All the best,
Stephen
Derek also does some pretty great custom commissions. And they are excellent alternatives to a skin mount or carving of your prized Minipi trophy. Check out his work on http://www.canvasfish.com . And consider asking him to create a canvas portrait for you with your prized trophy Minipi Brookie. He also has some great selections of Giclee Prints for sale on his website, even one of his Minipi 4 in 1.
{extended} ]]>There are no bass in Labrador so why am I writing about a bass rod? Sure there are monster Northern Pike, and yes a bass rod would work great for casting frogs and poppers to hungry pike. In fact it’s perfect, even the Sage website says so. But it’s also perfect for casting big bushy #2 deer hair mice and lemmings to big brookies. I tried one last season expecting something better than great. I was right. To be able to pick up a line, and I mean a LOT of line with a big wet mouse on the end, and then be able to fire it right back out there with one false cast is amazing. It’s the perfect tool to go mousing for Brookies in Labrador.
If you are not familiar with this lineup of rods, they are quite unique. They are 7’11” to allow them to be used in Bass Masters Tournaments. And they don’t have a conventional line weight designation. Instead the rod comes with its own special line described in grain weight only. The Largemouth is a stout 330 grain weight, the Smallmouth is a 290 grain weight, and the smallest of the trio, the Bluegill, is matched with a line that weighs 230 grains. To equivocate grain weights to the standard number designation that we commonly use, a 330 grain line is equal to an 11 weight line, a 290 grain is a 10 weight, and a 230 grain is about a 9 weight.
Does this mean that I plan to replace my favorite Minipi Brookie rod? No. An ultra-fast 6 weight will likely remain my favorite. But I have for sure just replaced my old 8 weight standby for mousing and pike fishing.
Sage rods, of course, are available from the Minipi Outfitters Fly Shop or your favorite local fly shop. Check ‘em out!
{extended} ]]>Being prepared is key. But nowadays, packing your fishing gear in your carry on bag is just not acceptable. But don’t worry, I have you covered. If you’re traveling to any of the Coopers’ Lodges rest assured, we have a great assortment of top-of-the-line rental gear, and its FREE for you to use if you have delayed baggage. The latest breathable waders, wading boots, rods from the major makers, and reels and all the flies you’ll need. Just make sure to pack your rain jacket in your carry on pack, and whatever you need to keep yourself entertained during your flight.
Always make sure that you have your Passport, itinerary, cash, credit cards, and contact information for us here at Coopers’ in case you are delayed from your scheduled arrival time. A few toys don’t hurt either, a PSP, iPod, Kindle, Sudoku book, or paperback, can make a long flight seem like a short hop. Recently I have discovered the Bose QC3 Noise Canceling Headphones available from http://www.bose.com. I can’t tell you how great these are for air travel. You can plug them into your iPod or just put them on for some peace and quiet. They also fold flat too so they are easy to carry. They are always in my carry on.
Remember flying is bad for your circulation and dehydrates you. So remember to stretch and move about the cabin, and drink lots of water. You body will thank you when you hook into that first Brookie!
{extended} ]]>There are some tricks that can help you put some fun and elegance back into air travel. And make that cross-country trip to fish for those big beautiful brookies just a little bit sweeter.
The first is a little website called the http://www.seatguru.com. This place can help you pick an optimum seat whether you’re traveling economy or executive class. On this site they have a really exhaustive list of airlines and all of their aircraft with seatmaps available for viewing. Just select your airline (Air Canada), your aircraft (CRJ, E90, etc.), and then roll your cursor over the seats to see details like extra legroom, limited recline, or if power ports are located on your seats.
When traveling to or from Goose Bay (YYR), I like to fly the E90 for medium haul trips, and the CRJ for short hauls. The CRJ is the only jet that flies into Goose Bay. The E90 is one of the more modern aeroplanes in the Air Canada fleet. Each seat has a personal entertainment screen with on demand movies, TV programs, and music. They also have power ports at each seat to charge cell phones and ipods. Row 19 is especially roomy as it is a emergency exit row. On the CRJ there are no entertainment units, or power ports. Row 8 is a little roomier than the others, but just marginally.
When traveling long distances, a little more legroom or being able to recline your seat back just a little more can help battle fatigue and jet lag, and make the first couple of days of fishing a little more enjoyable.
{extended} ]]>There is help though. Canada One Travel in Winnipeg, MB, Canada have great fares to Goose Bay. For Example $601 USD Harrisburg PA return, $692 USD Atlanta GA return, $807 Los Angeles CA return, and $807 from Portland OR return. They also don’t charge the Canadian Goods and Services Tax for US citizens.
These guys have the best deal. Hands down. You can check them out on the web at http://www.canada-one.com , or by phone toll-free at (866)401-9900.
See you this summer.
Robin Cooper
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Parrie Willette Jr.
{extended} ]]>Then we had nearly a whole week of bright sunshine and scorching temperatures reaching into the high 90’s. This dropped the water on average 9 inches a day and slowed the action. We had 4 anglers at Anne Marie Lake Lodge, and the insects were hatching everywhere, but few brookies were moving until yesterday when Richard Schriber booked a 5 3/4#, a 5 1/2# female, and a 5 1/4# male in Portage Pond. His fishing buddy, Chad Leland caught a 5# male and a 4# female in the Beaver Pond plus a 2 1/2# male in Portage pond. Great work guys! Dr. Marc Lavoie and his beautiful wife Helen are still fishing, so I will include their information in the next week’s blog entry.
Mr. Schriber told us that water temperatures in Beaver Pond were reaching 70 degrees Fahrenheit but a recent rain has helped lower the water temp and improved the fishing quite a bit.
NEW COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITIES: Minipi Lake Lodge will be joining Anne Marie Lake Lodge in the wireless high-speed internet club! Like Anne Marie, Minipi now has a new state-of-the-art dedicated high-speed internet satellite, iMac computer, wireless system, and internet-based phone system. This will give our Minipi guests greater flexibility in staying in touch with their loved ones, checking up on that business deal, or to just plain brag about all the BIG BROOKIES they are catching!
Check out Richard and Chad’s brookies in the photo gallery.
Robin Cooper
{extended} ]]>Here’s a picture of the cover...and I’ve inset part of one of the pictures from the inside of the magazine and their spectacular picture of the NEW Anne Marie.
First of all, the original Mustad hook Lee used for all of his Wulff’s has been recently discontinued. The Daiichi 2421, however, is a good substitute. Most of the Wulff’s tied by Dave for my fly shop fall into two sizes, 6s and 8s. Occasionally we see a size 10. The wing is a light-brown-dyed calf-tail. A true Wulff pattern will have an “un-stacked” wing. Remember Lee used to tie his flies in his hands… no vice! The tail is woodchuck. The body is dark olive brown beaver. Finally the hackle is a medium or natural dun.
{extended} ]]>http://www.ultimateflyfishing.com/news/dest_pike.html
Robin Cooper
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