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Passing of the pike - the new army way

Mike W. Bryant
Staff columnist
Friday, June 20, 2008

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I was standing in the bow of the boat, nervously caressing the fish cradle as the brigadier-general desperately tried to halt the massive pike from diving into the murky depths of Fartknocker Cove.

She was as long as a paddle and thicker than a wheel of Camembert cheese. All Brig.-Gen. Chris Whitecross could do was lower her steely gaze on the big fish and hope for the best.

But alas, with the fish almost played out and my cradle lowered to capture her, the pike made a final run and the eight-pound test Spider Wire line on the reel snapped with a twang that drilled our ears and sunk our spirits.

The fish was gone and no army could stop her, not even Whitecross, who the next day would relinquish her command of Joint Task Force North and leave the North for Ottawa.

There would be no passing of the pike - at least not that pike - to her replacement, Brig.-Gen. Dave Millar, who was trying to unpin a far lesser fartknocker at the back of the boat while Whitecross was still battling the leviathan.

"I think the advice I was given was faulty," said Whitecross, fixing me with a hard stare as the limp line piled around her feet.

"I was holding the tip up, I was keeping some good line, and then I think somebody went and tried to speed the fish up to get it into the net and she broke the line."

Yes, it was my shame, and it wasn't the first time something like this happened. Randy from the Trailer Park Boys had an absolute monster - the biggest pike I had ever seen - on the line when he, myself and Lahey were out at the Mink Farm last year. Sweat was pouring off his fat belly as the behemoth neared the boat. I was already fantasizing about the picture I would take of Randy and Lahey with this enormous creature - one I was sure would fetch me a pretty penny if I were to pitch it to Portly Angler magazine.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a net so when I reached out and grabbed it by the tail to haul it in I lost my grip and the beast fell back into the water and snapped the line. It was a bummer.

"It was fun actually," said Whitecross, in an attempt to lift me out of my shameful gloom.

"That was the biggest fish I almost ever caught. The biggest before that was only 14 or 15 pounds."

At least we tried, I reckon. By and by, our party, which included the two brigadier-generals, Whitecross' husband Ian, and Summer Halliday, Joint Task Force North's public affairs advisor, did quite well despite the loss of the big one. We had plenty of pike pretty much jumping right into the boat - a fitting end to Whitecross' two-year stint in Yellowknife.

I have to say I'm a big fan of our military so it was pretty swell having two officers of such distinguished rank join me for evening of haulin' fartknockers.

I've never served myself other than a stint with the Winnipeg sea cadets as a teenager, which was a strange time.

Whitecross and company were a hoot to go fishin' with. I hope to see them again real soon.

"This was, bar none, one of the best postings I ever had," said Whitecross.

Cheers, when you come back we'll try and get that big one again.

- Mike W. Bryant is Assignment editor for Northern News Services