It has been some time since sitting down to write for the site, surely not once these past 20 years had there been such a drought of motivation. Leaving it so bloody long there is plenty to catch up on. Nunavut, Mexico, Nipigon and finally what’s been happening with fishing and life this spring… So let us just get going here!

Arriving home to the valley end of April I was coming off six good months of work in Nunavut. First Arctic Bay before the New Year, then Kimmirut and finally Grise Fiord, the winter blew by in a rather quick blizzard.

At Christmas made it home for a couple of weeks and during late February into March was off to enjoy Cancun with family, before heading ice fishing up north with friends. I might as well share some of the amazing photos from all of those work and play trips. They’re honestly just as good as anything.
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Kimmirut. Quiet little spot sometimes, other times insanely busy. This trip around it started chill and ended with plenty overtime. While there I used the gym after work each evening and, from the apartment window time lapsed some sunrises with the 30 foot high tides coming in to raise the ice. Good peeps at the Health Center, I love seeing the boss there Anke and visiting with other staff. Normally I’d hike more and snap photos but the days are quite short so before and after work are both dark periods and rather cold. If wondering, the last photo is raw seal. A nutritious local break-time snack.
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Cancun was okay but I wouldn’t ever go back. Hotel was wonderful and the food excellent but I’m just not a sit-on-the-beach guy. The girls from breakfast to dinner enjoyed lazing in the sun, taking the odd pool swim and enjoying drinks in the shade under an umbrella while I spent much time just waiting to see them for our three meals a day and then finally family time after supper. Did go fishing with Bren in the lagoon for six hours one morning, she managed a small tarpon and we caught a couple snappers and something else. It was way too expensive for what it was, what I’m used to anyways. Got roped into a “free shopping” day through the hotel as well, a costly mistake us being fed to some sales wolves. Nope, if I wasn’t just enjoying people watching with a coffee in hand during the day I was in the gym late afternoon trying to burn off all the sugary drinks and huge meals. For a lot of it, just too much money to do the same shit I do at home, that said, having the family time when it came around was quite nice.
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Drove out to Nipigon to fish what could have been eight days but turned into six. First half spent with my friend Keith, the latter part with The Agent Stevie Zebco. All-in-all a good effort. Ice conditions in some areas were terribly rough but surely no shortage in thickness. First day there we couldn’t get out due to a blizzard and, what would have been a final half day I just bailed on feeling rather rushed to get home and quickly repack north again to Nunavut… We all caught fish, some days better than others. Was kind of an average year, some bigger ones though. Had traded the little pop-up for an Otter flip-over thinking it’d make me more portable out there. Well, that’s a nope! There’s still a tonne of set-up and gear and shit to lug about that I’d think that a nuisance. Maybe just one move in a day would be alright? Not sure how much more ice fishing time there is left in this guy? Maybe five or six years? Retire that stuff at 55..? Around home I feel it’s all been done before, up north it’s a rather big commitment and expense. Could almost take a week in the tropics for same money.
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Final contract of the winter is usually the longest. Fifty days, fifty days, every day I’d just think fifty more days to go. Truth is I loved it, didn’t want it to end! Looked forward to it. Friends in Grise Fiord it’s comfortable there, happy, welcoming and all within a friendly, picturesque, quiet, tiny community at the very top of the world. There is something special about being in Grise, I enjoy finding little different things to do as well as keeping a healthier routine. Work, exercise, cook, relax, repeat. On the weekends or during some nice evenings I get outside and explore. This trip, after four contracts there, I finally made it the mountain tops behind town. What a view! My friend Amon had me join him on a seal hunt and snowmobile tour up the glacier. A pair of dog sledders arrived all the way from Resolute and, my friend Heidi and I shared plenty of time hanging out. A great place to escape to and work.
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Returned home to a driveway wash-out. The quick thaw of the heavy late winter snow and a covered narrow drain pipe under the driveway, the water was too much, too fast for the gravel and dirt to hold. So away some of it washed out onto the lawn. Took a little time to sort that out.

Leah came home for my birthday and to visit before leaving to Greece for a month of school. Got a new drone at Christmas too, finally some time to play with that.
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That first week back was busy with chores while most of the weather had been great… then the days turned to shit. Passing the time not fishing I got to work at several muskie and Nipigon lure projects and stayed on the winter exercise program a long while too. Always live healthier up north, it can be a bit of a drag to come home and throw away good eating and workout habits for convenience and old vices.
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Finally some batteries arrived for the Lund and it was time to get Bambalam wet.
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Now normally during May the boat would be on the water or I’d be off in the bush fishing like 15 to 20 times but, by the end of the month I dragged out there just three. Long story short, no motivation for it! Only thing I wanted to fish were gar and the winds, cold, rain and crap weather just wouldn’t let up. It was very end of the month when I squeezed out back-to-back days, one solo and one with Chrish. The fish were around a little but man, the water was still really cold. Spring was behind schedule.

While fishing with Chrish we had to cut our day short. The morning started off not feeling all that well and by a little after the noon hour I was worse off than expected. Had to call it early… in fact I had to call it for a couple weeks after that just to recover well and good.

Come June I’d get out twice more for gar. One day was a total waste of time, suffered a skunk and barely saw a fish. Weather was calling for sun and calm but forest fire smoke from the Prairies laid a thick haze in the air, blocking rays and keeping the temperature cooler. Winds picked up in the early afternoon and it was all downhill from there. The final day was interesting! Picked up two biggies over fifty inches but lost two much bigger than those I’d caught. Lost both of those big fish twice actually. Hooked then re-hooked the pair of them, the final fish breaking my line.

It was another strange year for gar. Spooky, spooky, spooky! Suppose one could go back to previous Bunk entries on the site here to review whatever I have been hypothesizing over the years but bottom line is, I’m about 100% convinced these fish have adapted to being preyed upon. Not all, but so many fish move away fast to the sound of the trolling motor, boat or the splash of a familiar lure. Years ago the fish were so much more wild, unconditioned and ready to snap! It was easy times.

And think about this! The trolling motor. Sure I’ve heard the odd person say yeah, we caught gar in the 80’s or 90’s but did they really target them like us few anglers who are and can today? With the advent of just the trolling motor and boats equipping with them in the past 10, 20, 30 years, now a different generation of angler is given many more advantages, the gar are changing their behaviors in response. But, so am I. And despite this year only being able to sneak out a handful of times compared to previous seasons, that trophy catch average is still keeping pace with the days of old.
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While off the water a short while to take it easy and recover (Docs Orders) I bought a second boat. Yeah… since selling the 14-foot Alumacraft summer of 00 or 01 think it was, it didn’t take too many years afterwards to start missing the “back lake” options I once had. Again, this spring not motivated for anything but gar, that comment was maybe a little bit of a lie. Part of me wanted at times to get away into the quiet hills for trout and other things.

Being away so much for work and fishing a little tinny didn’t make much sense though. When the Alumacraft was here I had totally pimped it out, made it great then only used it a half dozen times a season. Parked in the back yard, in a short few years, under the sun and seasons the paint on the gunnels began to peel off, the vinyl lifted from the floor and some woodwork and carpeting I had done just began to dry and decompose. So as said, I sold it, so why now get another? Well, I wanted much cheaper, a used boat, no paint, less maintenance, a smaller 12-footer, smaller motor, smaller trailer and, I had this in mind not only for myself but for my nephews as well.

My brother Noel and his three boys all cottage every weekend up on Sharbot Lake and in recent years nephews Jack, Nick and especially Ryan have all taken to fishing. Me being gone most of the summer the boat would be theirs if they wanted it. I’d only need it a little in spring and fall. Noel drives by the house on route the cottage so it could be here if they want to hook up or even keep on Sharbot.

Caught an add on Market Place. Little SpringBok 12-footer, older, said to have no leaks and on a trailer. $1200 ober der in da Braeside. So bought that right up and drove it straight to a carwash on the way home.
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Over the next week or so I puttered away at things to tune this little backwoods bitch right up fancy.

With the sale of ‘er came a few things, the first of which was a new seat base that had yet been installed. Well, the aluminum isn’t enough support for a heavy ass pounding a pinpoint post, so I lifted it and tossed some odds and ends lumber kicking around to fill the empty space, lock it in tight and flush underneath and give full bum support.
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Next order of business was to screw on some leftover plastic sled runners across the trailer frame. Did it just because! Because sometimes aluminum meeting metal launching and stuff, or trailering and stuff, or even when I just pull the boat off the trailer manually to flip it upside down for the winter, that plastic makes any contact friendlier.
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Axle was missing a U-bolt which is kinda necessary for preventing bad shit happening on the road so, replaced it. Also it and the leaf springs were rather rusty so some Rustoleum for the axle and leftover oil to paint on the springs added a bit of new life.
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The tires were in rough shape, old rubber, cracking on the sidewalls and between the treads, only a matter of time. Just so happened the exact new ones were on sale at Canadian Tire that very week. Just had to run to Smiths Falls to get ’em.
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Trailer didn’t need a jack as the boat and trailer together are light enough to be lifted buuuuuut, for $35 at Cabelas there was one that would do fine. And do it was what I did! All “jacked” up now.
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This trailer also didn’t have a winch. It had the bow receiver and a rope. Well, just happened Princess Auto had a few winches on sale that very week. So for $20+ applicable taxes and being that P-Auto was right next door to Cabelas where I had to go anyways, we got this baby all “winched” out!
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Previous owner had only recently done the lights and used a shit tonne of zipties to get that done too. They were working. And the bunks for now, they’ll do. To give a little more luster I bent the wheel wells back into decent alignment and added a bit more of that Rustoleum. Now I was feeling the trailer was coming along nice.
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Boat sale came with one very water-logged and smelly grey and white high-back chair. Left a couple days in the sun after stripping off the covers the foam did dry and stay soft. All I needed to do with it was make a fitted wooden seat brace for quick off and on applications. Some spare lumber around that was nothing! But that seat itself was just too big to fit at the drivers spot where I’d installed the seat mount. Well, wasn’t it just the best of luck that Princess Auto was selling boat seats that week, on sale too, with a couple choices to choose from. So I got one for $50 and slapped it on da boat!
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Next up were some small finishing touches. Extra holes in the bow nose plate I just filled two with a U-bolt that might come in handy for quick-attaching anything. The wooded transom support was going dry a bit so I triple coated that with some grey paint. Both sides of the boat received some rod holders bases. Missing a gunnel-to-seat support arm on portside, I wasn’t sure at first how to find those soooo, using an old shower curtain rod I shaped my own with the vice and some bolt cutters. After painting it looked like it belonged.
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Not done yet! Behind the drivers seat to the transom I attached a thick, even, trolling motor bracket for mounting. Some leftover Trex from last springs porch stairs job, that composite is tough as nails and should last a long time. Some paint and the right sort of “L” or “elbow” cut, it fit on perfectly. Just one hole through the transom, two into the wood and resting to seat it is solid.
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Previous owner had tried to create a little floor insert but the job was shotty and loose. Some scrap wood positioned and built in a way that once all is in and laid down this deck won’t move or even allow the floor to shift. The two-piece ensemble worked out great. A light floor there any passengers will have their feet up and dry and a flat surface to stand upon and cast.
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The seat across from the driver often gets things piled up on it. Things that in rough water or when the boat is trying to plane out can shift. This old Clam hut I had and sold, had these two elbows for a seat that were never used. Lay the two elbows down together and it forms the perfect rectangle to drill down and prevent things from falling off said seat. Can attach bungees to it as well. Actually, it installed so mint that the gas tank would snug up on their secure too. Positioned there it adds some counter weight to the human sitting across from it.
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Other than plating that trailer later in the week that’d be about it for the boat and trailer work. All tallied the $1200 turned into nearly $1800 when adding up any and all new parts, hardware and the gas spent running around to get things. What the boat needed next though, was a motor!

Nice fella in Smiths Falls had an 8HP Honda 4-stroke up for sale. Drove on over for a look it had the gas tank, hoses, a hydrofoil, extra new oil filter, a 4-blade prop and spare new 3-blade too. The cowling was scuffed up some but she started first pull and purred along just fine in a barrel in his garage. Engine looked clean, checked the oils and they were good too. $1400. And so yeah, that’d be it for the spending cause waiting at home I had an old 44lb thrust MinnKota in the back shed collecting dust and a spare 12-volt deep-cycle I’ll sometimes use to boot the generator. That silver Honda looked great on the silvery SprinkBok so that’s why this boat got the name, “Silver Surfer.”
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Once ready I took it over to a nearby lake for a test.

Well shit it leaked! So the seller did bullshit me numerous times and for sure this wouldn’t be a docked boat. It leaked in two places, one at the plug which was/will be no problem with a new plug, the other is in an area nearer the bow and somewhere under an inside flooring plate of aluminum raised an inch or so over the hull. They must have known it leaked as there’d been plenty of bits of like styrofoam washing out from under there while I’d been cleaning and building. Think someone might have tried a spray foam between the hull and floor piece or something because, there’s no patching this from the inside. I’ll have to fill the boat sometime and see where it leaks underside but, I suspect that won’t help either as the hole is probably located under the center keel and will only drip out at these few overlapping joints where water can only escape. Doesn’t much matter though, it’s not a gusher of a leak and I came to learn I could just bail water from time to time.

Secondly I worked out where best to place my trim pin for getting up on plane. Yes, the 8HP with just me will get up, level out and rip to about 19mph. With a small person it may still make it too. Of course this trim pin had been missing from the Honda and I didn’t notice time of sale but, a 7-inch bolt covered that loss just fine.

The trolling motor I’d reassembled wrong so this day it was just useless and too much extra weight on the stern anyways. If fishing alone in the future I’ll need to get that battery up front and run a longer wire back. Myself, a sonar, gas gan, battery, motor and trolling motor in the back and nothing up front but maybe an anchor, not gonna do it! Too heavy in the arse end. Won’t plane worth a shit! Later at home I’d get the Minnkota fixed right and it’d prove itself perfect once fishing. When another person is with me that battery can stay in the back too.

Wanted a Naden but fuck it, SpringBok Silver Surfer it is! Turned into a little hottie of a backwoods beater bush broad.
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I’d slip away north a short while and once returning it was time to get Hi-Ho Silver Surfer a surfing. Borrowing two of my nephews for an overnighter that would get us out early a next morning. We’d all head up into the Highlands, I hadn’t been so excited to go bass fishing since like, since like forever! But seriously, it had been five or maybe even six years since last fishing bass, it took these two young snot rockets and the Silver Surfer to light that kinda spark for it bassin’ it again… And what a day it was too. What a day to remember! The boys slayed ‘em! Some big smallies and some decent largies too. Small tubes got the job done and some fish fell to a gold #5 Mepps Aglia. Easiest fish to catch for some of the easiest fishin’ us young and old kids can ever enjoy. Youngest Nick first in the pictures and the natural, the sniper angler, Ryan with the big bronzies at the end.
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Randomly I had taken a rare text from the oldest daughter same time. Could hardly believe it when she asked to come home and stay awhile; hang with just me there as Bren was away, AND, she wanted us to go fishing too. I might have cried, will admit. Summer rarely ever requests such things and did disclose that she would not be touching any fish at all but who cares, Summer wanted to go fishing! And so she did come home, we did hang out some days and when the weather was right we slipped away one morning to do some easy fishin’ for bass.

Summer had not cast a rod since maybe she was just the littlest tyke. Maybe she had never casted before and just reeled in fish I’d hooked? Would have to go back and read the old journals to know for sure. Fishing one day around her being 12 or 13 years old she just turned away from. On this resurrection day though, I had to teach her to cast, she’d no idea how to do it. And with some quick practice those hours she got better and better and was whipping some out there pretty good. And during our time we each caught nine bass so she happily tied with me. I had experience on my side BUT she was given the hot lure to use. What awesome bass we caught too! The biggest largie measured up at 21+ inches for me and we both caught some other greats of the both species as well. For me this very memorable, happy day and the one with my nephews fishing we me the first time ever, are both amazing! What a special way to christen the new old boat. And the other cool thing too, not only did Summer learn to cast, catch all her own fish, within no time she was holding them all up for pictures proudly too. Beauty!
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Love bass, as long as the kids do! 🙂

That’s a wrap on the winter through spring to early summer season so far. Nothing ahead for home fishing until September muskie starts up, just too much fishing and traveling north in the meantime. Hopefully find the time to spill more out onto the pages here on this site. Until I do, enjoy your times on the water!
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Thanks for reading.
Bunk.
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