Episode 143: Rookies On The River

A thousand-foot gill net can hold a whole day’s worth of truth about a fishery and Paige Drew has lived that reality on Lake Superior. We sit down with Paige and Caleb Johnson, two newly minted guides at Two Rivers Lodge, and talk honestly about what it means to earn your place in a lodge family when the season is just starting and the water is still near freezing. The conversation starts where most guests never get to look: broken water lines, massive food orders, generator upgrades, new docks, and the kind of teamwork it takes to make a remote Northern Ontario fishing lodge feel effortless.

Paige walks us through her route from growing up around Ontario fish hatcheries and studying Fish and Wildlife at Fleming College to working Great Lakes field projects. We get into invasive species control, targeted netting, and the detailed sampling that happens after the nets come up: sorting by mesh size, measuring fork length, taking scales, collecting fin clips for genetics, and even pulling otoliths for aging. If you’ve ever wondered what fisheries science looks like on the water, this is the clearest picture you’ll get without stepping onto the tugboat.

Caleb brings the next-generation angle, coming from Alberta with a YouTube goal and the drive to build something real as “The Alberta Angler.” We talk about chasing better fishing opportunities, filming in a working lodge environment, and why fish handling ethics matter if you want a sustainable trophy fishery for pike, walleye, bass, and muskie. Subscribe, share this one with a buddy who loves the North, and leave a review with your biggest question about guiding life.

Transcript

A Day Of Gill Net Science

SPEAKER_01 0:05

So we pull anywhere from like three to five nets a day. These are thousand-foot nets, so you'd get anywhere from a hundred to five hundred fish in a day. Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 0:17

That's crazy. That is a crazy number.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Yeah. And then after we're done pulling those nets, on the way to setting our next nets, we would sample all those fish. So one person would be up there weighing the bulk amount of fish, so all of the same species that we got from that specific mesh size for every single mesh size of every single net that we pulled. So there's a lot of sorting fish and weighing fish. And then for certain species, we would take more specific measurements like fork length, total length, individual weights. We would take some scales. Some of them we would have to kill and take their odoliths, which are an aging structure.

SPEAKER_08 0:57

Yep.

Meet The New Guides

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Some of them we would take some fin clips for genetics. Really depends on the species of fish, but we're collecting all this information from every single species of fish in Lake Superior.

SPEAKER_07 1:08

This week on the Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Networks, Diaries of a Lodge Owner, Stories of the North. We're diving into a fresh perspective with an old friend. Willie the Oil Man is taking the reins as he sits down with two newly minted guides. Young talents who have just stepped into the big boots of the guiding world. On this show, they tell us their stories, how they got here, what they're learning, and how the water is already shaping them into part of the Lodge family. So if you've ever wondered what it's like to start from scratch and grow into the role, stick with us. We're all in this journey together. Here's Willie's conversation with the youngly minted guides.

SPEAKER_04 2:07

Hello, folks, and welcome to another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North. Willie the Oilman here, hopping in today for uh for Mr. Nitz Wiki. Well, he's got a personal venue to attend, so we figured we'd go back to the old school days and uh shoot one with the oilmen. Folks, I hope everything's good. We uh I miss chatting with my diaries of a lodge owner family every week now that I have to work full-time again, which kind of stinks, but it's a good thing it's in a place in a career that I love. Today we have a really special show. I've uh I've talked about these two these two young humans on on our show here for the last couple times I've been on. Uh Paige Drew and Caleb Johnson. Paige is our our new uh female professional guide, and Caleb is our senior dock hand slash YouTube star slash uh junior guide in training, uh, which he just kind of got forced into almost full time here, probably by the end of June, because just because we're too busy, and that's part of the business. But uh I want to welcome uh Caleb and Paige to the show. Welcome, guys. Thank you. Hey, I appreciate you guys taking the time. Um, so everybody knows I'm uh sitting in the office here in Kenora doing some running around today, and Paige and Caleb are out uh at the lodge. They're sitting in the office right now out of the rain. Is it raining up there too?

SPEAKER_09 3:53

Not yet. Not yet, no. No, I think it's been a little on and off, but uh yeah, for now it's it's staying covered.

Spring Camp Start-Up Reality

SPEAKER_04 4:00

So it's pouring here at Kenora. That's good for you. Oh really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I want to um just say welcome, guys. I know it's been a crazy last week and a half. Um camp life right now, so uh just an overall view. Um, we were one of the first ones to get into camp this year, and we were very fortunate because there's still a lot of lodges here that ever, you know, they're they're froze still. Um being on this river system, as you guys are seeing now, the the power of how how that can affect your season is huge, you know, like the yeah, the water levels, the the how fast the ice goes, though. I mean, to be honest, we've been fishing the rainy live river, sorry, liver, the rainy river for the last three years, me and Adam, and that's before April 14th. You know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 4:56

Wow. Jeez.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

It's crazy that uh that the ice is still Paige. What did you say the temperature of the water was when you were in your boat yesterday training?

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Uh 34 degrees at the dock, and I think we reached a max of 39 in some of the warmer bays.

SPEAKER_04 5:11

That's insane. Like those back bays right now to be 39 degrees is really, really cold. Yeah. Crazy. Yeah, very cold. Right? So we're uh camp update. So what have you guys been doing at camp the last couple days? Tell the folks what's been going on there since uh since we got there, Caleb.

SPEAKER_09 5:33

Uh, so it's been uh it's been kind of just a little maintenance, right? Just kind of touching up on some things, getting everything fixed up, right? Just had a couple of uh little water breaks in some of the pipes and easy fixes, and uh we're getting her done on time, so everything's gonna be ready to go and look and spiffy for when the guests arrive. So it's gonna be good.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

And a big food order yesterday. What's that, Paige? We got a big food order yesterday, so got a lot of food here now.

SPEAKER_04 6:00

That's uh that's a major one, eh, people? You you don't realize until you actually live on an island, eh guys, how much how much work it is just to get the food to the fridge and per se. You know what I mean, Paige?

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely. It's definitely a workout bringing all the food up the ramp into the lodge. Two boatloads. Yeah, that quad did not have an easy time with it yesterday. We tried one load that way.

SPEAKER_09 6:31

Yeah, I witnessed Adam pretty much throw a quad three feet to the left and they'd be able to do that, but he's a strong guy.

SPEAKER_04 6:39

Adam's strength is ridiculous, right? Like it's insane. I mean, like, I'm a big dude. I am, I'm a big dude, and and and I've been an oilman my whole life and a strong man. As I'm getting older, I get weaker. But Adam, as he gets older, he just turns into a hulk. Like he's a freak.

SPEAKER_08 6:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 6:57

Oh yeah. Yeah.

unknown 6:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 7:00

The other day when we were whole hauling those uh groceries off the dock, there's like a giant bag of flour, and this thing's like 50 pounds, and I grab it and I'm like, oh my god. And Adam's like, here, just give it to me. I just like heave it off to him. He just grabs it in one hand and he's like, Here, pass me the other one. And he grabs both of them and just like walks up the ramp like nothing. Yeah. Like, holy crap.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Did the same thing with two briskets.

SPEAKER_09 7:21

Yeah, like two briskets.

SPEAKER_04 7:23

Right? You know what, you know, you're a big dude when you can palm a brisket.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Yeah, it was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_04 7:31

He's like, I know, man. I remember the first time I met him when he came up. Me and Adam met in like 2015. And first time he ever guest guided at T2 when I had left the oil field and I was guide learning how to guide, I guess you could say, right? Um, and uh, I remember shaking his hand and I was like, holy shit, this guy is ridiculous. Like, yeah, but he's a beauty to help. He's a partner, I tell you right now, man, and a boss. Because when you need the big man to push, he pushes.

SPEAKER_09 8:04

Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, we've witnessed that first hand.

SPEAKER_04 8:06

So and he's like the biggest giant gentle giant ever, right? Like he would never harm a fly. I mean, I would never want to get hit by him because he'd probably mash your face in, but yeah, like it's a great trade, yeah. Um awesome. So just so the so the folks know, we've had um we got into camp uh this year, May, what was it, May 4th, guys, right? On the Monday.

SPEAKER_08 8:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:34

Yeah. So we had staff come in. Uh Caleb came in from Alberta. Paige was in transit, and we had some staff come in from the East Coast. Uh my um uh Gee and his wife Joanna. Joanna's kind of our our um housekeeping slash restaurant manager slash Joanna's the my go-to on location when it comes to knowledge, right? Like she she's been working in camp so long and she knows everything about the hotel industry and uh and what is to be expected. So they all showed up and then uh I guess Christian and and Caitlin showed up and we boogied our way into camp the first day. Um we didn't have water for the first four days at camp, maybe even five, um, because we had a we had a low spust, I had a low spot in the lines um where it held water when we blew, and knowing that being at this camp for the first time, that's how it goes, right? Like um, yeah. This kind of problem, I'll be honest. I remember Steve telling me a story that when he first went to show the air, I think he had 200 breaks his first year.

SPEAKER_05 9:45

Wow, crazy.

SPEAKER_04 9:47

Hey, like just he said he spent a week, 16-hour days fixing them, and he gotta because the guests are coming, they don't they don't care, right?

SPEAKER_09 9:55

Yeah, gotta get her done.

SPEAKER_04 9:57

Yep. So so we've had a little bit of an issue with that this year. Um, it's not been an issue, but it's been a nagging pain a bit. Um, yeah, bit of a learning curve. Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. Absolutely for all of us, right? And it's been great. It's it's to be honest, I'm not gonna lie. Um, I am glad that you guys, it sucks for me because I gotta put the money out to fix that stuff and the downtime instead of spending it on the water, which right, we're at that point where you guys are going to be. But for me, it's actually I look at it as an overview, and it's a good training tool for you guys, right? Like you see how important certain things are now, right? The water and the generator and the yeah, the communication and the teamwork and and all of the fine details in this job, you're kind of seeing that if they all don't go right, things can go bad really fast.

SPEAKER_09 10:52

Yeah, it's almost like the behind the scenes sort of thing, you know. It's not just like you take the plate from the guests at dinner time and and uh you know switch out their sheets. There's a lot more to the whole maintenance side of things, right? Just getting it ready and making sure she's looking good and operating well for when everybody arrives, right?

Behind The Scenes Lodge Logistics

SPEAKER_04 11:11

100%. That's exactly it, Caleb. Like most people don't see, I'll give you an example. I had somebody ask me the other day, like, my job in the winter time is 12 hour days. Um, I might be at home, but I answer probably 100 to 120 calls a day, if not emails too. Like it's crazy. Um, I mean, every guest we contact and have has questions times five, right? I mean they do, and and and and to set up the staff and the logistics and the it's a major part that is normally played by a few people, right? And and and yeah, um, so we're lucky enough to be able to to do it all with one, just like Adam. Adam is is able to fill multiple roles there as the big guy out there because he has so much knowledge in that area, right? Which yeah, yeah, but it doesn't matter. No matter how much you have, you're still gonna run into issues. And we had a couple breaks. Um we have a new generator coming, which is which is sweet. Yeah, that's exciting. Yeah, absolutely, right? Like uh to be able to look at our generator um output like on a on a remote and be able to control it by remote is gonna be nice and for fuel economy.

SPEAKER_09 12:29

Yeah, it'll be sweet for sure.

SPEAKER_04 12:30

Yeah, which is gonna be big. Um new docks are showing up today, and two new sets of docks, another 48 feet, so then everybody, our fleet will look elite when it's on those docks. It'll look good. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_09 12:44

Yeah, yeah, it'll look good for sure.

SPEAKER_04 12:47

And then we get to go fishing and learn. Hell week is almost over, Paige. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

We're excited to get out on the water.

SPEAKER_04 12:59

Hey, I want to give a shout out here quick to Travis. Paige, I don't know Travis's last name, but is it Smith? Travis Smith from Thunder Bay. He works with the MR fisheries department. Travis is Paige's boyfriend. And he was up here for four days just to help his, just like any man would, help his, help his lady get settled and make sure she's in a good spot. And that boy worked his butt off for four or five days. So I want to thank uh thank Travis while we're on the show because he uh we can't thank him enough for all the effort he put in, Paige.

SPEAKER_09 13:38

Oh, yeah, he was a huge help for sure. So yeah, it was good to have him out here.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

He loves to help. He's planning on helping as much as he can when he comes and visits this summer.

SPEAKER_04 13:47

He is he can come for as long as he wants. He's more than welcome to hop on a salary, to be honest with you. Oh, awesome. So let's start with Paige. Paige is um I'm gonna let you kind of tell your story, Paige. Where are you where are you from? Where'd you grow up? Where'd you go to school? What did you do? Um your last career, you know what I mean? And and take your time and let's uh let's have a chat. Tell me about Miss Paige.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Okay. Well, I'm from a tiny little town over in eastern Ontario, about a half hour and a half west of Ottawa and about an hour north of Kingston and middle of nowhere. You wouldn't know where it is. Grew up fishing my whole life. My dad managed one of the MR fish hatcheries my whole life.

SPEAKER_04 14:38

So Which one did he manage, Paige?

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Uh White Lake Fish Hatchery. It's near Sharpet Lake, Ontario. Uh, I don't know if I know where Crotch Lake is.

Paige’s Path Into Fisheries

SPEAKER_04 14:51

It would be northwest of you, I believe. I know I used to go up there with my grandfather back in the day.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 14:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Like near Muskoka.

SPEAKER_04 15:00

Uh, it would be just a little east of there. Okay. It would just be a little east of there, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

But yeah, my dad managed the fish hatchery there, so I spent so much time there growing up learning about fish. I got to help do a bunch of spotting and sorting and treating fish growing up.

SPEAKER_04 15:17

Um that's super cool. Like as a kid to be around that environment. That's cool. That's cool.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Oh, yeah, it was so cool. I learned a lot about that. And then throughout high school, I loved biology, I love the environment, I love learning about fish and wildlife. My dad went and took the fish and wildlife program at Fleming College, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps and take the course and learn a little bit about everything.

SPEAKER_04 15:41

So great. That's uh that's right in my backyard. So I grew up in Coburg, as you guys know. Um but my stop and runs was like from Coburg up to Lindsay over to Oshaw, that little triangle there. Um that's super.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Yeah, Trent Severn Waterway, big for fishing there.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

The Trent, oh yeah, absolutely. Is that so? What bodies of water did you grow up fishing when you were younger?

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Uh my family owns a big chunk of property on Eagle Lake, and we'd catch mostly pike, bass, some lake trout, smaller fish, and then we have a little private lake full of small, like little eater, largemouth bass. Uh called Barton Lake. And then I also live on Long Lake, which has walleye, bass, lake trout, a little mix of everything.

SPEAKER_04 16:30

Nice, nice. That's great. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

So I've never been much of a salmon fisher, though.

SPEAKER_04 16:36

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Never not nothing, I've never really fished much salmon or trout my whole life.

SPEAKER_04 16:42

You know, uh good friend of uh, good friend of the the lodge of Two Rivers Lodge and uh and the show here, Ryan Bonin. Um, his daughter Avery. So Ryan was the one um that filmed our our our our um promo video there. Oh yeah. Yeah he kind of was he's the one Jay talks, Siemens talks about is kind of his predecessor in the industry. Yeah. Um so Ryan's daughter Avery, she does a lot of of back creek fishing and she does the big great lakes. So she's kind of you guys are very, very similar, like identical people. It's crazy that you don't know each other and you should be. Yeah, I'll have to meet her for sure. But she does a lot of salmon, lake trout, and brown trout on the uh on the Great Lakes, which is kind of cool.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:26

And that's something you've never got to do yet, eh, Paige?

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Uh, not really, not unless you include netting on Lake Superior, but I'll I'll get to that. That's a couple years down the road still.

SPEAKER_08 17:37

Gotcha. Gotcha.

unknown 17:39

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Yeah, so I I went to Fleming, I took the fish and wildlife course, and a lot of it was different outdoor stuff, and we learned a lot of the different processes that the M and R do out on the water fishing. So I spent my summers between college working in fish hatcheries, and I love the work, but it's not field work, it's not outdoors work, and I want to be outside with the fish in the environment and not so much crowing them in the hatcheries. So after college, I went and worked for the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit in the MR, which is where Travis is now, which is on Lake Superior and its tributaries doing different netting processes and finding different species, different uh habitats of every single kind of fish in Lake Superior.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

Super interesting. Yeah, super interesting. That is super cool. How okay, so how long was your program at Fleming?

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Uh two years, so four semesters. Four semesters, okay.

SPEAKER_04 18:45

Okay. And did you do like um so when you worked at these hatcheries or did an internship, whether or whether you paid her or not, what hatcheries did you go on? I know we spoke one time about Harwood. So the Harwood Fish Hatchery is very important to my life, to be honest with you. I grew up there as a kid and and Rice Lake was one of my I used to ride my bike, you know, from Coburn to Rice Lake, like almost every weekend. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Yeah, Rice, Rice Lake is a huge fishery. Yeah. So I worked at Harwood Fish Hatchery for my very first year. And it was kind of nice because I actually knew some of the staff there because they had worked at White Lake, so I grew up around them when my dad was with my dad. And unfortunately, I didn't get to be involved in a whole lot there because I was just a summer student. So it was mostly cleaning tanks, moving fish, counting fish. We grew Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, brook trout, lake, and maybe a little bit of lake trout there.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

So when you're you're growing these species, um and you're and you're putting them into whatever bodies of water they go to, um, is there anything special they do too? So I know like out on the West Coast, they'll like they've bred them so they're missing a certain fin, I believe, is what it is. So you know they're a farmed salmon versus their natural. Do you guys do stuff like that there, Paige?

Lake Superior Invasive Species Netting

SPEAKER_01 20:19

Uh depends on the species of fish. There's some fish that will cut off their caudal fin, which is the tiny little fin right on their very back, so it doesn't affect their swimming at all. So it depends on the species. So at Fleming College, we would mark those fish, we would cut off their caudal fin, and we actually uh we would grow some fish there, but at the hatcheries, not so much. We wouldn't do that.

SPEAKER_04 20:43

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Interesting at White Lake they do with bloaters, they'll tag some bloaters, which are a type of deep water Cisco, but I don't know a whole lot about that because I never actually worked at White Lake.

SPEAKER_04 20:54

Gotcha. Gotcha. Super interesting. So last year when you're on your boat, I know you so you worked for the you worked for the M and R the last couple seasons um on Lake Superior, you said. Which Lake Superior is a beast. Like, I'll be honest, when I interviewed you and I heard that you could handle a boat in Lake Superior, that's a big deal to me because that place is uh pretty incredible. Um tell us about what you did there.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

Uh so I started off the season doing a project called AIS, which is um invasive species netting. So we're basically trying to get fish like scalpins. There's certain species of sticklebacks. Uh I wouldn't be able to name them all off the top of my head, but there's invasive species in Lake Superior that we're trying to get rid of. So we're specifically killing these. Um the rough are a really big one. They're almost like a mini walleye that are really, really pokey, and you gotta kill all of them.

SPEAKER_04 21:58

I've never heard of that. What is that called? Again?

SPEAKER_01 22:01

Rough. It's R-U-F-F-E. It's about gotcha.

SPEAKER_04 22:05

I'm gonna write that down. I'm gonna that's super interesting. So yeah. How did so tell me how you're like when you catch these fish in let's say sticklebacks or rough, when you catch them in the nets, you kill them, but is there anything that they do in the water to help kill them? Do any of the fish eat them? Is there a deterrent for them? Um is there anything like that?

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Not really. No, we kind of just gotta use the netting processes because there's so many species of fish in Lake Superior, you hate to damage any other species.

SPEAKER_04 22:37

Correct. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

Yeah, so it's it's hard. You kind of gotta net them. And but there's certain nets that are better at catching these certain fish. Like we use the fike net specifically for AIS because they'll only catch those smaller fish and we won't catch the bigger fish that we don't want to kill.

SPEAKER_04 22:52

Oh, interesting. What's that net called? What kind?

SPEAKER_01 22:55

A fike net. I think it's spelled F-I-K-E.

SPEAKER_04 22:59

Super cool. Super cool. I think that um if I was to go back and do it again, I would never not want to be in the oil field. But I tell you, like what you guys are doing, both of you, is super incredible. And and I think that I I kind of idolize what you did, Paige, going to school there and and learning the way you've developed.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Um, Fleming College is such a cool school. I would recommend to absolutely anybody take the Fish and Wildlife course at Fleming. It is an experience of a lifetime.

SPEAKER_04 23:27

That's so great to hear. That's so you that's so great to hear. Um, yeah. Tell me, so explain to me your day, a basic day, when you and Travis are on you called it a tugboat, correct?

SPEAKER_01 23:40

Yeah, so it's a type of tugboat, but it's not a tugboat that tugs boats. So it's not one of the big ones that are lifted way off the water with the floats around them. This one is a very low water tugboat meant for pulling thousand-foot gill nets, which is the uh fish community index netting project that the tugboat is on, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_04 24:01

That's absolutely it does. Yep. Huh. Interesting. So walk me through a day, an average day on the tugboat.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Okay, so you would start around. So the project goes from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie. So you're on for eight days, off for six days. So the tugboat would take eight days to make its way across a bay, and then you dock in the little towns like Rosport, uh, Nippigan, all the way across until you get to Sault Ste. Marie. So those eight-day stretches would look like you wake up on the tugboat at 6 a.m. and you would start off by going and pulling the net that you had set the day before. So the net, it's pretty easy. You put the net in this lifter thing that we have that's just run by the same engine that the tugboat is on. Yep. You pull the net up, and someone, as they're pulling the net into the like kind of off of the net puller, there would be two or three people along the edge pulling these fish out of the nets, and we would sort them in bins based off of which mesh size they came out of, which was super important.

SPEAKER_04 25:08

That makes sense. Makes sense, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

So then after we would finish pulling that net, we would be 10 minutes to an hour. Sometimes the nets would be super far apart, sometimes they're super close. So we'd pull anywhere from like three to five nets a day. These are thousand-foot nets, so you'd get anywhere from a hundred to five hundred fish in a day. Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:34

That's crazy. Yeah. That is a crazy number.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Yeah. And then after we're done pulling those nets, on the way to setting our next nets, we would sample all those fish. So one person would be up there weighing the bulk amount of fish. So all of the same species that we got from that specific mesh size for every single mesh size of every single net that we pulled. So there's a lot of sorting fish and weighing fish. And then for certain species, we would take more specific measurements like fork length, total length, individual weights. We would take some scales. Some of them we would have to kill and take their odoliths, which are an aging structure.

SPEAKER_08 26:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

Uh, some of them we would take some fin clips for genetics. Really depends on the species of fish, but we're collecting all this information from every single species of fish in Lake Superior.

SPEAKER_04 26:26

Wow. That isn't that is an incredible. And how many people are on this tugboat page?

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Um, minimum of three, maximum of four at a time.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

So wow, that's even more incredible. Like you'll only have four, three to four people to collect all that data out of a potential net that's 500 fish.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:46

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Yeah, it's a lot.

SPEAKER_04 26:48

Good for you.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

Sometimes you'll be working, sometimes you'll have a small net, you'll have a hundred fish in a day, you'll be done by three o'clock in the afternoon. Sometimes you'll have 500 fish and you won't be done until seven o'clock at night.

SPEAKER_04 27:00

Oh my goodness. Yeah, but good overtime. Bathrooms, everything right on the tug, correct?

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Yep, so we'll have barbecues in the evening on the tugboat, or sometimes we'll dock and we'll go eat in town, whatever town we end up staying in. We have certain slips at certain docks that are big enough for the tugboat. If not, then we anchor right in the bay and we cook off the boat.

SPEAKER_04 27:23

Wow. What a cool lifestyle, man, for a young, for a young person. What a crazy.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

It is such a cool experience.

SPEAKER_04 27:31

What's the so tell me what's the two things? What's the craziest thing you've ever seen come up in a net? Whether it be anything random, uh, a fish, uh, whatever, uh uh escape, I don't know, toilet seat. And what is the what is the second question would be what is the biggest fish you've seen come out of those nets?

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Okay, well, I've probably I've seen some of the biggest lake trout I've ever seen, and I can't remember measurements on them, but some of them are up near 30 pounds. Somebody's big lake trout. Unfortunately, they're all covered in lamprey wounds, which really sucks.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

A lot of them are pretty unhealthy, especially when you get them from really down like deep, or some of the really, really shallow water fish are like just really gooey and gross and unhealthy. You see some weird ones.

SPEAKER_04 28:25

Really, eh?

SPEAKER_01 28:26

And then I think the weirdest fish we would have caught was we got a sturgeon in one of our AIS nets this year. So I said they're like a really small opening meant to only catch really small fish. I wasn't on the group, unfortunately, that pulled the net up, but we caught like a four-foot-long sturgeon in one of our AIS nets.

SPEAKER_04 28:48

Crazy.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Yeah. It's like right in Thunder Bay Harbor, too, like inside the break wall, which you wouldn't nobody ever expects to see a sturgeon in there. You only really see them in the rivers or way out in the lake.

SPEAKER_04 29:01

Wow, and that just shows you how much things move, eh? That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:06

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

I can't say we've ever really pulled up any like physical items though, just because the way these nets are set, they're made for the fish to swim into them, but they don't actually get set on the bottom of the water ever.

SPEAKER_04 29:18

Gotcha. Gotcha. So they're they're basically on a float system up top.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Yeah, exactly. Like the nets are on buoys and anchors, so they're sitting like off of bottom at a certain depth, depending on where we are.

SPEAKER_04 29:31

Gotcha. Gotcha. So from there, you um had made the decision. What what was your decision to go guiding? Tell me, tell me why and and what your attraction to it was, and and and um and how you fell in love with wanting to guide, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Uh, I think I wanted to get into the angling a little bit more. Unfortunately, with the M and R, it's basically all netting fish and sandling fish and counting fish. A lot of it is fish biology, and I kind of want to get into the actual angling more. I want to catch fish, I want to learn about the fish habitat and where you find the fish, how you find the fish, and not just throw a net in the water and get whatever.

SPEAKER_04 30:18

For sure. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

I also love the people aspect of it. The MR, you're basically with your group of four or five or whatever project you're working on, and you don't really see many people, you don't get to interact with the public. And I love interacting with people, I love teaching people, I love learning with other people, and that's something I missed out a lot with the MR.

SPEAKER_04 30:39

And that, and that right there is guiding, you know. Like right now, you're gonna fish to learn the areas, but like when you're guiding, you don't fish really, you know, like it's very rare that I'll ever pick up a rod in the boat after hours, absolutely, or to to for educational purposes. But like you're saying, Paige, that's that's a major thing, right? You know, communicating with the people and and and and uh and education is massive. So that's more cool. That's that's all the reasons, right reasons to get into guiding.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, I'm so excited about it.

SPEAKER_04 31:14

Well, I uh we couldn't be more happy to have you. You are a you are an elite employee. Um I tell you, my first character of Paige was I was talking with her boyfriend Travis outside, and we had a 50 uh 50-gallon barrel of diesel in the back of the truck, and I saw Paige jump up on my tire and hurdle that truck bed, get in there and wrestle that barrel over to the end, and I was like, she's gonna fit right in this girl. And uh we couldn't be happier to have you, Paige.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Um we uh I was so excited to be here.

SPEAKER_04 31:49

You're awesome. Your next steps are gonna be uh are huge. You know, Paige has already been she's been out uh learning here right away, or learning here right away, learning already, um, getting to know her boat. But uh when I come up there in the next couple days here, we're gonna you're gonna guide me. We're gonna I'm gonna get you as I'm your guest. It's gonna be interesting.

SPEAKER_01 32:08

Yeah, that'll be awesome.

SPEAKER_07 32:18

Welcome to Two Rivers Lodge, where we know that our hard work and determination creates your best experiences. You'll arrive as a guest and leave as family, surrounded by a multi-species fishing mecca like no other. Our elite cabins and professional staff are ready to make your stay. Unforgettable. Experience the difference. Because the two rivers, every cast is a story, and every guest is a part of the family.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Oulette, and I was honored to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as Chaga, a tree conch, with centuries of medicinal use by indigenous peoples all over the globe. After nearly a decade of harvest, use, testimonials, and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession. And I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. Find Under the Canopy now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

SPEAKER_04 34:32

Well, uh, on the other spectrum, the other gentleman we have sitting here, or the other guide, Caleb Johnson. Um Caleb is a he is a YouTube up-and-comer from central Alberta, another area of the world that I'm familiar with being an oilman. Um Caleb has a different story. You know, he he's young. Caleb's just out of high school, right? He's he's taken the path of of he wants to be a videographer and grow his lifestyle in that way. And um as one of the guys he idolizes Jay Siemens. And and and I think um it was it's you're you are a very unique individual for your for your generation. You remind me of a young man that grew up in the 90s. You know, you you your goals and who you are as a person um really fits the guiding world, Caleb. And uh really happy to have you here. And uh I would love to hear your story, and so would the folks.

SPEAKER_09 35:44

Alrighty, so uh where do I even begin here? So, like so. Where'd you grow up and what did you do? Grew up in a small town um just west of Edmonton, about two hours. A little town called White Court, Alberta. Um, all my family's from there. I grew up there whole childhood.

SPEAKER_04 36:02

Right now, just between there and Fox Creek, just so you know.

SPEAKER_09 36:04

Yeah, well, there's always yeah, there seems to be forest fires up in that Fox Creek area all the time. It gets real dry up there. Um yeah, I grew up there and uh all my family's there. And then I ended up moving to the city because my dad's work um at Sherwood Park specifically, so just outside of Edmonton. Super nice community, but uh the city life is is not uh not as much for myself. So uh and yeah, then the uh the opportunity as well out there, right, is is not not nearly as good. Like the fishing is just it's it's not uh it's not ideal out there. You have to drive far to get some half decent fishing and being in the YouTube thing trying to trying to do it right. The content is just not as not as good up there, right? Catching for sure, for sure. Compared to up here, you get that in 10 minutes, right?

SPEAKER_04 36:58

So, like how far, let's say from Sherwood Park, let's say Edmonton, I'll go call it Edmonton for the for the cuers, what in the listeners. So how far, like are you talking like you'd have to drive probably an hour to get to a decent reservoir? Or is that an average, or I mean how far would you have?

SPEAKER_09 37:16

Yeah, so I got two lakes I fish in the perimeter of about two and a half hours. So um I fish a little lake called Isle Lake for perch, and then we go up north to Laclabish, which is about two and a half hours away. And that's our that's been our go-to lake just because it's the only lake we found that's put us up with consistent numbers and uh and sizable fish as well. Like I can drive an hour west to like Wabamin or Lac St. Anne, which anybody from the that area knows what I'm talking about. Yep, yep. Uh but you're only but you're only getting like a couple 18-inch walleyes out of there. You can have some good days, but they're not consistent, right? And then they're small pike, and and uh it's it's good, but it's I I like sizable fish more than numbers, right? So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:06

You're a hunt, you're a hunter. You're you're a you're a you're a you're a big game hunter, which is cool, right? That's what you say.

SPEAKER_09 38:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we hunt as well. Um, and then uh I kind of got into the YouTube thing. I don't know, I was like probably 10 years old. My my cousins and I sorry, did you say 10 years old? Yeah, that's super cool. I did not know that it was that young.

SPEAKER_04 38:26

I'm sorry, I did not know that.

SPEAKER_09 38:27

Yeah, yeah, I know what's it's alright. Um I did well, I didn't get into it really heavily till I don't know, a couple of years ago. But I started, I don't know, 10, like I said, 10 years old. There was like my cousins and I were making little videos like most 10 to 13 year olds, right? So you see all those big name YouTubers and you're like, oh, I want to do that, and then you just kind of start throwing out Fortnite videos and making all that those crazy videos, right? So I got a few of those on the YouTube somewhere. Um and then yeah, I kind of just stopped it for a while there, and then I don't know, by the time I was like 16, I started looking up to some more people, like you said, Jay, and and uh the life that videography's kind of made for him, and I'm like, man, that would be cool. So then I kind of started investing more into equipment and uh and started taking it a little bit more seriously, but cool. Um with this opportunity, um, it's it's gonna be good, like just the content, right? Like I'll be posting a lot more and and uh the opportunity you've given me as well has been has been truly unbelievable, and I'm super grateful for it.

SPEAKER_04 39:30

Hey buddy, I can tell you right now that uh it wasn't me, it was you. Like just so the folks know, like Caleb, um Caleb was one of my first hires um before a lot of people. He actually, I think you might even have actually been my first, um, which is kind of rare. The last thing I'm looking for is a new guy slash dockhand. You know, like there I had 300 resumes, but I promise you that I looked at one, and the only reason I looked at it is because I it intrigued me that you were looking to get in the videographer world because right now in my life, that's a major thing, right? Like um it is, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, like like Jay for one, being local. Jamie Bruce, we work with Brucey right now. Um we're working with you as a sponsor. Ryan Bonin's daughter, Avery, you know, she we we help her out a little and she helps us out. Um all of the stuff that we're doing with the Fish in Canada show for the last few years, you know, like it's I'll be honest, that's where my money is made.

SPEAKER_09 40:35

So all the promotion, right?

SPEAKER_04 40:36

100%. Um, it's me and Steve have said it many times on this show that the shows are great. It's great to go stand in a booth for 12 hours a day and and pass your card out and and take that chance of, you know, not even take a chance. I'm a good sales guy. You won't meet a better sales guy than me. I'd challenge anybody in this division to to to a tournament in sales. I would love to see it. But I promise you that the juice isn't worth the squeeze there. You know, it's all for marketing and for networking, and that's why I do it. But my money is off of the folks like you um that shoot this stuff, and I can blast it to my email list of 9,000 names. Yeah, that's where my money is made.

SPEAKER_09 41:22

It's cool.

Chasing Better Fishing Content

SPEAKER_04 41:23

Um yeah, absolutely. And so so when I when I looked at your when you popped up originally, I was like, you know, for one, he's an Albert. I like I'm an oilman. It mattered to me. Um yeah, right? Um I think that your age to have that drive is incredible. Like you're to be able to just say, I want to try and do this on your own, and you're not in the most suitable condition, you're not in northwestern Ontario or the Muskokas or Halliburton Steven. We're downward pages, like where Page is from. There's still a million lakes.

SPEAKER_08 42:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:00

So I think that's really admirable, and I think it shows a lot of your character as to what you're willing to do just to be able to get a video.

SPEAKER_09 42:10

Yeah, oh, exactly, right?

SPEAKER_04 42:12

So um what kind of tell me, tell me like, tell me a crazy story. I know I'm putting you on the spot, but kind of tell me a story about like have you had any wild experiences traveling that far, like, or or broken down sleds or or anything like that, or have you not come across any of that yet, having to go that far to get your content?

SPEAKER_09 42:35

Um, oh geez.

SPEAKER_04 42:37

And if not, that's cool. I was just wondering eventually it's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_09 42:41

Yeah, well, for sure it'll happen. Yeah, yeah. I definitely have a couple stories more on the hunting side, to be honest with you, like pulling side by side through mud and getting stuck in the dark. And and uh tell me that story.

SPEAKER_04 42:53

That's tell me that story.

SPEAKER_09 42:56

We uh hunting back home, like I said, we hunt around the we go back back home to Whitecourt to hunt with my grandpa.

SPEAKER_04 43:03

Um you're talking white tails, elk deer, what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_09 43:06

White tail, mainly white tail, yeah, yeah. Um so hunting whitetails up there where we go. We literally drive across the road uh most of the time, and uh he gets stirred up by cattle lots. Like he runs cattle in their quarter of the season or whatever there. So um they really work up the mud and stuff. And we've had multiple times bringing the quaddo, right? Like you're you're going through a big rod and you're like, oh, we're gonna make this, and then you make it like right into a rot, and you're stuck for an hour and a half to two hours. And if you get it into like early November, it's still cold, right? Some seasons it gets still cold and uh um yeah, it's it's it's freezing out there, and then you have to spend two hours, right, trying to get it out. Um and then you don't end up shooting anything. So those are always kind of crappy days, but then you put in the work, right, to to eventually get rewarded. Um Than we usually do. So for sure. It's all worth it in the end. Um, but on the fishing side, I don't know. I haven't really had a whole lot of really crazy stories.

SPEAKER_04 44:09

Well, that's good. I mean, that's good. That tells that says that says that you're a good angler when it comes to uh your surroundings. That's good.

SPEAKER_09 44:18

Yeah, I haven't dropped any phones in the no no phones and holes or nothing off the boat yet. So we're we're on a good streak so far, and I'm not trying to end that this season.

SPEAKER_04 44:28

So oh that's good. Well, I want to keep it like that.

SPEAKER_09 44:31

We uh Yeah, I'm planning to, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:33

We uh Caleb's already been shooting around the property. You guys will start seeing some content coming here. It's uh it's been interesting, eh, buddy? Like, what do you think about the uh the barge getting that off?

SPEAKER_09 44:46

Oh yeah, yeah, that was pretty interesting. Paige can say the same. We were both there for it. So um yeah, myself and son hunter there having to run, grab big logs, and throw them under the barge just to help leverage it, right? And kind of help roll it off off that sandy patch. Um got muddy and wet and then a little dirty, but uh we got we got it on.

SPEAKER_04 45:10

So I mean, I tell you, I'm watching Christian in that in the in the bobcat there. Yeah, sorry, I didn't. We must have had a delay there. I was listening to Christian in the barbed, watching Christian and the Bobcat in the video, and he was he's a good operator, man. He was going home there. Oh dude, he's he's a handy guy to have out here, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 45:30

Oh, he he he did good on that for sure. Yeah, his value was. Yeah, he was a big part. It's incredible. Yeah, I've never really seen anything like that before.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

So and Adam and Johnny on the boat side too.

SPEAKER_09 45:42

Yeah, Johnny controlling the trolling motor as a front to keep it lined up, and Adam's just on the throttle. Yeah, teamwork makes the dream work.

SPEAKER_04 45:51

Absolutely, right? And say, Man, you guys are seeing it firsthand, right? Like those camps, you know, there's several hundred of them up here in this area, but they don't operate um without that kind of teamwork. And and and and yeah, obviously, uh, we're we're thankful to have you guys um together, even like Caleb. You're Caleb, tell everybody what your YouTube name is, please. And and and folks, do me a favor go out and like and subscribe to Caleb. It takes two seconds to do. It's super important for uh for him um in his development and growth. And uh tell the folks what you're where who you are and where they can get a hold of you, Caleb.

Teamwork That Keeps Camp Running

SPEAKER_09 46:37

Yeah, so my name on uh all platforms TikTok, YouTube, Instagram is uh the Alberta Angler, no spaces. Um pretty simple. I've kind of become uh now the Ontario Angler, but I'm still gonna keep my name as the Alberta Angler. Yeah, you gotta do that.

SPEAKER_04 46:54

Absolutely. That don't matter. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 46:56

But uh yeah, that's where you can find me. So yeah, I'd appreciate it if you could drop a fall. That'd be awesome. It does truly mean a lot more than anybody knows. So little by little, everyone, everyone helps right now.

SPEAKER_04 47:09

So Caleb, tell me what your I know you're uh you're a big hunter and a big fisherman. Tell me what your uh tell me what your biggest fish is here and what we gotta try and beat this summer at the lodge.

SPEAKER_09 47:22

So I think it's gonna be pretty easy to beat, to be honest with you. So biggest walleye is uh 27 and a quarter is my biggest walleye. And then uh pike is like 36 and a half is my biggest pike. They're fat. Nice weight-wise, they were 12-13 pounds. Nice, nice, not super long, but they were heavy and yeah, still healthy, nice size fish, and they're fun to fight, especially in the winter, right? You're fighting on short rods and and through a hole, it it makes it a fun experience.

SPEAKER_04 47:53

So 100%. And it's and that's a big fish for Alberta, like yeah, absolutely, yeah. I mean, it's not the mecca for lakes, so you don't have that here. 30 inches is a mark, 40 inches is a mark for for certain of those two species, but man, those are big fish for outwest.

SPEAKER_09 48:11

Absolutely, yeah, yeah. They're they're definitely not not bad size, and you can talk to a lot of people that haven't really gotten too close to it, right? Um, but there is, I mean, we do get 40s, right, coming out of especially Laclabish, that's where I go up north. Yeah, you get a few, I don't know, four or five forties every every season. Wow, that's incredible. But they're but they're not not because like the chance of getting one's not real great up there, right?

SPEAKER_04 48:37

So for sure, for sure, for sure, for sure. What yeah, Caleb, what is your um so I brought as I just mentioned starting the show, Caleb was brought in as a junior guy, um learning here coming up, you know. Um, but now he's impressed us to the point here. I will say this, Caleb watching your videos, your fish handling skills are probably better than most people I've ever seen in the guide world. It's a super important thing because for one, if you want to catch that fish again for another guest, that's your job. Yeah, but for two, it for the for the sustainability of the fishery, it's incredible. And and when I see the the detail and the technique you take, um, I'll be honest, it was another reason, one of the reasons me and Adam hired you. Adam watched it and he picked it out and said, man, this kid handles fish properly. And I don't mean to say kid, I apologize. Um yeah, that's a huge skill that uh that was gonna help our lodge survive for many years to come.

Fish Handling Ethics That Matter

SPEAKER_09 49:45

Absolutely, yeah. And it's I don't know, it's for myself too. It's it's it's really important, right? Like you said, helping maintain that fishery, right? Because you can see lots of guys out there that are picking up pike by the eyeballs or getting them right in the gills, and it's it's just I I don't, it's not ethical, right? And uh there's no point in doing it. So you might as well just treat them with care, right?

SPEAKER_04 50:07

So absolutely. I love your passion about that. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_09 50:11

Yeah, absolutely so.

SPEAKER_04 50:12

Um so let's start with Caleb, but I just want to ask you guys each one more question.

SPEAKER_09 50:17

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 50:18

What is your what's the future for for you? I know we've talked about in the in you want to be a YouTube star and you want to fish and you want to guide, but like I mean, tell me, like, are you are you liking the guiding thing? Could you see you doing it while you're learning to YouTube and growing that department of your of your life? Or and you know, what's the future like for Caleb Johnson?

SPEAKER_09 50:43

Uh yeah, absolutely. I think uh I'm definitely gonna stick with the guide thing for for quite a while. I don't expect to shoot up enough subscribers over the next season to just be like, yeah, screw you guys, I'm retiring. Right, that's not gonna happen, right?

SPEAKER_04 50:58

18 years old and out, eh?

SPEAKER_09 51:00

Yeah. So that's not happening, but uh, yeah, no, I'm definitely gonna stick with the guide thing. It's it's gonna be good. And uh, like I said, if you guys do go uh check out my channel, the last video I posted there, I kind of talked about uh about coming out here and uh what kind of my motivation was, right? And uh I know a lot of guys out there that are like you go straight out of high school and it's like right into a trade or going to school or something like that, right? And it's just personally for me, that's just not really what I wanted to do, right? I want to wake up and and uh do what I love, right? And yeah, you only got one life, so you might as well make the most of it, right? And adventure and explore. So we're gonna try it, see what happens, and I think it's gonna be really good. And so far it's been unreal. So yeah, I'm super pumped to see what the future holds. And uh yeah, no, it's gonna be good.

SPEAKER_04 51:52

Awesome. Paige, Paige, what is your what do you see for yourself, Paige? What do you want to do when you're when they're you're forced to be an adult one day, which sucks, trust me. Yeah, I would much rather be both your age again. But tell me what your future looks like, Miss Drew.

SPEAKER_01 52:08

Well, I don't know. It's it's hard because I I've always liked working within the M and R and it's hard to find year-round jobs there, just like it is you can't find a year-round job guiding in the summer, obviously. So I'd love to go back to the MR at some point in my life if I can ever land a full-time position. But I think for now and probably over the next few years, I'm gonna be guiding, and I'd love to stay out here guiding. And who knows, I might fall in love with it and never want to go back to the MR.

SPEAKER_04 52:37

Well, I tell you right now, the best uh the best asset to me and Adam is is to have I'll you guys are like our draft picks. You know what I mean? Like you are like like Scotty Smith, he's our fly fishing guy. You know, Mark Lalon, he's been there forever. Cowboy Johnny, he's been you know, he's been working with me for so long, it's ridiculous. Like Adam, you know, but you two are our future, you know, and and and uh we really recognize the difference that you two bring to the table compared to other guides. And and I uh I can't say enough from what I've seen since you started, but as you are both humans in the little short time I've known you, the five, six months, I uh you're both incredible people and and we are honored to have you. I know our guests are gonna be, I want you to tell them every story you can and learn as many things as you can from us and from them. And and I promise you will be you will be successful just because you already are. You're already you're both turning heads in your just infancy into this.

SPEAKER_08 53:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 53:49

So yeah, well, and it's right back at you, Willie, right? Like, uh I don't know, I can say on behalf of Paige as well, right? The opportunity that you've given us as well, and and being able to get to know yourself and Adam. Like you two are two of the nicest people I've probably ever met in my life. So it's uh like I said, truly an honor to be out here.

Future Plans And How To Book

SPEAKER_04 54:08

So well, we appreciate uh we appreciate that. Thank you very much, guys. Um, on that note, I want to uh I want to thank Two Rivers Lodge uh for their sponsorship to the show. Uh please check out them out on the website, uh, two riverslodge.net. You can reach out to myself, Will at two riverslodge.net anytime for your pricing. We're we are full for this summer, but we're looking for 2027 already. Um if you want your chance, and some trophy pike, muskie, bass, or walleye and a chance to do it with Paige or Caleb, please reach out to me. Um Garmin. Garmin, we want to thank Garmin. Garmin, we can't thank Garmin enough for uh on this show and in the Fish in Canada show. Um they their their equipment is sec superior, second to none. Um they have some amazing technology coming out here in the new future, and uh and let's just keep supporting them because because they keep building a technology that we need nowadays. So um in saying that, thank you for coming on the show, guys. Thanks for having us. And I want to say thank you to our fans. Keep listening. Everybody out there, give Steve a raise your glass to him and and and uh make sure he's good in his personal personal venue he's dealing with right now. And that concludes another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner, Stories of the North.

SPEAKER_05 55:40

I'm a good old boy, never meaning no harm.

SPEAKER_06 55:46

I'll be the only you ever saw Man Reeling in the hog since the day I was born. Bendin my ride. Some day I might on a lodge and how to be fine. I'll be making my way the only way I know how Working hard and sharing the north with all of my plows. I'm a good old boy, about a lodge and live my dream. And now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 56:40

Welcome to Two Rivers Lodge, where we know that our hard work and determination creates your best experiences. You'll arrive as a guest but leave as family, surrounded by a multi-species fishing mecca, like no other. Our elite cabins and professional staff are ready to make your stay. Unforgettable. Experience the difference because the two rivers, every cast is a story, and every guest is a part of the family.

SPEAKER_02 57:24

Back in 2016, Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.

SPEAKER_00 57:33

Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.

SPEAKER_02 57:40

Thus, the Ugly Pike Podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.

SPEAKER_00 57:47

Step into the world of angling adventures and embrace the thrill of the catch with the Ugly Pike Podcast. Join us on our quest to understand what makes us different as anglers and to uncover what it takes to go after the infamous fish of 10,000 casts.

SPEAKER_02 58:00

The Ugly Pike Podcast isn't just about fishing, it's about creating a tight-knit community of passionate anglers who share the same love for the sport. Through laughter, through camaraderie, and an unwavering spirit of adventure, this podcast will bring people together. Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures.

SPEAKER_00 58:18

Tight lines, everyone.

SPEAKER_02 58:20

Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts.