Poser…42 Market Street, North Bay, Ontario with his 14 pound lake trout!
I’ve always wanted to fish with my Dad. I remember going out a few times with him and my brothers, trying to bait a hook…that sort of thing, but no HUGE memory of a fishing experience. Fishing with Cliff, Dad and Cayley in August exceeded all of my dreams. A beautiful August day and we headed out to Kitty Coleman.
I highly recommend Cliff’s Chinook Charters for an experience that you will not soon forget. Bring people you love…it is an awesome experience to share with one another! And women…make it a ladie’s event. You can do this thing!
A perfect day!
If you have time, watch this wee video diddy…it was a super nightmare to try to upload. And yes, I agree…I’d like music on the final bits from the word ‘blessing’ as well…but heck if I could figure out how to do that! And don’t under ANY circumstances, point out the bracket following the word magic on the final slide!!
I warned my readers that my posts would be somewhat disconnected, dependent on what comes to mind. When a person travels OR enjoys a vacation where time is left for reflection, a lot of things can cross the mind.
I was interested in my brother’s response when I turned my head away while my beautiful 15 pound Chinook salmon received three firm and committed bonks on its head. He asked, “Will you sit down at dinner and eat this fish? If you will eat this fish, you should be prepared to take its life.”
Hmmmm…
I know my brothers…I know my father…and I knew my Grandfather John Moors before them; all of the men in my family have been fishermen.
Out by a pond on a summer’s day, many years ago, accompanying my Grandfather and my brother, John, I learned a lesson. John had a grasshopper and was taking its legs off…curiosity? wonder? mystery?…something like that, anyway. My Grandfather’s response was quick and abrupt and I’ll never forget it. He taught both my brother and me, in that moment, that it does not matter how small an insect or life form, life is to be respected. Suffering is to be avoided. The life of that grasshopper was to be respected above everything in that moment. At that very instant, my Grandfather took matters into his own hands and in front of us, ended the insect’s life. And that was the end of the subject. Nothing was ever said about it again. But, as children, we were left with a forever-impression that we would never forget.
And this is how my father taught us to regard life also. After my experience of going out to Kitty Coleman with my brother…and returning home to Calgary, I thought that I would research the matter of how to humanely treat and kill a catch. It became obvious, based on my reading, that it is a very common practice for squeamish and inexperienced outdoors folk to leave their catch to suffocate in the ice cooler for sometimes as many as six hours and I’ve decided that, for me, this is ridiculous and unacceptable. An article posted, in part, below, was written for the Spokesman Review April 24, 2013 and summarizes a number of methods; I feel that my brother is correct in his method and in the manner that he accomplishes it. I think that if we, as beneficiaries of the planet, have food to enjoy, we need to explore these practices and decide if we can accept them.
I learned, while out on the water with my brother, that we need to be more conscious about the foods that we eat…how they are produced/processed and try to align our morals, values and sense of our planet before we consume them. I need to be more aware of the practices and industries that end with my purchase of foods at the grocery store. Like most contemporaries, I consume foods based on convenience and economics. This is going to change.
Shout out to my brother of Cliff’s Chinook Charters in Comox, British Columbia…for this and many other lessons, I am grateful. I bowed my head, in silence and in gratitude, for our catch that day and I pray for their continued bounty. Beautiful fish of the sea!
15 lb Chinook Salmon…brought in by Kathleen Moors, with a short termed assist by Cliff Moors. An awesome memory.
While I really don’t get to see my three brothers very often, I love them all and I’m very proud of them. There is not a day that I do not feel grateful for the time that we shared as family and what they continue to mean to me, although far away! I have you in my prayers.
Mount Assiniboine: My Oldest Brother, the Outdoors Man!
This brother, closest to me in age, shares early-childhood memories with me. He took the upper bunk and I took the lower in squashed PMQ beginnings. We shared the ‘young military life’ experiences with our parents and this created a bond that will always be. He is a printer by trade, with too many diverse skills to mention.
Catch-o'-the-day.
My Amazing Brother, Cliff..."Defending the Eggs", as he would say.
Cliff's Chinook Charters
Cliff’s love of sport-fishing goes back, respectfully, to our paternal grandfather. I think also, he grew in admiration for the fishermen of the east coast while visiting that beautiful province after meeting his wife, raised up in Port au Port, Newfoundland. He has his own business and is captivated by the beauty of the west coast. He continues to inform me of the issues around salmon and seal populations.
The Middle Child :0) With His Handsome Cadet Sons
Sometimes I am just amazed by the accomplishments of my brother, our family’s middle child. His service to our country will always be something that our entire family will be proud of. Good laughs are always shared when he is around!
Navy Captain with USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH as background.
Diane is really tanned! She told Mom, Dad and me that she’s been out in the boat fishing every day for hours the last while. She explained that the water in the Bay is so warm, the bass aren’t any good for eating and that’s what she caught on her most recent trip out. She’s been bringing Dad pickerel for his freezer and the night before last, Dad coated the fillets with bread crumbs, salt and pepper after a milk bath and were they ever beautiful!
The men in my family have been fishing enthusiasts for generations! I love it when I find the older photos and remember the times that either my grandfather, my Dad or my brothers came home with nice fish that we could eat. This Saturday afternoon, we will be celebrating my Dad’s 80th birthday. I think these are some of my favourite photo-memories!
Grandpa Moors in his Guiding Days
My brothers and their boys have some pretty amazing photo moments as well, but this is a place for the classics, given that I have been captivated with nostalgia the last while.
Early Dad
And finally…cool Dad and the 14 lb. lake trout that we still all talk about!
I highly recommend Cliff’s Chinook Charters for an experience that you will not soon forget. Bring people you love…it is an awesome experience to share with one another! And women…make it a ladie’s event. You can do this thing!
