Darlene E. Berent

1935-2020

Still the glue that holds the group together

No one who never joined the group for a week of fishing was more important than Darlene. From making sure John was ready to leave on time to preparing boxes of basic supplies, from a late night meal prior to our departure to packing sandwiches and snacks for the trip, from sneaking small bottles of wine into the supplies to making sure we had enough toilet paper for the week, she made sure we always had more than we needed. We miss you Mom!

We quickly discovered that we had not accurately recalled the complete inventory of supplies Mom packed for us. Fortunately, the lodge was able to provide the supplies we overlooked.

After a one year haitus due to COVID and several late attempts to reserve accommodations at some fishing camp, we returned to Wawang for the fourth time.

COVID presented a new challenge for crossing the border into Canada. Canadian authorities required proof that a test for the virus conducted within 72 hours of crossing produced negative results. We all had tests on Wednesday in anticipation of reraching the border early Satuirday morning. When Matt learned his results would not be available for 3 to 7 days, he scrambled to have another test that would produce quicker results. He located a place 30 minutes away that had an opening in 30 minutes. He managed to make it in time for a second test and returned home in time for the 2021 FFL draft.

The virus was not the only cause of border crossing challenges. A few weeks before the trip, Bry discovered his passport had expired. Knowing he could not obtain a new passport in time, he attempted to acquire an enhanced drivers license. However, the new drivers license did not arrive in time. Bry showed up at the border with an expired passport, cancelled drivers license, completed application for the enhanced drivers license, and a utility bill. While we were prepared to leave Bry in Sault Saint Marie for a week, the border official allowed him to cross.

Restricted access into Canada due to COVID and arriving at 1 am in the morning meant no waiting at the border.

Arriving in Thunder Bay at 7 am Saturday morning posed a dilemma. Wawang was not licensed to sell live bait, so we needed to purchase enough minnows and crawlers to last the week from a bait shop in nearby Kakabeka Falls. While the bait shop was open early, The Beer Stores didn't open until 9 am and there were none between Kakabeka falls and Wawang. Fortune shined on us. The bait shop was next to a gas station and across the street from a hardware store. By the time we filled the tanks with gas, repaired the loose trailer bumper with bolts and adhesive from the hardware store, and purchased bait, the LCBO on the other side of the bait store was open.

Matt and Bry opt for coffee and massive fresh cinamon rolls from the deli down the street.

We arrived at Wawang around noon (sans repaired trailer bumper), quickly unpacked, and headed out for a first day of fishing.

Storms can blow in quickly in western Ontario. During our first afternoon on the lake, heavy rain, wind, and hail caught us off guard. After short naps in the cabin, the sky cleared and we headed back out. Unfortunately for Bry, he neglected to change his wet socks and spent the evening fishing session with cold feet.

Pike pond has never produced the quantity and quality of northern we observed during our first visit to Wawang.

The weather on day 4 was awful. High winds and heavy rains kept us sequestered in the cabin until the early afternoon. We finally got out around 2 pm, but opted to fish the protected bays close to the lodge. That turned out to be a great decision for Dan, who boated a 37.5 inch pike from a weed bed at the far end of the bay. The decision was not so great for Matt, who only managed one qualfier for the day.

After several days of whining about his recent failures to win the fishing contest, Dan emerged as 2021 champ! In addition to securing all three points on day 3 (when Bry and Matt spent the morning on Pike Pond), he also reeled in the largest pike of the week and tied for the largest walleye. Here are the results:

Dan - 9.0 points

• First - 1 point (Day 3)
  

• Biggest - 3 points (Days 3, 4, and 5)
  

• Most - 2.5 points (Days 1, 3, and 4)
  

• Biggest pike - 1 point (39.5 inches)
  

• Most pike - 1 point (19 for the week)
  

• Biggest walleye - .5 point (24 inches)
  

Bry - 8.5 points

• First - 3 points (Days 1, 2, and 4)
  

• Biggest - 2 points (Days 2 and 6)
  

• Most - 2.5 points (Days 2, 5, and 6)
  

• Most walleye (61)
  

Matt - 4.5

• First - 2 points (Days 5 and 6)
  

• Biggest - 1 point (Day 1)
  

• Most - 1 point (Days 1 and 2)
  

• Biggest walleye - .5 points (24 inches)
  

We boated a total of 207 qualifiers for the week (51 pike and 156 walleye). Here are the results:

• Bry - 75 qualifiers (14 pike and 61 walleye)
  

• Matt - 70 qualifiers (18 pike and 52 walleye)
  

• Dan - 62 qualifiers (19 pike and 43 walleye)
  

How is it that the guy who caught the fewest fish won the contest?

Dan invested in a new trolling motor for his boat prior to the trip. The new motor was the focal point of multiple and various complications. Here's what happened:

• Pulling the boat out of the water to charge the trolling motor batteries using the onboard charger was more trouble than it was worth. The boat launch sand was extraordinarily soft after months of not being used. This made pulling the boat out of the water exhausting. We learned it was much easier to pull the batteries of of the boat and just haul them to the cabin.
  

• For some reason as yet unknown, two of the batteries only showed 6 volts when on the charger.
  

• As the week progressed, the moter seemed less and less capable of moving the boat at 1 MPH.
  

• Due to some nefarious plot by the Chinese to disrupt maritime traffic, we lost control of the trolling motor on the last day. It tried to strangle itself with its power cord by spinning in circles. We abandoned the trolling motor in favor of the kicker. It worked fine, but required a lot of effort by whomever was in control.
  

Meals this trip:

• Day 1 - Filet mignon shish-kabobs with mushrooms, peppers, onions and mac and cheese (Dan).
  

• Day 2 - Crispy baked walleye with fresh carrots and Spanish rice (Matt).
  

• Day 3 - Cheeseburgers with cole slaw and pasta salad (Bry...but mostly Allison).
  

• Day 4 - Pan fried parmesan encrusted baked walleye with potato pancakes, but without brussel sprouts (Dan).
  

• Day 5 - Seared lemon pepper walleye with wild rice and corn (Bry).
  

• Day 6 - Brats with potato salad and green beans (Matt).
  

The cabin did not have an oven, so Matt had to prepare his crispy baked walleye meal using the lodge kitchen (which had been closed due to the virus).

We explored 3-handed versions of cribbage, euchre, and pinochle in the evenings. Pinochle was the best of these, and euchre was not that great.

Dan spent $2,212.82 preparing/upgrading the boat for the trip. Matt passed up an estimated $20,000 in consulting fees to make the trip. Bry's financial investment...$0. So how come Bry got first pick of the cabin accommodations? Because his brothers are awesome!

Alex generously attached a 2 x 4 as a substitute for the lost trailer bumper. It worked great, but the other bumper loosened shortly after we left the camp. The quick repair with nylon string and duct tape survived the rest of the trip home.

A flat tire at dusk about 30 miles from the U.S. border delayed our return home a bit. Having never changed a tire on that truck before, it took some time to locate the jack and figure out how to extract the spare from under the bed. Not too bad all things considered.

In Loving Memory