![\"Pascal](\"https:\/\/abitibi-temiscamingue.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Pascal-Binette_dor\u00e9.jpg\")
One word to describe my first impression of F\u00e9lix Goulet: credible! When we arrived, the guy was sitting in a boat and yelled out: \u201cYou\u2019re gonna catch a big one today, Pascal Binette!\u201d He\u2019s prepared, friendly, well-equipped, modest, and he knows his stuff. The day got off to a strong start. Almost in front of the Preissac marina, \u201cMaster Goulet\u201d, perched in his Princecraft, detected an appealing drop-off in the bottom of the lake on his sonar screen, which was as big as my living room TV. We talked wind direction, mixing of waters, light in the water, and the visibility of fish in deep water. With my regular fishing buddies, we usually talk about women and, well… that\u2019s about it! I cast a line into the water, heart bursting with hope. The \u201cGuidenator\u201d had armed me with a bottom bouncer rig with six feet of monofilament, and a blue and silver jigger… Two gizmos I\u2019d had in my tackle box that had never seen the light of day. I nonetheless put my faith in the Master. And I was greatly rewarded when I reeled in a magnificent 2\u00bd pound Sander vitreus<\/em> \u2013 better known as a walleye. And so we were off for a day of fishing like you see only on TV \u2013 and, what\u2019s more, that was going to be seen on TV! We circled (thanks to a programmable electric motor) around the underwater structure where that assembly of lovely walleye were holding court. We spent the morning catching beauties, and it was with a tear in my eye that I saw our holding tank fill. For the first time in my life, I heard myself repeating that now-cult mantra in my mind: \u201c16 inches. We\u2019ll put him back in the water…\u201d I was already anxious to go strut my stuff into town, and it wasn\u2019t even noon.<\/p>\n We had lunch on a deserted island before changing spots to tease out smallmouth bass, a fish known to be as combative as Brendan Gallagher, and for its ability to execute jumps worthy of the Cirque du Soleil. That\u2019s when I learned the power of a good guide. We were in a spot that was clearly known to fishers of lac Preissac<\/a>: when we arrived, there were already four or five other boats. F\u00e9lix manoeuvred our boat around them, eyes fixed on his screen, finally stopping a short distance away from the others. It was magical! Our lures didn\u2019t even have time to hit the lake bottom when they were savagely attacked by powerful bass whose vigour is inversely proportional to their size. (Size, after all, isn\u2019t what\u2019s important. It\u2019s tenderness…). So all afternoon, we caught fish. Often two at a time. All under the crestfallen gaze of the fishers around us, who weren\u2019t having nearly as much luck. At some point, we reached the incredible number of 50 fish caught (obviously, we only kept those 12 inches or bigger \u2013 or I should say 12 more tender…). The day was coming to an end, but F\u00e9lix didn\u2019t want to stop there: \u201cIt\u2019s too round a number. Your buddies won\u2019t believe you. We\u2019ll go up to 53. That\u2019s more believable.\u201d<\/p>\n A perfect day of fishing topped off with cold beer paid for by Marika when we got back to the dock! Pure joy. If you want to experience a fairytale day like mine that you\u2019ll be able to rub in your buds\u2019 noses for years to come, hire the extraordinary F\u00e9lix Goulet.<\/p>\n Best wishes, and I hope my story lures you away from your Candy Crush videogame to come play outside in Abitibi-T\u00e9miscamingue. Unforgettable!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Watch episode (French)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Pascal](\"https:\/\/abitibi-temiscamingue.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Pascal-et-Felix.jpg\")