Saturday, May 23, 2026 – 8:45am – Modean’s Point, Lac La Biche Lake
The first paddle of the 2026 season happened later than we had hoped.
A string of inconvenient events kept our schedules from lining up, leaving us landlocked far longer than either of us liked. But on Saturday, May 23, the stars finally aligned.
Stacey picked me up, and we headed toward our second-favourite launch point on Lac La Biche. Modean’s Point. Most locals call it Maccagno’s Point, but years ago we met an elder there named Edgar Ladouceur. He chatted us up with endless questions: Who were we? Did we fish? Where were we from? He was a character and a half. Ever since that day, we’ve called it Modean’s Point in his memory.
Spring storms had dramatically reshaped the shoreline. Massive winds had driven the last of the lake ice onto the south shore, piling it into frozen ridges locals estimated at more than twenty feet high. The storm had passed over two weeks earlier, yet great icy mounds – little frozen icebergs – still lingered along the beach.
They noticeably cooled both the air and the water. We quickly realized insulated rubber boots would have been the wiser choice. The bottom of the canoe was bitterly cold beneath our feet.
We stood for a while admiring the strange beauty of the shoreline before applying sunscreen and slipping on our life jackets – a non-negotiable for us. We never paddle without them.
Then we launched.
A slight northeast breeze skimmed across the lake, though the forecast promised stronger gusts later in the day. Whenever possible, we plan our route around the wind: paddle into it on the way out and let it help push us home when tired arms begin to protest.
We slid our beautiful canoe, Marvin, into the water and headed west.
The icebergs were slowly melting and collapsing into the lake, sending echoing cracks across the shoreline, followed by enormous splashes and rolling waves. It was mesmerizing. Both haunting and beautiful.
The lake itself was nearly mirror-flat. Occasionally, a gust would ripple the surface with tiny waves that tickled the hull. We could hear two distant boats somewhere across the water, though they remained far from us. This is something we appreciated.
Sharing the lake with motorized boats can be unnerving. Once, near Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park, a speeding boat flew past us so closely we barely had time to turn the canoe nose-first into the wake. Waves crashed over the bow and soaked Stacey. We were lucky not to swamp the canoe entirely. I’m not even sure the operator realized we were there.
But this day belonged entirely to Mother Nature.
The wildlife put on a spectacular show.
A loon appeared fairly early in the paddle, a somewhat unusual sighting for us on Lac La Biche. It slipped beneath the water the moment we drifted too near.
Grebes, mallards, and several smaller ducks paddled nervously away from our presence, while a large flock of cormorants swept overhead in dark formation.
But the highlight of the day came perched high atop a spruce tree.
A bald eagle.
Stacey spotted it first. She carefully pulled out her camera while I tried my best to paddle smoothly and quietly. Our efforts paid off. The eagle remained perfectly still as we glided past beneath it, allowing Stacey to capture several beautiful photographs.
Eventually, it was time for one of our favourite canoeing traditions: rock hounding.
We beached Marvin and awkwardly climbed ashore. Early-season paddles always remind us how unaccustomed our hips and legs are to sitting cramped inside a canoe. Stretching our legs felt wonderful.
Over the winter, I acquired new rock-picking containers. It is a two-piece Tupperware steamer tray that I hoped would help us screen and sort stones more efficiently. I have grand dreams of someday using it to prospect for precious minerals and gemstones.
I handed the bottom tray to Stacey, and we spread out along the shoreline.
This stretch of beach, roughly halfway between Modean’s Point and Ulliac Beach, was unfamiliar territory for us. Rocky and shaded by poplar, birch, and spruce, it would later in the summer become thick with stinging nettle.
We kicked aside last season’s leaves and began hunting for treasures.
Stacey found what appeared to be a piece of bone. We’ve developed our own highly scientific field test for this: if it feels tacky when touched with a damp finger, it’s bone rather than stone. I dampened my finger, touched the specimen, and confirmed the verdict.
Bone.
She let me keep it.
Every rock-hounding trip seems to develop its own theme. Mine this time was white stones. Stacey had large flat rocks. Many were too large to fit into our new sorting containers. She stacked several in shallow water so we could retrieve them on the return trip.
Spring excursions also tend to reveal far more than rocks.
Over the years, we’ve discovered Mylar balloons, hats, fishing gear, beach toys, and once even an old metal wagon wheel. Yes, we haul all of it out. This trip yielded a red rubber ball, a beach pail, and far too many discarded fish-bait containers.
That part is always disheartening.
We’ve attended several lake-health information sessions hosted by Lac La Biche County, and the same question always arises: how can we improve the lake’s health?
The answer begins with all of us doing better.
Lakefront owners and recreational users alike have a responsibility to protect these waters. Simple actions matter:
- Reduce fertilizer and pesticide use near shorelines and wetlands.
- Leave larger natural buffer zones unmowed and unaltered near the water.
- Plant native shrubs and trees
- Prevent invasive species by cleaning, draining, and drying boats and gear.
- Properly dispose of fishing line, bait containers, and trash.
- Keep oils, fuel, soaps, and cleaning products out of the lake.
- Participate in local conservation and shoreline stewardship efforts.
Healthy lakes do not happen accidentally. They survive because communities choose to care for them.
Eventually, we stop picking rocks. We hydrate and have a snack. A quick glance at the clock surprised us. Time disappears quickly when spent outdoors with good company and good conversation.
Soon enough, we packed our gear and slid Marvin back into the water.
The timing turned out to be perfect.
The wind had strengthened considerably, pushing hard against the canoe broadside and trying to shove us toward shore while we searched for Stacey’s hidden rock stash. Once she scooped up her treasures, we both focused fully on keeping the canoe tracking straight.
Before long, we were back at the launch point.
The icebergs continued calving under the noon sun.
Crack.
Splash.
We go ashore to inspect them more closely. Some slabs were nearly eight inches thick. Thin sections glowed translucent in the sunlight like sheets of blue glass.
I could have watched them all day.
Eventually Marvin was loaded, the truck packed, and we headed home after a perfect morning on the water.
And with summer finally underway, we’re already looking forward to many more adventures ahead – beginning with the La Biche Walleye Cup on June 12 and 13. Your Local Buzz has been hired to help promote the event, which means we’ll be spending two full days on the water capturing the action.
We can’t wait.
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