The black flies in northern Canada are nothing to mess with
Every July for more than 30 years, I traveled to the far north to fish for giant lake trout and northern pike. As I have written so often, this is one of the most terrific fisheries in the world.
To the untrained eye, the landscape looks much the same. There are lakes, rivers, islands, tundra, fish and native animals. The only people, like my wife and me, are those who are all about fishing.
The further north you travel, the more beautifully minimalistic it becomes, with 24 hours a day of light to take it all in. Lakes this far north throughout the center of Canada and above in Nunavut are, on the most part, formed by glaciers. Massive rock piles and boulders with deep pockets were formed by the action of expanding then receding glaciers. This makes a perfect habitat for lake trout, with numerous rivers flowing into lakes and countless bays loaded with fish.
Lakes here are basically low lying without mountains. This land was transformed by glaciers long ago that hollowed out the land to form lakes, leaving piles of stone as eskers and intermediate islands.
Winter is cold and harsh here. Summer is short, with open-water fishing without ice being only weeks to a month or two.
This is the place for wolves, grizzly and brown bears, black bears, weasels, beavers and other fur-bearers, moose, caribou, ptarmigans, Arctic terns, loons, eagles, parasitic jaegers, mosquitos and black flies.
This is also the place for dead silence. When the boat motor is turned off, it is like stepping into a mausoleum and shutting the door. You hear nothing, no boat, no motor, no background noise, no cellphone beeping, not even the water lapping against the shore on a calm day. You hear nothing but your own breathing.
Of course, when you are two minutes from anywhere in this part of the world, whether on a lake or on dry ground, everything seems to look the same. It takes years of time and experience, and a trained and discerning eye, to be able to maintain your presence of mind, to pick your way among hundreds of islands, inlets, bays, rocky points, underwater can openers (large boulders just under the water surface that can tear open the bottom of your boat), and fast currents at the mouths of rivers.
This part of the world can be deadly for a novice without a seasoned guide. Water temperatures can be in the 30s and 40s (Fahrenheit) mid-season before starting to cool down again. Being lost or thrown out of the boat is not an option. Thunderstorms with high winds are a common occurrence as weather changes quickly over the flat terrain.
All of this yields some of the best fishing on earth. Lake trout grow to more than 50 pounds, northern pike are 40 to 50 inches and weigh 30 to 35 pounds, and Arctic grayling can top 5 pounds, which are the largest in the world. And for expert fly fishermen, the white fish are huge!
I remember several years ago — back to one of my favorite stories — when my best friend and spouse, Maxine, and I were on a fishing trip. For several weeks before we left home I implored Max not to wear makeup, perfumed deodorant, hair spray, hand lotion or anything else that had an aroma. And like the wonderful trooper that she is, Max complied. The idea is that black flies for the most part will leave you alone if they are not attracted by perfumed products or residue remaining on the skin for several weeks following the use of those products.
For the entire time Max was in camp, on the lake fishing, or on shore having lunch, she was rarely bitten. But on the last night we were in camp, Max decided to get spiffed up for me. And as she likes to do in the evening, Max decided to take a walk along a gravel path.
As luck would have it, Max was perfectly OK until she had walked a good distance. That is when a swarm of black flies seized the moment. Black flies are the size of tiny gnats, but when they get together they can swarm by the thousands. The swarm can be 10 feet high, just as wide, and so thick it is difficult to see through it.
These black flies were not in the mood for mercy. They covered her, and she ran as fast as she could back to the camp. By the time she got close, I heard her scream. I grabbed her and literally pulled her into a shower. A combination of the water, my wiping the black flies away with a wet towel, and her and my ripping her outer clothing away, washed away many of the black flies. I then sprayed the area with insect killer and began the job of picking the black flies out of her hair.
Max looked like hamburger meat. Blood was streaming everywhere, Wherever black flies bite, they leave a tiny wound that bleeds. Think of black flies as teeth with wings. Now think of hundreds of bites.
The next day and for the following weeks, Max looked like she was in a prize fight and lost … badly.
Rarely does Max say those three words I like to hear … You are right. This was one time she admitted that I was.
Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, Shippensburg University Trustee, and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. The firm provides enterprise-level cloud-software for communicating, specifying, approving, procuring, producing, reporting and activities necessary to obtaining direct mail, packaging, promo, marketing and all other printing. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at Bill.Gindlesperger@eLynxx.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Bugs swarming, biting leave wife telling husband he was right
