A Letter From Tex
March 10, 2024
I had a letter from Tex recently. (See below.) He and the guys are planning their annual spring fishing trip. They will want to get into the little speckled trout lakes, do some trolling for lakers and just kick back.
It is something that I look forward to. Randy, aka Tex, came here with his parents back when he was a lad. He is in his mid-thirties now, a big solid man, running his own house building company. He brings his crew up every spring. They are the unofficial start of my summer guiding season.
Of course they use a pile of bait minnows. And the minnows are kind of finicky in early spring. You have to set traps from here to kingdom come to get enough. It’s a workout walking into all the beaver ponds. It wouldn’t be so bad if the beaver would drop their trees in neat piles. Instead, there are Poplars laying down in every direction. Makes for a lot of high stepping.
Then, it’s nice and quiet. You’re setting out a couple of minnow traps, when about eight feet away, there is a big slap on the water. Makes a body about jump out of their rubber boots. Beaver are real sneaky that way. And don’t set your trap close to the dam either. They will incorporate it into the dam with a bunch of sticks, mud and rocks. Makes me wonder sometimes if I should put beaver steaks on the menu. Of course they are so ornery, the steaks would be tough.
The boys will need a couple of my bigger boats on Lonesome and the use of my 12 footers on the speckle lakes. Now, there are some great 12 foot boats. Deep, wide and very stable for about the price of a good used pickup truck. Then, there are the shallow, narrow 12 footers. They are tippier than any canoe, but the price is right.
Tex and company have mentioned, occasionally, actually every year, about how nice one of the big twelves would be. But, it’s good for them to practice stepping gently into a boat, staying seated and not leaning over the side. Sort of sharpens their wits. It makes the fishing more challenging. They are catching on, wearing life vests occasionally and leaving some of the beer behind.
Last spring, they managed to tip the boat on Mountain Top Lake. Apparently, Tex had a fish on when someone leaned over the side with the dip net to land it. Now, the boats stated capacity is 800 pounds. The three of them would weigh at least 600 pounds. Not a lot of freeboard. Freeboard is the number of inches between the edge of your boat and the top of the lake. As you lean one way, the gunnel goes down reducing the amount of freeboard on that side. When it reaches a negative number, you are in trouble.
Now for younger folk, it can be calculated in metric meters. But here is the difficulty. You know a half inch of freeboard is not much, but a centimeter sounds like plenty. Who can actually keep track of centimeters and meters, let alone decimeters and those wee millimeters?
You might think this is a bit of a tragedy, referring to the boat, not to the unfortunate use of the metric system. In fact it is a positive. They survived their bath. Some might suggest after three days in camp they needed it and their understanding of physics and fluid hydraulics is vastly improved.
As they say in Newfoundland. “In a leaky boat with a broken oar, it’s best to hug the shore."
Ricky.
Hi Ricky,
How’s the ice fishing?
My boy and I have been out a few times for perch. The county plows right to the parking lots so all we need is a toboggan, our tip-ups and lunch.
The guys and I were thinking we’d rent snowmobiles and visit you one winter. You could take us out on the ice. Show us how to jig for trout.
We are planning to be there about May 1st. The little lakes should be open, I know parts of Lonesome might still have ice.
My boy wants to come this year. He is eleven and will probably walk the portages easier than myself. He and I are working on his Mom. She seems to think it’s dangerous. Maybe you could send Sue a note to reassure her. Don’t mention the boat tipping over on Mountaintop. That was not my fault, and not about the time we rowed back when the old Evinrude quit. Or the time you got us all lost looking for Lost Lake.
Take care of yourself old timer, see you in a couple of months.
Tex
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Well here was a challenge. Try to write a sort of truthful note concerning safety in the company of Tex and his gang in the back woods. The child would be safer dancing on rooftops.
Dear Sue,
Tex tells me he wants to bring your first born fishing this spring with his merry band. And, he suggested a few words from me would reassure you of the virtues of said endeavor.
I am sure your lad will be fine. If, as I suspect, Randy will forget to bring a life jacket, I have many life vests and will make certain your lad is wearing one. Otherwise the risk is minimal. He will eat too much fried food, wear the same underwear all week, be dirtier than a coon dog in August and have a wonderful time.
And, whatever deal you make in agreeing to this folly, be sure it includes a summer trip to Lonesome lake with the family. I really want to meet the woman who married him.
Ricky