Untamed Pursuits
Embark on a wild adventure like never before with the groundbreaking podcast, "Untamed Pursuits."
Join the intrepid duo of renowned author and outdoor enthusiast, Ridr Knowlton, alongside the seasoned professional fishing guide, Jamie Pistilli, as they traverse the globe in pursuit of the world's most exciting fishing and hunting destinations, and the fascinating creatures that live there. From the lush rainforests of the Amazon to the icy depths of the Arctic Circle, each episode promises heart-pounding encounters, captivating tales, and invaluable insights into the natural world.
With Ridr's profound storytelling and Jamie's unparalleled expertise, prepare to be transported to the front lines of adventure, where every roar, splash, and rustle ignites the senses and leaves listeners on the edge of their seats. "Untamed Pursuits" isn't just a podcast—it's an adrenaline-fueled odyssey that will redefine your perception of nature and leave you craving more. Buckle up for the ride of a lifetime!
Untamed Pursuits
Episode 19: Journey into the Wild with Expert Insights
Gear up for an unforgettable journey through the captivating world of angling and outdoor escapades as we recount the thrills of the past fishing season and prepare for the adventures that await. As the chill of winter sets in and the first snowflakes fall, we share stories of memorable trips and guests, and explore how tourism boards and guides play a crucial role in drawing sports enthusiasts to new destinations. Our reflections prompt a look ahead to 2025, where new friendships and uncharted territories promise to enhance our love for the great outdoors.
Discover the secrets of staying comfortable in any climate with our essential gear tips. From the practicality of a waterproof rain suit to the versatility of SPF-protective clothing, we offer a guide to packing smart and light, so you're ready for anything Mother Nature throws your way. Whether you're trekking through the Yucatan or exploring the terrains of Africa, the right gear makes all the difference. We delve into the benefits of modern fishing apparel, the importance of proper footwear, and the surprising utility of small tools like nail clippers and tweezers for those unexpected hurdles.
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 2:Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.
Speaker 1:Thus the Ugly Pike podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.
Speaker 2: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 1: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.
Speaker 2:Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures. Tight lines everyone.
Speaker 1:Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3:Hey, welcome to Untamed Pursuits. I'm your co-host, jamie Pasiglia, here with Ryder Knowlton, down in the beautiful Carolinas. We got another great episode today. A couple episodes ago we talked about, we did a travel kind of a travel trip one, so I think we've got lots of good feedback on that. For folks that are, you know, have trips, we're kind of wrapping up, um, our seasons up here. Things are about to freeze and because of that, it's time to sit around the computer or your phone or whatever, and kind of plan out your next destination. So rider and I are going to be here to kind of go through some essential things to make your travel trips, uh, a little easier. Ryder, what's going on down there? Jamie, how's it going? Oh man, I'm great. I'm great. The fishing has been awesome. The net has been wet but, uh, starting to get a little frost on the old eyelids of the rod tips and I I hate to see the end is near because I don't like quitting, but at the same time, you know, it's getting cold.
Speaker 4:I tell you, man, it's so funny.
Speaker 5:I don't know when this is going to be aired.
Speaker 4:But you know we were a couple of buddies and I were bird hunting recently up in the Great Lakes area and we flew back through Minneapolis and you know those guys know how to handle snow, I mean gosh you know, they're on it, but it was kind of an early season snow and even in an efficient airport like Minneapolis they were backing up a good bit.
Speaker 4:But it was fun. You know, it was fun feeling that cold air and seeing the first flurries of the season. You know, it's always I always love it. You know, when you kind of you're anticipating this time of the year for all the things we do and all the things we love to do, and when you get that first blast of cool air and see that first flurry, it's always kind of fun.
Speaker 3:There's nothing greater. We were out and there was like a 30% chance of rain and we're casting down the river and the hands are a little colder than normal, and then I look up and the rain forecast turned into some flurries that never stayed. But we're there. Now it's starting to come and it's good. Winter is upon us, but you know what? It's been an amazing season. Lots of travel, lots of good guests on the on the business end of things and, uh, you know lots of, lots of podcasts coming this way and lots, lots, uh, moving forward as well.
Speaker 4:I think, um, you know if to our local you to our listeners out there, if you're a business or if you're, let's say, a tourism board or an area that's looking to attract people.
Speaker 3:we do have different packages available. We try not to run a big salesy thing here, but I think it's important we're here to work with people that are out there that are looking to spread the good work to our listeners, absolutely.
Speaker 4:And what's funny is destinations like that. You talk about travel and tourism boards. Well, you know a lot of these areas. You know untamed pursuits. What does that mean? Well, it means that we're, you know we're pushing ourselves right, pushing the limits, maybe getting outside of our comfort zone a little bit, some of the places we may want to go and explore and explore and and and so a lot of these areas, you know, appreciate the importance of sporting visitors to their area. Maybe it's a fishing area, maybe it's a area that they get whitetail hunters each fall. Whatever it is, you know you go out to the Dakotas and I promise you those folks welcome and value all the pheasant hunters that show up each fall. So I think your comment about the trade and the tourism board is a good one, and that's, you know that's. It's an important resource for those communities when the sportsmen and sportswomen show up throughout those various seasons.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and if you're a guide, whether hunting or fishing or even an outdoor adventure guide, get in touch with us too. We'd love to speak to you and hear about your different stories, I think stories and the, the adventure from point a to point b, or why we're here. So looking forward to meeting some new folks this year, coming up a couple of weeks left of this season and, you know, looking forward to a wonderful 2025, absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 4:Well, let's talk about gear man. You and I are gear nerds. You know. Neither I wouldn't say either one of us are cutting edge on the style department, nor are either one of us cutting edge on the technology department. Both of us appreciate little tricks of the trade. You know that we've learned that make things just a little bit easier. That'd be a way to save some money, but it might be a way to just, you know, make it a little bit more. If you're as you're, you're carrying a bunch of gear on a trip, maybe little tricks you know that we've learned over the years.
Speaker 4:You know that we might be able to share and help some other folks who might have their own trips come up?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's for sure. I remember last week I sent you a picture from my garage. I was, you know, getting all my rods organized and I and people always ask you how many fishing rods you have and I don't really know. But that day I realized that I do have plenty and there's like does your, does your, does your wife know how many fishing rods?
Speaker 4:I don't think my wife knows.
Speaker 3:And I'm laughing. I mean she's probably probably listening. I deleted that photo for just in case, right. But it's kind of like a golf bag, right. You got one for every occasion and and then you know, certain of them get older and you might need an upgrade, and then technology keeps getting better every year. So you, you gotta move forward on that way too. I think you know, uh, gear, gear, gear. And then this winter we're gonna have all the show seasons that are gonna come, so we're gonna see all the new exciting gear. We're hoping to maybe get together and do some some of the different outdoor shows and meet some of our listeners out there too. So but back to gear man, in terms of traveling, packing gear and what to bring, I guess it really depends, a first, where you're going and, I guess, the capacity you're allowed to bring. I know a lot of airlines now limit the weight or they charge you for it, right? So what is your key packing essentials?
Speaker 4:to gear man, you just said such an important thing and I hadn't thought about it until you just said that you know. It depends obviously on what you do and where you're going. Some of the more remote locations you know do involve additional levels of thought and consideration and planning. And one of your comments is such a good one, jamie. You know, if you're going to a really remote location now most of our listeners may be saying, hey, I'm not going to the other side of the world, I'm just, you know, I'm just heading over to, you know, you know, to the Northwest to go steelhead fishing for a couple of days. That's all I'm doing and I totally get it. But some of the trips that you go on some of the more remote places we go, do have, you know, several steps of travel logistics and they may end with some type of a smaller plane taking you to that last spot. You know you might take a big commercial jet into a major airport, maybe a regional jet to a regional airport, and then if you're heading you know, if you're heading up to some of those, some of those fishing camps in Canada, you might be taking a bush plane into the lake and then, you know, landing and motoring right up to the dock in front of the lodge. You know, if you're heading up to Alaska, you're surely going to be bush. Planes are going to be a big part of that. So it's funny you just said think about weight. Well, if you have three flights on your trip, you need to be thinking about the weight on that last, the logistics of packing for the last leg, which is going to be that bush plane. That may dictate how you pack for that whole trip. In other words, you might not be able to bring one giant suitcase that weighs in at 75 pounds, that you might be able to pay an extra weight fee for the commercial jet. They'll just put it in the bottom of the plane and you'll be fine. You know, when you get to that last part of your journey, you literally might be limited on size, dimensions, surely, weight of that last step.
Speaker 4:I remember getting left behind one time on a runway in remote western Alaska in the middle of nowhere, bethel, alaska, just an old frontier trading town, and the plane. I couldn't get on the plane because of weight issues, you know, with all the gear and I had to wait. Sometimes that's not a big deal. That might mean that that plane's taking, you know, the first group out to Anchorage and it's going to fly back. But in some of these areas like Alaska, it can also mean that that first flight gets out. And then what comes in the weather, you know, and the weather might keep you there stuck. You know, you know, missing that flight might be an issue of two or three days in a place like Alaska if you get a bad, unexpected weather front comes in and keeps the flight from coming back to pick you up.
Speaker 4:So you always want to be thinking carefully about, you know, the logistics of what will be the most limiting part of your trip. I do a lot of trips that actually involve packing in with horses. Packing in with horses, well, we need to be thinking about, you know, that big giant duffel bag or that big giant suitcase might again work real well on the first flight, but it sure the heck may not work well, you know, packing it on a horse. So you want to be thinking about all those, all those things. But let's talk about, let's talk about gear.
Speaker 4:You know, jamie, I, I know on a recent show where we were talking about how important it is to store your gear, take care of it, clean it, dry it, re-grease it if you need to. Whatever it is you're doing, re-oil it, but have it ready to go for the next trip. And if you were to look at my house right now, I've got at least three or four trips worth of boots that are laying around waiting for that cleaning and re-waterproofing. So they'll be ready for the next trip. And until they're ready to go, I don't put them away.
Speaker 4:If I put them away, I'll forget about them, but if they're sitting there out bugging everybody, including my family, it's a reminder to me. Hey, I need to clean those boots and I need to reapply new waterproofing to them. In other words, I won't pack them away until I've done that. It forces me to do it. I'll try to take care of that before I actually put them away. Let's talk about gear. Jamie, you do a lot of fishing trips, I know. Is there some of those go-to things that you always, you know, want to have in your pack? Are there things that you've learned to bring on trips that you know that you can't leave home without? Now? I know we talked about weight of gear.
Speaker 3:So I think the way you get on these trips is very important. So if you're, if I'm driving, I'm a pack nut like I'd rather be looking at it than looking for it. So you know, I've gone on some trips where we drive up, where, especially when there's different species and I like to spin fish and fly fish, so oftentimes I'm bringing a whole whack load of stuff. But I remember last year I went on a flying trip and we only had 90 pounds a person, right, so we had to bring our food, plus we had to bring our gear and then rain gear and then you know it was walleye and pike.
Speaker 3:So jig heads you know quarter ounce jig heads kind of add up and when you're getting snagged you got to make sure you have a lot because they drop you off in the plane. You need to have it, but at the same time you can't bring too much stuff that the plane doesn't take off Right, or it takes off without you. Yeah Well, exactly Right. So I think, depending on how you're traveling, whether you know you're on a commercial flight or if you're on a float plane, like you said, if you drive up to a place you might be on a big plane to start, but then, if you're the last leg of your trip, you're on a small little plane. You have to pack effectively. So I think it really depends on what species and what you're doing. I think it's crucial to look at the weather in advance. The last thing you want to do is to be on a trip and not have adequate rain gear or not have you know, know, anything like that.
Speaker 4:I tell you, a great layer to have and it takes up no room in a pack and man. Can it be the difference not only of an enjoyable trip, sometimes of your own, you know, just health being out in bad weather. But if you go to Cabela's and just get one of those, get a basic, nothing fancy but a good rain suit. And when I do it I always kind of pick my colors in advance, assuming I'm going to be fly fishing little creeks and places that I don't want to be seen right. So I typically I'll go with an olive green rain suit or maybe black pants and an olive top or browns. But the point is, pick colors that you can go ahead and roll with them right into the woods. And by rain suit I don't mean fancy insulated, you know, parka, waterproof parka. I mean literally just a shell and a shell jacket with a good hood and shell pants. You can wear those over so many layers of stuff that you're going to be warm Even on the top, if you. You know, if you wear a large jacket we'll get an XL shell. And if you got an XL shell, you can wear that over sweaters. You can wear it over puffy layers underneath. Obviously, you can easily wear it over different insulated vests, things like that. But the point is is that that outer layer waterproof shell packs up into nothing. You can roll it up and it takes up no space and that just having that in your pack on a trip, you know, can be the difference, and also not only if it's raining, obviously, if it's raining that keeps you dry over your warm layers. But even if just heading out on a flats boat, you know, we've been on trips, early season trips in the Keys. Maybe you're down there April or May and yeah, it's Florida, it's the Keys, it's going to be warm, it's going to be hot. But if you're going out early looking for early rolling tarpon, it's amazing how even that can be cool. You know what I mean. And having that nice shell, uh, as you're heading out in the morning can make a, you know, a big difference.
Speaker 4:Uh, you, you said something earlier that I think uh was important.
Speaker 4:I can't remember if you said it on this show or maybe even another show, but you had mentioned being uh to uh, some lodges where they do have laundry service, and that's something to do your research because, uh, if, if, you do have the ability to wash at the place.
Speaker 4:That can be the difference of bringing two or three sets of clothes, or six or seven, and talk about the difference in packing.
Speaker 4:And if you're in a place where they do either have a laundry service most places are not going to be every day you have to go into it assuming that they're going to be busy and it's not going to get done.
Speaker 4:So don't put yourself in a situation where you're relying on it, but definitely take advantage of it and have the confidence to say, hey, at least you know, even if it takes an extra day and you're sure the heck not going to have it done on departure day, right, because you don't want to risk it being late, but at the end of the day, right, because you don't want to risk it being late, but at the end of the day you can. You know you can use that and have the confidence to say I don't need to bring four or five changes. I'll bring two sets of fishing clothes and assume that at some point during the trip at least one of those you know is going to get, you know is going to get washed along the way, yeah, and I think, whether you're, you're either going down south or going up north, I always like bringing long sleeve.
Speaker 3:You know. Sun protection, whether you're up North, or sun protection, you know there's a lot of shirts now with SPF. Not only are they great for the sun, they're also really, really light, so they don't really affect your, your, your baggage allowance too much.
Speaker 4:And it helps with the bugs man how man. And it helps with the bugs man. Do those things help with?
Speaker 3:the bugs, Absolutely. So I usually have one with a hood, one without bring a puff or two, and I think the other really thing if you're going the other side, if you're going up north, I think having a good base layer underneath your clothes. So I like a lot of merino wool, you know long johns, and like base layer shirts. I even have a hoodie that I wear underneath my other stuff if it's really cold and sometimes that holds in the heat and you don't have to bring as much stuff. It would be nice to bring your winter jacket and all this stuff like that, but those are very big and bulky when you're packing and hey, if you're driving that's one thing, but if you're going on a flight you only have so much space.
Speaker 4:Let me tell you that that first layer, you know we used to call it what you know, long johns, long underwear. It's so much more technical than that. You know that under layer, pants and top, if you get a, if you, if you get a really good one, I used to do a decent amount of deer hunting up in Saskatchewan. And of course, in Saskatchewan you're, you're above the tree line, you're up in the thick woods, you know, many times you're going in before the sun comes up and you're coming out after the sun's come down. So you're, you know, you're basically spending the whole day out on the ground in a blind in some very cold conditions. And that liner layer, that base layer, if you spend money on one part of your gear, I'm not sure that's not one of the best layers to put your money into and what you'll find is you use it all the time, to your point. It doesn't have to be 20 below in Saskatchewan to use that.
Speaker 4:I used it recently grouse hunting up in Minnesota and not only was it just enough to take the edge off, but it wasn't so hot that I couldn't wear it all day. So even though we're tromping through woods, you know, busting woodcock and grouse habitat. I'm still. Yeah, I'm working up a sweat, but I'm still comfortable. And with that base layer, all I needed to wear was a heavy duty long sleeve shirt. I wasn't even wearing a coat, you know, because that base layer is so warm, whether it's a merino wool or some type of a synthetic. In the old days, believe it or not, we used to wear silk. It would be a silk woven, you know, long john set that would keep you super warm. The other reason I like it Welcome to lodges after dark.
Speaker 4:Welcome to lodges after dark. Sorry, I have to try.
Speaker 3:Man, I've said that Sexy 1970s silk lunchbox. I've seen all of you walk around in your silk pajamas Hell yeah, man Scare the shit out of the grouse through the woods.
Speaker 4:Oh, hell yeah. And in those days it was, all you know, flesh-colored. It wasn't like today where you get the nice black stuff that makes you, you know, the thins you down a bit, you know. But the other thing that's great about those is they'll have tight wrists or they'll have elastic on the wrists. They'll have elastic at the bottom of your feet and it helps with tics. If you're out in the woods and if you're doing things, especially in the Midwest, definitely up north, during certain times of the year and in the south, we get the tics and chiggers. But those base layers can be the difference of not getting those. You know you're going to get those critters on your coat, but what you don't want is those things crawling underneath and getting up into your skin, and those base layers are a great way to keep the ticks and the chiggers off your skin, in addition to keeping you warm.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's, I think, one thing you know sun protection is essential when you're out there. That'll tire you out quicker than anything. But I think also when you're planning a trip to really check in on on the bug situation, you know, some places was down in California. I didn't see one bug the whole time I was there. But then at the same time, on the other end of the world, up in Labrador, I've never seen so many bugs in my life. I remember waking up and we had we actually had these. We're told to bring like a netting for your bed. Yeah, somebody opens the door, or something like that. And then one night one of the other guides left the door open just a smidge and I remember waking up I thought why can't?
Speaker 3:I open my eye and, sure enough, my face was like swollen. I couldn't see it. I don't know. It looked like you know, somebody took a bat to my face, but in reality it was just like a million black flies and everything. Oh yeah, so you, I think you know they have a shirt called the original bug shirt, which if you're going to the, the northern, it's kind of got a mesh built into the front and you know, I remember when we were I was working up in labrador for one season we had to do all the plumbing for all the cabins and things like that, and that shirt saved us all from the guys like, if you do bring one thing up, make sure you have that, because when the, when it's warmer and the bugs are out, it is some of the most insane, like people by the campfire sometimes are like, oh, the bugs are bad, they have no idea.
Speaker 4:Nothing drives people out of a hunting or fishing camp like bugs. I don't care if it's hot as hell or if it's freezing cold. It can be pouring rain, people will still tough it out, but bugs I've seen people lose it, literally lose it over the bugs, and nothing will clear out a camp than mosquitoes or black flies or whatever it is. And you talk about the shirts, and those shirts are great. I would tell you that even with all the sprays and the pluses and minuses of the sprays and everything you read about and some of the cloths, that has some of those chemicals already imprinted into it, right? So it's already kind of activated, if you will. But I always carry it's going to sound funny and even if you never use it it's going to sound funny and even if you never use it, it's good to have it. I always bring just a net that I can wear over the end of the day if they're so bad. And I have to say I'm trying to think other than one bone fishing trip, backcountry tarpon trip, really down in kind of the Yucatan, deep in the Yucatan, down in Mexico, where it was so overwhelming you had to put it on meeting. You know your forearm would be exposed and between your, your elbow and your hand you would have hundreds of mosquitoes. You know, in that, 12 inches of skin or whatever it is. And on that trip I used that net. But that's the only time I can think of really, even with all the Tetsy flies and stuff in Africa. I've never really used it, but I always have it.
Speaker 4:I always take that head net, roll it up. It's the size of a cigar. When you're done rolling it up, put it in your pack. Man, you might never use it, but it is such a, it's such a, it's just a safety net to have. You can also use it while you're sleeping. A lot of the places I go, you know we do use mosquito netting over a cot or over a sleeping bag. I use it all the time on some of those places South America, africa, et cetera, central America for sure. But just having that head net is such an easy thing to bring and just knowing it's there will give you some peace. I'll tell you another thing to think about is materials of these layers. We talked about a base layer, we talked about merino, we talked about some of the synthetics, synthetics, and then you know, of course, the old the glory days of the of the? Um silk the silk ones back in the day, but um which?
Speaker 4:were pretty damn warm, by the way, uh, but in addition to looking fantastic, if you ever get an old man, I mean, oh yeah, for sure, but um, but I'll tell you. You know, a really good rule of thumb is if you're going to be, if you're going to be getting wet whether it's just the humidity or the environment you're going to be fishing, stay away from cotton. Cotton is what you want to wear when you're back at the camp. You got a cotton t-shirt. It's going to keep you cool at night. That's fine.
Speaker 4:But when you're out and about, out in the field during the day, I always like to go synthetic whether it's some kind of a polyester or a polyester blend on. You know underwear and an undershirt, and for lots of reasons. One it's quick, dry. You know a cotton pair of underwear. If you're doing a rafting trip, if you're rafting the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River in Western Colorado for Browns, you know, and you're going to get wet on those rafting trips, there is nothing worse than wet cotton underwear that you know stays wet the whole day and candidly into the next day. Quick, dry polyester underwear super easy, super light. If you take a wave over the front of the raft and it soaks everybody in the raft, your underwear is going to be dry in 45 minutes. It's crazy.
Speaker 4:And the wonderful thing is, when you're done for the day, you're back at camp and on that trip we were camping along the river so we had tents each night and campfire and hell. You hang that stuff over a branch by the campfire and your t-shirt and underwear are dry and ready to go the next day day. They'll be dry in 15 minutes. So that's, you know the materials. I, just as a good rule of thumb when I'm out in the field, unless I know for sure I'm going to be doing, you know something really dry and pretty rare. Nine times out of ten I'm bringing synthetic underwear, some type of a polyester blend, and a synthetic T-shirt. That's all quick-dry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because you need to have the moisture-wicking properties right, because if you're sweating or if you're getting wet, it's got to be able to dry quickly. And I think you know for Canadians going down south, for all our listeners, you know snowbirds getting ready for your March winter trip down to Florida. You see it time and time again that guys show up with the muscle shirts and the shorts right, but that's a good idea until you get a crazy sunburn. But also, you know you can wear pants. In Florida. There's a lot of these quick dry, you know khaki pants that you can wear with like a long sleeve.
Speaker 3:If you wear a long sleeve shirt in Florida, you know khaki pants that you can wear with like a long sleeve. If you wear a long sleeve shirt in Florida, you're not going to burn and you're not going to get as hot. It's kind of a weird concept because you think, oh, it's hot, but when you're out like you said in flats, you're out looking for bonefish or permit or tarpon, you don't want to be hot. And then also the quick dry pants. I spent a lot of time at night fishing for, you know, snuck off the docks and things like that, and that's when the no-see-ums and all the mosquitoes come out and most people can't stand fishing right. But if you're wearing long pants, I like to tuck my socks over the bottom of the pants, you're not getting bitten.
Speaker 3:Hey, you got more chance to get the fish to bite right.
Speaker 4:Oh, no question. No question about it.
Speaker 4:And those new shirts that you're talking about. The technology is amazing. You know I've got. You know I'll do a little plug here for Freefly. Freefly is such great material and it's, you know, that bamboo material. It's almost like a bamboo weave they use. Again, it's these long sleeve shirts. It's like you're wearing pajamas. They're so damn comfortable and they'll have hoods all brought into it so you can literally sometimes they'll have thumb holes at the wrist so if you want you can pull the end of that shirt down over your hand and you get that sun protection and still the movement of your fingers.
Speaker 4:But what I love about them is they're know, they're so, they're light, they do all the things you said, but they're so, they're not bulky like some of the old. You know I come from the day where we used to wear collared. You know fishing shirts and you'd have pockets up pockets all over the place and in their day they were great and even some of those were quick, dry material but there was just so much going on. It was kind of like the old days where you had a fly fishing vest and you just had so much stuff on your vest you could hardly move. These new shirts man holy smokes are so easy, they roll up into nothing and you can put two or three of them in your bag and you've taken up no space, no weight and they just, you know, like you said, it's a great layer of protection. But so many other practical, you know, practical uses.
Speaker 6: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 Ouellette and I was honoured 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.
Speaker 6: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 5:How did a small-town sheet metal mechanic come to build one of Canada's most iconic fishing lodges? I'm your host, Steve Nitzwicky, and you'll find out about that and a whole lot more on the Outdoor Journal Radio Network's newest podcast, Diaries of a Lodge Owner. But this podcast will be more than that. Every week on Diaries of a Lodge Owner, I'm going to introduce you to a ton of great people, share their stories of our trials, tribulations and inspirations, Learn and have plenty of laughs along the way.
Speaker 8:Meanwhile we're sitting there bobbing along trying to figure out how to catch a bass and we both decided one day we were going to be on television doing a fishing show.
Speaker 7:My hands get sore a little bit when I'm reeling in all those bass in the summertime, but that's might be for more fishing than it was punching you so confidently you said hey, pat, have you ever eaten a drum?
Speaker 5:Find Diaries of a Lodge Owner now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 4:Hey, tell me about let's talk about shoes here for a little bit. You know footwear and you know you're heading to Florida, let's say on a tarpon trip. So in that case you're thinking about what am I going to do on a flats boat, you know? Do I need to think about the guide? Is the guide going to have rules about their boat? Sometimes the guides don't like black soled shoes, they don't like stuff marking the boat up. You need to respect that, you know, for the guide, of course. But at the same time then you get people that like to fly fish barefoot, you know, down in the Keys, kind of what's your, what is what's your? Um, I guess, both as a fisherman, jamie, but also as a guide, you know, do you have sensitivities with what people bring on your boat and then, kind of, how do you handle it if you're going south?
Speaker 3:my boat's good. My floor doesn't really mark, but I've been on boats down in in florida and you know the upper midwest where if you have like soles that'll mark the sides of like a white boat, you get captains get pretty frustrated, right.
Speaker 3:So I've seen a lot of guys, you know, just wear Crocs or things like that, which are, which are fine. They they dry quickly there, they work Right. But uh, I think one of the big mistakes I'm going to it's a good thing. You know the U S Canada thing a lot of a lot of the Canucks that go down will go and not think of how much they're going to walk on vacation.
Speaker 3:You know, whether you're walking the beaches to look for fish, whether you're walking up and down piers, you're doing sightseeing, they'll buy some cheap ass flip flops at the, uh, you know the knickknack store with all the terrible t-shirts and be like I'm going to wear these all week, well shirts, and be like I'm gonna wear these all week, well, you got nothing worse than fighting, starting your week off with a bunch of blisters, and then you're, you're, you're not comfortable. So I think having great footwear is is kind of the base of your body, right, it's supporting your body. And if you got, if you're not comfortable, then you're, you're not going to have a very good fishing trip well, and bring those socks you, you know, in that backpack we talked about.
Speaker 4:You know, using a backpack. You know, on my fly fishing trips I bring a waterproof backpack. On my hunting trips I bring a regular backpack. In either case, it's always my carry-on. So I'm not bringing an extra bag as a carry-on. But you know, I put a pair of socks when I'm heading out on a boat for the day. I put a pair of socks in that backpack.
Speaker 4:If you're down in Florida in the Keys, that's a great place to have a backup pair of socks. Because on day two or three, when you did forget to put sunscreen, where you were great about the long sleeve shirt and you covered up your nose and your ears and you got your you know your face covering on and your hat and you forgot about your feet and the feet get burned. Well, you know, having socks on is a great way to, you know, to protect your feet if you are dealing with sun on a flats boat. For, you know, a couple of days in a row, but I would say you know, if you're flats fishing, if you're up front on the bow, you're going to be on your feet a good bit during the day. So you do want to be thinking about soul support too. So you know that's. Another downside of flip-flops is, you know, if you get a good pair of Teva type you know sandals or something, man, that give you some arch support, some feet, you know foot support. It makes you know, if you're up front for six to eight hours right on a day, which you might be you you're going to want, it's no different than being on your feet at work all day. You know you just get, you want to have you, you know you want to have, give yourself, give your feet, you know, some, some level of support.
Speaker 4:I tell you another thing I do on my, on my hunting trips, specifically mountain trips, not so much if I'm going to be, you know, if I'm going to be in Saskatchewan hunting whitetail, well, we're going to be on the ground, in a ground, blind, sitting all day. I'm going to bring you know effectively what amount to moon boots, because you're not moving and you need to keep your feet warm. So I'll, you know I look like the Michelin man when I hunt in Saskatchewan. If I'm going upland hunting out west, you go to the Dakotas or Montana, you know I'm going to be wearing. You know some type of an upland leather hunting boot, you know, with good socks.
Speaker 4:But if I'm going up in the mountains and I've got a, you know, a heavy duty pair of mindles or something like that you know heavy duty climbing boots I bring liner socks. That's one of the tricks I've learned and man has that helped me over the years. It's a super. You can find them at a Cabela's or an REI, any of the stores. They're nothing fancy, they're not expensive, it's a.
Speaker 4:It's like a thin white you know, I guess usually some type of a poly blend sock and you put it on first and then you put your heavy sock on and that liner sock protects with blisters Like you cannot imagine how you don't even it's comfortable to wear. You can't. It's so thin. It's not going to make your boots any tighter on your feet, but when you're, you know if you're out doing a mountain climb and you're you're hiking or climbing for nine or 10 hours in a day, you know that liner sock is a great thing to have. I will bring, you know, usually two or three pairs of liner socks. I've been on some trips where I've worn them out. I don't even bring them home, they're done. You know they were used up, you know, and they did their job that way. It wasn't my good socks getting used up and, most importantly, it wasn't my feet, you know, getting used up.
Speaker 3:So liner socks are a great little trick with your feet and I think, with whether you're doing a hunting or fishing trip, when you're doing your research, try to figure out how much you're going to be walking and where you're going to be walking. Right, if you're on a, like you said, you were just in Minnesota going through all the bush. Well, if you're wearing running shoes or you're not have the proper footwear, your trip is you're not going to maximize what you need to do on your trip, right? So one thing I like to do too is I'll wear especially with weight restrictions, they don't weigh you when you get on the plane or when you get off, thank goodness, sometimes with a sandwich cart, but I'll wear my big boots on the plane with me, you know, instead of putting them in my bag because they take up a lot of space.
Speaker 3:You know it might not be the most fashionable thing to do, but if that comes the difference. Sometimes you're looking, you know you got 80 pounds or 90 pounds and it's like do I bring some more fishing stuff or do I bring adequate footwear? Well, adequate footwear is an essential in having a comfortable trip so you can throw your, your, your sandals inside the bag and then bring your hiking boots or your I always like to have two quality pairs, regardless if I'm on a fishing trip or adventure trip, just to make sure, if something goes wrong, you know, blow it a flip-flop or tear up a sole, you got an extra pair to to to get around.
Speaker 4:Dude, you hit it right on the head and you know along those lines, you know. The other thing that's a good idea is to have one set of the clothing that you're going to be wearing on this trip, whether it's a fishing trip or a hunting trip. Carry that with you on the flight. One set goes in the backpack, you know. So when I board the plane, I've got, you know, I've got my, I got any personal things that I need, right, if you, if you're taking medicine, I got my medicine bottle right there in my backpack. My glasses, whether it's binoculars or glasses, they always go in the backpack. Um, uh and uh. And then I always bring a set of clothes so that, god forbid, if my, if my suitcase gets lost. Even with my fancy little tracking devices, I've gotten out those little, those little, those little Apple things you throw in trackers. But if it doesn't arrive, let's say you know, let's say it's going to get there, but it's going to get there on day three. Well, that means I can hunt or fish on days one and two with the set of clothes. And so if you've got a pair of pants, you got the shirt, and then I always carry my jacket. I'll put right into that backpack, carry it on. At the end of the day you're going to be fine. You know, whenever your bag shows up doesn't make any difference.
Speaker 4:You've got a set of clothes and your idea is such a great one. You know you wear the boots right on the plane and you know sometimes they're a little clunky, but who cares? A, you've got them. That's the one piece of equipment you can't buy. It's the other thing to think about. You know if you're fishing. You know if you're heading to, you know the Ottawa on a fishing trip, or you're heading out to BC, you know for a hunting trip. The reality is, nowadays, if you forget something, you know the Ottawa on a fishing trip. Or you're heading out to BC, you know for a hunting trip. The reality is, nowadays, if you forget something, you land, you get in a rental car or the outfitter. You stop by a. You know a department store. You can get whatever the heck you need.
Speaker 4:The one thing you cannot get are your boots, because your boots not only are sometimes, you know they've, they've, they've sized to your feet, but they've also formed to your feet.
Speaker 4:You know one of the big preparation steps, not so much for a fly fishing trip. But if you're going mountain hunting in British Columbia, I can promise you if you're smart, you've spent the last month before that trip walking around your neighborhood with your boots on so that by the time you get on the trip you're not forming blisters. What you don't want to be doing is showing up in a new pair of boots you've never worn and then you go out and the first day you got 13 hours of climbing out of base camp and suddenly you're so blistered up you can't move for the rest of the trip. So hopefully you've been breaking in those boots ahead of time, whether it's big mountain boots or even upland boots you're going to wear for a grouse hunt in Minnesota. You need to be out there before the trip breaking those in, getting them to form to your feet, and because they're now formed to your feet you can't risk losing them. So those you wear right on the plane and that way you've got everything you need, even if they lose your bag.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's for sure. We're going to throw up on our Instagram page we'll throw maybe an essential packing list for people that are packing. I know nothing worse than especially for the late-minute packers, to try to figure out what you need and, like you said, if you're on a fly-in trip. I remember one time I went with friends who went up to northern Quebec and this was an essential fail. We brought up everything and they dropped us off and they said we'll see you in six days. And as soon as the plane left you know I was a kid at the time my buddy's dad said uh, where's the red cooler? I was like kind of looking at each other where's the red cooler? With the food in it, and it wasn't there.
Speaker 4:So hopefully it's only six days. You'll be fine, it's only six days.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I remember we we had thank goodness we caught fish. We got some rainbow trout, but all right, we had potatoes and chunky peanut butter, which I haven't eaten since, and bread. That's all we had. But hey, still talking about it 30 years later, right?
Speaker 4:so I listen, you do. I remember one my early trips. We drew a tag to hunt one of the little islands off of Georgia. There are these little uninhabited islands off the coast of Georgia. You can draw a tag and go hunt for small what really are small whitetail and hogs, and it takes a couple of years to draw the tag.
Speaker 4:And my buddy and I, we were probably in our 20s, we drew the tag and same thing filled up the truck, all excited, you know, high-fiving each other, flying down the highway, trying to get the shuttle out to the island, you know, to set up our tent and our camp, only to realize that he thought I was bringing ice. I thought he was bringing ice, and you know. And what we did have was a cooler full of very perishable food and no ice. And we got there and we literally said, well, we could eat it all tonight, on day one, or it's just going to all go bad tomorrow. And you know, two 24-year-old idiots you know were sitting there on the campfire had to eat three days worth of food, and then, of course, you starve for the next two days.
Speaker 3:Everybody's got those stories. One great thing to put in your bag, too, when you're when you're traveling, is I always put a garbage bag, or two if you got. You know, like you said, depending when you're flying in and out, sometimes you might be able to get a half an hour on the water, and if you're on a trip where you're using waders or boots or things like that, the last thing you want to do is throw your stinky ass, wet waders in your bag with all your other stuff, right? So always bring a garbage bag, put your boots in there and then, when you get home, you can hang them up in the garage or wherever else you hang up your stuff. Always a couple of Ziploc bags too. Sometimes, if you're on a trip, maybe you want to sneak a shore lunch home. It's good to have proper, proper stuff, and I think Ziplocs, garbage bags.
Speaker 4:Those are great, those are great additions. The garbage bags for sure. My goodness, what a great thing to bring. I bring them every single time and I've learned over the years. I started bringing the little kitchen garbage bag and finally I realized you know what? No, I'm just going to bring a big 50-gallon black one, and I usually bring two or three. And then again, they take no space, they don't weigh a damn thing. You roll them up into the size of a cigar and think of what that does for the return trip.
Speaker 4:As you said, no matter what you've got going on, you might have muddy boots, you might have wet waders, you might have an outer coat that's got, you know, covered in ticks and you just don't want to deal with that. I've done that before where you've had some part of the clothing that you've been worried about. You know some kind of a bug and you sure the heck don't want that stuff in there. So you put it in a garage trash bag hefty trash bag tie it up tight, put it in your suitcase you'll be fine. And then when you get home you can deal with that later. You know, set that outside and let it air out, or whatever it is you're going to do, take it to your neighbor's laundry room, whatever it is you're going to do, but the point is you're creating that barrier.
Speaker 4:I tell you here's a couple little things that I always bring and that I think are just such great little add-ons. I always bring nail clippers and I always bring tweezers. There's nothing worse than being out in the middle of the deep woods somewhere or out in a remote place on a fishing trip and getting a bad splinter. Let's say you're bringing in firewood for the campfire or something like that. There's places where the grass, there's species of grass that'll get in. You know what I mean. Or God, if you go out West or you go to I mean there's parts of the American West and surely all over Africa, everything in Africa is trying to poke you, jab you, sting you, whatever the hell it is, you know, and just having a good pair of tweezers so you can get back to camp. And if you can't see, if you don't have your readers, get the young kid at camp to do it for you, but they'll see it and they can pull that sucker out, you know, and again, make a huge difference.
Speaker 4:The other thing I'd never forget are earplugs, because those of us that have been in an old hunting or fishing camp I've been in a few of them up in Canada where the moose have nothing on the sounds from the fellow hunters, maybe if you're lucky in the room next to you. But a lot of times in some of those camps you might be sharing a room with two or three strangers. You know, maybe there's got a couple of bunk beds set up I've done that plenty of times and old bunk number two is a moose and heat sound, you know, for five straight days. And so earplugs, and get the good ones. 32 decibel is the key. Don't get the ones in the 20s, get the good 32 decibel earplugs. It will be a lifesaver for you when you get stuck in room three next to the locomotive down at the end of the hallway.
Speaker 3:I've noticed our guys fishing trips. I guess we're not getting any healthier. I went to one a couple of weeks ago and there was like four sleep apnea machines going at the same time Exactly All these guys with Darth Vader masks and I'm like, holy shit, Everybody needs to start going for a jog in the morning.
Speaker 4:It's nasty. You start getting old. Everybody's getting old and fat and they're bringing their CPAPs around asking about distilled water. Forget the bottled water. I'll drink out of the lake, but I need the distilled water for my CPAP machine. Oh, it's so classic, so classic.
Speaker 3:But that is true when you're on a trip. Sleep is another thing. Right, that's a huge thing.
Speaker 4:Oh no, you're exactly right, and nothing's worse. By the way, you know that first night with a snore you laugh about it. Yeah, you know it's funny, you give them crap, all right, you know, whatever. But let me tell you, around day two or three, you know, it gets to be a real thing. You got to figure out what the heck am I going to do? If you're lucky, listen, if you're in the room and you're in a bunk room with somebody, you snore in and there's nothing you can do. I have many times, many, many times, grab a pillow, grab a blanket, walk out and sleep on the couch in the lodge. Nobody's going to care and if anything, they'll just give the guy more grief. You know the next morning. But you need the sleep. You can't go without the sleep. No, no, that is for sure. It's so good, I, it's so good. I'll tell you one other last thing to think about and I will bring these on most trips are gloves.
Speaker 4:And consider walking sticks. It sounds crazy and, yes, I'm at the age now where I am now using walking sticks across certain rivers and, trust me, nothing makes me feel older. I remember the first time I went out in a river. It was the Eagle River in Eastern Colorado about two years ago, year or two ago recently, and for the first time in my life, I got out in the middle of the river and didn't feel as stable as I used to. And I know, and I'm 56, so I'm at the age where I know okay, you know I'm starting to. You know I felt it For the first time. I felt that uneasiness of crossing a river. So it doesn't matter, you know, if you need it or not, it's good to have it.
Speaker 4:But I will tell you, on the hunting side, especially if you're up in the mountains, a good walking stick makes such a difference over the course of a day. Yes, when you leave base camp in the morning, you're energized, you're ready to go. You know you're heading out of there 100 miles an hour, but around hour number six or seven, especially with 40 pounds on your back, on a pack or something like that, or 50 or 60 or 70 pounds, you know on your back, having just that little bit of you know, of momentary support. If you've got a pair of walking sticks that you're using as you're doing that climber, step forward over the course of a day, man, can that make a difference.
Speaker 4:You can the good climb, you know the black diamonds, the good hiking sticks all of them compress into nothing. They compress into about 12 inches. You can easily put them in your pack. It doesn't weigh anything and over the course of two or three days of hiking, each day really can make a difference. And when you're crossing that stream whether you're fishing or hunting, you're going to be crossing streams. There's your support. You know when you need to cross the stream and maybe you want a little extra support on some of the. You know the slick rocks and the slick bottom.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's, that's a great tip. My last tip uh, when you're traveling, um, some of the countries that we go to, um, they can't obtain some of the items that we have, um, easily, right, so, whether you're, I remember, you can only bring so much stuff down with you. But I remember I I have a little hand scale that I use to kind of weigh my bag and, if you know, you have 70 pounds and you got 14 pounds that you can bring with you. I remember going down to cuba and essentials like body wash, uh, shaving blades. You can go to the dollar store or whatever and grab some stuff.
Speaker 3:Extra fishing line hooks, you know standard flies or standard lures that you bring down. Let me tell you, you know giving some. I remember in Cuba we were shore fishing and there's a bunch of guys fishing with hand lines, right, I remember giving them, you know, a roll of 20-pound test and some sinkers and some hooks, and the guy was almost in tears. I remember giving them a roll of 20-pound test and some sinkers and some hooks, and I was almost in tears. And let me tell you, the next day, when I was fishing, they brought me live bait. They went to take me to a secret spot and they were just so happy and that really made my trip. Sometimes you have to give to receive and you do it for the right reasons and then you end up meeting some absolutely wonderful people.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you really do, and it's important to realize it's not because they don't have the funds or the means to buy it, it's because those things are not available and sometimes it's little things that you don't even think about. For example, the face net. I remember being in Central Africa one time and and I had an extra face net when I gave it to one of the guides on that trip and and God, it was like giving them a car. He's like you have no idea how much this and again it it was a $4 face net. It's not that they didn't have the means to get it, it's that they weren't. You literally couldn't get it. They don't have a department store and that part is Zimbabwe that you can buy any of those materials. It's just they have no access to it, and so it makes a huge difference. That's such a great point to bring up. Great way to end the show is thinking about how can you help folks locally on the field when you get to some of these places. That's a great point.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when you're packing for yourself and you're doing your research, always reach out to the other end of it and see if there's anything they need, whether it be a piece of clothing hey, there might be a cable or something they can't get locally. Sometimes you're going to these remote places to get away and do something. They don't have a Walmart or don't have a big box store next door. So sometimes by showing up and bringing an essential for them will really kickstart your trip into a great one. You have an instant connection with somebody that you haven't met before and your vacation can be a lot better.
Speaker 4:Great points, man, Great points Well listen this was a great show and I think it was a nice continuation of some of the earlier topics we've talked about. You know, thinking about these trips, planning them, realizing, hey, I don't need to necessarily take a week off, you know, for my job to do this, I just, you know, take a Friday off and go do it. Point is get it written down in the books. You know, write it down, plan it, and and, and. That's step one is putting it in the calendar and then from there you've got the joy and the, the excitement of them, of researching and planning. And then you know, and then it comes down to game time and you got to pack and hopefully maybe you've picked up a couple, a couple tidbits here on things to throw in the pack.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, we'll look forward to catching up again soon. We got some great guides coming up. We got some more stories and tips to sell to teach everybody. Thank you so much on behalf of Ryder and myself. Thank you so much for listening to Untamed Pursuits on the Outdoor Journal radio podcast network. Thank you.
Speaker 7:What brings people together more than fishing and hunting? How about food? I'm Chef Antonio Muleka, and I have spent years catering to the stars. Now, on Outdoor Journal Radio's Eat Wild podcast, luis Hookset and I are bringing our expertise and Rolodex to our real passion the outdoors.
Speaker 3:Each week we're bringing you inside the boat tree stand or duck blind and giving you real advice that you can use to make the most out of your fish and game.
Speaker 7:You're going to flip that duck breast over. Once you get a nice hard sear on that breast, you don't want to sear the actual meat. And it's not just us chatting here. If you can name a celebrity, we've probably worked with them and I think you might be surprised who likes to hunt and fish. When Kit Harrington asks me to prepare him sashimi with his bass, I couldn't say no. Whatever Taylor shared and wanted, I made sure I had it. Burgers, steak, anything off the barbecue that's a true cowboy. All Jeremy Renner wanted to have was lemon ginger shots all day. Find Eating Wild now on Spotify.
Speaker 1:Apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 8:Hi everybody. I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete Bowman. Now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's favorite fishing show, but now we're hosting a podcast that's right. Every Thursday, angelo and I will be right here in your ears bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio. Now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week? Well, you know there's going to be a lot of fishing.
Speaker 7:I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 8:Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors, from athletes, all the other guys would go golfing Me and Garth and Turk and all the Russians would go fishing To scientists.
Speaker 5:Now that we're reforesting, and letting things breathe.
Speaker 7:it's the perfect transmission environment for life To chefs. If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated, you will taste it.
Speaker 8:And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you are. Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside. Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.