Shore Lunch - It gets NO better!

by: Jessica Cegielski, All-Canada Show


This summer I had the privilege to travel to Northern Manitoba and experienced the best fishing of my life. As we were planning our adventure, I was excited to be going to Bolton Lake Lodge and even more excited that I would not have to cook my own meals while I was there (I know there are other moms and wives out there that appreciate this!). Over the years, I have had many opportunities to fish in Canada, but this was only the 2nd time that someone was going to take care of us...and take care of us THEY DID!

One of the most memorable parts of the trip was shore lunch. Our guides, Barry and James were the best chefs in the Canadian Bush, and the best part was the authentic wood fire that they cooked over. They may not want me to share their secrets, but on your next trip for an appetizer might I suggest: skewer your walleye, wrap it in bacon, add a bit of barbecue sauce and coat in breading before you stick it in the frying pan! Bon appetit!

P.S. Here is the proof that I enjoyed the fishing too!

TRADITIONS

By: Steve Cegielski

By now, many of you have spent your week in Canada fishing and enjoying the great outdoors. Some of you are planning your next Canadian hunt and gearing up for Fall travels to the north. Whatever the trip, traditions are a huge part of what we do when traveling to Canada. Whether its where you stop on your drive to get across the boarder, what you bring, or what you do when you arrive at your destination. 

One tradition that was developed by the Cegielski crew for their biennial Canada trip is Steak night . My mouth is watering just writing - Porter House Steak. The steak tradition was started over ten years ago by my cousin Kurt on our first trip north of the border as a group, and now it’s just like Christmas….you bank on the last evening's dinner treat….steak night!

I'm sure you have traditions of your own for your group trips to Canada. Traditions are important…..give steak night a try this year! A

lways looking for new ideas in my Canadian travels….give me some ideas of traditions your group does annually.

Tips Learned

By: Steve Cegielski, All-Canada Show

Every time I travel to Canada I'm always on the lookout for new tips / tricks to add to my arsenal to create a better trip for myself and the Canada crew. Even after dozens of trips north of the border, I almost always come home with a few new ideas.

Guided adventures allow access into dedicated guides way of life...tricks they've been using for years, so I pay close attention. I watched and learned cooking techniques, boat maneuvering, fish cleaning secrets, and maybe the most important bird's nest removal.

Anyone who has ever cast a bait casting type reel knows how demoralizing a good birds nest can be....watching your buddy hit some amazing water while you’re out of the game with twisted line. I've mastered the bait caster, but still 3-4 times per week I forget to change the tension after switching lures and the next cast isn't pretty.

Well last week after one of those so called bad casts I found myself alone holding one of the best bird nest's I've ever created. After a few minutes I located the problem loop and all I needed was to pull the loop free and get back fishing. But the problem was the loop was buried in the spool and my fingers were to big to reach....Here comes the best tip of the trip....The guide tapped my on the shoulder and handed over a special line clippers with attachments including a small hook and pointer. Wow, I've got to have one of those....I think I saved 10 minutes of fishing. One quick hook of the loop and I was back in business.

I'm happy to report I've found just the tool this weekend at the local sport shop, now I'm ready to battle the birds nests.

Blackened Pike

By: Steve Cegielski

I've eaten a lot of shore lunches over the years…and traditional fried walleye, potatoes and baked beans is still my favorite. A fishing trip to Canada isn't official until I've eaten one.

There are many varieties of shore lunch in Canada including fish chowder, which is great on a cold rainy day, stir fried fish and vegetables is awesome too – plus you have every kind of baked fish imaginable. But on one trip I was exposed to something new and so good it is now my second favorite shore lunch.

After frying up some walleye our guide drained the frying pan and added a squirt of zesty Italian salad dressing. Then he pan fried bare northern pike fillets (no breading) in the dressing, boiling off the liquid and searing the pike in what remained…just scrumptious!   The main trick being – very little Italian dressing….not boiling the fillets, rather burning / blackening with the Italian dressing flavor.

This is now a staple in my shore lunch recipe collection. If you have a favorite shore lunch recipe…pass it on to us.