Pace on Earth

Take me to the River

I spent Saturday and Sunday at Little Forks with Wheat as invited guests of Mac's. Once you leave the Renous - Plaster Rock highway it is perfectly legal to drink beer (right?). You can finish one and a half on the logging road that leads to the Camp's access road. On that road you can finish 3.5 more although at least 1 of those will be on your shirt from the rough ride. So, once you descend down the steep last pitch into the valley you are firmly within that midly euphoric 3 - 6 beer range and you'd swear that the person that you came in with is the funniest guy in the world and that this particular place is the nicest place in the world.

Malcolm whipped across the river to pick us up in a flash and we were settling in to the camp in no time. Malcolm had hooked two fish that very evening so I didn't waste any time in getting my line wet. I wasn't so lucky but confident that we would get a fish as the weather was perfect; clear and cool. We retired back to the lodge and Malcolm entertained us while cooking a great salmon dinner. We ate and drank and Mac kept us all in stitches. We ended the night with a beer on the veranda with the sound of the Mighty Miramichi flowing by. I don't have trouble sleeping anywhere but I truly enjoy sleeping at Little Forks more then anywhere else. I slept like a baby.

We awoke at 7 and hit the water. Mac gave Wheat a quick fly-fishing lesson and we spent two solid hours fishing the elbow before heading in for breakfast. After eating we decided to take a walk up the North Branch to hit the pools up there. We had a great walk and fished each pool hard on the way back down. I did catch 3 fish but I would say that if I stacked them all end to end they may have added up to 12 inches. We made it back to camp around 4, had a snack, and went back out to hook our fish before we took off. We fished two more hours hard and, as much as I'd like to end this with fish story, didn't have any luck. At the end of the day I was reminded of my favourite fishing adage - "A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work".

As the guide took us across the river to start back to Freddy I took at look behind me and again thought that this may well be my favourite place in the world. I then took a look beside me and thought, you know, Wheat isn't the funniest guy in the world after all but no one should feel bad about taking second to Malcolm.

Thanks Fellas,

Salmon Pacey

PS - Check Little Forks out here - www.littleforks.ca

posted by Vitamin S @ 1:21 p.m.