Grenfell -
I was recently invited to be a part of Nipawin's Media Day, which they hold every year in preparation of their annual Pike Festival. I was even allowed to bring my boyfriend Wade with me.
The main event, fishing, was happening on a Monday, and I would be travelling back Tuesday, so while my co-workers were slaving away I got to go on a paid vacation.
Our trip started out without a hitch. The weather was perfect for the roughly 4 1/2 hour drive north. Being from Ontario, I was surprised at how much the scenery on Highway 35 varied along the way. Contrary to the stereotype of monotonous flatness, the fields often gave way to dipping valleys, ponds and a surprising variety of trees and hills.
There was just a bit of confusion upon our arrival at the Evergreen Centre. The first day of the trip was supposed to feature golfing, followed by a 'Chairman's On-the-Deck Social.' Well, since Wade and I have never golfed in our lives, we decided to opt out of the golfing and go to the social afterwards, which we assumed would be at the Gieni's which is located right beside the golf course and has a big deck attached to it. Makes sense, right?
So we showed up around 5:30 and there was no one there, but we figured it was no problem, we were pretty early.
So we asked one of the waitresses whether a social was happening and she said she had heard something about it but wasn't sure.
We went back to the hotel room for a while and went back to the restaurant around 7:45, thinking the social would be in full swing by then.
The waitress then informed us that the social was actually happening at the Northern Greens Resort across the way. So that's where we went.
The waitress there said, "Wow, so many people have been asking me about this social!" But unfortunately she had no idea where it was either.
So Wade and I ate at KFC (which was tasty!).
I guess the social was meant for golfers only.
We still had a good time exploring the town. It's really picturesque and the weather was ideal. We figured we had lucked out and that conditions should be ideal for fishing the next day.
So it was raining when we woke up. Just a light drizzle, but by the time we got to the Visitor Reception Centre, where all of the media people were congregating, it was officially pouring.
We were matched up with our guides for the day, Tim and Derek, who said they would meet us at Tobin Lake, where we would spend the whole day fishing.
Because the weather up until that point had been so great, Wade and I had foolishly neglected to bring anything that would protect us from the rain so we ran to the nearest clothing store and picked up rain coats. Then we were ready to go.
Luckily our guides had a motor boat with a little roof on it to keep the rain at bay, but we still got pretty soaked. We could also see our breath for the first part of the day.
Despite all that, we had a great time. Derek and Tim turned out to be fantastic guides. They did everything for us: baited our hooks, fixed snagged lines, switched out our damaged fishing poles - they even provided unlimited refreshments. All we had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
Although the first half of our day was a blast, it wasn't very successful fishing-wise. Wade and I both caught a clam. That's it.
The weather started to clear around lunch time. We all gathered at the Regional Park Chalet, this really cool-looking pointy building with a high roof that slopes down almost to the ground.
There we had some amazing sausages and hamburgers, drinks and delicious butter tarts. Wow, we were spoiled.
After lunch the mayor of Nipawin, Glen Day, welcomed us to the event. All of the media people introduced themselves as well.
The afternoon saw a dramatic change in the weather. The sun came out and the rain went away, though it was still a little cool.
One of my favourite things on the trip was the flock of pelicans on Tobin Lake. I thought they added a very majestic feel to the whole experience. Perhaps it's because we don't have any pelicans where I grew up, or even anywhere nearby.
The afternoon is also when I caught my first fish, putting an end to a very long fishing curse. I literally hadn't caught a fish since I was a young child.
This is why I think Tobin Lake may have magical properties.
Poor Wade was the only one who didn't catch anything, though he still speaks proudly (if a little sarcastically) of the clam he caught.
After fishing we all gathered at Gieni's for supper. The food at Gieni's was just like a good, home-cooked meal. Not like typical restaurant food at all. You could tell everything was fresh and hand-seasoned, as opposed to the prepackaged, frozen food that many restaurants get away with these days.
We had a buffet of ribs, corn, salad, potatoes, dessert - there was more but I can't remember it all. Anyway, it was delicious.
The evening ended with gifts and prizes being handed out.
I thought my pike was a pretty decent size at around ten pounds, but the winning pike turned out to be just over twenty pounds!
We had all pitched in $5.00 for the fish pool at the start so he walked away with a couple hundred dollars.
Every person in attendance walked away with something, though. Wade and I received filleting knives and a t-shirt, as if we hadn't been given enough already.
If I do make it back to Nipawin next year, I hope I'll have learned how to golf by then because I'd love to try out their 18-hole golf course, which they say has been ranked one of the top five in the province.
I would also like to check out the Living Forestry Museum.
I also wish I could participate in the actual Great Northern Pike Festival, which was the main reason for the media event.
Unfortunately we, the media, were simply responsible for tagging the fish that others will catch to win awesome prizes.
From June 21 to September 30 fisherman can win cash prizes ranging from $250.00 to $5,000 as well as a dirt bike and a motor boat worth about $25,000.
If you catch a fish tagged this year at the media event, you win $250.00 or if you catch one that was tagged during previous years you walk away with $100.00, and you only have to pay a $5.00 entry fee.
Too bad I couldn't partake in the main festival but I can't really complain. Despite the chilly weather, the people were wonderful, the fishing was great and I'd go back in a heartbeat.
