By Bob Jensen
Fishing the Midwest Fishing Team

(photo by Bob Jensen) Mike Frisch with a Kabetogama Lake smallmouth bass taken on a very memorable day of fishing.

I’ve had conversations recently with people who like to fish but are a bit or a lot frustrated and disappointed. Some of these are anglers who, in years past, took annual fishing trips to Canada. Due to the border closure, they are unable to go now and they don’t know when they’ll be able to go again.

Other anglers describe their attempts to find lodging south of the border as being very difficult. Many anglers who would ordinarily go to Canada are staying in resorts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and other places. There are a limited number of resorts, and with more people looking for lodging, it can be challenging to find a place to stay.

The other frequent comment from these frustrated anglers is this: “Fishing in Canada is special. Fishing south of the border just isn’t the same.” Fishing in Canada, because of the huge supply of places to fish and fewer anglers can be memorable. And the wilderness feel in Canada is hard to replicate south of the border. Valid point.

But the thing is, we can’t, for now, go to Canada. But we can still go fishing. And we should. Some of us want to go fishing, many of us need to go fishing. And just because we can’t go to Canada doesn’t mean that we can’t have wonderful, memorable experiences. For me and many anglers, it’s not as much about the place where you are as it is about the people you’re with.

I recall a trip many years ago. Mr. Walleye Gary Roach, Outdoor Writer Jeff Murray and I took a Canadian fly-in trip to a lake 300 miles north of the closest road. We caught many, many big and bigger northern pike and lake trout. It was memorable.

But I also remember fondly fishing with Gary on Lake Mille Lacs and Lake of the Woods in Minnesota. Closer and easier to get to, and those trips were equally memorable. The people are just as important and memorable as the place.

Some Canada fans suggest that there’s always something different around the next island and there are always new areas to explore. Point taken and agreed to.

But, again, back in my memories: I had the opportunity to spend lots of time with fishing pioneer Ron Lindner back in the mid-80’s. Ron and I headquartered at Camp Fish near Walker Minnesota a lot back then. We would leave Camp in the morning, boat in tow, and would head to a lake.

It was always a different lake. We would fish that lake a couple of hours, put the boat back on the trailer, and travel a few miles to another lake. We would do this four or five times a day. Lots of exploring and lots of nice memories. People, not places.

We can’t go to Canada for now. There are still plenty of places to go fishing. It might or will require a bit more work finding a place to stay, but it can be done.  And, although sometimes the fishing might not be quite as good as you might expect in Canada, it can still be memorable.

I have distinct memories of catching smallmouth bass on Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota that would rival any Canadian lake. Same thing with largemouth bass fishing in central Minnesota near Alexandria, and the same thing with walleyes on Green Bay. And just as I fondly remember the fish-catching part of it, I have even fonder memories of the people that I shared the boat with on those days.  People, not places.

With all that said, there’s still lots of time to go fishing in the next few months.  Make plans now. And remember, the people that you’re fishing with will bring fonder memories(usually) than the places where you go fishing.