How do we honour this time we have? Friend recently said, “the stories we tell about ourselves are important.” Yeah, sure! Maybe that is how?! My father said years ago as well, “you have to toot your own horn Drew, can’t expect others to do it for you.” Simply put, let ‘em know you’re there, let’em hear you.

Looking back to only a few years ago the beard was still a scorching fire, now in the mirror it’s more and more burnt ash. There are these little battles that go on every day as the aging body betrays, the kind of bullshit no younger minded man needs in their life. Other grown ups sometimes now look at me like I could questionably be a liability. For fuck sakes they call me sir! There seems to be less and less to communicate with some only short years behind me though, and I’m not even old yet I don’t think..?

And then there is this constant back-and-forth of thought too, between moving on in order to move forward or, holding on to all that I once was with some great hope that maybe I can have some of the same happinesses back again? You know,like rewinding and replaying life’s musical joys. Which gets me to this… these stories. Rewound, replayed, the process of writing and looking back upon them. On one hand the music seems to be fading while on the other, this website is a collection of nearly two decades and two hundred beautiful memories that shared everything from a thought or a day through experiences of weeks and even years. And it is not just fishing archived here, there’s heart and soul in it too. As is done with many photo albums saved, I look to these memories often to remind of all the times I have enjoyed living. The stories are for me and always have been. Word and images a way to capture them and never let them go. Chance to share and connect. This is honesty, highs with some lows, family and friends, creativity, growth, passion and pleasure, fish and scenery, home and travel, sunrise to set and all the rays of light and vivid colors in between. It is songs loud and proud, the story, memories of me. And shit, despite it draining of late, repetitious, becoming seemingly more difficult to keep up with, maybe mundane to most others and even sad at times to personally revisit my younger self who once had seemingly endless time, energy, wonder and adventure, I suppose it’s oddly still something important to keep on with, right!?! Like, how can I give up on that kind of good history and feeling because, it’s just tougher now..? And even worse, how could I just stop showing up for others because I don’t often feel like showing up for myself? That’s pretty fickle or final isn’t it? Dunno, guess I actually need this..? Helluvan intro this one!

My Brenda says, “it’s worth something to you and it’s always meant a lot.” She’s not wrong, and especially during life’s many periods of solitude and idle times has it always meant even more. So despite considering letting the rest of the fire just burn down to ash without any more warmth at all, I guess I’ll keeping stoking this place awhile yet, “tooting my own horn” as I go and honouring the fishing story.

This was 2025.
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KIMMIRUT.
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Rolling into the New Year I revisited Kimmirut for well over a month. A small, scenic community for which I have always enjoyed. A top notch Clinic staff lead by a wonderful Nurse-in-charge. Kimmirut over the years would often be the first stop of any work season which for me, always runs early November to end of April. This round it was a later arrival being the second contract and firmly under winter’s cold and icy grip.

Work in this community often presents itself in waves. It can be quiet for some weeks then erupt into chaos for the next while. My run was a slower start with a heavy, hard finish.

One thing about Kimmirut that was a real blow this past contract, were the drugs. Through Iqaluit, new Immigrants into Canada who are often peddling dealers of mostly African descent, they are running crack cocaine, some meth and fentanyl into the Arctic where locals from any or all communities can then purchase, mule and distribute to others back home. This is exactly the case for Kimmirut, and that drug of choice is crack cocaine. Sadly, I am witness to some utter destruction these drugs are causing in that small town. A recent rash of suicides, accelerated addiction and a possible homicide, for a community of 500 too much terrible has befallen unto Kimmirut. But, I’ll show a more pleasant side in the pictures.
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CANCUN.
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Compartmentalized and moving on, after leaving the Arctic I joined the girls for a week in Cancun. What I appreciated about taking this long overdue trip with them is, for the parts of the day they were with me, they were with me. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and awhile in the evenings. The girls clearly loved the beach where they could be found between the hours of 830am to 430pm. But I am not one to sit still under the sun simply drinking and burning the flesh so, during their sand and surf hours it was free time to sip a coffee some place in the hotel, enjoy the shade on the balcony or air conditioning in the room, the awesome fitness center and simply wait for our scheduled meals. The evenings after supper were the best though, when we’d play Catan in any lounge area while ordering many tropical drinks.
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LAKE NIPIGON.
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Returned home and in March set off for Lake Nipigon to do some ice fishing. First few days there my buddy Keith joined and the last few it was the agent, StevieZ. The target is always lakers and this winter sesh we got into ‘em OK! There was a tadbittle of tough weather and the lake surface having frozen, broken and frozen again, what created was a real trash heap of vast jagged ice fields that impeded plenty easy riding. Anything we wanted to do and wherever we may have wanted to go was hampered by much longer tedious rides, harder on bodies and equipment. But we done aaaaarrrrriiiight, did the best of it! And in the six minute video linked below you can catch a glimpse into some of the action.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaP487zxKdo
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GRISE FIORD.
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Final winter contract of three was an extended period waaaaay up at the top of world in Grise Fiord, Nunavut. One of my absolute distant favorite places to work, visit and just be with the friendly people of Grise and awesome health staff. Each helps make this a place that once settled in, I often don’t want to leave. Fifty days happily flew by with my Grise Fiord friends. Some regular exercise and great sight seeing, a hunt, some snowmobiling, along with peace and quiet, the Arctic air isn’t just chilly up there, it’s got a real “chill vibe” as well. A special place I hope to return to again, Grise over the years has provided good memories. Here’s a little video of a bit of the fun had this year, and a video from a previous year as well.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V0yMpjJ6Yk&t=78s
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=otMJaYXiHuM&t=52s
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HOME.
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Arriving home in early May I would normally find myself in the Lund within days. This year not the case, it actually took nearly a month. In all honesty any motivation just wasn’t there. I’d spent the entire winter (other than during the gluttony in Cancun and Nipigon for those couple of weeks) getting into healthier shape. Physically I was jacked and energized but mentally I wasn’t there. When finally able to muster up some give’r the first day out I smashed some big longnose gar. The second day out with my friend Chrish I ended up in an ambulance speeding lights and sirens to the Heart Institute. After checking out of there a day later I’d been told to take it easy… so I took on a boat project at home, pimping out a used 12 foot tinny and trailer. It’d be close to three weeks later until I’d actually fish again.
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LAKE NIPIGON.

StevieZ, Amelie, Brendaboo and me would arrive at Lake Nipigon in June. Our annual couples trip we were stoked to revisit some old haunts and camp out in a beautiful area of the lake.

Day one we set out mid afternoon for specks, then a little lakers before finally convincing ourselves to taking a long run for walleye. The fishing paid off with Stevie and Am really honing in on the marble eyes and sharing their sunny bite. Stevie picked up is biggest walleye ever, and me too outside of Lake Ontario. But during the fun we didn’t pay enough mind to a huge and explosive weather system that came bearing down on us. Before we knew it we were watching water spouts form in front of our eyes as the lake turned fugly in a flash! We kinda took cover..? We got soaked, and wondered if we’d ever make it back the hour long ride to camp through the biggest fetches of the lake… well, we did! With a pounding, a scolding, and reminder to smarten the fuck up!

The rest of our week we continued to take a regular and thorough shit kicking from Mother Nature. One day was no word of a lie, a 24 hour, constant thunderstorm. Even my father watching the radar at home was flabbergasted to observe this one front which would not budge from overhead of us. The camp at times wanted to explode and lift away into the skies. During the days that we could, we carefully escaped where we should, and actually made out pretty well. Once Steve and Am left a little earlier for home though, Bren and I had a few more days to ourselves. The weather settled and being so, we were able to get into fish more comfortably. I’d pick up a personal best whitefish while Bren would enjoy a couple of good days reeling in lakers.
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Take a ride on the wild side. Our annual couples trip on Nipigon. Link below…
IT ALL COMES BIGGER ON NIPIGON.
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GREAT BEAR LAKE.

Very little time to pack between fishing vacations, days after returning from Nipigon I boarded a plane with my friend Doug, flying Ottawa to Yellowknife. Next day from YK, the two of us set off for the NWT’s Great Bear Lake, where through Plummer’s “Arctic Circle Lodge” we’d join a small group of anglers at a self guided outfit on the east side of Canada’s world renowned trophy lake trout water. Unbelievable place.

Familiar faces and new friends to be found there, the fishing on Great Bear is other-worldy awesome! Trolling beautiful shorelines, back bays and crossing vast expanses of this monstrously large lake, we found fish everywhere we went, including a number of twenty plus pounders all the way up to forty. The lake however, it boasts rod and reel records for fish into the 70 pound range and you honestly never know if that could be your next bite.

Doug was a machine, always ready to go and have himself a blast reeling in well over a hundred lakers. He made this trip and made it wonderful. It was truly a blessing to return there for what may be the one last time..? A trip through Plummers should be on everyone’s fishing bucketlist.
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Full GREAT BEAR trip report here. Blow your mind at Arctic Circle Lodge. Link…
FISHING INTO GREAT GREYS AT PLUMMER’S ARCTIC CIRCLE LODGE.
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HOME.
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My little boat “Silver Surfer” finished and ready for testing, who better to join me first than my nephews. Bass open I had two of my three lads overnight ahead of time so we could sneak away early the next morning. We had a blast together popping largies and smallies. It had been over five or six years since last targeting these fun fish and that made it seem all the more enjoyable.

First round with the boys not enough, while Bren was away working up north Summer came home to spend the better part of a week with just me. She wanted to fish too and so when the weather was right she and I escaped back to the bass lake where again we crushed even bigger and better fish. Heck, it’d been so long for summer she needed to relearn how to cast. By end of our hours she was doing that and more. Made Dad a happy man and Summer would admit that it was good fun for her as well. My eldest actually enjoying fishing again.
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All things winter into spring fish and travel. So many more pics. Link below…
SERVING UP A LITTLE SPRING-BOK-JOY.
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TALOYOAK.
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Daily Colchicine, Naproxen, Pantoloc, Magnesium and Tylenol… that was treatment for the pericarditis initially thought to be my heart attack earlier in the season. By now though I was long OK and off to work again in Nunavut.

Friend Jordan was kind enough to lend me the keys to his storage container where an ATV was waiting. It was the kindest thing ever because in Taloyoak I wouldn’t have been able to stand it for even one second if not able to get out on the land, and chase the amazing arctic char and lake trout that swim in the many nearby lakes.

One of my best friends Heidi up on this contract, she would be able to twice escape work with me and come along to explore. Jordan, his wife Lauren and their boys would return from the south too, and on the final day trip join up with us for a great afternoon of shoreline casting to hungry fish. Taloyoak proved amazing as always, Heidi catching the most beautiful char, me taking a good bounty of ‘em and filling a cooler full for home and, hooking up with the biggest Nunavut fish I have ever seen! One giant laker that ate a spoon in the shallows at my feet. That video here in this link!
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The incredible blessing it is to travel with work and fish char. Full report here..
A NUNAVUT NOMAD XI. “ANY CHANCE FOR CHAR!”
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NIPIGON.
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You can believe that I took off once arriving home to go on yet another fishing trip. A final run to Nipigon, Brenda decided last minute she best come along. Just the two of us it was planned to be gone a good long while. Had it be me alone, the goals were to catch forty pike over forty inches and one hundred lake trout. With like, ten days to make that happen, I was actually confident that weather depending I could get it done if, I was given three full days for pike and three to four days for lakers. But that’d have to wait because Bren, she ain’t at all that into that much pike and would much prefer to laker or even speck fish. Crazy actually because, Bren’s caught some really great pike in her years and it was pike years ago that peaked her interest in fishing for “the big ones.”

Pike were out! We set off to try our luck on lakers and boy we weren’t disappointed. By day three on these fish, right around 5:00pm with a storm front pushing up on us, we boated the hundredth laker before making haste. Once we weathered out several days to finally resume fishing again, we kept smashing even more greys while adding some great specks too. I think it was the first time Bren actually came along on a trip that Stevie and Am weren’t planned to be a part of. Something years prior she wasn’t ever willing to do. I think she had a good time hooking all those lakers that maybe she’ll want to do it again sometime..?
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Bren and I totally crush numbers of big lakers and specks on Nipigon. Link below…
NIPIGON DOUBLE TAKES.
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THE COTTAGE.
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Back from Nipigon Bren flew north for some work while I checked into the cottage for the fall muskie run. Honestly by this point May, June, July and August had all caught up. Just grounded and pounded. I kinda wanted to just settle in and chill. Hammock time and sleeping in but… I was alone, the evenings were nice and with muskie you gotta put in the effort. Even when they’re not biting, to get on pattern and stretch the necessary muscles, you gotta put in the time.

A tougher season the numbers weren’t quite what they usually are and neither were the numbers of big fish catches. That said, a few of the big fish I did catch were legal fish. I mean huge!! The best of the year at 55.5 inches is nothing to feel shitty about, many, many muskie anglers fish a lifetime to never even see such a beast. The more angler pressure out there too, it kinda means late summer, early fall you’re chasing after fish that have been hounded by it all. Many muskies were followers and not biters this season.

Bren and friends did come aboard though, some won, some lost. The girls did often come out to the cottage too and that makes our time there that much more satisfying. Half way between ‘em, plenty beds to be had, you never know how much longer your children might be willing to hang out with their rants, we take what we can get. Next year too, Bren and I decided to spend some new times traveling and exploring away more, and so we picked up a 30′ camper trailer to tow off into the bush and hide out. Should be different L-I-V-I-N.
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The FULL muskie season report link here…
TO BE MINDFUL OF MUSKIES…
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ARCTIC BAY.
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Come the end of the muskie season I was back to feeling quite sick again and have come to understand that 2026 best not lead to the same mistakes. Now I’m sitting in Arctic Bay. The sun went down a couple of weeks ago and the place is rather quiet and still. Been working hard out of the office to try and build health back up and it is coming around some. The job is OK too, the full “Cold Moon” was this week and that is befitting as I am right now reflecting on a season passed and planning ahead for the coming year.
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To all anglers Bren, Summer, Leah, Nick, Stevie, Amelie, Chrish, Doug, Keith, Harold, Mac, Dan, Heidi, Jordan, Lauren, Ryan, Nicholas and those maybe in some pics or behind the scenes such as my parents (for looking after our home), Rob & Wilf, Heather, Amon, Bruce (who treats Bambalam like she’s his own) all the gang at Bear, some friends and nurses in the Perth Emerg and surely a few others, looking at these pictures and thinking back on 2025 there’s a tonne of great times and travels wrapped up in this spin around our sun. Thanks for your parts in our trip.

Do hope to make 2026 something as memorable as all the others and will continue to be here at the site for those choosing to come along to anywhere to do most anything… probably fishing related. Ha! I suppose that’s what’s important… the stories we share about ourselves.

Thanks everyone! Best wishes.

Bunk.