easy to learn the basics, but will you be understood in a strong wind?


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PostPosted: August 2nd, 2019, 6:47 pm 
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Location: Freeland, Maryland USA
Don’t overlook maps as reading materials. I bring the maps I need, sometimes in different detail or extended coverage, so I can see what’s around me right now, ahead of me tomorrow/next day/next day, and even stuff visible off my route.

If I’m on a paddling road trip, paddling first here, then a thousand miles away there, I bring the “there” maps, especially if it is a new-to-me area.

Map reading and gazing where I am, or am near, is revealing and satisfying. Immersing myself in the map where I will be next time helps with future familiarity.

And sometimes morale. If “here” has been difficult, wet and windy, dropping into a hopefully better “there” map helps.


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PostPosted: August 3rd, 2019, 10:50 am 
It is elemental that you take care of the alimentary canal. Strange water, strange diet can lead to fecal impaction.

"A fecal impaction is a large, hard mass of stool that gets stuck so badly in your colon or rectum that you can’t push it out. This problem can be very severe. It can cause grave illness or even death if it’s not treated. It’s more common among older adults who have bowel problems."


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PostPosted: August 3rd, 2019, 6:07 pm 
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Location: Winnipeg, MB
yarnellboat wrote:
For whatever it's worth, that living thing on the other end of your line that is fighting for its life is only there because it was in the process of trying to devour another creature.

I don't think too much about that stuff.

I used to hate fishing. Would never think to bring fishing stuff on a canoe trip (I think that's from being a canoe trip leader with a camp - the kid who always wanted to fish was annoying, and his tangled stuff was annoying). But then I kinda enjoyed it a bit on a Phil Cotton trip years ago, and now that I've got young kids, I'm getting into it the 2nd time around and I look forward to fishing on canoe trips. Actually, maybe I'm becoming that annoying kid!

Fish to eat would be a bonus though, wouldn't plan on it in the meal plan. But I (now) think that having fishing stuff is a good tip/trick to add a bit diversity/enjoyment to a trip.

P.


All right Pat, let's trip somewhere and you catch the fish. I still hate fishing but I love eating fish!


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PostPosted: August 3rd, 2019, 8:45 pm 
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Quote:
For whatever it's worth, that living thing on the other end of your line that is fighting for its life is only there because it was in the process of trying to devour another creature.


No argument there. But that fish attacking another creature is a matter of life and death for it. If it misses then it goes hungry. But for the vast majority of people it's just a game. Don't catch a fish or shoot a deer? No problem. No one is going to go hungry. We have nothing on the line other than the wounded pride of not being able to outsmart a fish.

Alan


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PostPosted: August 4th, 2019, 9:27 am 
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Well said Mike, maps are fun, practical, and interesting.
I’ve knocked on a tent door to say hello only to hear give me a minute to move maps so that there is room for you to get out of the bugs.
Good for side trips, dreaming, finding short cut options, or adding an extra loop. Last year we changed our overland watershed hop plan one evening on trail while looking at maps.
I bring 1:50000 topos of our route as well as VFRs for overview.

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http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 


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PostPosted: August 4th, 2019, 1:00 pm 
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Paddle Power wrote:
maps are fun, practical, and interesting.

Good for side trips, dreaming, finding short cut options, or adding an extra loop. Last year we changed our overland watershed hop plan one evening on trail while looking at maps.

I bring 1:50000 topos of our route as well as VFRs for overview.


I had to look up VFR maps. That would be a whole new trick for an old dog to learn. I mostly use 1:24000 USGS topos (and maybe a more generalized map and river guide if available). If possible Polyconic projections; Orthophoto maps are ugly to my eye, and I somehow can’t visualize myself dropping “inside” the map, looking around from ground level as I can with a Polyconic map.

Damn but there is a lot of reading in some topo maps, enough I bring the full legend and symbol index. One page fold out color USGS pamphlet; worth it, there’s an hour’s reading in that single sheet of paper.

https://www.google.com/search?q=topogra ... 8BZbRWkL8M:

https://www.google.com/search?q=topogra ... Zo_IIyHpaM:

I think there are close to 200 (?) possible symbols on a topo, and a lot of the subtly different “road” and “marsh” symbols look alike at a glance. Jeeze, I can’t remember how old I am from year to year; remembering the differences between a marsh, a submerged marsh and a submerged wooded marsh without an index is hopeless.

With a complete symbol index for reference identifying the “What-the-hell-is-that?” symbols becomes intriguing, and seeing the location of tanks, gauging stations, landing trips or exposed wrecks is helpful and interesting. Or just knowing where the boundaries are.

https://www.google.com/search?q=topogra ... hTM:&vet=1

The Pop Quiz on “Boundaries” starts in 5 minutes. Better bone up.

I love sitting with a map, dissecting what is what and what is where.


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