Page 17 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 39

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Wishin I was Fishin...
Color

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Claude Collette, Local Ice Fisherman

By Molly Kett to be about, whether it’s a big one, or
the one that got away, or a sighting,

laude Collette, local fisherman or one of your friends catching a big
Cand business owner, started his fi sh and you’re happy for them,”
business “Collette’s Ice Hutt Rentals” says Collette. “They’re all good
about 25 years ago. It started with memories.”
Collette owning a bait and tackle
Collette has had several jobs
shop, as a side job and staying with
including farming, trapping, and
it as something to do during his
engineering at Domtar for 32 years.
retirement. Most days, you’ll find

Collette on Hoople Creek, fishing. “I had bought a bait and tackle

shop as a sideline from working
What does Collette like so much
as an engineer at Domtar,” says
about fishing? “I guess the sport of

Collette. “I decided to put out my

it all, just trying to figure them out,”
own personal shack, and lo and
says Collette. “Out here, with the
behold I was able to rent it from the
shacks and everything, you kind of
shop and so I built 8 and then I built
talk to everybody and there’s kind
another 20. Bought some here, fixed

of a community thing here. Word
some there and started this business,
gets around pretty fast on the river
being that there were no other shacks
here.”
at one time, out here where we are
His earliest memory dates back right now; to a point where there’s,
to when he was 5 or 6 years old, in a good year, 70 and a year like this

“fishing underneath the copper maybe 50.”
dam at Loch Garry, there were just
Winter fishing is by far Collette’s

thousands of minnows there and it
favourite. “Just the hard ice, being
just inspired me ever since then. My
able to walk all over and just the

school teacher, Fran Laflamme, God
cold weather I guess heritage maybe
bless her soul, she got me going onto
from the Collette line. Winter just
doing something you want to do with
impresses me most of all, of all
your life, so I wrote a poem on it in
seasons,” says Collette.
grade nine, still have it, full of errors
and spelling,” says Collette. Of course, Collette’s favourite
place to fish is Hoople Creek, where

This inspiration stayed with
he grew up and eventually grew
Collette all through his life. His
a business. “Our fish are getting

favourite fishing memory up until

bigger, it’s getting more notoriety,”
now, Collette says is hard to pinpoint,
says Collette. “Don’t forget this is
as he’s got so many.
brand new since 1958, so this was
“When fishing you never know farmland, not fi shing territory so it’s

day-to-day what a memory is going all brand new.” Claude Collette with grandson Tristan Photo Submitted

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