Jon Babulic: Simple Fishing Strategies for the Backcountry Canoe tripper.

Brought up on the north shore of Lake Superior, Jon spent his childhood exploring backcountry rivers and lakes. An education in forestry and a passion for fishing fueled his enthusiasm for paddling into wild spaces. Over time, he developed a lifelong appreciation for nature, its beauty, and the rhythms of water, light, and form. He began his love of woodworking over 20 years ago while making a range of furniture and bamboo fly fishing rods. After a constant search to put his creative energy to some purpose, Jon established Backcountry Custom Canoes which has evolved to include hosted backcountry trout fishing trips.

The canoe is, in my option, the perfect craft for fishing, yet, I’m continually amazed by how few fish canoe trippers catch in the same water we paddle and fish with great success. This seminar is going to review a simple systematic approach developed after landing 1000’s of fish in a canoe. From pike and bass to brook trout and lakers, learn to find fish, manage lure depth, speed and learn about about why fish eat what they eat.

Tori Baird: The East Natashquan; My First Remote Wilderness Canoe Trip

​Tori has been canoeing whitewater for the last 7 years, navigating some of Ontario’s most challenging rivers such as the Lower Magnetawan, the Lower Madawaska, the Skootamatta, the Petawawa, the Opeongo and the Black River. Her more substantial trips include a few fly-in remote wilderness whitewater rivers. In 2015 she paddled the East Natashquan in Northern Quebec, in 2016 the Porcupine River in Northern Saskatchewan. And in 2017 she paddled the Mountain River in the Northwest Territories only a few days after completing an 8-day, 160km backpacking trek across the Rocky Mountains from Jasper to Grande Cache. Tori lives on the Magnetawan River in Ontario’s Near North.

Tori will be sharing her story on paddling the East Natashquan in 2015. The East Natashquan is a very remote and seldom travelled whitewater river which begins in Labrador and empties into the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. No one had paddled it for 15-years before she set out and information on its long stretches of rapids, deep canyons, and fading portage trails was vague at best. Prior to jumping right into advanced-level paddling in 2011, she had never paddled a canoe before. This forced her to acquire a significant amount of skills in a short period of time before embarking on what still stands as the most harrowing canoe trip she’s ever done.

Bush Crazy: Girls Will Not Be Thwarted – Outdoor Education on a Canoe Trip
 
Last year Kate spoke about her canoe trip, the 50-Day Dream. This year she will connect her research in outdoor education to the experiences of a group of young women in the woods, where there is a direct connection between the lessons learned in wilderness experience and engaged citizenship. 
Kate is a wilderness canoe tripper from Camp Wapomeo. She has completed over 350 days of canoe tripping overall, leading trips for over 200 of those days. Kate has led a 36-day trip in Quetico Provincial Park and 50-day trips in Northern Ontario. Presently, Kate is finishing her Master of Teaching with a research focus on outdoor education. She is a work-study student with “Natural Curiosity”, promoting the importance of Indigenous perspectives in Children’s environmental inquiry. She also remains an enthusiastic member of the Taylor Statten Camp community and has an ambition to share her passion for the outdoors with a new generation of children. In February/March, Kate will be completing a  practicum in the Pikangikum First Nation Community where she will be working with students as a teacher candidate.

Scot Robinson: Quetico - The beauty of the park and gritty grind to push through the Cache Lake Portages. 
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Scot's been misadventuring into the wilderness by canoe for over a decade and has learned everything he knows the hard way. Highly experienced in what not-to-do, Scot is always looking to push his boundaries with tough canoe trips, great food, lots of bacon and a much needed whiskey or two. He's the Man 'Without A Plan'. Why plan when mother nature is going to through a wrench in those plans whenever she can. 

In July of 2019, Scot and his buddy John Murray took a trip up to Quetico Provincial Park with the idea of completing the Cache Lake Portages. Back to back 3km portages through the mudiest, bug filled terrain you can think of - with an extra 6 days to enjoy a stunning provincial park. Why wouldn't you use a week's vacation to get lost in the woods within minutes of departure; almost die once or twice; put yourself through hell; get eaten alive by bugs and curse your paddling partner's very name? 
The beauty of the park outweighs the effort needed to get through it. We'll tell you all about it, as well as why we chose the Cache Lake route.”

Brad Jennings & Leah Schmidt of Explore the Backcountry: Lost Canoe Route Initiative - Retracing the Past  

In this day and age of shrinking budgets and a lack of regular maintenance for many routes outside of popular parks, periodic use is often the only way a canoe route can remain open for future paddlers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information regarding the current state of many historically well travelled routes. Plenty of once well-trodden MNRF routes have fallen through the cracks, ultimately achieving a ‘lost’ canoe route status and potentially disappearing from the paddler’s route options forever.

By travelling, mapping, clearing and signing routes, users can help preserve these historical pathways for future generations to enjoy. Unfortunately, many of these routes have fallen into a state of disrepair. Portage signs have succumbed to the elements, blazes all but gone and trails have become overgrown. Would be canoeists are stymied by ‘trail hunting’ and the routes are only viable for the most hardy of adventures...

Join Brad and Leah of Explore the Backcountry, as they journey through seldom paddled places in the 'Lost Canoe Route Initiative'; exploring, mapping, clearing and ultimately documenting their travels in hopes others will follow. Tales of hardship, triumph and plenty of Type II fun await.