[Narrator] On this week’s show, Bob heads north to Saskatchewan, Canada, to Reindeer Lake. He will be pike fishing at Lawrence Bay Lodge with manager Phil Engen. Lawrence Bay Lodge offers a once in a life-time fishing adventure, with rich waters and trophy fish that include northern pike, lake trout, and walleyes. Also on this week’s show, we feature a South Carolina certified tuna salad, with fresh caught South Carolina tuna. All this, and a whole lot more and it begins right now.
Well folks, this is my second trip up to Lawrence Bay Lodge. Well, Phil listen, tell all our folks out there, kinda the seasons and the different species of fish. You know, that normally on a year round basis, what you guys do.
Yeah, we’re open June through September, and June and July is kinda peak period to spot fish for the big pike, kind of like what we did the last few days. And then, once you get to August and September, the pike move out to the deeper cabbage weeds that time of the year, and you’re fishing a little deeper, but it’s just as productive for the big pike. The walleye fish, and the people wanna come for walleye, June and July is that peak period. They get a little deeper in August, and they scatter a bit. We also have Arctic grayling, where you’re fishing them off the rockier points, and it’s not your typical stream fishing like you see in a lot of places in the Northwest Territories and stuff. And then the walleye. We fly out for the walleye, but we’ve also been gettin’ a lot of big walleye here on Reindeer Lake this summer. Our biggest one is 31 inches, so that’s a huge walleye.
Well, Phil listen, we know fishing is king June to September, but on the tail end of fishing season, there’s one other special thing that you guys do, and you’ve got a limited number of these, so tell the folks about that.
Well, we always end the season at the end of September with one of the most fun things to do here, and that’s moose huntin’. We call ’em in during the rut. During the peak of the rut, the guides are callin’ ’em in with the old birch bark moose calls that they make right from the trees here. And you call ’em in and that’s one of the most thrilling things that you can have. is a moose comin’ in, breaking a bunch of trees, and you know, trying to impress you. It’s an awesome hunt, it’s an awesome hunt. We get about 12 tags a year, so they go pretty fast. We kinda clear out the fishermen, that last week of September, and we concentrate just on moose hunting, and we fly out to different spike camps, and it’s awesome, it’s a good way to cap off a season.
Well folks, if you would like more information about Lawrence Bay Lodge in Saskatchewan, Canada, here on beautiful Reindeer Lake, Phil, tell everybody out there how they can get a hold of you.
Yeah, the best way is just to go to our website, and that’s lawrencebay.com, and that’ll always direct you to wherever we’re at, different times of the year. Sometimes we’re down in North Dakota office, or up here in the summer operating season.
Well great, and that’s awesome, and thanks. And folks, now back to more great pike fishing, here at Lawrence Bay Lodge.
I tell ya what, we’ve got a pocket down in here.
Oh yeah, they’re in here lined up.
Ahhh, he’s not that big. Not that big. Lemme get him over here. Get him off, now, that’s a small one. I tell ya what though … Well, I tell ya what.
That’s a baby compared to the ones we saw when we first got here.
Yeah it is, I’m tellin’ ya. Folks, we’ve pulled up into this pocket right here, and my fishing buddy today, Phil Engen, the manager, the guy that makes it all run, up at Lawrence Bay Lodge. I tell ya what now, this is the way it’s supposed to be.
It is.
Almost with every cast, you’re catchin’ a fish.
Yeah, with every cast, there’s a fish.
I’m telling ya. And I’m smokin’ ’em on this Sebile Flatt Shad. It is amazin’.
Yeah, they’ve been lining up in here.
Yeah. Now, is this normal in these kind of pockets, Phil?
Yeah.
Is this what your guests can find?
Yeah, especially when you get the wind blowin’ in.
Yeah.
It brings the bait fish in, it puts oxygen in the water, it gets the fish active, gets ’em feeding.
There you go, yeah.
We seen ’em come by the boat here and he just–
Well, maybe he’s got a litter mate down there. Alright. Oh yeah, oh man, look at that! Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, that’s a nice one.
Yeah, we see them come and swim by the boat.
There we go. Yeah, looky there. Oh, yeah. When Nelson gets the net out, you know he’s a pretty good fish, huh? There you go. That’s what I’m talking about. Yeah, all right!
He’s barely hooked on the side.
Yeah he is. Ah, he’s got enough in him. I don’t think you’re gonna lose him. He does not like that net though, I can tell ya that. Mm-mmm. Woo-hoo, all right, yes siree. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Yeah man, Lawrence Bay. Woohoo!
He’s fat. He’s got another fish in his belly there.
Yeah he does. Okay!
That’s a nice one.
That is awesome.
Here.
All right.
She’s got another fish right here.
Oh yeah.
She’s still eatin’. Aw man. Awesome. Now back to the depths he goes, somebody else’ll catch him.
35 or 36 inches?
Well I mean, you know, that’s important, too. All the big fish you guys release here. Yeah and that’s part of the sport of catchin’ ’em here.
Yep, and, five or six years, he’ll be one of those 40-pluses we’re lookin’ at.
Yeah, big time, and ready for somebody else to lunker into him. All right, man, I’ll tell ya what, it’s not time for shore lunch yet, but it is time for catchin’, all right!
[Announcer] Stay tuned. When we come back from commercial break, we head back to Lawrence Bay Lodge for more northern pike fishing. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine, brought to you today by: the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, life’s just better outdoors; by Shakespeare’s Ugly Stik G-X-2 rod, Ugly Stik, America’s strongest, most sensitive rod; by Ranger Boats, still building legends, one at a time; by Browning Ammunition, Browning, the best there is; and by Southern Woods Plantation, a place where the grandeur of times past can still be experienced today.
Folks, welcome back to the show. We’re still here with Phil Engen here at Lawrence Bay Lodge and Reindeer Lake in beautiful Saskatchewan. Phil, listen, a typical day, what does the fisherman expect when they get in here? What do they do, from start to finish?
Well, in the morning, we wake you up every mornin’ at 6:30, right at your cabin there, with coffee and hot chocolate. And then breakfast is at 7:00 in the morning, there, right in the lodge. At 8:00, we introduce you to your guides and get you out fishin’ for the day. You have shore lunch at mid-day with the fish you catch that morning. And then at 5:30 you come in, we meet you at the dock here, get you back to your cabins, supper’s at 7:00. And then, everyone tells fish stories and gets ready for the next day again.
Well folks, fishin’ is never typical here at Lawrence Bay Lodge. Let’s get back to some action, and see how Phil and I are doin’ out on the lake. Oh, fish on, fish on boys, fish on, yee-ha! Ooh-ah, yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!
That’s a good one–
He was kinda close in here.
Yeah, he come right outta those logs.
Oh, yeah! Folks, this is a lunch fish right here. It’s gettin’ close to shore lunch time.
He’s pullin’ you around.
Where’s he goin’? All right, I’m tryin’ to bring him back. I tell ya what, mmm-mm-mmm, Hey folks, I gotta put in a plug here for my tools of the trade today: Berkley XL Coated Line in mossy oak color. It seems to be really good, back in this shallow area here, when you’re tryin’ to introduce these baits. And of course, the Sebile Crankster, yeah, that’s doin’ it for me today, right there on a steel leader, and, my Revo Premier from Abu Garcia, that is the ticket. And that one’s lunch. Those fish that we choose for lunch, they do shore lunch here, and we’re gonna show ya that too. But, those that are, oh, they’re probably what, 20, 22 inches? Make nice filets. Man, if you have never had shore lunch, man just stand by, ’cause it’s all gonna get good right here, at Lawrence Bay in Reindeer Lake. All right, Phil, c’mon man, let’s do it again boo, do it again, yee-ha!
There he is.
Fish hard Phil! Golly, man, you are smokin’ me! Absolutely smokin’ me.
Sometimes you get lucky. That’s a nice one. Not as big as the one that just spit the hook out five minutes ago, but it’s a nice one.
Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya, goll-ee! Well y’know, this is all gonna stop when you get married, you know that.
Oh yeah, I’m sure–
And for all the ladies out there, Phil’s soon to be betrothed, and so, then the magic will leave. No, I’m just kiddin’.
That’s a nice one, about 36?
Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Man!
Got really pretty designs on him.
You know, these fish are just now startin’ to get hungry, they’re startin’ to turn on just a little bit–
Yeah, it’s like someone flipped a switch–
Yeah, I mean bam, just like that, okay, except they’re not flippin’ the switch on mine, but that’s okay.
Well they’re comin’ after the–
You’re gettin’ all the big ‘uns. That’s all right, I don’t care how they come to the boat.
As long as we get ’em.
That’s right. It’s nothin’ huge, but, it be a fish, and it be a pike. Oh, yeah, do a little dance for us. Okay, okay, that’s okay. Come on outta there, mm-hmm. I switched lures on ya now. I went to the Sebile Spin Shad.
Oh, okay.
Seemed like he likes the white.
It’s been productive.
Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya. I’ll get him back there and let Nelson take him off for me. Nelson, you do that really well, d’you know that?
Thank you.
This is not his first fish.
Folks, we been kinda chasin’ some storms here, as you can see in the background, again, here up on this massive amount of water, in Canada, anything can change on a minute’s notice. So we’ve just, we’ve moved to another location, a little bit farther south, towards the lodge. Hopefully all this weather’s gonna go around us, ain’t that right, well?
Yeah.
Okay, Phil.
Hope it does.
Yee-ha!
Glad we got rain gear.
Well I’ll tell ya what, I have caught a lot of fish today, but my partner here has caught the big fish. But that’s okay. Fish came to the boat, and they were big ones. Man, and it is awesome. But you know, we still got a little time left.
Oh, yeah.
Little time left. It is beautiful up here, though, Phil. You know, this lake is, what, 220 miles from top to bottom? Yeah, if you go by a boat, as the crow flies, it’s about 180.
How many miles total shoreline?
Well I think there’s about, I think there’s over 4,000.
Wow, that’s awesome, mm-mm-mmm, just unbelievable. You can go for miles out here, folks, and never see another person. Another person, other than the guy next to you in a boat. When’s the last time you were ever able to do that? No jet skis, no cigar boats, no pontoon boats, no nothin’, but just you, water, and the fish.
It’s beautiful
And the fish. That’s right, yeah man.
[Announcer] After a commercial break, we head to The Sportsman’s Table, for another great South Carolina certified fish recipe.
[Announcer] The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by: the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina, or out of state, be sure to buy South Carolina-grown meats, vegetables, and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina Certified. It’s a matter of taste.
Well, folks, this week we’re at the International Culinary Institute here in Myrtle Beach. And joining me is a former graduate, and he’s now the proud owner of The Warehouse restaurant in Conway, listen I’ll tell ya what, executive chef Eston McDowell. Eston, thanks, man.
Appreciate you havin’ me on.
Well, listen, it’s always great to have former students, and now see folks do good. You got some tuna for us this week.
I do.
Whatta you got?>
We’re gonna do a taste of summer salad, and it’s kinda becoming one of our staples over at The Warehouse. And what it is, because it’s summertime, we like to do fresh produce–
Yeah, yeah.
And it’s been a lot of fun so far, a lotta people are comin’ and eatin’ it up. What we’re gonna do is, we’re gonna do a cucumber, tomato, and Clemson Blue Cheese. And what we do is, we do a spicy pickle brine slaw, that’s a red wine pickle brine.
Awesome.
So we’re gonna do that slaw over top of it, and then sear the tuna and put it over top of it.
All right, man, well let’s get started, I can’t wait.
So what we’re gonna do here …
Lay ‘er down, yeah, there ya go. And folks, if you want a copy of Eston’s recipe, just log on to BobRedfern.com, click on The Sportsman’s Table, it’ll be right there.
I like to hit it with a little bit of blackening, just to give it that little extra oomph.
Yeah, okay.
We’ve got some fresh local tomatoes from here.
Always certified S-C.
And what we’re gonna do is just hit that nicely with some cheese.
Mmm, and that’s blue cheese, right?
Yes, this is a Clemson Blue Cheese.
Clemson Blue Cheese, hmmm.
Then what we’re gonna do now is take a little bit of this slaw, and just layer it over the top.
Oh, man, that’s awesome, great colors, too. Y’know, I know it’s about presentation.
It is about presentation, but I think it’s more about that taste. I like that crisp crunch into it, it’s so good.
I mean, when the waiter brings it out, aahh, it’s that ah-ha moment, okay! Then what we’re gonna do real quick is just sear this.
Now, minute, two each side?
I like to, actually, we like to serve it mid-rare at The Warehouse, so what we do, we do about 35 to 45 seconds on each side, give it a real good, let that blackening sauce get just really good and seared on it.
Okay. And folks, also, the blackening sauce that he’s referring to is, of course, the rub, as we all know, on the fish, and he’ll have that on the recipe as well. Ooh yeah, look at that, ooh! And it doesn’t take long.
No, it’s a very very quick, very quick cook time. We do encourage you, if you do follow the recipe, and cook the pickle brine at your house, we do encourage you to let it pickle overnight, and serve it the next day, just to get all that flavor in there.
That’s awesome. This is a quick dish, man, no wonder folks like it at the restaurant.
That’s right, it does, it comes out very very quick. What we’re gonna do, is we’re just gonna cut this real quick.
Okay. Oh, okay.
What we’re gonna do is just cut this into strips real quick.
Aah, I got ya, awesome, look at that beautiful tuna. Ooh-ooh, now who’da thunk it? Look at that, ahh, man, mm-mm-mmm. All right, Eston, man, we’re ready to plate.
Yeah, and what we do here, and like I said, we really encourage you to kinda get that mid-rare.
Oh, I got ya, yeah.
But, what we’re gonna do is just lay it over top of the salad here.
Mmm, great, mm-mmm.
And what we like to do is this brine has a really really good flavor, so what we like to finish it off with is kind of use this as the dressing of the salad itself, and just hit that spicy brine over top of it.
Now is this mostly eaten as an entree, or before dinner?
You know, it’s kind of funny, we do a lot of both. We have a lot of customers that really enjoy it as an appetizer, and a lot of the ladies that are comin’ into The Warehouse are really startin’ to enjoy it as entrees, y’know?
And it’s fresh.
It is, it’s a fresh as it gets. And it’s so much fun to cook.
Well, The Warehouse, congratulations, in Conway, Eston. And listen folks, if you want more great food like this, on your visit to Myrtle Beach, log on to certifiedscgrown.com, and see what’s fresh on the menu for yourself. We’ll be right back here again next week, with another great recipe on The Sportsman’s Table.
[Announcer] To find out more information on food that’s fresher and tastier, go online at certifiedscgrown.com. Buy Certified South Carolina-grown products. It’s a matter of taste. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is brought to you today by: Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine; by the South Caroline Department of Agriculture, buy South Carolina, it’s a matter of taste; by Pennington Seed, the leader in outdoor forage products; by Browning, Browning, the best there is; by South Carolina Embroidery and Screen Printing; and by Back Woods Quail Club, offering southern style hunting, and an array of exciting and challenging clay target shooting sports.
Get it Phil, get it, whoo-hoo!
He took it right at the back of the boat.
Did he really?
Yeah.
Aw, man! Ooohh, hoo-hoo-hoo, aw, man. Well listen, I tell ya what, I’m not holdin’ my mouth right for these big ones. You really got the magic today. Oh yeah, yeah. Oh man, folks, wait ’til you see this one. Can, ya got it?
I think so, he’s under the– He’s fightin’.
Yeah, he’s fightin’. You may need to tighten your drag down a little bit, boo.
Mm-hmm, oh yeah.
That’s a nice one. Hang on Nelson, he’s barely hooked.
He’s not done yet, either, by any stretch of the imagination. Look at that, aahh, oh, goodness. Look at that hummer, oh man!
That’s a nice one.
You bet’cha, mm-hmm. Well I’d like to help, but I think I’d be better off just to stay out of the way. Yeah, get that one up.
He took it right at the back of the boat there.
Yeah he did. Beautiful fish.
About a 41?
That’s how ya do it at, Lawrence Bay Lodge. Put him back in there, you did that one well, mm-hmm. Awesome, awesome, northern pike right there. Beautiful fish, beautiful fish. Now, you take your time to do this, because this fish’ll grow.
Yes it well, yep. Anything over about 12 pounds is all females, that’s what lays all your eggs–
Yeah, wow, that’s awesome.
That’s your future.
The future of the resource, right there.
Yep, and she’ll be good to go. Close to 41 inches.
Awesome.
As soon as I squeeze her fins she’s gonna …
There she goes. And there she goes. Well done, all right, that’s the way to do it. Man, right there, gotta get more man, all right! Folks, that’s our show this week, from Lawrence Bay Lodge, Saskatchewan, Canada, Reindeer Lake. I really enjoyed fishing with Phil Engen. He’s the manager here, and the son of the founder, and I tell ya what, he does a great job managing this place. If you want a place to come, and you wanna catch some fish, northern pike, bring your family, bring your friends, and have a great time. Well, as I always like to say, each and every week, the outdoors is my passion, I want it to be yours too. We’ll see you next time.