Everyone has that special go-to place where they can feel right at home. For a number of people that I have had the privilege to meet, that place is Minipi.

Jack and Lorraine suggested I take a trip to Anne Marie Lodge and experience life at camp. “You can’t write about it unless you know what it’s like.” So off I went.

This trip held a number of firsts for me; first time flying in a float plane (thanks for the smooth ride Chris!) first time trying fly-fishing, and first time feeling completely secure in the wilderness.

When I stepped into the boat with Minipi guide Ralph, I didn’t quite know what to expect.  As we putted along across Anne Marie Lake and rounded the bend into the famous fishing spot called “Loverboy” I was told the story of the young love-sick man who had caught many fish after being left to his own devices on the central rock because he complained so much about missing his sweetheart back home. I laughed to myself, but thought, how ‘Labrador’ can you get?

While I grew up using a spinning rod I was determined to learn how to use a dry-fly. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. After some fumbling with the hook *cough* ‘fly’ I was shown how to feed the line. Before long I had the line out 30 feet or so and was shown (more than once) how to cast.

All the while Ralph was patient and supportive of my less-than-perfect casting. He fed me information about the different ways to hold my arm, how fast to flick back and how fast to move forward. How to hold the line with my left hand and when to let go. After a while my back cast had a good bend and I was told ‘that’s how it’s done.’

After feeling confident with my cast we decided to take a run to Burnt Lake and then the caddis beds. Ralph knew of a good place for Pike and I just wanted to catch something! It didn’t matter if it was a brookie, but I didn’t catch a thing. Little did I know a few kilometers away 4 of our guests couldn’t get them off the hook fast enough! The orange bomber won again.

I practiced an invisible cast in my room when I got back to the lodge, trying to remember the right way to do it for my next try. As I rested my head on the pillow that night I was happy even though I didn’t catch anything my first day – besides the fishing bug. Tomorrow is a new day. Jack and Lorraine don’t know what they have started…