As it had been each year before, the trip to Tod Lake was long; routing through no less than three airports in the course of the day, the final stretch of which was made in a large, cold single engine bush plane. In many ways making the trip up in the dead of winter for ice fishing was exciting, and I had been making the trip every other year for almost twenty years now. I knew the lake well, both from ice fishing it and from boat fishing in the summer, and each year my catch had increased until I was considered a trophy hunter at the lodge I stayed at. I guess that's why Jack, the owner of the lodge, made me the offer that had me so nervous.
My trip had been planned for months, tickets bought, gear list made, and then the call came; not two weeks before I was supposed to fly up. Jack had to make a trip down to Winnipeg for some medical tests and was going to have to cancel my reservations. I had to admit I was bummed. I was really looking forward to getting away from all the stress at work. Then almost on a whim he asked me, sort of off hand, if I would be interested in guiding for the week. With some trepidation I agreed, as long as the group size was small enough. Since it would just be one small group and I wouldn't have to worry about cooking or anything, just fishing, I agreed.
Now that the plane was setting down on the ice I wasn't sure that it really was a good idea. I mean, I don't need a guide myself any more, but taking strangers out to my hot spots just seemed wrong. And what if we didn't catch any? I mean for me to not catch is fine, but other paying customers? The plane taxied close to shore and the pilot shut the engine down.
"Here we are." He said as he unbelted himself.
"You staying?" I asked curiously. Usually they just dropped the passengers off and then took off again.
"Yeah. I'm taking Jack back down with me." He answered as he climbed out of the plane to unload my gear.
I was hit with a frigid blast of arctic air when I opened the door and dropped gingerly to the snow covered ice. I took two packs and the pilot grabbed my third as we trudged up the path to the smaller of two log buildings. In the summer Jack uses the big lodge, outfitted with almost twenty rooms that each sleep 4 to 6. But in the dead of winter it's much too hard to heat, so he uses a much smaller lodge with only six bunk rooms, a single great room that acts as living and dining space, a large kitchen and his master suite area.
"Mike!" Jack called from the porch as we climbed the steps of the log lodge.
"Hey Jack. How's it going?" I said as I took his outstretched hand.
"Well, that's yet to be determined." He answered as he took one of my packs and led us into the warm lodge. There was a fire crackling away in the great stone fireplace, and a number of people sitting around on the rustic sofas and chairs in a semi-circle around the fire chatting.
"Folks, this is Mike Anderson." Jack said as he walked toward the group. "He's going to be your guide for the week."
"Hi." I said sheepishly as the group got up.
"This is Dave and Marlene Southern." Jack said, introducing a tall thin man and his equally tall, blond wife. She had on a bulky turtleneck sweater that hid and accentuated her curves at the same time. Her pastel blue eyes sparkled with playfulness as she shook my hand and smiled.
"Mark Johnson." Jack said as a short stout man stepped forward and shook my hand with a powerful grip.
"And Patricia and Randal Enke." Jack added as a fairly overweight man stepped up to shake my hand after which his wife, a short redhead that looked a bit round in her baggy sweat pants and jersey stepped right up to give me a huge hug, her face smiling brightly.
"And we can't forget Suzanne Delano." Jack said as a tall fortyish woman entered from the kitchen doorway, carrying a platter of sandwiches. I couldn't tell much of her figure from the baggy outfit she had on, a long sweatshirt that extended down to her mid-thigh. What I could tell was she had long blond hair, nearly touching her ass, and from the amount her jersey stuck out, a significantly sized chest. Beyond that, she had a relatively thin face and piercing green eyes. "We brought her on this year as a cook, and a good one she is too!"
"Ahhh I see our newest addition is here! And a good looker too!" She said with a huge grin. "I may have to see if he looks as good out of all those heavy clothes as he does all bundled up!"
"I wouldn't worry too much about Suzanne, she teases a lot but she's harmless." Jack said with a laugh. "Now that the introductions are done, come on and I'll get you lined out. I have to fly out of here before it gets dark."
Jack led me through the lodge to the rear section where all the equipment was stored. We spent the next two hours going over where to fish, the equipment he had and answering any questions I had. We headed back into his suite and he told me to go ahead and use his bathroom if I wanted instead of the communal shower and bathroom facilities that the rest of the guests shared. It wouldn't bother me at all to not have to fight for one of the few curtained off shower stalls for a hot shower after being on the ice all day.
