Reelin’ in Memories
A CONVERSATION WITH MADI
For 12-year-old Madi Cheney, summer means hitting the water in Canada with her dad, uncle, and cousin. With fishing poles in hand and plenty of licorice for the boat ride, she’s spent the past two summers making memories on the lake!
Q: How old are you, and how long have you been going on these trips?
A: “I am currently 12 years old. My first trip to Canada fishing was when I was 10 years old! I went two times and hope to again.”
Q: Tell us about your fishing trips. What do you love most about these trips with your dad?
A: “I go to Flin Flon in Manitoba, Canada, with my dad and my Uncle Josh and cousin Brooklyn. We drive there for around 20 hours because we pull our boat. We stay at a cabin called Bakers Narrows, and we fish on Athapapuskow Lake. The thing I love the most about the trip is spending time with my dad, cousin, and family! My Uncle Josh’s cousin and aunt and uncle are also there fishing in another boat when we are there.”
Q: Are there any special things you always pack or bring with you on the trip?
A: “We bring warm clothes because it can be cold out on the water. We also bring rain gear because it often rains. We also get new fishing lures or any new fishing supplies. We usually get a lot of stuff at Scheels. We wear special life jackets that inflate if you happen to fall in the water, which I haven’t fallen in, or you can pull a string to inflate them. They are more comfortable than a regular life jacket. I have a specific fishing pole just for fishing in Canada. One of my favorite things to take with us is licorice because we eat a lot of it on the boat!”
Q: What’s your favorite part of the fishing adventure?
A: “My favorite part is seeing the different types of fish that we catch! The lake we fish on is huge, so you have to use navigation or you can get lost. My favorite spot was at Pickerel Bay! The most exciting part was reeling in the big fish and holding them afterward.”
Q: What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught in Canada?
A: “The biggest fish I caught was a 38-inch northern pike. The northern pike have a long snout, and they are slimy and skinny! They are slimy because it’s a protection mechanism. There are regulations on what size of fish you can keep and how many fish you can keep.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about spending this time with your dad? Can you share a favorite memory from one of your trips?
A: “I love that I get to spend time with just my dad. We are a lot alike. One of my favorite memories was when we were out fishing, dad kept telling me I had a fish on my line, I didn’t believe him! He finally made me reel in my line, and sure enough, I had a small little fish that was bobbing on my line.”
Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned from these fishing trips that you think everyone should know about fishing?
A: “You have to be patient, don’t go out thinking, ‘I’m going to catch a bunch of fish.’ You definitely have to be very patient.”
Q: What advice would you give to kids who want to try fishing for the first time? How can they make the most out of a fishing trip?
A: “My advice would be to just enjoy the outdoors and if you are lucky, you might actually catch a fish. If you don’t catch one right away, this doesn’t mean that you won’t. You have to keep trying.”
Q: Share a fun fact about your trip.
A: “We saw a baby bear and mama bear in the wild. We saw a moose. One time we did hit a rock in the water and had to fix the boat. Safety is important when out on the boat since it is such a large lake. The lake is approximately 15 miles long.”