HEADLINE:
BY SCOTT HADDOW
Wild Northerner staff
Andy Lalonde is a true Wild Northerner.
From chasing brook trout in remote rivers with waders and a canoe in Ontario to hunting caribou in Northern Canada to bringing family fishing and camping, Lalonde always has adventure on his mind when he gets the opportunity to go.
“Absolutely, whatever I am doing outdoors, it has to be adventurous,” the 41-year-old said. “That is what it is all about for me. It’s more than just fishing or hunting for me. It actually sets me at ease. I love doing it. Getting outdoors and on a remote river or lake, it lets me be myself.”
Lalonde owns and operates his own landscaping business. Lalonde has been doing that since 2005, but he has worked in the landscaping industry since 1996. Lalonde grew up in a family that put a high value on the outdoors and what it provided for the mind, body and spirit. Lalonde’s father, Marcel, was a well known and highly respected walleye and tournament angler, who also wrote articles for a national magazine. Lalonde’s mother, Jackie, was also a big influence on him, and his sister, Michelle. The kids went where their parents went and that involved fishing and hunting.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Lalonde said with a hardy laugh.
By his mid teens, Lalonde was embarking on his own adventures. Marcel got his son hooked on steelhead fishing. In this, it also planted the seed for Lalonde’s ultimate outdoors passion – chasing fish on a river. This is where it was all born for Lalonde. Going after trout on rivers showed him adventure and fishing go hand-in-hand.
“I liked the challenge of wading or running a river or both,” he said. “It brought adventure to me. If I get a free day and anything goes, I am hitting a river. Every time. I find rivers more productive and fun. It makes for a great adventure. The river is always changing. You never know what will be around the next bend. I also feel confident on a river. I love float fishing and hitting every riff in the river on a run.”