It was our first morning at the Old Post and Village and after a hot and hearty breakfast, Lil and I were enjoying our second cup of fresh, drip coffee. A number of other anglers, mostly Americans, were doing the same in the small but spacious dining quarters. For the past several hours, we had all been entertained with a rather vicious thunderstorm which, to my chagrin, had seemed to focus on the old graveyard overlooking the lodge. Finally, the storm had quieted.

John Grace, proprietor and manager of The Old Post and Village, chose that moment to rise to the floor and reintroduce himself. The tranquillity of the moment was broken.

Lil and I had come to do a feature article on Lake St. Joseph for ONTARIO OUT OF DOORS magazine. So, in addition to hopefully having a good time fishing, we had a job to do. As John droned on, I tried to concentrate, but it was hard. Oh well, I thought, there are a lot worse jobs than this.

Then again, maybe I was wrong.

"Gentlemen, and ladies, what I want to stress to you is that when you fish Lake St. Joe there are MNR rules and there are John Grace rules," with that little gem of a statement, John had succeeded in getting my attention.

I was now trying to focus as the comment had really startled me. In addition to being an outdoor writer, I'm a biologist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, or 'MNR', as referred to by John. I was also at least partially responsible for the implementation of size limits for walleye and pike. Knowing what some people thought of size limits, I felt a tad squeamish hearing John approach the subject.

"First, with respect to walleyes, the MNR says you can have only one walleye bigger than 50 cm. That's a little over 19 inches. I agree with that rule, " said John.

I looked for a reaction from the gang but could detect nary a wince or blink of an eye. Whew, I thought, no problem there, But it sounded like he was leading up to something. Then I recalled some MNR gossip about John being a bit 'off the wall', and had a thing about the MNR. My stomach churned.

"The MNR says you can keep one northern greater than 70 centimetres. I don't agree!"

I gasped for air.

By now, I could sense John was getting excited. I wanted to leave. It didn't help that my coffee was gone. I began to sweat.

With a mischievous little grin, John looked over at me and continued his spiel.

"No one", he glanced again, "For any reason, keeps any northern greater than 70 centimetres. And I prefer no one even fishes for northern without using barbless hooks. Along with that we totally discourage the use of landing nets. We don't say you can't use them, but we will be glad to show you the proper method of hand landing the larger fish. Nets are the biggest KILLER of our large pike. At this time over 40% of customers don't use nets and our guides never use them. That's not what MNR says, that's what John Grace says! Those are the rules! Any questions?"

Obviously, John's guests, unlike Lil and I, had heard the story before. Not a peep of discontent. A few piped up to agree wholeheartedly with his approach, lending to a brief but lively discussion on the merits of letting big fish go free. It was obvious everyone was expecting to catch a lot of fish, including big ones.

I felt much better, and went up for another coffee refill. Full of coffee, I could hardly wait to get to a washroom and out on the lake. Like everyone else, I had high expectations for some spectacular fishing.

Over the next few days, fishing was everything I had hoped for. Lil and I caught dozens of walleye, the largest an honest 7 pounds, and a half a dozen 'gator sized northerns between 12 and 17 pounds. We lost even bigger pike, mostly due to our inexperience with fish of that size, but some of our fellow anglers did manage to hit and exceed the magic 20 pound plus mark. Everyone was more than pleased, including John.

Lake St. Joseph is truly a great lake. It has miles and miles of water that just screams 'fish', with some of the most classic structure for walleye and pike imaginable. And no matter what time of the year you go, you can count on being put on fish because of guides like Mike Willems. Like Mike, all of John's guides are truly professional and a fountain of knowledge. While anyone can catch fish on Lake St. Joe, guides like Mike will more than triple your success, and can eliminate worries about smacking into the scores of treacherous, prop eating rocks and reefs that are everywhere.

For Lake St. Joe, the future looks bright, in no small part because of concerned people like John Grace. John, his wife Wendy, and others like them love the lake and know what's needed to manage it for future generations.

Walleye and northern pike fishing on Lake St. Joseph is definitely world-class. But when you tire of fishing - and you will - be sure to find a moment to sit down with John to hear some of the rich history and lore of the lake. Especially make sure to request a story or two about the lodge site itself and the graveyard above.

Take my advice, though, and do it after a storm not when one is raging. There's just something about ghost stories that, well, you know ... The Old Post and Village. A wonderful place in the wilds of northern Ontario. After your first visit, you'll want to return again and again. I know Lil and I will be back.

Bruce Ranta