Who would drive an ATV through 4 miles of muddy trails (one way!) just to go to camp for a few hours? The Fencil family did. So did Justin and I to hear the stories of the 30-06 Camp on the South Branch of the Ontonagon River. We met up with a side by side ATV and three 3-wheelers carrying Todd Fencil, his wife, 2 kids and his father Joe at the end of Polvi Road in Ewen. I thought it was an adventure to get to my camp. It takes over an hour and a half to get to this camp.  So long there are designated stops along the trail to enjoy a cold beverage, relax for a few minutes and share some stories.

I filled up an entire 32 gigabyte SD card with footage from the day. Video cameras now record to tiny little SD cards that can hold 3 hours of video. I find it amazing. Gone are the days of tape.  The interview with Todd and Joe took an hour and twelve minutes. Plus the ride in, a tour of the camp, chatting at the table with the family, shots of the river, the outside of the camp from different angles, and I have a few hours of footage to log and edit. I would love to show it all now, but like that ground level GoPro shot, you will have to wait for the finished film.

During my interview at Hecter's Camp last month, Ralph Sackett showed me a letter left at his camp from a gentleman named Marty Kiepke from Hazelhurst, Wisconsin asking permission to park at his camp to fish the Middle Branch Ontonagon River. Ralph called him to let him know that it was okay and even where the key was to stay the night.

On Monday morning I met with Marty, a veteran and retired Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Technician, for a cup of coffee at Char’s Café in Bruce Crossing before he headed out fishing for the day. He kindly agreed to let me tag along with my camera to capture his thoughts on the leased camps along the river and to see if he is as good of a trout fisherman as he claimed to be. I believe it’s a good addition to the film to get an outside perspective from someone who is not a camp leaseholder. Who better than someone (not local) who has fished the Middle Branch for over 50 years!  Here is a little clip of what Marty had to say:

While filming Marty on the river I was pretty close to being a nervous wreck. To get a good angle on him and since he was moving up and down stream I had to be IN the water. Holding $3,500 in camera gear. Trying not to slip on the rocks beneath my men’s size 11 hip boots. I wear a size 9, in women’s shoes. Wading in the river was a first for me. Thankfully Marty carried the camera across the river for me while I got comfortable walking through it and getting to the other, more shallow side. Getting quality, in-focus, right exposure video while keeping my balance and getting bit by deer flies was extremely tough. Plus the bright sun on the LCD screen made it hard as well to see if I was in focus (a hood for the LCD screen is now on my shopping list). I now have a lot more respect for camera crews on fishing shows. Sparkling water made it tough to focus on the fish that Marty caught!

On our drive to the river earlier that day hundreds of little butterflies fluttered along the road in the patches of sun. Marty was worried that it might be a “butterfly day” which I believe he meant by poor fishing due to the bright sun.  Marty and I were on the river for about a half hour or so (I lose track of time while filming). In that time he caught and released 7 brooke trout and missed a handful more. Marty emailed me that evening to say he caught 46 more brookies after we wrapped our interview. I will say he is a pretty talented fisherman and a great addition to the film and its mission to keep the camps in the Ottawa. And it was not a butterfly day, for fishing anyways.