Fishing At Premier Lake ...

November 5, 2016

We had planned on going fishing with the boat ... one last time up at Premier Lake ...

We were thrilled that Denise and Rocko were going with us ...

We were not sure what kind of day it was going to be ... we left home in a heavy fog ...

We all had our fingers crossed that it would clear up ...

When we arrived at the lake it was in total fog as well ...

by the time we got the boat ready to be launched in the lake ... the fog started to lift ...

It turned out to be a beautiful ... sunny warm ... day ...

There were only three boats out fishing this morning ...

and later in the day ... we had the whole lake to ourselves ...

It wasn't long before the first fish was caught ... nice little size Rainbow Trout ...

Denise caught the second one and it was the largest fish caught all day ...

We all caught our limit ... it was fabulous ...

Every time Mike was ready to clean fish ... one of us had another fish ...

We enjoyed cruising around the lake ... taking time to have our picnic lunch ...

with the lines still in the water ... waiting for the next bite ...

Below are some beautiful pictures of the scenery ... the sky was so blue ...

the water so still ... like a sheet of glass ...

Loved the reflections in the water ...

We stayed out on the water ...

until the sun was going down behind the mountains ...

The boat was pulled out of the water ...

our belongings unpacked ... and the boat cover put on ... ready to head home ...

I needed to take one last picture of Premier Lake this year ...

before we drove away ...

We were blessed to have had such a lovely day ...

 

All the fish were divided up between us ...

Fish and Chips ... was on the menu for tonight's dinner ...

This was the first time that we were fishing in November ...

The boat will be winterized and stored in the next couple days ...

Today being November 25 ... just wanted to send our love ...

 

 

Up The Mountain Again ...

October 7, 2016

We had finished up with our jobs that needed to be done ... before we left for Mazur Meadows ...

for the Thanksgiving Day weekend ...

Finally at the turnoff and Mike wanted to check the quads ...

He was hauling them up the mountain with the Jeep ...

and I drove up in the truck ...

It was around 6:00pm by the time we made it to camp ...

Once everything was unloaded ...

we started with making dinner ... firing up the camp stove ... we cooked up some Kokanee ...

to be served with pan fries and salad ...

When we finished dinner ... we headed over to the campfire ...

the guys had just started cooking their dinner ...

The aroma of the grouse and rabbit being BBQ'd was fantastic ...

Even though we had eaten not that long ago ... we had to have a taste of the meat ...

September 8, 2016

Mike and I were intrigued with the tripod ...

that was used the night before to barbecue the wild meat ...

Ernie had designed and built this ...

It could be set up anyway ...

and the pulley system allowed you to lower or raise the grate ...

(Perhaps Mike will build one as well ...)

It had rained overnight ... so more tarps were put up for cover ... just in case it started again ...

The guys went to get more firewood ... to have enough for the weekend ...

They all worked together ... to get the job done ...

Mike and I had hauled the little quad as well ...

we were hoping that Nathan and the grandchildren would come ...

but unfortunately ... the weather had turned for the worse in Alberta ...

a snowstorm brought things to a halt ...

Denise's grandchildren were excited to go for rides on the quad ...

in between the downpour of rain ...

They had so much fun ... as did I ... !!!

We chatted and sang songs every time we went around the trail ....

It was pasta night at the Potorti's camp ...

Rocko ... Dustin and Lindsay were the chefs for this meal ...

MMMMMM ... meatballs ... pasta ... sauce ... and garlic bread ...

I ended up making Plum Dumplings and brought Gitter Kuchen for dessert ...

It was a well received ... since I was the only one that brought anything sweet ...

Thank goodness the guys put up more tarps ...

the rain continued to fall ... most of the evening ...

We had a great time around the campfire anyway ... !!!

2nd Day of Fishing ...

September 13, 2016

Looks like it was going to be another beautiful day ...

watching the sunrise ... as we're pulling out of the harbour ...

The plan was to fish for Halibut again ... putting the anchor down ...

then setting up the gear ...

Unfortunatley ... the Halibut were not biting ... it's been a slow season for all ...

Anchor was lifted ... switched out the fishing gear ...

and we were fishing for salmon ...

Mike landed a beauty ... the guys were so excited ...

Here he is ... with his prize fish ... a 32lb (15kg) Spring (Chinook) Salmon ...

Mike also caught a Ratfish ... that's one ugly fish ... !!!

We continued fishing and were happy to bring in a few more fish ...

a mixture of Spring ... Coho Salmon ...

Back at the cleaning station ... with our catch for this day ...

The guys were thrilled ... it was awesome seeing the smiles on their faces ...

We were surprised with one of the salmon ...

it was a white meat salmon ... apparently a rare specimen ...

So back at the Inn ... to cut up the fish ... package in vacuum sealer bags ...

then put into the freezer ...

We decided to order in dinner ...

of fresh Halibut and chips ... ha ha ... perfect and so delicious ... !!!

We took it easy for the evening ... hanging out and visiting ...

We planned to get up early and head out to try and catch ...

a few more Halibut ...

All in all it was a great day ... !!!

 

Wishing my dear friend ... Dagmar ...

a Happy Birthday ...

Hope you have a wonderful day ... !!!

Sending love and light ...

 

In Ucluelet ... Fishing ...

September 12, 2016

We arrived in Ucluelet around noon ...

and were out on the water ... shortly after ...

It was a beautiful day ... calm waters in the bay ...

and a few waves out on the ocean ...

Mike and Ron set up all the gear and we were fishing ...

Once again ... I caught the first fish ...

a 30lb (13.7kg) Halibut ...

it took me awhile to bring it into the boat ... the guys did not believe me that I had caught one ...

Mike had to help me hold the rod ... so that I could reel it in ...

We were surprised to find out that the fish was caught in the line of the bait box ...

so I was reeling it in as well ...

Finally the Halibut was in the boat ...

Apparently the halibut fishing was slow in the area ...

so Ron decided that we would head back and fish for salmon ...

Yup ... I caught a 20lb (9.1k) Spring Salmon as well ...

Mike wasn't so lucky this day ...

Perhaps tomorrow will be better for him ...

Back on shore ... the guys cleaned the fish at the cleaning station ...

After taking pictures ... I went into town to pick up a few groceries ...

Mike and Ron had taken the fish back to the Inn ...

cut ... wrapped and sealed the fish ... ready to be put into the freezer ...

A beautiful piece of fresh salmon was kept out ...

to be BBQ'd for out dinner this evening ...

It was absolutely ... scrumptiously delicious ... !!!

 

Summer Holidays Are Over ...

September 2, 2016

Wow ... where has the summer gone ???

It is the first day of school for Craig ... James and Ella ...

Excited to see them later ... when they arrive for the weekend ...

The Kokanee were ready to be placed in the smoker ...

it will take a few hours to cook thru ...

I decided to prepare a fresh peach crisp for our dessert this evening ...

The dill was dried and ready to be placed into a container ...

The Kokanee took about 7 ½ hours to be fully smoked ...

they sure were tasty once again ...

Looking out my kitchen window ... seeing this beautiful rainbow ...

it was weird watching it rain in the front yard ...

and not in the back yard ...

The rainbow was from one end of the field to the other ...

I'm sure we would be able to find the pot of gold ...

at the end of the rainbow ...

 

The Boy's Birthday ...

September 1, 2016

A special birthday for the boys ... Daniel and Timothy ...

these Cabbage Patch dolls ...

were "born" on September 1, 1986 ...

It's wonderful to see the grandchildren play with them ...

knowing they were their dad's toys ...

Mike helped in the kitchen today ...

with filleting the Kokanee ...

We loved the last batch of smoked fish ... so we decided to make more ...

Once the fish were filleted ...

they were put into the brine ... then placed in the refrigerator for 8 hours ...

While the fish were marinating ...

there was time to work with the Huckleberries ...

and make a batch of Huckleberry jam ...

The Kokanee were finished marinating in the brine ...

It was around 11:00 pm ... the fish were drained ... patted dry ...

and placed on the racks to set overnight in the refrigerator ...

They would be ready first thing in the morning ...

to be placed in the smoker ...

It was a productive day with all the jobs accomplished today ...

 

MMMM ... Huckleberries ...

August 30, 2016

An early morning ... cleaning our pot of gold ... Huckleberries ...

The easiest way to clean them ...

is to place dampened paper towel on a cookie sheet ...

add a few berries then roll them around ...

the paper towel will pick up any debris ... leaves or twigs ...

The berries were put into a bowl ... divided up ... some sealed in bags for the freezer ...

enough left out for making jam ... and a few extras to eat ...

and for making Huckleberry pancakes for breakfast ...

We enjoyed our breakfast this morning ...

of fresh Huckleberry pancakes ...

Later in the day ...

another trip to the garden to gather ...

fresh fruit and vegetables for out dinner ...

August 31, 2016

With it being the last day of August ...

Mike and I decided to spend the day fishing ...

We were not sure how many more beautiful days like this one ...

we were going to have ...

The long weekend ahead of us ... was going to be busy ...

with Nathan and the family coming ...

 

Canning and Smoking ...

August 26, 2016

We decided to make a quick trip ...

down to Eureka, Montana ...

to pick up a parcel ...

On our way back home we stopped at Indian Springs Ranch golf course ...

to have lunch ...

sitting outside ... in the beautiful sunshine ... and enjoying the view ...

When we had arrived home ...

it was time to fillet the fish ... the process goes quick once they have been cooled ...

A liquid brine was mixed up ...

the fillets immersed into it ... placed in the refrigerator ...

then marinated for 10 hours ...

The fillets were taken out of the brine ... patted dry ...

and placed on drying racks ...

left a few hours for the film to form ...

before we put it into the smoker ...

 

August 27, 2016

The prepared Kokanee ... were put into the smoker ... first thing this morning ...

Since I was going to be in the kitchen ... and around the house all day ...

it was the perfect time to get more of my canning done ...

First batch to be worked on ...

were the beans ...

The beans were in the pressure canner ... processing ...

Peaches were next on my list ... to be prepared ...

Our family love canned peaches ... especially during the winter months ...

While I was busy with canning ...

the fish were checked periodically for doneness ...

About 5 hours later ... the fish were smoked ...

Oh my ... this was a delicious batch ...

Excited to share it with family and friends ...