Study Club II Fishing Edition

Callahan and Kaplan invade New Brunswick

Tuesday August 17, 2010

New Brunswick was graced by the arrival of none other than Dr. John Callahan at 1:20 in the afternoon. After getting through the maze of arrivals at the Fredericton International Airport Dr. C was met by his host, yours truly. Once the bags arrived we had the long and painful walk to the car park (13 steps from the baggage claim) and we jumped in the car and headed directly to the office to begin Dr.C's critique of how we do our thing here in NB.

After short introductions to each of the team members (Callahan felt it necessary to hug each and every one of the ladies in my office, some more than once) he began the 'observation process'.

Within 15 minutes my office manager, Jackie Stewart, cornered me and asked the question the entire staff wanted an answer to.......'how long before he leaves'? Within a very short period of time, Dr. C had made his mark. Walls were being moved, contractors were called, staff were crying. It reminded me of the first time Karen Mowad came to our office.

Fortunately we survived the afternoon and John and I left the office without anyone of my staff quitting. That was in itsself a minor miracle. The evening consisted of a driving tour of Fredericton and dinner at the Dip pool bar overlooking the beautiful Saint John River.

The evening ended with a bottle of red wine consumed while sitting on my deck and an early night because the fun is just getting started.

Wednesday August 18th, 2010

Today marked the arrival of Dr. Jason Kaplan. His flight into the above mentioned Fredericton International Airport was not scheduled to arrive until 1:20 in the afternoon, so against my better judgement I took John back to the office for more crying, yelling and renovation planning. All kidding aside, John had full access to the office and staff, without any restrictions so he can help us improve the way we do our thing. The beauty of our Study Club group is the interaction we have with each other at times other than the meetings. This is one of those times when an outside set of eyes can be very helpful.

The morning progressed without one of my staff quitting or being fired by Dr. C so at lunch we headed off to the airport to grab Jason. We had a quick stop at Tim Hortons (customary in Canada) and it was off to the airport. The flight was 10 minutes early which was fine by us. The more time we get to spend with this Kaplan fella the better in my opinion. Another long wait for luggage in the complex network of baggage claim in Fredericton followed by the painful 13 steps to the parking area and we were off. The flight was due to arrive at 1:20 but we were in the car, driving to the office by 1:15. When does that ever happen?

Dr. Kaplan was introduced to the staff, Callahan hugged them all again and Jackie pulled me aside and asked "is Dr. Callahan going to be here much longer"? Pretty much what I expected. John pulled my TC Sara aside and brought Jason over to have him practice firing people (because for some reason John thought he needed the practice). Jason fired Sara, she rolled her eyes at him, flipped him the bird and went back to her office. I guess John was right. He does need the practice.

"Enough of this" I said, "let's go fishing". Out the door we went with cheers in the background from the staff. I think I heard one of them say "don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out Callahan".

Mountain Channel Lodge

We picked up our stuff at the house, grabbed my father and off the Mountain Channel we went. Mountain Channel is in Blackville, NB on the beautiful Miramichi River. I often say fishing in NB is like skiing in Whistler. It is some of the best in the world.

The arrival was at about 5;30 in the evening so we had just enough time to get our stuff in the cabins and hit the water for an evening fish. Jason, being a rookie fly fisherman was given some instruction before getting to the water. After the lesson it was to the water to show those new skills. Unfortunately we didn't have much luck as the water temperature was a bit too warm and the fish were not taking. Lot's of fish, just not much action. Kind of reminds me of my college days.

Around 9:00 pm we came off the water, had a beautiful fish chowder prepared by Sharon and Kim, polished off a bottle of wine and hit the quilts. It had been a long day and a good night's sleep was in order for everyone.

Thursday August 19th, 2010 - Gazebo Day

After a wonderful breakfast it was off to the water for our morning session of fishing. The water cooled down overnight and we could see them splashing around in the pool. For sure we would get fish today was my thought. The water level is perfect, the temperature was down and the fish would be hungry. We all hit the water with vigor right after breakfast.

Three hours later we wandered up the bank without one of us landing a beautiful Miramichi salmon. I must admit I was surprised because the conditions were suited for someone to hook a fish I thought. Alas it was not to be. Fortunately Kim and Sharon were preparing a lunch that we would all enjoy.

Special thanks go out to Dr. Paul Korne from Montreal for helping me with the food. This is a Kosher trip and Paul's Kosher butcher from Montreal was very helpful. I just couldn't watch Jason eat salad all week so with Paul's help and the cooperation of the kitchen staff we were all able to enjoy the food. Lunch today was the start. The steaks we had prepared were unbelievable. They reminded us all of the Fred Flinstone steak he got at the drive in theater as his snack. It didn't come close to fitting on the plate. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch together and after stuffing ourselves it seemed only appropriate we would retire to the gazebo for a few afternoon cocktails and the first official session of Study Club II, The Fishing Edition. It didn't take long before the stimulating conversation got the best of our friend Jason. Kidding aside, it was an awesome afternoon of conversation with myself, Jason and John. We talked about everything you can imagine, we solved most of the world's problems and John and I think we have convinced Jason to buy the city of Atlanta. All in all a productive afternoon sitting by the river.

Around 6:30 it was time to suit up and head back to the river. It was a very warm day and the sun was shining so that didn't bode well for the fishing. The water temp was way up this evening and as expected we were skunked again. Three sessions, zero fish. Fortunately cooler weather and showers are in the forecast so hopefully this will turn the fish on. The quiet fishing hasn't discourage the eating and drinking part of the trip. The ladies had prepared for us a beautiful beef stew for an evening meal and another two bottles of wine were drained dry. Let's hope a good night's sleep and a little rain will make for a great day on the river tomorrow.

Friday August 20th, 2010 - Fish, fish and more fish

Well as quiet as the fishing was for the first three sessions, today we woke up to conditions that were all about the fishing. We had a very cool night and the water temp is down to about 72 degrees. The sun is behind a pretty heavy overcast and the outside air temperature never got above 68 all day. It started out perfectly with Dr. Callahan hooking and landing his first Atlantic Salmon.


The fish kept coming as my friends Gerry Verner and Mike Mallory stepped into the pool. Gerry hooked and landed two Salmon and Mike hooked and landed a Grilse. John hooked another Salmon and lost it and I hooked and lost a Grilse as well. John then hooked and landed a second Grilse. The morning session ended with dad hooking a nice Salmon only to have it come off late in the fight and Jason finally hooking a fish unfortunately loosing it as well. Morning session hooked 8 landed 5 fish. Kaplan's spirits stayed high knowing he would get a fish eventually............maybe.

Lunch was predictably delicious and filling. We let the pool settle down for the afternoon and proceeded to the gazebo for more conversation and drinks. A few scattered for a nap, others chatted and Callahan thought he would sneak down to the pool to wet his line a little early. We had a great rain fall that stirred the pool up and it was a welcome sight. It proved to be a successful evening as John hooked and landed two more fish, a Grilse and a Salmon by 6pm. The rules say it is a 4 fish limit so John limited out and he was sent into "time out" as he described it. In the Gazebo, drinking. Not the same "time out" I put my kids in!!

The fish kept on coming with Gerry hooking and landing a Salmon and a Grilse and he was done just before dark. Second fisherman limited out. Other hook ups came from Bob and Don with one more each. Total fish for the day, 14 hooked, 9 landed with two fishermen limiting out. That, my friends is considered a career day of fishing. We were treated to a beautiful sunset and a forecast of very cool weather. The night finished off with a BBQ of Kosher burgers, salad (ceasar for the gentiles, garden for Jason) and a bunch of wine. With Mike and Gerry band members in a great band vinyl2bits we thought the evening would be full of song but after a long day and 5 very full bellies, the quilts were very appealing. Everyone hit the hay except Jason and I as we sat in the lodge and chatted till the wee hours of the morning. What a great day with a perfect ending. Tomorrow the conditions should be ideal for more spectacular fishing. we still need to get three more people to land a fish. Bob, Jason and Don have not landed one yet.

Saturday August 21st, 2010 - Do we really have to leave?



Six thirty in the morning and the conditions were perfect. Water temperature was an electric 65 degrees and the fish were showing everywhere. What a beautiful view down the pool with a mist over the river.

It didn't take long for the skunked fishermen to get going. First was dad hooking and landing a nice Grilse, then hooking a big Salmon that shook itself off after a few minutes. Not long after that he hooked a beautiful bright Grilse, decided it was a keeper and tagged the fish. This means his day is done as tagging a fish means you have reached your limit. Catch and release 4 fish or tagging 1 fish and you are out of the water. Dad was on the bench by 9am. "Tomorrow is my 51st Anniversary and I think my shopping is done" he exclaimed as he wandered up to the Gazebo for a coffee.



Next up was Jason. He hooked into a beautiful Grilse and it was a fighter. After a bunch of jumps and a few tense moments slipping on the rocks on the bank, into the net went Jason's first Atlantic Salmon. He was heard saying "Oy vey! I'll get the goyim to shlep you home for a nosh!" A chorous of "Mazel Tov" was heard around the camp and a sense of relief came over me as the guests had all landed fish. Click this link to see the video of Kaplan's first Atlantic Salmon.



Last one without a fish was me so the photography ended and into the pool I went. Within 5 minutes I hooked into a nice Salmon but she shook off the line. Back into the water and it wasn't long until I hooked and landed a nice Grilse. He went back into the water and 10 minutes later I hooked into a third fish, also a Grilse but he got off the hook and back into the river he went. Not long after that Gerry hooked a beautiful big Salmon that he has on the line for almost 15 minutes. It was a whale!! It was a real surprise when she pulled off and the line went slack leaving Gerry with a story about the one that got away. It was 11:00 am and time to head up for an early lunch. An unbelievable 8 hooked and 4 landed in 3 hours of fishing. I can't believe we have to go!!!!

Kim and Sharon prepared the New Brunswick Salmon Lodge special of fresh salmon and fiddleheads for us and it was delicious. After lunch we gathered for a picture overlooking the river. From left to right, Gerry (5 hooked and 4 landed), Don (4 hooked and 2 landed), Jason (3 hooked and 1 landed), John (6 hooked and 4 landed) and Bob (5 hooked and 1 landed). Not in the picture was Mike (1 hooked and 1 landed). Total for the trip, 24 hooked and 13 landed. Amazing trip with at an amazing place with an amazing group of friends.

Sunday August 22nd, 2010 - Sightseeing trip over Southern NB

Jason was on his way back to Atlanta Saturday afternoon but John stuck around till Sunday. It was a beautiful day and I felt perfect for a sight seeing flight over Southern NB. We were up early and filled the tanks in C-FCAP and by 8:45 we were airborne over the City of Fredericton. John promised his wife he wouldn't get in a small plane while up here. I hope she doesn't read this!! We flew over Freddy, out to beautiful Grand Lake and then North up to Blackville to see Mountain Channel from the air. It was a great way to finish the trip. We are already planning next year's trip. John made me promise I would have my renovations finished before he comes back and made Jason promise to work on his firing skills. We will provide an update in Dallas at Study Club II.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.