Summer 2012 by Real Fishing

Canada Post Mail Product Agreement No. 40015689

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 2 Just $3.95

Summer 2012

DISPLAY UNTIL OCTOBER 2012

RIVER FISHING SECRETS REVEALED!

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ultimate edge...

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Contents Features 32 THE SILVER LINING on SUMMER SALMON FISHING The straight goods on summer salmon fishing from two of Ontario’s top charter operators. By Jonathan LePera

41 MORNING ON THE BOW RIVER Alberta’s Bow River forms the backdrop for an unforgettable morning of fishing. By Jeff Holmlund

46 PIKE PATTERNS: BLADES AND WEEDS Hot weather tactics for mid-summer pike. By Lawrence Taylor

51 FISHING MAGIC IN THE WATERS OF HAIDA GWAII An inside look at Langara Lodge’s annual women’s salmon derby. By Val Hunter

57 ROLLIN’ ON A RIVER Ontario’s rivers offer a host of fishing opportunities for a variety of species. Here’s how to get in on the action. By Geoff Coleman

Summer 2012 Volume 18, Issue 3 Editor Jerry Hughes Art Production Rossi Piedimonte Design Publisher Fred Delsey

Columns

National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679 President Wayne Izumi Contributors Geoff Coleman, Patrick Daradick, Jeff Holmlund, Val Hunter, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Jonathan LePera, Steve May, Jason Mohring, Dave Taylor, Lawrence Taylor Real Fishing is published by Izumi Outdoors Inc. 940 Sheldon Court Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Tel: (905) 632-8679 Fax: (905) 632-2833 Privacy Policy: Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our subscribers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list and not receive these mailings, please write to us at the above address.

We welcome manuscripts, but will not be held responsible for loss of manuscripts, photos or other materials. Published four times each year: January (Winter) April (Spring) July (Summer) October (Fall) One year subscription is $9.95. For USA add $10 all others add $30. Subscriptions: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6

6 OPENING LINES

20 THE WATER’S EDGE

By Jerry Hughes

By Dave Taylor

10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC

22 THE VINTAGE TACKLE BOX

News, trivia, event listings and more from the world of fishing

By Patrick Daradick

24 REAL FISHING FISH FACTS 14 WHAT’S NEW

Smallmouth Bass

The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories

16 FISHING By Bob Izumi

18 FLY FISHING By Steve May

Subscription inquiries Please call: 1-877-474-4141 or visit www.realfishing.com

26 BEST FISHING TIMES

Canada Post Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40015689 Customer Account No. 2723816 GST Registration No. R102546504

Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar

Postmaster: Please return front cover/label only of undeliverables to: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6

28 THE HOT BITE 60 TALES FROM THE ROAD

The trials and tribulations of life as a professional angler By Bob Izumi

65 WHAT’S COOKING On the cover: Summer Salmon! Photo by Izumi Outdoors

66 ART OF ANGLING

opening lines By Jerry Hughes

Diversity As anglers we’re so fortunate to live in a country like Canada that offers such a diverse range of fish species and fishing opportunities. From Prairie lakes to Coastal rivers; from high-country streams to the Great Lakes, there are a myriad of water types to cast our lines into. From bass, trout, salmon, pike and walleye to panfish, carp and sturgeon (to name just a few) the list of fish available to us includes something to suit just about anyone. Here at Real Fishing we’ve sampled fishing all across Canada and have come to the conclusion that it doesn’ t matter where we fish or what we fish for. What’s important is the thrill and enjoyment we derive from our time on the water. Our mandate is, and has always been, twofold: to share the variety in fishing through our television show, magazine, website and radio programme so that anglers can get a taste of what fellow anglers are experiencing, even if they live on the other side of the country; and to inform and educate so that you can be more successful on your local waters. Oftentimes the two cross paths and patterns and techniques are shared, resulting in greater success for everyone. Great Lakes salmon anglers adopting West Coast trolling techniques for example. Prairie walleye tactics showing up in Ontario and Quebec. You get the idea. This issue of Real Fishing follows that mandate with a range of stories celebrating our diversity while offering a number of transferrable tips and techniques that can be applied anywhere. If open-water salmon are your game, Jonathan LePera’s article on the Great Lakes will not only show Ontario based anglers how it’s done; it provides some ideas that can be successful anywhere that salmon swim. At the other end of the scale, Jeff Holmlund’s tale of trout fishing on 6 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

Alberta’s Bow River includes a wealth of information that river anglers everywhere can benefit from. And while we’re on the topic of river fishing, check out Geoff Coleman’s piece on fishing rivers for muskies, walleyes, bass and salmon. While the story comes from Geoff’s experiences in southern Ontario, the tactics can be applied right across the country. This issue also includes a feature on mid-summer pike fishing with a unique technique that will have

them jumping on your bait, regardless of where you fish. Also in this issue, Val Hunter takes us on the water for a unique, women-only salmon tournament. The female perspective on fishing certainly differs from that of most men, but there’s no question that the love of the sport crosses genders. Val’s article isn’t so much about technique as it is a reminder that fishing isn’t just a game for the guys. While women and men might go fishing for different reasons, ultimately they both derive the same level of enjoyment from it. And isn’t that what fishing is all about? No matter where you live or what you fish for, we hope this summer brings you the kind of fishing experience you dream of. And if this issue of Real Fishing gives you some ideas that help you accomplish that, then we’ve done our job. Have fun and stay safe out there! ?

Bait Tackle Tims

ÂŠ Tim Hortons, 2012

FISHING FOREVER On May 24, Fishing Forever hosted its annual fundraising golf tournament at the Turtle Creek Golf Club in Milton, Ontario. One of the highlights of this year’s event was a $25,000 hole-in-one prize towards the purchase of a brand new, special edition, Real Fishing Chevy Silverado from Bolton Motors. Although no one was able to ace the hole, there were some nail biting moments as a couple of balls just squeaked past the pin. After a great day on the links, over 100 fishing industry folks, suppliers, sponsors, pro anglers and golf aficionados got together for a great catered meal, followed by an auction of fishing and outdoor gear, clothing, art and other items. Thanks to the generosity of the golfers and bidders, a number of Ontario’s fisheries and conservation projects will receive an infusion of much needed cash to help preserve and enhance our wonderful outdoor resources.

Putting Champion, Leo Capobianco

8 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

All it takes is one great shot...

Fresh perch – yum!

GOLF TOURNAMENT

Relaxing at the 19th hole.

Big Fish Winner, Dan Thorne

The old fishing hole.

Summer 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Fishing 9

THE ANGLING ISLANDER

Ever since Paul Elias won the FLW Tour Open on Lake Guntersville last October with an Umbrella or Alabama rig, bass anglers have been rushing to use them. In Ontario, there has been some confusion over the legality of these rigs, due to their original design that could carry up to five lures at once. To clear things up, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has released a fact sheet that outlines the specifics of using these rigs in Ontario. The sheet states that an Umbrella rig with five hooks or lures attached is not permitted for use in the province. However, if it is modified to four strands or arms, and can only carry four hooks, it is allowed. Attaching four crankbaits or other hard-body lures with more than one treble hook per lure to the rig is not permitted. To see the full fact sheet, visit the Ministry’s website at www.mnr.gov.on.ca and type “Umbrella Rig” into the search bar.

Josh Bailey is one of the NHL’s brightest young stars. At 22-years-old, he already has four professional seasons under his belt. Bailey plays forward for the New York Islanders and recently scored his 100th career point. The Bowmanville, Ontario native grew up skating on Canadian lakes, harnessing his hockey skills, but that wasn’t the only sport he took up. Bailey’s father and grandfather have fished all their lives and passed on the family hobby to Josh at a young age. Winters were meant for hockey, but all summer long, on family trips to the country, Josh always carried his fishing pole. He’s been in love with it ever since. “I’ve always fished for bass,” Bailey said. “That’s what I know best and prefer to fish for, but I’ve been trying to get into muskie fishing. It’s a little more time consuming though, and I usually don’t have the patience. I like to get out there and catch some fish.” “Last summer, one of my teammates, Micheal Haley, came up to my cottage on Buckhorn Lake to fish with me,” Bailey said. “I’m sure if I could get other guys on the team out to my cottage and catching some fish, they’d be hooked, too.” Josh says he’s really lucky to have grown up in Ontario and spend his off seasons there. “There are so many lakes and so many fish back home it can be tough to leave when you know you have so much success nearby.”

An Umbrella rig carrying no more than four hooks in total is legal in Ontario.

Umbrella rigs with five or more hooks in total are not allowed in Ontario.

IT’S CONTEST TIME! to fish with Bob Izumi. Along with the grand prize, there are 50 weekly prizes of a $50 Canadian Tire gift certificate to be won. Drop into your local Canadian Tire store and look for the contest display or visit www.realfishing.com for details and entry information. SC Johnson’s Win with Off! Contest is offering a grand prize of a trip NTEST CO T EN for two to fish with Bob TM EA EL TR 4® ETHANOL FU D R UA G and a Shimano fishing SE A PH IP CRC E PAID TR AN ALL-EXPENS USIVE gear package. Second CL EX E YOU TH TO FOR TWO RAL TREAT IN CENT COULD prize is an ultimate BARK LAKE RE Y AR H WITH LEGEND ONTARIO TO FIS . MI camping package from IZU B BO ER CANADIAN ANGL eive an er will also rec Coleman and third prize nn wi st nte co Each ck. outdoor prize pa is a Coleman day trip BE package. For all the PLUS, CRC WILL 0 A $5 GIVING AWAY GIFT details and to enter CANADIAN TIRE If you’ve ever wanted to go fishing with Bob Izumi, here’s your chance. Thanks to the folks at SC Johnson and at CRC Industries we’ve got two great contests where you could win a day of fishing with Bob. CRC Industries, makers of PhaseGuard 4 Ethanol Fuel Treatment, is giving away an allexpense paid fishing trip for two

N WIIN

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10 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

continues pg. 11

GETTY IMAGES

ONTARIO CLARIFIES RULES ON UMBRELLA RIGS

READ ALL ABOUT IT Stalking Trophy Brown Trout: A Fly-Fisher’s Guide to Catching the Biggest Trout of Your Life By John Holt

The most secretive of the trout family, but also the most aggressive, brown trout are a paradox among freshwater fish. Their predatory nature is rivalled only by the pike family. Among fishermen, they are an object of endless fascination and speculation. After a lifetime of fishing the West, John Holt has reached a point where he regularly catches monster browns weighing more than five-pounds. Most anglers would give their eye teeth to reproduce this success. With detailed descriptions of his unusual techniques, and with some surprising, often counterintuitive revelations about what works and what doesn’t, this book passes along all the author's secrets. Softcover: $24.95, 9.3” x 7.5” - 196 Pages, ISBN: 78-0-7627-7389-3 Lyons Press, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press, 246 Goose Lane, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437 www. lyonspress.com

IT’S CONTEST TIME! the contest, visit www.offcontest.ca or www.realfishing.com and click on the contest button, or head to your local Canadian Tire store and look for the contest display. ®

W in with

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FISHES of TORONTO A Guide to Their Remarkable World Fishes of Toronto: A Guide to Their Remarkable World contains information on the city’s fish history, anatomy, ecology, habitat and more. There are sections on coldwater, coolwater and warmwater fishes, the effort to reintroduce Atlantic salmon to Lake Ontario, as well as chapters on endangered and introduced species. Fishes of Toronto includes a variety of full-colour photos and illustrations. The booklets are available for free at branches of the Toronto Public Library or for a small fee at the Royal Ontario Museum. Softcover: Available at your local City of Toronto Public Library branch. 7.25” x 10” - 80 Pages, ISBN: 978-1-895739-63-3 Published by the City of Toronto www.toronto.ca/planning/environment/biodiversity.htm

E V E N T S Calendar NEW BRUNSWICK SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION Bass Tournaments May - September Various locations in New Brunswick www.nbsportfishing.net RENEGADE BASS TOUR July - August Various locations in Eastern Ontario 613-913-4527 www.renegadebass.com CSFL BASS TOURNAMENTS July - September Various locations in Ontario Tel: 905-640-2277 www.csfl.ca KIDS, COPS & CANADIAN TIRE FISHING DAYS July - September Various dates and locations Tel: 905-632-8679 www.kidsandcops.ca

PRO BASS CANADA July - August Various locations in Quebec www.probasscanada.com QUINTE FISHING SERIES Bass Tournaments July - August Bay of Quinte Belleville, ON www.quintefishing.com TOP BASS FISHING SERIES July - August Various locations in Ontario 905-727-8496 www.top-bass.ca NATIONAL FISHING WEEK July 7 - 15 Events scheduled across Canada Tel: 705-745-8433 www.catchfishing.com GREAT ONTARIO SALMON DERBY July 7 - August 25 Lake Ontario Tel: 905-361-5246 www.greatontariosalmonderby.ca

TEMISKAMING SMALLMOUTH BASS SERIES July - August Various locations in North-Central Ontario Tel: 705-563-8307

KENORA BASS INTERNATIONAL August 9, 10, 11 Lake of the Woods Kenora, ON www.kbifishing.com

www.temiskamingsmallmouthbass.com

OWEN SOUND SALMON SPECTACULAR August 24 - September 2 Georgian Bay Owen Sound, ON www.sydenhamsportsmen.com

FORT FRANCES CANADIAN BASS CHAMPIONSHIP July 26 - 28 Canadian waters of Rainy Lake Fort Frances, ON Tel: 807-274-2028 www.canadianbass.com THE CANADIAN OPEN OF FISHING Bass Tournament July 19, 20, 21 Lake Ontario Kingston, ON Tel: 905-640-2277 www.csfl.ca CHANTRY CHINOOK CLASSIC July 28 - August 12 Lake Huron Kincardine, ON Tel: 519-797-3514

BELLEVILLE POLICE ASSOCIATION CHARITY FISHING DERBY September 10 Moira Lake Highway 62 south of Madoc pcomeau@police.belleville.on.ca BERKLEY B1 CANADIAN BASS OPEN September 22 - 23 Lake St. Francis Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC 514-909-7185 www.berkleyb1.com

http://64.177.125.54/Chantry/index.htm

Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 11

READER’S PHOTOS Brendan Zietsma Wilsonville, ON Pike

Send us a photo of your best catch and you could see your picture in a future issue of Real Fishing Magazine! Send photos to: Real Fishing, 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington, ON L7L 5K6

Mackenzie Eeley London, ON Largemouth Bass

Rick McCrory Pointe Claire, QC Lake Trout

Jonathan Lepera Port Robinson, ON Catfish

Ken Chong Scarborough, ON Chinook Salmon

12 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

Catch BOB on the Tube! BOB IZUMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REAL FISHING SHOW SCHEDULE Bob and Bob in Oklahoma Costa Rica Run B.C. Feast Watsit Jigging at Old Post New Jersey Stripers Big Bass in Oklahoma Bring the Fuzz Catching and Cooking Peacock Bass in the Amazon 3 Bobs in a Boat Late Season Smallmouth Georgian Bay Pike Winter Fishing Options

July 7 July 14 July 21 July 28 August 4 August 11 August 18 August 25 September 1 September 8 September 15 September 22 September 29

STATION LISTING & AIRING TIMES* MARKET

PROV./STATE

STATION

DATE & AIR TIMES

Atlantic Canada

Global (CIHF)

Saturday 10:00 am

Calgary

Global (CICT)

Saturday 10:30 am

Edmonton

Global (CITV)

Saturday 10:30 pm

Manitoba

Global (CKND)

Saturday 9:30 am

Ontario

Global (CIII)

Saturday 9:30 am

Quebec

Global (CKMI)

Saturday 10:00 am

Regina

Global (CFRE)

Saturday 9:30 am

Saskatoon

Global (CFSK)

Saturday 9:30 am

Vancouver

Global (CHAN)

Saturday 10:30 am

Canada/USA

WFN

Check www.wfn.tv for dates and times

*Station listings, airtimes and show descriptions are subject to change. Please refer to your local television listings for the latest show schedules.

NEW

What’s

2012

REAL FISHING SILVERADO Bolton GM has just announced their exclusive Special Edition Real Fishing Chevy Silverado, a truck designed specifically with anglers and outdoorsmen in mind. Featuring a 5.3 litre flex-fuel V8 engine, six-speed transmission, heavy duty cooling system, heavy duty trailering package, locking rear differential, 17-inch custom aluminum wheels and a chrome accessories package including running boards, door handles and mirror caps, this truck works as good as it looks. Creature comforts include dual-zone climate controls, an AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with a USB/iPod input jack, Bluetooth for your phone and steering wheel controls. Best of all, you can drive one away today and pay zero percent interest financing for up to 72 months. The Special Edition Real Fishing Chevy Silverado is only available through Bolton GM and only for a limited time.

www.boltongm.ca

MAGIC CARPET CGear’s new Sand-Free Mat and Sand-Free Rug keep sand and dirt on the ground, not on you or your boat. The unique patented construction allows sand & dirt to fall through the weave without coming back up, creating a sand, dirt and dust-free environment. The Sand-Free Rug and Mat will not absorb moisture or dirt, making them the ideal blankets to keep in the car for the beach, picnics, or any other outdoor activities. Sand-Free mats and rugs are available in a variety of sizes and colours to suit any application.

www.cgear-sandfree.com

COLEMAN INSTANT TENT Coleman® Instant Tents are the easiest tents to set up, going up or down in less than 60-seconds. They are available in four spacious sizes, from the 8’ x 7’, 4-person model to the 14’ x 10’ family size version that can accommodate up to 10 people. All of them feature the Coleman® WeatherTec™ system that is guaranteed to keep family campers dry. With tent material twice the thickness of normal tents and leak-free seams, the Instant Tent is a great choice for family camping in all weather conditions. For campers who are just getting started, or experienced campers who are looking for a more convenient tent, the Coleman® Instant Tent allows you to start the fun sooner. Coleman® Instant Tents are available exclusively at Canadian Tire.

www.colemancanada.ca

14 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

We welcome submissions from manufacturers and distibutors for our New Products section. Products that appear in this section have not necessarily been tested or endorsed by the staff at Real Fishing. Submissions can be sent to: Editor, Real Fishing Magazine, 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington, ON L7L 5K6

LINDY RIVER ROCKER Lindy is adding four new colours to its River Rocker line up – Chameleon, Black Eye, Firetiger and Raider - bringing the number of choices to 21. The River Rocker has a curved profile and stabilizing shape that produces a wide, rocking wobble. Whether it’s cast or trolled, this exaggerated action will draw strikes from a variety of species. The extremely versatile River Rocker is often cast, flat-line trolled or used with downriggers, but it truly shines when utilized in fast-running waters.

www.lindyfishingtackle.com

SHARPEN UP The Chef’sChoice® Sportsman™ 4635 Diamond Hone® Knife Sharpener is a new, professional, manual three-stage knife sharpener that applies a super-sharp and durable edge on fishing and light hunting knives, pocket knives, serrated knives as well as on 15° and 20° edge household knives. Featuring a clearly labeled and dedicated stage for fishing knives, another for hunting knives, and a third stage used for serrated knives and for honing, it's fast, safe and easy to use. The Chef’sChoice® Sportsman™ 4635 creates a razor sharp, double-beveled, archshaped edge that is stronger, lasts longer and is safe for any quality of knife.

www.chefschoice.com

NEW MEPPS® TIMBER DOODLE® The TD1 Timber Doodle is a Syclops spoon with a welded-in single hook on the underside. The hook includes a barbed pin on the upper portion of the spoon to anchor the head of a plastic trailer you use to make the spoon weedless. The TD1 is 2-1/2-inches in length, weighs ½-ounce and comes in four colours. It can be fished quickly in shallow weedy areas that would snag most other spoons or it can be fished in deep weeds with a slow, wobbling retrieve. The TD1 is a multi-species spoon ideal for pike, walleye and bass.

www.mepps.ca

Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 15

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

The Shady Side of Bass Fishing It’s amazing how many fish you can catch during low light periods by fishing above, or outside of, the weeds. I’m talking about catching them on lures like the Havoc Grass Pig, which is a great lure for both smallmouth and largemouth. It’s a swimbait that I like to rig on a 1/8-ounce, weighted, big-belly hook. You can take a lure like a Grass Pig, or a buzzbait or a spinnerbait or a crankbait, and cover the water and catch a ton of fish on weed flats when the sun isn’t really beating down. But when the sun is beating down at its heaviest, and you’ve got mile high skies and maybe no wind, shade can play a big, big role in your success rate. The fact is, shade is an ambush spot for predatory fish to sit in. Not only do they get out of the sunlight, they sit in the shade waiting to dart out and eat baitfish or any other thing that they may be feeding on. Shade lines can vary from hour to hour as the sun moves across the sky throughout the Thick weeks offer great cover for big largemouth bass.

16 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

day. For example, if you’ve got a weedline that runs north and south, the eastern side of it will be in the sun for most of the morning. The fish using this weedline will tuck back into the weeds several feet or more when the sun is pounding the edge of it. Later in the day, when the sun has moved to the west, that same weedline will cast shadows to the east and the fish will move out, closer to the eastern edge and out into the shaded, open water beyond the weed edge. You really have to pay attention to little details like this. When I wear my polarized sunglasses and I’m fishing visible cover I’ll look to see where the shade line is and I’ll make sure that my presentation is in the shade. I may even cast beyond the spot I want to fish and drag the lure into the shaded strike zone. That shaded strike zone could be anywhere from six-inches or a foot long - if it’s beside a weed clump, a stump or a rock - to 50-feet long or more if it’s along a weedline, shoal or shoreline. It all depends on the type of area and where the sun is positioned. At the recent FLW Tour Open on Lake Okeechobee the real key was fishing for largemouth bass in and around the shaded areas along some of the shorelines. If there were any reeds or floating mats of weeds or hyacinths blown in around these reeds those largemouth would be sitting in the shade. Even though this was a Florida tournament, the same holds true for fishing bass up here in the north. We have won countless tournaments by fishing very small pockets of shade, looking for isolated fish. I can’t tell you how many hundreds of bass we’ve caught over the years by just looking for isolated pieces of cover - anything from a small stand of lily pads to an overhanging tree to a floating mat of weeds. I’ll never forget 20-plus years ago when Wayne and I were practicing for a tournament up on Georgian Bay. We each had a

boat and we decided to run about 50-miles north of Midland to fish some of the remote areas of the Moon River basin and Parry Sound areas. I would take one area and Wayne would take another. I remember meeting up with him later in the morning and he said, “I found the biggest largemouth I’ve ever seen on Georgian Bay! It’s well over seven-pounds.” “What was it sitting in?” I asked. “It was in a garbage bag,” he replied. Wayne had come across a garbage bag that was in the water. He flipped to the shady side of it and the bass came out, into the crystal clear, two-foot deep water, and ate his lure. Wayne didn’t set the hook – he shook the fish off and it swam right back under the garbage bag. Needless to say, we were pretty excited. The irony is, we went to fish that garbage bag during the tournament and, sure enough, the bag was gone. It had either blown away or the current took it or somebody picked it up. If there hadn’t have been such a big fish living under the bag we definitely would have picked it up the day before, but when there’s a seven-pound largemouth sitting under a garbage bag, and it’s the day before a tournament, you really have second thoughts about picking it up – at least until after the tournament! Another example happened in my early days of fishing Rondeau Bay, when I was a teenager. There was a spot my dad and I called The Junkyard, which was an area with a lot of discarded trash and appliances and things like that. We had a couple of refrigerators that were in the water along this riprap wall of junk and we used to pull some very nice largemouth out of those ‘fridges. It just goes to show, you never know where you’re going to find a bass. They’re opportunists when it comes to finding cover, security and a good ambush spot. Next time you’re out on the water and the sun’s beating down on you, keep an eye open for any little shaded area and be sure to drop a bait into it. You never know what you might catch. ?

fly fishing

Steve May is the Stewardship Coordinator for Waterloo Region with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. When not working to improve local fisheries Steve can be found guiding or fly casting on his local rivers.

By Stephen May

River Smallmouth Strategies I look forward to the heat of summer and the phenomenal fly fishing opportunities it brings. A warm evening with a hooked bronzeback jumping in the haze is tough to beat. Unfortunately, many fly anglers ignore this super fishing opportunity. As river temperatures rise, the trout fishing action usually slows. Here in the east, hatches become sparse and the bugs are often tiny. Many fly fishers put their gear away until frosty fall evenings get the trout and steelhead active again. Smallmouth bass, however, thrive in clear streams that are just a bit warm for trout. These waters are not always top list destinations, but a little scouting can reveal excellent fishing close to home. Bronzebacks reach their peak of activity during the hottest temperatures of the year. These feisty fish respond very well to a variety of fly fishing presentations when trout fishing is at its toughest. River bass are often overlooked by anglers seeking bigger

18 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

waters that promise fish, so they are often untouched. Bass are different than trout, but the same general principles apply when targeting them with flies. Whatever your preferred method of fishing, you can use it for smallmouth. Dry flies, nymphs or streamers are all effective ways to get hooked up. I like to step up my fly size a bit and the bass usually respond to it. Bass like things a bit oversized. Bass are seldom as picky as trout when slurping dries. Most people use poppers to target bass on top and use little else. Poppers can be effective, especially early and late in the day, but there are better ways to hook more fish. Surface presentations like skated flies and traditional dry fly approaches are super on bass. Using big, bushy flies usually attracts more attention than “matching the hatch” does. Standard trout tackle is perfect for dry fly bass fishing on smaller waters. Most of the fish will not be magazine cover shot material in terms of size, but the smiles they create might be. Does it get any better than dry fly fishing in a pair of shorts, in a warm stream, with no one around except hungry fish?

Nymphing for bronzebacks is a super way to enjoy these fish and hone your skills for trout or steelhead. Big, bushy nymphs, crayfish imitations and woolly buggers all excel at digging smallies up from the depths. A strike indicator rig can help you probe deep runs that can hold surprising numbers of quality fish. Just look for water a touch slower and deeper than you would consider “trouty” water and you will be in business. Adding a bit of action to the fly through the drift can also help you hook more fish.

I have been on a streamer kick recently and bass are a big part of this growing addiction. The visual nature of working a big, bold streamer can be even more exciting than surface takes. Watching the shadow of a big bass as it tracks down a streamer can really get the blood flowing. Chunky streamers that incorporate motion and weight can really work well on bass. Don’t be afraid to experiment and practice new ways to hook up with this fish of summer. I know you won’t be disappointed with spending lazy summer days enjoying some of the best fly fishing of the season.?

Luckily Lucki ly the blood, blood, sweat, and ttears sweat, e we put into it drained right drained rig ht out.

Dave Taylor is a well known photographer and naturalist from Mississauga, Ontario

water’s edge By Dave Taylor

California Sea Lion Anyone fortunate enough to fish the western coastline of North America, from British Columbia to Northern Mexico, has probably encountered the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). These are the "seals" most often associated with marine parks such as Sea World and Marineland. They are intelligent animals and easily trained. They are not true seals however. Unlike true seals, sea lions can use their front flippers for walking on land whereas seals can only hump their bodies forward. In the water, seals propel themselves by using their back flippers while sea lions use their front flippers. Sea lions belong to a group known as "eared seals" because they possess visible ears while "true seals" do not have ear flaps.

20 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

Noisy and gregarious, sea lions are often heard before they are seen. Each year, on islands and safe coastal beaches, thousands of sea lions come ashore to breed. Most of these breeding colonies are along the California and Mexican Coasts. Males come ashore first, usually in early May, and stake a claim to a piece of beachfront property. Rival males contest them for these ter-

ritories but the real battles begin when the females arrive. The beach masters try to corral as many females as possible into their territory. It is a bit like herding cats, made worse because other males are intent on stealing cows from each other as well as that beach property. The cows are not passive bystanders in this by any means. They choose their mates and, if the bull over there appears to be a better mate than the one she’s with… let’s just say that’s how trouble can start. Into all of this confusion arrive the pups. Soon after giving birth the females mate, but not all females mate at the same time. Male rivalry intensifies and battles can become quite serious. Mature bulls weigh around 360-kilograms and, when two of these heavyweights battle, they often run over any females or pups that happen to be in the way. For the 100-kilogram females this can be trying but for the pups it can be downright deadly. Many are crushed. At the end of breeding season the sea lions leave their beaches and head out to feed on salmon, hake, squid and other fish for the rest of the year while trying to avoid their main predators; killer whales and white sharks. ?

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the vintage tackle box

Patrick Daradick has been collecting vintage fishing tackle for over 23-years and is a specialist in Ontario made tackle. He enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge and can be contacted online at www.ontariolures.com or by phone at 613-398-7245.

By Patrick Daradick

James Brothers Hardware Perth, Ontario

Ontario fishermen have had many a store to purchase the sporting goods and fishing tackle needed to equip their vacations or outings. The James family, from Perth, Ontario, operated one of the most prominent hardware operations in Ontario through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Sporting goods, and especially fishing tackle, were the mainstays of their operation. George James arrived in Canada at the beginning of the 19th century. George was the son of a blacksmith and, in 1892, he joined up with Daly Reid to open a hardware store. In 1910 they bought out a rival hardware company, Warren & McCarthy, and set up business at Gore and Foster Streets in Perth. The company was officially named “James Brothers'” hardware store in 1921. One could only imagine a hardware store with its massive sporting goods department also selling the likes of Ford and Chevy automobiles. The company was the mainstay of this town. James Brothers manufactured their own bicycles, had a billboard business, a snow fence factory, owned coal yards, ran two gas stations, operated the town arena and even started a subdivision of homes called Jamesville. The James Brothers knew the importance of the fishing industry to this Rideau Lakes region. They employed many tactics to lure tourists to this beautiful region, rich in history and glamorous lakes. They promoted the region with James Brother postcards, calendars, the famous Big Fish Contest and they would travel to the U.S. sporting shows to promote Rideau Lakes and Perth, Ontario. The Big Fish Contest started in 1946 and ran yearly, with many anglers competing for the top prizes. In the 1950s, James Brothers would mount each winning fish from each category and display them in the 22 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

In the 1940s, James Brothers enlarged their tackle line and began selling (and renting) motors and wooden boats to anglers. A 1947 article in the Perth Courier stated,”We have the largest and most up-to-

Alan James at the Perth Sportsmen Show, 1954

store for all of their customers to admire. Their postcards would also reflect top fish, angler and lure used to capture the top prize. James Brothers were also instrumental in running the annual Perth Sportsmen Show at the town hall. James Brothers also designed and made their own fishing tackle. George James Jr. spoke of his grandfather manufacturing Rideau Spoons as far back as the 1920s. Along with their own line of tackle they sold many products from well known Canadian and American tackle makers. In the early 1930s George James was president of the Perth Trade Board. George reached out to many well known tackle companies, such as Pflueger, Shakespeare, B.F.Gladding & Co., Ashway Line Co. and Horrocks-Ibbotson from New York. His goal was entice these companies to set up a Canadian manufacturing company in Perth, Ontario. A lot of correspondence is evident in the letters I have, but all the companies stated that the Rideau Lakes area was a fantastic opportunity but that the Canadian tariffs were too much to endure at the time.

date line of tackle ever shown in Ontario, from the largest makers in England, Sweden, Norway, the U.S.A. and Canada.” By the mid 1960s the department store was getting too cramped and the fishing tackle operation was moved to one of their other buildings on Herriott Street. George’s son, Alan, ran this department until his retirement in 1977 and his son, George Junior, took over until the late 1980s when the hardware business was sold to the Weir

Family, ending the James Brothers’ dynasty. If you find a lure or packaging that states, “James Brothers,” you will have found a piece of Ontario angling history. The most sought after item from James Brothers would be the very scarce and valuable “Canadian Minnow” lure box which was printed at their own store. ?

Congratulations Bob! “Wherever I am, I’m thinking about fishing! And Navionics is always close at hand to help me zero in on the best spots. Before heading out, I’ve already created a game plan and marked my waypoints with the PC app that comes free with my Navionics charts. I download my waypoints to a chip and upload them to my unit. In the boat, Navionics shows me where I am, and where I want to be so I can work my spots and focus on catching the winning fish. Later on, I can review my routes, add my own Navionics UGC, and show off my catches — all on my mobile! If I can do it, so can you!” Bob Izumi, Winner, 1000 Islands Tournament, FLW Outdoors EverStart Northern Division, July 2011

And now, you can read Real Fishing on the Navionics NewsStand!

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real fishing fish facts

Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieui

Smallmouth bass were originally found only in eastern central North America but since the 1800s they have been introduced across the USA and Canada as well many places in Europe, England, Africa, Russia and Asia. In Canada, smallmouth bass are now found in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, southern Quebec, across Ontario to latitudes as far north as Timmins, in Manitoba as far north as southern Lake Winnipeg, in southern and central Saskatchewan, and in parts of British Columbia, especially Saltspring Island and southern Vancouver Island. The smallmouth bass has a laterally compressed body shape that is deeper than it is wide, giving the fish a generally narrow, oval shape. The lower jaw is slightly longer than the upper and the gape of the mouth extends to the forward portion of the eye. Smallmouth have two dorsal fins that are joined, giving the appearance of a single fin. The front dorsal features ten stout, bony spines while the rear one is made up of 12 to 15 softer rays. Coloration can vary depending on the fish’s size and its habitat. Smallmouth from clear or tannic-stained waters tend to be darker with pronounced markings while those from turbid lakes or rivers are generally lighter in overall appearance with faded or vague markings. Smallmouth bass can appear brown, goldenbrown, olive or green along the back, fading to lighter shades on the flanks and then becoming creamy to milky white on the belly. Smallmouth have a series of 8 to 15 thin, vertical bars along their sides which range from being very dark and noticeable to quite light. The head also features darker bars that radiate backwards from the eyes. The smallmouth’s eyes are usually red or orange. Spawning takes place in late spring or early summer, most often in water temperatures from 61°F to 65°F. The male builds a roughly circular nest over sand, gravel or rocky bottoms in proximity to larger rocks, boulders or logs; in water between 2 and 20-feet deep. 24 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

Some male smallmouth bass will use the exact same nesting site year after year and over 85% will return to within 150-yards of their original nesting sites in subsequent spawning seasons. One female and one male will spawn together in a series of short egg depositing/fertilization bursts that are repeated over a period of a couple of hours. After spawning, the female leaves the nesting site and may spawn again with another male in a different nest. It is the male that is left in charge of guarding the nest and caring for the fry. Smallmouth eggs begin hatching 4 to 10days after spawning and the fry feed off of their yolk sacs for and additional 10 to 14days. They begin leaving the nest area about a week later but the male remains guarding them for several more days. Although smallmouth are adaptable to a variety of habitats they are generally found close to rocks or submerged logs, especially those on or near sloping bottom structure. Smallmouth will also use weeds for cover but they don’t usually use the type of dense weed

DID YOU KNOW? Smallmouth bass were fished commercially in Canada until 1936. From 1898 until 1902 they sold for between 6¢ and 8¢ per pound.

FAST FACTS Colour: Brown, golden-brown, olive or green along the back, fading to lighter shades on the flanks and then becoming creamy to milky white on the belly. Size: The average smallmouth bass is between 8 and 15-inches in length and weighs up to 2 ½ -pounds. Smallmouth can grow much larger however, and fish over 20-inches in length and weighing over 5-pounds are not uncommon. Life Span: Up to 15-years across their Canadian range. Habitat: Cool water areas in lakes and rivers with rock, gravel or submerged log cover, preferably near some type of sloping bottom structure. Smallmouth bass prefer water temperatures in the high 60°F to low 70°F range. Spawning: Spawning takes place in late spring or early summer, most often in water temperatures between 61°F to 65°F.

RECORD The current IFGA All-Tackle World Record smallmouth bass is an 11-pound, 15-ounce monster caught in Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, in July, 1955.

cover that largemouth bass prefer. Smallmouth bass prefer cooler water than largemouth and are most comfortable in water between 65°F and 85°F with their preferred temperature range being 70°F to 71°F. Smallmouth bass are famous for their fighting abilities when hooked, a trait which makes them a favourite of anglers across their range. It has been said that the smallmouth is so popular among anglers that it is one of three or four species that are the mainstay of sport fishing and associated tourism businesses in central and eastern Canada. Anglers can catch smallmouth bass on a variety of live and artificial baits as well as flies fished throughout the water column. While smallmouth will hit baits fished on the bottom and in the mid-depths, perhaps the most exciting way to catch them is with surface baits. Smallmouth bass are known to attack surface lures from depths of up to 20feet and most anglers would agree that there are few moments in angling as thrilling as having a smallmouth bass bust the surface of a lake or river to eat a floating bait. ?

The Moon Clock is also available as an app for iPhone/iPad/iTouch and Android Phones.

26 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

J U LY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42 3:45 - 5:15 4:09 - 5:39

am 10:06 - 12:06 am NA pm 10:30 - 12:30 pm 12:06 - 2:06 am 4:33 - 6:03 am 6:09 - 7:39 pm 4:57 - 6:27 pm 6:33 - 8:03

WEDNESDAY

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42 3:45 - 5:15 4:09 - 5:39

AUGUST

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18 9:21 - 10:51 9:45 - 11:15

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30 8:33 - 10:03 8:57 - 10:27

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06 2:09 - 3:39 2:33 - 4:03

am pm am pm am pm am pm

am pm am pm

3:18 3:42 9:15 9:39

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2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18 9:21 - 10:51 9:45 - 11:15

8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54 2:57 - 4:27 3:21 - 4:51

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30 8:33 - 10:03 8:57 - 10:27

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06 2:09 - 3:39 2:33 - 4:03

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42 3:45 - 5:15 4:09 - 5:39

am pm am pm

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18 9:21 - 10:51 9:45 - 11:15

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8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54 2:57 - 4:27 3:21 - 4:51

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8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54 2:57 - 4:27 3:21 - 4:51

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am pm am pm

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30 8:33 - 10:03 8:57 - 10:27

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06 2:09 - 3:39 2:33 - 4:03

am pm am pm

8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54 2:57 - 4:27 3:21 - 4:51

3:18 3:42 9:15 9:39

am pm am pm

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30 8:33 - 10:03 8:57 - 10:27

8:54 9:18 2:51 3:15

am pm am pm

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06 2:09 - 3:39 2:33 - 4:03

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am pm am pm

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am 3:42 - 5:42 am 4:30 - 6:30 am pm 4:06 - 6:06 pm 4:54 - 6:54 pm am 10:09 - 11:39 am 10:57 - 12:27 am pm 10:33 - 12:03 pm 11:21 - 12:51 pm

am pm am pm

8:54 9:18 2:51 3:15

am pm am pm

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06 2:09 - 3:39 2:33 - 4:03

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42 3:45 - 5:15 4:09 - 5:39

am 10:06 - 12:06 am pm 10:30 - 12:30 pm am 4:33 - 6:03 am pm 4:57 - 6:27 pm

8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

am pm am pm

3:18 3:42 9:15 9:39

am pm am pm

8:54 9:18 2:51 3:15

am pm am pm

12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54 6:57 - 8:27 7:21 - 8:51

am pm am pm

5:18 - 7:18 am 6:06 5:42 - 7:42 pm 6:30 am 12:33 NA 12:09 - 1:39 pm 12:57 -

NA 12:06 - 2:06 6:09 - 7:39 6:33 - 8:03

am pm am pm

8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

am pm am pm

12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54 6:57 - 8:27 7:21 - 8:51

am pm am pm

am 3:42 - 5:42 am 4:30 - 6:30 am 5:18 - 7:18 am 6:06 pm 4:06 - 6:06 pm 4:54 - 6:54 pm 5:42 - 7:42 pm 6:30 am 10:09 - 11:39 am 10:57 - 12:27 am NA am 12:33 pm 10:33 - 12:03 pm 11:21 - 12:51 pm 12:09 - 1:39 pm 12:57 -

am pm am pm

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42 3:45 - 5:15 4:09 - 5:39

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am 3:42 - 5:42 am pm 4:06 - 6:06 pm am 10:09 - 11:39 am pm 10:33 - 12:03 pm

4:30 - 6:30 am 4:54 - 6:54 pm 10:57 - 12:27 am 11:21 - 12:51 pm

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10:06 - 12:06 am 10:30 - 12:30 pm 4:33 - 6:03 am 4:57 - 6:27 pm

LEGEND

Excellent times shown first in bold font. Good times shown below in regular font.

am pm am pm

NA 12:06 - 2:06 6:09 - 7:39 6:33 - 8:03

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3 am pm am pm

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2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18 9:21 - 10:51 9:45 - 11:15

am 10:06 - 12:06 am 10:54 - 12:54 am pm 10:30 - 12:30 pm 11:18 - 1:18 pm am 4:33 - 6:03 am 5:21 - 6:51 am pm 4:57 - 6:27 pm 5:45 - 7:15 pm

24 8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18 9:21 - 10:51 9:45 - 11:15

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06 2:09 - 3:39 2:33 - 4:03

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am pm am pm

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30 8:33 - 10:03 8:57 - 10:27

8:54 9:18 2:51 3:15

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30 8:33 - 10:03 8:57 - 10:27

am 10:06 - 12:06 am 10:54 - 12:54 am NA pm 10:30 - 12:30 pm 11:18 - 1:18 pm 12:06 - 2:06 am 4:33 - 6:03 am 5:21 - 6:51 am 6:09 - 7:39 pm 4:57 - 6:27 pm 5:45 - 7:15 pm 6:33 - 8:03

SATURDAY

6 am pm am pm

FRIDAY

3:18 3:42 9:15 9:39

am 12:30 - 2:30 am pm 12:54 - 2:54 pm am 6:57 - 8:27 am pm 7:21 - 8:51 pm

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42 3:45 - 5:15 4:09 - 5:39

6:06 6:30 12:33 12:57 -

6:54 7:18 1:21 1:45 -

29 8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54 2:57 - 4:27 3:21 - 4:51

am pm am pm

1:18 1:42 7:45 8:09 -

12 8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

am 10:06 - 12:06 am 10:54 - 12:54 am NA pm 10:30 - 12:30 pm 11:18 - 1:18 pm 12:06 - 2:06 am 4:33 - 6:03 am 5:21 - 6:51 am 6:09 - 7:39 pm 4:57 - 6:27 pm 5:45 - 7:15 pm 6:33 - 8:03

1:18 1:42 7:45 8:09 -

THURSDAY

am 12:30 - 2:30 am pm 12:54 - 2:54 pm am 6:57 - 8:27 am pm 7:21 - 8:51 pm

3:42 - 5:42 am 4:30 - 6:30 am 5:18 - 7:18 am 6:06 4:06 - 6:06 pm 4:54 - 6:54 pm 5:42 - 7:42 pm 6:30 am 12:33 10:09 - 11:39 am 10:57 - 12:27 am NA 10:33 - 12:03 pm 11:21 - 12:51 pm 12:09 - 1:39 pm 12:57 -

SEPTEMBER

Best Fishing Times 2012

DOUG HANNON’S

To order your copy of Doug Hannon’s 2012 Moon Clock Calculator please visit www.moontimes.com or send $9.95 (USD) plus $3.75 (USD) for shipping & handling to: Moon Clock, Department RE, PO Box 724255, Atlanta, GA 31139

SUNDAY

8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

NA 12:06 - 2:06 6:09 - 7:39 6:33 - 8:03

am pm am pm

22 5:18 - 7:18 am 5:42 - 7:42 pm am NA 12:09 - 1:39 pm

29 10:54 - 12:54 am 11:18 - 1:18 pm 5:21 - 6:51 am 5:45 - 7:15 pm

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Who says you need to travel to far away destinations to catch big fish? Despite proportions rivalling a West Coast salmon, this Chinook was actually caught in sight of shore, in the heart of Canada’s most populated region. While shooting an episode of the Real Fishing Show on Lake Ontario, Darren Izumi was able to put the camera down just long enough to wrestle this incredible fish to the boat. Judging by the size of the beast, we’ll bet it took a few extra minutes for his arms to recuperate before he picked up the camera again!

28 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

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Focus on Fishing If there’s one truth in fishing, it’s that the best times for catching fish are the worst times for mosquitoes. Early mornings and late afternoons. Overcast days. Days with gentle rains. The best anglers time their fishing to coincide with these periods of peak fish activity but it seems like the mosquitoes do as well. What starts out as a perfect trip often turns into a comedy of arm flailing, hat waving frustration. It’s not easy to concentrate on what your bait is doing when you become the bait for hordes of blood sucking insects.

For years anglers have relied on a myriad of sprays, balms, lotions and potions to combat the onslaught. Some work well and some don’t, but they all have the same inherent problem. You have to apply and re-apply every few hours. That means putting the rod down while you spray or rub them onto your exposed skin. While you may be protected, your hands end up covered in insect repellent - which can also repel fish. Anglers fishing during the prime times often find themselves in a dilemma: avoid the insects by foregoing what may be the best fishing of the day; lather up with bug juice or accept the fact that they are going to be the main course at the mosquito buffet and risk the chance of becoming infected with a bug-borne virus like West Nile.

There is, however, another option that was previously the stuff of science fiction: an insect repellent that doesn’t need to be applied to exposed skin, yet offers up to 11hours of protection. The folks at SC Johnson have just introduced OFF! Clip•on™ mosquito repellent, a new, fieldtested mosquito repellent that you don’t have to spray on your skin. This innovative technology uses a quiet fan to circulate the repellent around you, providing head-to-toe protection all day long. In just a few minutes, OFF! Clip•on™ creates an area of personal protection from mosquitoes that makes it ideal for outdoor activities such as fishing, gardening or just relaxing in the backyard. Simply load the repellent into the small Clip•on unit, which is equipped with a belt buckle and a fan, turn the fan on, and go about your business. The fan quietly circu-

lates the repellent around you and it is completely odourless. The repellent will last in the unit for up to 14-days when it’s not in use and up to 11hours when it’s being used. The Clip•on also comes with an indicator to let you know how much repellent remains. Once the repellent is empty, you can purchase refills at your local grocery, Canadian Tire, or similar general merchandise store. Imagine fishing without the nuisance of mosquitoes. Imagine 11-hours of effective protection with no mess and no odour. Best of all, imagine all the fish you’ll catch when you can focus completely on fishing.

S E E M O R E I N S E C T C O N T R O L T I P S F R O M O F F ! ® AT W W W. B U G S M A R T. C A 30 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

The

Silver Lining on

Summer Salmon

Fishing When the first drag started screaming within minutes of setting our lines, I knew I could learn to love that sound. At first I was intimidated by the notion of salmon fishing, but after trolling with Marco DiMarco of Reel Wild Fishing Charters and Vito Dattomo of Lord of the Kings Fishing Charters, I see the silver lining. Their years of experience and attention to detail always seem to put luck on their side and fish in the net! In this article Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to let you in on what I learned from these Captains who leave nothing to chance. 32 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2012

By Jonathan LePera

Summer 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Fishing 33

Vito Dattomo trolling in front of the Scarborough Bluffs.

Where It All Began Listening to Marco and Vito recollecting on where their passion for salmon fishing originated was much like the Charles Dickens novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.” The fire was lit for Marco at a very young age, fishing the piers and docks along the south shore of Lake Ontario. Fifty Point became his video game of choice and he soon beat the game with the ultimate high score - a 42-pound King salmon he caught on a Cisco Kid. From there, he was on a course where Lake Ontario would forever be his best friend. “Beside the West Coast, where else can you have a shot at catching 30 and 40pound fish?” DiMarco reasoned. “You can consistently get 20-pound fish from April through October. Some days you’ll get 15 Kings that average 20-pounds. We live in a gold mine here.” Conversely, Vito Dattomo grew up on the north shore of the lake and counts a 39-pound King as his best to date. Having trained himself early by chasing the mighty steelhead in the local rivers, it was only a matter of time before he graduated to King salmon. After all, back then you could win a boat and a truck on a single fish in the Toronto Star Salmon Derby. “It was local,” Dattomo reminisced. “Come off the Bluffs and I could fish right away. I could put a morning in and then go right to work. More tournaments started popping up, I began doing well in the tournaments, upgrading boats, and it began!” (L to R) Marco DiMarco, Chad Davidson and Joe Sciarra with a fine day’s catch.

So many anglers leave the marina with the best of intentions. They head out in search of spring and summer salmon only to return with little to show for their efforts - other than a spent gas tank. If the sun comes up in the morning, salmon are pretty simple to geographically pattern. While getting them hot enough to fire off at your offering might be a bit trickier, their seasonal movements are quite predictable.

Salmon through the Seasons Early in the spring Dattomo keeps his boat in St. Catharines - and with good reason there are no fish on the north shore. It’s not until late May or early June when they’ll begin showing up off areas like Bowmanville and the Scarborough Bluffs. While early in the season there are a bunch of schools of salmon, the majority of fish will start in St. Catharines and then disperse to Grimbsy and along the south shore. By mid-June, they’ll continue going

down the shoreline. These are the same pods of fish notoriously found off Wilson’s Creek in the U.S., just past the mouth of the Niagara River. Dattomo was quick to point out that, “Lake Ontario is only 33-miles wide, from the south to north shore at Wilson. In the Pacific Ocean, salmon go thousands of miles in their lifetime. Here they can do 33-miles in a day or two.” Hence, it’s important to note the traditional movements of kings as spring leads into summer. Dattomo recommends fishing out from Scarborough’s Bluffers Park, along the drop between 70 and 150-feet deep. Out from Bowmanville you can typically find fish in 40 to 120-feet of water. In the Niagara area, look for 250-foot depths. Even the discharge off of the Pickering Nuclear Plant can be productive, but you must understand that these fish keep moving. Once those summer fish leave the south shore, every port will be different. Commencing the first week of August, the Kings disperse again and head to the river mouths where they were born or stocked. This is a transition time and things can get tough until the fish set up near their home rivers. They’ll be good in these areas until end of August, when they start their upstream spawning runs.

Gearing Up For Dattomo, the stakes are far too great to be skimping on rods, reels and tackle, or on their consistent maintenance. Anyone who has spoken with Vito knows he is extremely humble but he also exudes confidence. That confidence comes partially from 26-years of experience on the water; but it’s also due to the fact that his rods, reels, tackle and boat have been meticulously checked over. While 34 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

he is on the water, having full concentration is paramount. “I can’t afford to lose a fish. I can’t afford to bust off a $25,000 fish because the drags stick. Whether it is a gun, a reel or a float rod, buy your last one first and don’t waste the money upgrading.” Easier said than done, but Dattomo makes a lot of sense. Better tackle costs more due to its improved components but, by taking care of it, it will rarely fail or need to be replaced. Dattomo is not one to leave anything to chance. His gear is heavy-duty because big fish like to break things, plain and simple! His 500 and 600 series Shimano Tekota reels are paired with 8½-foot downrigger rods. He’ll run 700 series line counter reels on his dipsy rods. His 800 series Tekotas and Torion 50’s all carry copper line for different depths, ranging from 200 through 600-feet, in 50-foot increments. If he could have just one copper setup, it would be 300-feet of 45-pound copper line. For spoons, he’ll run medium-light rods with 17-pound monofilament. He’ll bump up his rod power to medium with 25pound test line when using flashers or rotators like Spin Doctors. He’ll run medium-heavy rods for all his other setups, including divers. Dattomo stressed that anglers should pay special attention to their copper line setups. “Copper rods are nine-feet and have larger, stainless steel saltwater guides. The bigger guides allow for the knots from the copper to come through. If you run ceramHigh quality gear for specific techniques is one of the keys to consistently successful salmon fishing.

36 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

ic guides, sometimes the knot will get jammed and knock the ceramic out.” For those anglers who have had this happen and wonder why, mystery solved! Marco DiMarco stands out in the crowd of salmon anglers as he actually prefers shorter, seven-foot rods for the majority of his setups. He feels he can bring fish in faster as he uses shorter strokes while he is pumping back. Seven-foot rods are a mainstay in his boat for most everything, except for his eight-foot dipsy rods and the nine and a half foot rods he uses on the outside of his spread. While he runs copper, lead core, wire and monofilament on his setups, one thing you’ll never see in his boat is braided line. He swears up and down that he catches far more fish on mono than on braid, even when running shock leaders to absorb the force of the vicious strikes. He’ll run 3, 5, 7, and 10 sizes of lead core and he uses similar sizes as Dattomo for copper. His mono is re-spooled each spring and again mid-way through the summer to keep it fresh and strong. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that heavier pound test does not need to be changed as often or you may end up watching your trophy King salmon swim away with your lure.

The Lures Early in the spring, DiMarco will run body baits in bright colours, such as chartreuse and orange, because they stand out in the murky water. When using spoons, he will mix and match them until he finds a consistent bite. Once the water starts to clear in early summer, his love for the colour green takes over all rational judgment. Dattomo suffers from a similar affliction! “Green, more than any other colour, has always been very productive for me. Green, then blue, and if blue doesn’t work I’ll put more green out and keep putting more green out!”

DiMarco carries five boxes of spoons where, if green fails him, he’ll also turn to spoons sporting a blue and silver pattern. Golds, in the monkey puke pattern, can produce as well. Spoons like the Dream Weaver, the three-inch NK28 and Magnum NK’s can all produce but it depends on moods of the fish. You need to keep experimenting so you don’t get caught in a rut. Dattomo will also run spoons with black or white cupped sides. “They are good because they give you a bigger silhouette when they flutter - and black is like a strobe light going off so it shows a little more.” Chinooks love lures with green on them.

White flashers and Spin Doctors also get the nod at times, but Dattomo is quick to point out that shallow water is often quite dirty. When fishing in off-coloured water, chartreuses and flame colours show up better than more natural hues.

A Few Tips Marco DiMarco has been keen to learn from the mistakes of others. His biggest beef are the anglers who have a penchant for hitting the throttle instead of the release button on their downriggers as they cruise out of the shallows. He noted that, while he is not averse to ending up in the 120 to 250-foot range, he surely will not start there. There is far too much water in the column to cover. “When I pull out of a marina, especially in August, I drop balls down in 15 to 20feet of water and I troll my way out because I want to cover that water and see where those Kings are. They could be in 20, 30, 40-feet of water. It’s a stigma. Some guys come out of the harbor and they like to gun it in the morning because they want to feel like they are going someplace. They run to 100-feet of water, especially along the north shore where there are big dropoffs that guys like to fish. I’ve got salmon in 35-feet of water from June to August but I’ve watched boats blast

Big lake trout are a nice bonus for Great Lakes salmon anglers.

right past me as they check out deeper water. I’d look for water temperature in tight and that’s where I start first. If it is super-cold I might move out a bit as 42degree water doesn’t hold fish. I’ll try to find 53-degrees. Some days we don’t hit them until 120-feet of water but we always start in tight. We’ll leave Jordan if the water temperature or bait isn’t there. Wind dictates bait movement. We will always pretty much find bait in 50 to 120feet of water along the south shore in June and July. Alewives mostly, there are not a lot of smelt left.” Vito Dattomo has been fishing the big waters of Ontario since 1996 and has caught more than his fair share of big Kings. As one of the most prominent salmon charter operators on the Great Lakes, he has seen many a boat struggle to get their first fish in the net by the end of the day. To that, he attributes a couple of common, yet consistent, mistakes. Firstly, many anglers never take the necessary steps to find the exact down-speed of their lures by using a probe. Downspeed is the speed that the lure is travelling at the cannon ball. “If my spoons aren’t working properly down at the ball because of underwater currents in the lake, I could be fishing half the day unproductively where the spoons are either dead in the water or moving way too fast,” says Dattomo. “Surface speed doesn’t matter. The lake is like a river, flowing from the Niagara to the Atlantic Ocean. The speed where your baits are is the most important speed.” For DiMarco, after 20-years on the water, 2.2 to 2.3-miles per hour is consistently his mainstay for trolling speed. If the fish are hitting short, or rods are going off and fish aren’t there, he’ll bump up his speed. Both DiMarco and Dattomo were quick to mention that you cannot go out on the lake with a big head and insist that the fish buy into your program. You have to always keep an open mind as no two days are ever the same. Very rarely do these Captains 38 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

experience a two or three-day program that works. DiMarco commented that he does not see enough anglers experimenting. “You have to zigzag to cover water and to get you baits running at different speeds so you can figure out what they want. When you make a turn, your outside rods are always going to go faster than your inside rods, so your inside baits are going to drop into the water column by four to five-feet. When you turn the other direction, those rods are going to come up in the water column. You are not only changing speeds but depths too by zigzagging. I catch most my fish on the outside turn. Sometimes I’ll see a fish on my screen come up and I can see that they are on my bait. I’ll either give it some gas or turn my boat. I’ll turn the opposite direction of where I was heading to get them to go.” Dattomo noted that anglers need to “pay attention to the little things that could be signs. If you catch them on spoons and spin-doctors, blue and silver, then maybe that is what they want, so put a little more out.” But, even for seasoned, skilled veterans like Dattomo and DiMarco, some days are just not meant to be and you cannot take it personally. “If no one is moving a stick around you, it is not you,” notes Vito. “You can change as much as you want to change but they are not going to bite. All those boats in the pack are running something different.” While Dattomo and DiMarco reap their fair share of success while prowling the Great Lakes, every rose does have its thorn. Not every day goes as planned, but neither of these guys has a personality that knows the word ‘quit’. On those tough days, neither will sit on their hands nor throw them

up in the air in frustration. Instead, they’ll have their crews busier than worker bees, hustling to change baits, colours, and depths. For Dattomo and DiMarco, the fire burns far too deeply to be extinguished by some uncooperative fish. When the summer salmon fishing is slow, you shouldn’t quit too easily either. With so many amazing opportunities to catch awesome King salmon on Lake Ontario, heed of some of these experts’ advice and you might just start putting some trophy fish of your own in the boat! ?

GO WITH A PRO Great Lakes salmon fishing can be a lot of fun or it can be an exercise in frustration until you know the ropes. One of the best ways to get ahead of the curve is to spend a day on the water with an experienced professional. You’ll see what types of baits they use, the areas they fish and the tactics that produce fish on a consistent basis. The knowledge you’ll gain, not to mention the fish you’ll catch, makes taking a charter trip one of the best investments you can make in salmon fishing. If you are interested in taking a Great Lakes salmon charter – whether to learn more about salmon fishing or just to enjoy a guided trip where everything is taken care of for you, get in touch with Marco DiMarco of Reel Wild Fishing Charters or Vito Dattomo of Lord of the Kings Fishing Charters. They are two of the best guides on Lake Ontario and will be more than happy to turn your salmon dreams into reality. Marco DiMarco www.reelwildfishing.com Vito Dattomo – www.lordofthekings.ca

MORNING ON THE

BOW RIVER By Jeff Holmlund

With the scent of dew-covered black spruce permeating the cool morning air and first light glinting off the fog enshrouded Rocky Mountain tops, we drift down a small set of rapids. Upon exiting, I am able to put my partner, Marc Generieux, into position below the calm backwater of an uprooted log sweeper with an oar-stroke.

“Just toss your lure right there, where the current breaks,” I advise Generieux, pointing towards the deep pool beneath the ginclear glacial water. A long-time resident of the mountain town of Canmore, Alberta, Generieux doesn’t need this advice. He has fished trout in these waters for the last 25-years and knows this part of Alberta’s world famous Bow River like the back of his hand.

Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 41

Author, Jeff Holmlund, with a nice Bow River brown.

With our only company being an osprey scanning the river from his perch in a tree and an elk munching lazily on the shore, we settle in to cast the pool. After a luckless investigation of the pools’ water with our lures and flies, we decide to pull up on shore, wade some of the river’s smaller pools and try to entice a brown trout. “You go left and I’ll go right.” I say to Generieux, as I slipped into on my insulated waders. Traversing the eroded bank of the Bow, I begin readying my packable spinning rod and tie my favourite trout spinner to the end of the line. Generieux is armed with his trusty six-weight fly rod, tipped with a gold bead-headed nymph. So as not to spook the wary brown trout, I begin creeping slow and low to the river’s edge, rod in hand, careful not to cast a shadow or outline myself in the early morning light.

Deciding a calm pool between two blown-down spruce trees off a fork in the main river looks like a “fishy” spot, I flip the small spinner towards the opposite bank. The bait barely touches the water before a golden coloured brown trout erupts skyward with the barbless spinner embedded in its lower jaw. “Gotcha!” I yelled as I set the hook. The battle was on, and what a spectacular show it would be. After its initial aerial display, the fish dove for the depths of the pool where a submerged log or rock could easily snag my line. The drag on my reel was screaming and my rod was bent fully, as he launched himself skyward again. These brown trout are known for their fighting ability! Finally the fish began to tire and I 42 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

able to end the battle by gently slipping the net beneath him. What a beautiful fish it was with its broad, black back and red-haloed side spots. Its wet skin was glinting the most glorious amber colour in the early morning sun. Carefully, after wetting my hands and keeping the brown in the water, I gently slipped the barbless hook out of its jaw. “Thanks for the good time,” I said as I released the 18-inch brown to fight another day. It was a fine start to another beautiful day on the Bow River. Fishing is my drug and I had my fix at that point. I could have gone home content but it was still early and I knew my “honeydo list” would be still there when I got home. On my second cast, all I did was wash bait but on the third it was party time again. A second brown (out of the same pool as the first) hit the tiny spinner so hard I thought it would knock out its teeth. After a couple of hard-charging runs I was able to land a 15-inch brown and release it back to the river to join the first. Standing meditatively in the stream, I tilted my head back to thank the fish Gods for such an incredible start to the day before slowly fishing my way back to the boat to continue our drift. Located in Alberta, on the east slope of the Rocky Mountains, the Bow River is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan and the headwater of the mighty Nelson River. The Bow not only provides four season fishing opportunities to both fly and spinner fishermen, but is one of our Country’s most breathtaking river systems. It is blessed with a thriving population of brown, bull and rainbow trout, with one of the best growth rates to be found on any river system in the world today. A trout that is four to five-years old will be around 21-

inches in length. The Bow holds many fish that are this size or larger. This is precisely why fishermen from all over the world choose the Bow River to fish year after year. Local Bow River fisherman and former NFL kicker, Gary Anderson, is known in the area more for his fly-casting than for being the second highest all-time scorer in NFL history and the first kicker to kick a perfect season. “When we found Canmore I knew I had found the place I would like to retire,” says Anderson. “Not only is it a good place to raise a family, but it has a world class fishery right in my back yard. The upper Bow, in the Canmore/Banff area, is beautiful and the fishing can be good, but one of the best stretches to fish is downstream from Calgary. The water there is rich in nutrients from the city which in turn creates a considerable amount of good cover and trout food in the form of insects and smaller fish. It is not uncommon to be able to raise a dozen good browns in a morning.”

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Guide Nick Schlachter (right) and a happy client with a typical Bow River brown trout.

It is my belief that Bow River trout, like many other Canadian game fish, follow ultimate forage theory, balancing energy expended to energy gained; therefore it is important to match the hatch. During the spring, fly fishermen should have success using imitation patterns like the Blue Winged Olive, Adams and March Browns. As spring progresses through late May and into July and August, try Caddis, Pale Morning Dune or Golden Stone Flies, among others. From late summer into September, when ants and grasshoppers cover the water, I like to use black and red ant, or grasshopper imitations. My all-time favourite fly is the Woolly Bugger. During the fall and winter try small leech imitations, Clouser Minnows, Bead-head nymphs or Wire Worms or Muddler Minnows. All-season patterns include the Black Gnat, Griffiths Gnat, and Chironomid nymphs. For a soft presentation, use as long a leader and tippet as possible as the smack of the flyline on the water can spook the fish. There is nothing like taking a brown on a dry fly so start by fishing the surface. It is very important to present your fly at the same depth the fish are feeding at. If you don’t raise a fish after a couple of offerings on the surface, switch to a nymph. When browns are feeding deeper in the water column a nymph enables the fly fisherman to fish the deeper zone directly in front of the fish. A good technique to hedge your bets for both the surface and the deep bite is to use a dry fly in tandem with a nymph. Tie a two to four-foot leader to the bend of the dry fly’s hook and attach a bead-head nymph. Basically the dry fly will act like a strike indicator. I have seen brown trout come up from the bottom to take the nymph, only to miss it and end up taking the dry fly. As a last resort, if I still can’t get a response 44 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

and I know there is a fish in the pool, I switch to the most colourful looking streamer in my box. A lot of times these gaudy looking streamers are what will finally entice a hit. Among streamer fishermen, there are dissenting opinions on proper presentations. Nick Schlachter, a Bow river guide and owner of Wapiti Sports and Outfitters in Canmore, uses a stripper retrieve to his advantage. “I like to cast and work the streamer across or downstream,” says Schlachter. “Keeping the rod tip low, with no slack in the line and using my hand to make a short stripping retrieve, I can instantly feel a hit. Setting the hook, I use the fly rod like a shock absorber to wear the brown out and quickly release it back to the river.” “When it comes to spin-casting, I like to use little chip casts up or across stream,” continues Schlachter. “Ninety percent of trout will be facing upstream, so to keep spooky browns from casing you, it is best to cast upstream to them. One of my favourite techniques when using a spinning outfit is to cast a sinking bead-head nymph with a split shot attached 18 to 24-inches above the fly. Work this rig slowly through the pool, paying special attention to the deeper reaches of the pools. It seems most hits come from these deeper areas. Other popular lures for spin fishermen to use in the Bow are small Nick Schlachter with a bonus bull trout taken while drift boat fishing.

inline spinners. These little baits come in a variety of shapes and colours and have been kind to me over the years. The Kamlooper, Buzz Bomb and various minnow baits have all done a lot of damage and are great to cast in high winds or when distance is a factor. Any small to medium sized spoon in gold or blue and silver can work as well. These are reactionary type lures so it is best to try a few casts in a hole and if you get no response move on to the next pool.” “The river fishes best out of a drift boat,” Schlachter adds. “Although shore fishing is popular and there are many accesses available along the river by foot, the ultimate western big river experience is fishing from the drift boat.” Rarely seen outside the prime Rocky Mountain, Pacific Northwest and Canadian fishing areas, the drift boat - in terms of pure fly fishing ability - is the best. They are extremely manoeuvrable, roomy and allow an angler to easily stand while fishing. You can cover a lot of water in a morning’s fishing. These unique river craft are designed for big water and are comfortable in up to Class III white-water. Back on the river while looking around for my partner to gloat, I noticed the osprey, still perched in a dead tree, scanning the river. “I wonder how his luck has been,” I said to myself. As if on cue, he took off, hovered, pitched over into an impossible angle and plummeted for the river. With an almighty splash he smacked into the river, feet-first. Emerging from the near-freezing water with wings pounding, barely inches above the river, the Osprey neatly turned the small fish head first and started gaining altitude. Smiling to myself I realized my partner and I were not the only ones who had done well this morning. There was no doubt that we would meet again for another morning fishing Alberta’s Bow River. ?

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Pike Patterns: Blades & Weeds By Lawrence Taylor

46 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2012

A northern pike is a tubular fuselage of green fury. The coloration is no accident. Its camouflage allows it to propel itself from weeds into prey suddenly to surprise, confuse, and overwhelm. Shock-and-awe, aquatic style. Nothing aids that approach more than a bright, green stand of weeds, creating a smokescreen for ambush. Myth has it that pike lose their teeth in summer, which has no basis in science. But it drives traditional angling pressure, which peaks spring and fall. That alone could make summer the best time to dust off your pike gear. Pike are less pressured and always hungry until waters warm above 78°F or so, at which point their metabolism begins to backtrack. Between Iowa and central Canada, summer pike display three primary patterns in big water. Some move out over basin areas to track suspended schools of pelagic baitfish. Some move deep, to main-lake flats surrounding structure – typically into depths of 40 to 60-feet. But some always remain shallow and within

reach of the weekend warrior, haunting the dark shadows of deep weed edges wherever cabbage, coontail, milfoil, and other deep-growing weeds thrive. When the wind blows into a deep weedline for three days straight or longer, all three patterns can coalesce into one, big free-for-all, making weedlines the place to be. At other times, after water temperatures climb above 64°F or so in spring, anglers need to decide which pattern they want to address in big water. In big water, weeds come first, meaning pike pass through a weed phase before heading “out to sea,” so you can always find some pike munching at the salad bar. In smaller lakes, pike pretty much stick to weeds.

Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 47

Blades and Weeds Locations for summer pike on weedlines are fairly easy. Stick with main-lake weedbeds that border, or come closest to, main channels or sharp drops into the main basin. That eliminates bays, backwaters, most shallow weed beds, and at least 50% of the main lake itself. Look for structurally-diverse areas. Rocky points, reefs, gravel bars, or any hard-bottom structure intercepting a healthy weedline can be a prolific spot for big fish. After locating a deep weedline that meets those criteria, comb it for pockets, points,

TIME MANAGEMENT As the weekend approaches, so does the dreaded “Honey-Do” list – the chores that need to be accomplished before the fishing begins. The quicker the tasks get done, there more time there is to spend on the water so anything that can be done to speed things along is welcome. When it comes time to tackle the lawn, Toro can help get it done quickly and efficiently.

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48 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

and spots adjacent to the steepest drop-offs. Places where the weeds are healthy and dense attract the most prey and, therefore, the most active pike. Don’t be intimidated by dense weed growth. Rip a single-hook bait right through the weed tops and pike will come snarling, slashing, and tearing into it – sometimes even when it has weeds draping from it. As mentioned, the best presentations have single hooks. And the fastest way to cover a weedbed, of course, is with a spinnerbait. Pike love spinnerbaits, and the spinner arm protects the hook so it can be ripped through cabbage more efficiently than most baits. Even the biggest pike surprise us and get patterned on smaller, singleblade spinnerbaits like the Booyah Single Colorado, but effective sizes range right up through the big Lindy Musky Greats. Position 20-feet off the edge of the weeds and start by burning spinnerbaits over the top with medium-heavy casting gear. Let the bait flutter into pockets, then accelerate and rip it right through. Let it parachute down the edge and slow roll it back to the boat with a couple of direction changes, snaps, or twitches. Sudden movements trigger pike. When pike feed on perch and walleyes they position closer to bottom, at the base of the deep weed edge. Put the trolling motor down, position the boat right on the edge and cast ahead of the boat while the angler in the back pitches over the top. Fishing the base means slow rolling with less-resistant bait, like the Booyah Double Willow Vibra-FLX. Whenever the bait engages weeds, ripping it free can trigger explosive strikes. But it can also send the clip of your wire leader sliding up the arm of the spinnerbait. Either wrap wire around the R-bend bend (where bass anglers tie directly to the bait) or crimp metal beads to each side of the R-bend to keep your leader from sliding up the arm

when casting or ripping weeds. Wire leaders should have heavy-duty, 200-pound or better, snaps and swivels. A 12-pound pike can hit a spinnerbait with enough velocity to bend weak clips open. Imagine what a 30-pounder can do. You can tie directly to R-bends with steel or titanium wire, too, but it can still slide. Using spinnerbaits with closed loops or just closing the R-bend works best. You can use the big 1-ounce Booyah baits, even crimping lead to the hook shaft to add more weight, to burn the bait as fast as you might with a bucktail spinner. Cast out over the weeds, point the rod tip at the water, and use a high-speed reel to sizzle the spinnerbait back as fast as the blades will allow. Breaking the surface now and then is not a no-no in pike fishing. Having the blades “re-engage” as you slow the bait back down is a decidedly effective trigger for pike in the weed tops. The best spinnerbait retrieves for pike are achieved with the rod tip down. Even when slow-rolling a bait along weed edges extending down to 15-feet or deeper, holding the rod tip low allows you to keep the bait deeper; it keeps you in a better position to set the hook and it puts you in the best position to sweep the bait right or left, changing its direction. Sudden changes in direction and speed trigger lots of strikes. It’s rare for a steady retrieve to work best in summer, though it does happen. The best retrieve some days will start with acceleration. Accelerate a slow-rolling spinnerbait and then stop it completely while keeping the line tight. That forces a following pike to make a decision: Turn or eat. Try anything and everything to trigger pike. Keep changing speed, direction and cadence until you hit on the retrieve that drives them out of the weeds to slash, rip, shock, and awe. ?

Fishing Magic in the Waters of Haida Gwaii By Val Hunter

Though it’s only early September, midway up the coast of British Columbia the northern Chinook and Coho are already on the move to their spawning grounds in rivers up and down the West Coast of the continent. Even so, with the Alaskan shore visible to the north, our little group of 16 intrepid women in 20-foot aluminum skiffs has scattered over several miles of sea at Haida Gwaii. With herring bait plugs spinning deep below us we are challenged to land an elusive Chinook. Hailing from all over North America, from 30-something to 80-years of age, we share a single goal: to win the Lady Anglers’ Fishing Tournament at Langara Lodge. At the start of this adventure my friend, Sue Lavergne, and I gathered at Vancouver’s south airport with other members of the women’s tournament – first-timers and life-long fishers in the mix. The group flew Pacific Coastal Air’s Saab Aircraft to Masset, at the northern end of Graham Island, a two-hour trip. At Masset we boarded a helijet for a 17-minute, jaw-dropping flight over Haida Gwaii on the way to Langara Lodge and the four-day fishing adventure we will never forget. The previous year, derby first-timers Diane Hill and Janice Kelly of West Vancouver, BC, entered the women’s tournament as a team after Diane’s husband gifted them with fishing trips for Diane’s 50th birthday. With a female fishing guide on board, Diane landed the largest Chinook as well as the largest Coho, and won that year’s women’s derby and a free trip back to the lodge. “This year we’re back to defend her title”, laughs fishing-partner Janice, but Diane doesn’t feel any pressure to win again. “Once you’ve won you can kind of rest on your laurels a little bit. Pass the baton.” This year, Langara first-timer Susan Cannell of Toronto, Ontario, fished with her brother Bill. With her determination and enthusiasm it just might be Susan who hooks into a big Chinook, and takes home the trophy next time. Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 51

Photo by Karen Trapp

Lady Anglers Fishing Tournament AUGUST 25-28, 2012

(L to R) Guide Sheila Ryan; Dianne Hill and Janice Kelly

Photo: Suzzanne Lopez

“The fish are strong, healthy, and beautiful, and they give you a real run for your money. And it’s all the more exhilarating and exciting when you finally land a fish and get it in the boat, because you both work so hard to be together.” A couple of hours later the action on Sue’s rod finally subsides and, with coaching from Gene, I land my first fish ever, a 7 ½-pond

(R to L) Chinook Queen, Sue; Author, Val Hunter and guide, Gene

Coho. When afternoon comes we are reluctant to leave the fishing grounds, so we fish until dusk. The magic of Haida Gwaii, the perfection of September days, and the thrill of hooking – and maybe even landing another Chinook – conspire to keep us there. Experienced fisher, Tuscon, Arizona resident Julie Flynn – a sixtime visitor to Langara has fished Panama and Costa Rica with her husband, Larry. Ocean fishing is a passion for them that started later in life. They discovered the women’s tournament and attend every year. While Julie fishes in the derby, Larry fishes Photo by Paul Morrison

On our first morning the boats are fueled and ready to leave at first light. Sue and I pack sandwiches from the Coho Café into a cooler and make a pact to remain on the water until afternoon. There is a stillness in the morning on the water that begs us to be silent. Our guide, Gene, pilots our boat slowly through a channel, on the other side of which enormous humpback whales – like dragons rising from the ocean – gorge on needlefish and krill. Less than 30-feet from the boat a humpback surfaces. There are no words. Sue has travelled from Toronto to join me. She has fished before, but I’m a newbie. No matter. We’re up for the adventure, and we have come here to find the magic in fishing that our mutual friend, Karen Trapp, a passionate fisher who works for Langara, has been talking about all these years. A few hours on the water and Sue lands a 17pound Spring, followed by an 11 ½-pound Coho. We are giddy and the puns are painful. We are hooked. Now it is Sue, our newly-dubbed ‘Chinook Queen’ who sounds like an evangelist.

52 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

Celebrating its 14th year, the women’s tournament is a perfect introduction to the wonders of Langara for both serious and aspiring female anglers. The relaxing fourday weekend of great fishing, friendship, food and service, is set amidst the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Haida Gwaii. The event boasts complimentary guiding, and discounts for husbands and boyfriends. Over $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded, including unique Haida jewellery and a return trip to next year’s event for the overall winner. For more information visit www.langara.com.

beside her, and supports her to do her thing. “It’s a fun sport, especially when you’re doing it with someone you love,” Julie says. A couple of years ago, for about an hour, she held the lead in the women’s tournament. Julie didn’t win, but that doesn’t faze her. “I just enjoy being here and catching the fish. Win or lose, I’m always happy.” At 80, Joan MacDonald of North Vancouver is the senior and most experienced female fisher in the group, having fished since she was a small child. “Living on the water and surrounded by boys I just did what they did.” Joan’s family gave her the fishing trip six weeks earlier, for her 80th birthday, and though Joan didn’t come specifically to enter the women’s tournament she participates and her impressive daily catches are logged. Each day she lands her limit of Springs and Coho. On two consecutive days, in addition to other fish, the diminutive woman hauls in 19 ½-pound Chinooks. “I seem to be stuck on that weight,” she laughs. At the airport in Vancouver most of us were strangers. Now, at the lodge and on the fishing grounds, we look out for each other, and celebrate each other’s catches. On the water we laugh a lot; we are up for the adventure. Somehow we aim higher. For all of us, it’s about what’s happening in the moment, pushing a little further, and building friendships. On the second day of the derby, firsttimer, Kelly Luckhart, lands a 28-pound Chinook, an 11-pound Coho, and a black cod. Kelly wins two prizes – one for the

54 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

“Nine o’clock on the Saturday morning of the derby, I was half-asleep on the front of the boat when my rod started to scream. It wasn’t a twitch or anything. He took the bait and ran. I jumped up, grabbed the rod, and it was about a 45minute play. My sisters were with me. I was yelling “hat, hat” and my sisters grabbed my hat off my head. “Jacket!” I was working up a sweat and stripping off clothes.” They had Sylvia down to a tee shirt by the time she finally got the fish in. That was her third women’s challenge. “I’ve been here 15 times now. It’s my treat for myself.” Sylvia says. The women, all in red survival suits, dig deep, stand tall, and reel hard every day of the tournament. The clock ticks. With only 30-odd minutes left in the fishing derby it’s about time to stow the rods and head for the dock, but a girl can still dream, can’t she? And then, on one of Langara’s boats, in a wham out of nowhere, a sharp tug welds an 11-foot mooching rod into an arc! Without a pause the woman clutching the rod hammers the tip down, hauls it up to the heavBren Murray and “Sharkie”

ens, and sets the hook. “Too bad – looks like you hooked a shark”, says the guide. “That’s it. We’re done.” But Bren Murray, of North Vancouver, BC, isn’t buying. She reels hard. Then the fish takes a run. The reel screams. The fish dives fast, and then pulls, as if it could actually shake her off – but no contest here – this woman is awake, not dreaming now, furling what seems like 10-miles of monofilament back onto the reel. Another run and that fish is long gone. With everything she’s got Bren breathes deep, grips the rod, and coaxes the finned torpedo back up. There! A glint of silver at the surface. At the weigh-scale, in the last minutes of the tournament, excitement is palpable as each boat returns and the catch is weighed in. And then, behind us, a Grady White eases towards the dock, and we witness more of the magic of fishing of which Karen speaks. Despite the impressive fish already logged-in, the Lady Anglers’ Fishing Tournament winner has just arrived. With just a few minutes to spare, wearing a smile that won’t stop, Bren climbs out of the Grady White and hefts her fish to the scale – a 33 ½-pound Tyee. This, sir, is no shark! ?

Photo: Dave Car

largest Chinook caught on the second day, and one for the largest Coho. On the last morning she lands two 20-pound Spring salmon. In all, Kelly takes home a bounty of fish – significantly more than she weighs! A catch and release contest is held on the last morning of the derby, and this year Diane Hill hooks into a 23-pound Chinook, which is measured and released. Waiting several hours for the catch and release portion to be over, Diane and Janice and their guide, Sheila Ryan, hum the Jeopardy theme song to count down the minutes. With a time check every 15 minutes, Sheila says, “We waited the slowest three hours of our lives, but in the end Diane’s 23-pounder held.” Karen Laforet, of Port Coquitlam, BC, knows all about the adventure. The seventime Lady Anglers veteran, who fishes beside her husband Gerry, won a coveted Haida bracelet several years ago for her angling skills. Barb MacDonald, of Kelowna, BC, had the tournament on her bucket list. She says she can go to the spa any day, but these memories are precious. “In life we don’t stop and smell the roses enough. If someone wants to push herself and do something different, it’s a wonderful experience.” Following her own advice, Barb takes a break from fishing to tour a nearby Indian village. The visit moves her. There the air is pristine, and the atmosphere is other- worldly. Barb boards the helijet for home with more memories to reflect on - and a nice catch of fish including a 26 ½-pound Spring. Sylvia Thorlakson was eleven when she won a Father’s Day fishing tournament with the five-pound, six-ounce rainbow trout she caught fishing with her dad in Okanagan Lake. In 2002 she caught a 56pound Chinook to win the women’s tournament at Langara.

Photo by Karen Trapp

Kelly Luckhart with her 28-pound Chinook

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ROLLIN’ on a RIVER By Geoff Coleman

Fishing a river from a boat is a lot like starting an exercise programme. Or giving up smoking. Or clearing your Google search history before the boss sees what you’ve really been doing. There are so many good reasons to do it, but we tend not to. Lots of us fished rivers out of necessity early in our fishing careers – we didn’t own a boat, or Dad wouldn’t trust us with his – so we headed on foot to the streams. I grew up in north-western Ontario trout country, so rainbows and specks were the logical moving-water targets. We caught plenty, but the day was special when a rogue walleye or smallmouth was included in the count. At first they were total accidents, then we came to expect them, and finally we geared up specifically for warm- and coolwater species outside of trout season. Before long though, we gained access to boats and river fishing for smallmouth or walleye was forgotten like so many Las Vegas wedding vows. Last summer; 25-years older and now living in the Kawartha Lakes region of south

central Ontario; I was reminded of the charm of fishing a river from a boat. Nick Cameron, a shining example of the next generation of anglers, was crazy enough to bring me to his favourite musky waters – one of the many rivers that feed, join, drain, and otherwise run through TrentSevern Waterway country. After motoring upstream for a couple of miles we drifted back to the rough launch site, catching seven ‘lunge during the three-hour trip. As is typical of any species that lives in a river, they were smaller on average than those found in a lake. Constantly fighting current to get anywhere will keep the fat

off. However, it would take an exceptional day on the lake that feeds this river to boat seven muskies, or to even equal the weight we totalled that evening. As good as that result was, it wasn’t the only enjoyable part of the outing. Throughout the drift, enthusiasm and anticipation remained high because we constantly covered new ground. If nothing hit on a given cast, another target was sighted by the time the figure eight was done. And, as another bonus, boat control was a nonissue. Once he positioned his boat in the middle of the smallish river, Nick rarely had to make course corrections. We just let the current Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 57

pull us along, focusing on dropping billy club-sized baits right next to the blowdowns and boulders on our respective sides of the river. Nick outfished me six to one as I recall, but I couldn’t have cared less - this was some of the most enjoyable and productive musky fishing I had ever experienced. The stream you choose doesn’t have to be as big as the St. Lawrence or the Columbia, it just has to be big enough to run an outboard on the shallow drive, and there are countless rivers that fit that description right across Canada. And while trout may be the species we associate most with rivers, smallmouth bass, salmon and walleye feel right at home in moving water too. So, here are a few techniques for each species to try this summer. The Chinook salmon entering rivers in August, resident rainbows and even the normally timid brook trout, all respond to baits presented with a technique that most of all relies on a competent captain at the helm. Depending on where it is practiced, the method is known as hotshotting, slipping, or my personal favourite, hurling.

Seasickness jokes aside, this is typically a big river technique. The key is to find attractive holding water and position the boat upstream from it. The tail out of a pool, where it shallows into a smooth slick before flowing into a riffle, is a classic location. Anglers position the boat midstream and then lower a deep-diving plug into the water before giving a little shot of gas to 58 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

move the boat gradually upstream. Then, the motor is slowed to the point where the boat is stationary in the current. This keeps the line tight and the bait drubbing across the bottom, where it hammers over rocks, gravel, and logs. When the pilot angles the boat gradually toward shore, the bait follows, sweeping across the river bottom. Incremental reductions and applications of power steer the boat all over the pool and tail-out with the crankbait leading the way, well in advance of motor noises and boat shadows. With experience, the boat operator can ease the bait into every fishylooking part of the stream, and provoke shoulder-jarring hits. When you do get a strike, it pays to watch where the fish first swims after feeling the hook. More often than not they will head for the next best holding water they know, giving you another spot to work. Like a teenager on a jobsite, this technique is hard on equipment, including hook points, lure bills, line and rods, so make sure everything is in good condition and check it frequently during the trip. I prefer a stiff, eight or nine-foot rod, since you are fishing in current and catching powerful fish. A heavy rod comes in handy when you need to turn fish, and it helps anglers keep clear of each other. Today’s outboards are very reliable, but be warned - if yours is unpredictable you can get into some bad spots in a hurry doing this. Keep your gear

in good shape and the first time a Chinook crushes your crankbait, all the effort will be worth it. When it comes to walleye fishing, there is no doubt that most rivers are far underfished. Obviously the spring spawning run brings a lot of fish into rivers, but if the river is turbid, has some depth to it and has a consistent flow, fish will call it home all summer long. And once fall rolls around you can get as many, or more, fish than you do in the spring. My favourite night of walleye fishing took place one Halloween, after the kids were sent to bed with stomach aches. I had four-dozen minnows and used every one

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catching and releasing walleyes in the river at Coboconk, Ontario. All I had to do was cast out a minnow-tipped 1/8-ounce jig and wait for a “tap” as it fell. Summer fishing is definitely tougher than that, but walleyes still capitalize on current bringing them food. They do best in big river systems where you have no problem running a 16-foot boat. Deep water, however, is not a requirement. Radio-tracking studies have shown that river walleyes prefer water less than 15-feet deep and they show a marked preference for back eddy areas three to six-feet deep. A back eddy is a simply an area of slow water caused when the main current flow is partially blocked. The water actually piles up on the upstream side of the obstruction, flows around it, and – because the water is lower on the downstream side – runs back upstream to fill the depression behind the rock. The obstruction disrupting the flow can be a fallen tree, a small landslide, a concrete dock, a water control dam, a sandbar, a small point of land, or, well, you get the picture. Ultimately every drop of water in a river flows downstream, but there are strong upstream currents and dead water even in Class 5 rapids, as any veteran kayaker will tell you. If the eddy occurs above a broken rock bottom, so much the better. When disrupted by rocks, water at the bottom of a river moves far more slowly than surface water does. And while walleyes don’t have reputations for bucking currents like steelhead do, they will hang in surprisingly fast flows. The river slipping method of boat control still works around eddies, but don’t drag a crankbait behind you. Instead, keep the boat stationary and work yourself into a position, parallel to the slow water, where you can cast. Minnow-tipped jigs, leeches below floats and floating minnow baits can all be worked through the myriad of boiling currents in a big back eddy. If you are throwing a float and a jig/leech or jig/worm combo, you can keep track of where the offering has travelled and where hits happen. If you can only make one cast, make it where the recirculating current rubs against the main river flow. Food is most concentrated here and walleyes can make a short swim from the calm of the eddy to grab a bite. Letting the bait drift downstream with the flow gives the most natural appearance, but I have caught more fish pulling a jig 60 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

slowly against the current. This is one instance where you might go to a heavier jig head with a sparser body in order to keep the bait near bottom. Hanging up a lure now and then is the tax you pay to get down to where the fish are. If you find a fish there will often be others waiting, so it might be time to anchor and really work the spot. Locating yourself downstream of the downstream edge of the eddy and casting up to fish is never a bad plan. Alternatively, if the prospect of losing an anchor deters you from dropping it over the side, you can often ease the boat along shore and find your own slack water where you can turn off the motor, hold in place and cast. If you really want to control your position, put out a drift sock in addition to an anchor off the bow. Walleye put up what can generously be called a “spirited fight” at the best of times, but they do show more vigour in a river. But nobody fishes walleyes

for the battle anyway. Smallmouth bass on the other hand... Black bass are as comfortable in rivers as they are in lakes and reservoirs. They are very trout-like in their habits, rising to surface flies, utilizing pools and tailouts for feeding, and even entering Great Lakes tributaries toward the end of the annual spring steelhead spawning run. If you hook into one when you are expecting a steelhead you won’t be disappointed by the fight, and that says a lot about the power of a smallie in a river. Fishing for river smallmouth means a lot of casting. Bass are nothing if not ambush feeders, so they favour spots where they can conserve energy yet still feed regularly. Locations like that are not hard to recognize. The most obvious would be an exposed mid-stream boulder. The area directly behind the rock (basically a mini back eddy) is calm and will hold fish. The

deeper the water, the more fish it can accommodate. Make casts beyond the calm spot and guide your lure into the slow water. Once it hits bottom, pick up any slack line and keep the rod tip high to prevent the fast water from dragging your line and lure out of the eddy too early. As the lure bounces bottom, retrieve a little more line and, if nothing takes, reel in slowly once you feel it lift and swing out of the still water. Before deserting the rock (and maybe before you cast behind it) be sure to put a cast into the bulge upstream of the obstruction. Often the bigger fish hang in the slack

water occurring in front of the rock, waiting for the first crack at whatever drifts along. And, make a note of where the rock is because you will want to fish it during high water, even if you can’t see it. In addition to current breaks, overhanging trees are bass magnets. Offering shade, cover, a supply of insects, and dozens of opportunities to get snagged, trees require the ultimate in casting accuracy. You will become more proficient as a caster in a few days of river fishing than you will a season of lake fishing. I find casting to be a fun part of fishing. With a relatively short attention span, I prefer the activity and athleticism involved in accurately placing a bait before a fish, whether it is a dry fly for browns or

a chunk of 1” x 4” hardwood for muskies. What makes a great casting outfit for rivers? It will probably be to the short side of things – six-feet long or less - tapering quickly to a fast, but not whippy tip. Musky aside, you can scale down the size of the baits you use when river fishing. As long as the rod is rated for a ¼-ounce offering you will be fine. Pair that with a quality spinning reel loaded with an easy-casting, eight-pound test line and you are set for just about anything. Right across the country navigable rivers often get overlooked in favour of nearby lakes but, in the summer, river fish may actually live in conditions superior to those found in a lake. They revel in water loaded with oxygen introduced through rapids, riffles and tributary streams. And, unlike a lake that has next to no water movement, running rivers don’t warm as quickly and even cool themselves in areas where springs enter. So the next time the wind is howling on the lake and boat control is impossible, head for the friendly confines of a river. A short run upstream from the mouth (or whatever body part describes an out-going stream) will generally see conditions that are more comfortable. The same goes for extremely hot days. For most of the daylight hours, you will be in shade on one side

of the river or the other. Best of all, the only company you likely will have are lots of fish who rarely see a bait. ?

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Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 61

Tales from the Road By Bob Izumi

This Tales from the Road starts from home. I haven’t been at home a lot this year so it was nice to have a couple of days off. My wife Sandy and I were talking about what happens to appliances nowadays. It seems like they don’t build them to last. We have replaced an incredible number of appliances and other items, like shingles, at our house since we built it almost 16-years ago. It’s amazing how products don’t last like they used to but I guess that’s the way it is - it’s a disposable world. Speaking of disposable, I’ve certainly disposed of a lot of fuel since my last column. Our daughter, Kristin, recently graduated from University and took a job in downtown Toronto, so my wife and I decided to reward her with a shopping trip to Florida. It was the first full week of March and I wanted some warm weather so we hopped in the truck and shopped our way down to Florida. We stopped in Pennsylvania and hit a place until it closed at 10 at night. Then we drove non-stop to Jacksonville, Florida; hit a place there the next morning, then shopped in Orlando later that day. We shopped ‘till we dropped and then we all went out for a nice meal. The next day I tagged up with my cousin, my brother Wayne’s son, Justin. Justin has been down there working on his

golf game. He’s an incredible golfer and I hope he does well in the future. He’s been lucky enough to be golfing on a course that has a number of ponds so we stopped in to do a little fishing. While we were in Florida we took in an NHL game in Tampa Bay. The Lightning were playing the Carolina Hurricanes and I have a friend on each team - former Leaf, Keith Aulie, who now plays for Tampa, and Tim Brent, who plays for Carolina. Keith invited us to the game so it was a good chance to say hi to both of them and take in the game. Overall it was a very quick, down and dirty trip. We flew Kristin back after threedays with us while Sandy and I stayed for a few extra days before driving back. In total, we did the entire trip in six-days, including travel time. Once I got home it was time to get together with my radio co-host, award-winning outdoor writer Gord Pyzer, to do our annual radio taping for our syndicated Real Fishing radio show. It’s always great to get together with Gord for a couple of days and talk about what’s happening in the fishing world. A couple of days after we got back from Florida, my wife and I decided to use some

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62 Real Fishing – Summer 2012

Aeroplan miles for a quick trip to Victoria, BC. The goal was to fly out and drive back with our daughter’s car. Her car was still in Victoria, where she had just finished University. Because it was full of stuff, the major shipping companies that ship cars, would not take it. I didn’t know that until I tried to have the car shipped so we thought we’d use some points to fly out there and then drive her car back. We got to the airport and, as we got there, my daughter texts me and says, “Have you heard about the strike?” I’m reading the text as we were getting let off at the airport and then I realised there’s a wildcat strike going on with the Air Canada folks. We checked in, went to the lounge and found out that our flight was delayed. And delayed. And delayed some more. After too many delays, Sandy and I we cancelled our flight and left the airport. It’s too bad that there’s so much unhappiness out there in the workplace. It would be nice if companies and their employees could get together and work things out. Incidentally, now that a few months have gone by, we just got the car shipped back. A friend of a friend of mine who has flatbed transport trucks brought it back for us. We were scheduled to go to Kenora to do some ice fishing with pro angler, Jeff Gustafson, as soon as we got back from Victoria. As it turned out, the ice up there wasn’t safe. It started to break up earlier than it’s ever broken up, at least according to the local folks, so that trip got cancelled. I guess it will have to wait until next winter. Then we attended the Chase the Dream annual fundraising dinner in Woodbridge,

Sturgeon Bay smallmouth are big, fat and plentiful.

Ontario. Chase Galea is the son of Shawn and Rachael Galea, from Advanced Taxidermy. This young man is facing a number of challenges due to cerebral palsy and hearing loss. It’s great to see the support of the more than 500 people who show up at this event every year to support Chase and others with similar challenges. Then it was off to Montego Bay, Jamaica, where our friend, Marcia Stewart from Tim Hortons, was getting married. It was one of the very few trips I’ve ever done where there were no fishing rods, just golf clubs. My brother, Wayne, and I snuck in three rounds of golf around the wedding day. We played a couple of beautiful courses down there and found out how much a really good caddy can help you. If I could only find a good caddy for fishing I think I’d be all set! After we got back it was time for another road trip so we headed to Vermont. My fishing buddy Rick McCrory, and his wife Mimi, have a beautiful cottage on the shores of Lake Champlain so we headed down there to do some early season largemouth fishing. They have a catch and release season down there before the regular season opens and it’s a lot of fun. The largemouth were in a pre-spawn mode so I used a lot of shallow running crankbaits. The key was that all of the bass were on leadin areas. None of them were in the backs of the spawning bays because it was early May and the water temperatures were still low. We ended up catching our bass on the rock points leading into the spawning bays. I would assume the rocks heat up fairly quickly in the spring because the largemouth seemed to be on them pretty good. We also picked up a few Rick McCrory with an early-season smallmouth.

smallmouth and a bonus lake trout by cranking the rocks. It was a laid back trip where I got some taping done and got time to visit with Rick and his wife. It was nice to take a quick trip down there to visit and get some work done at the same time. I had a chance to pop into the Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days event at Safari Lake in Flamborough after the Vermont trip. Safari Lake is a private lake and the owners of the houses that surround it open up their backyards for a few hundred kids every year for this event. Everybody was catching fish when I was there. I’m talking about slab-sized crappies and panfish. It was amazing how many fish were caught on this private lake. I was itching to get my rod out but I knew the day was for the kids so I didn’t. This is one of over 70 kids events that we participate in every year. It was wonderful to see all of the volunteers who came out and donated their time to make the event happen. The next afternoon I was off to Wisconsin with Derek Strub to fish the Sturgeon Bay Open bass tournament. We got as far as Mackinaw City on the first day and rolled into Sturgeon Bay the next afternoon. We got out on the water for a bit of scouting that day and then spent the next number of days looking for smallmouth bass. The Sturgeon Bay Open is a tournament that has around 150 boats in it every year. First prize is a fully rigged Ranger bass boat. Including this year, Derek and I have had three decent showings and one blow-out in the four-years we’ve fished it together. If you like to fish for smallmouth bass, I would say that this could be one of the top five places in the world to fish for them. They are big, fat and plentiful. To tell you how good the fishing is, we had 12 fish over the two days that weighed 54-pounds and change. There were 18 teams that had around the same and we ended up in 24th place. The Johnston brothers, Chris and Cory, won the event. They had never been on this water before but went down 10-days in advance, practiced hard, figured it out and weighed in 12 fish for 61-pounds to win. Congratulations to these two incredible

young guns – these guys really know how to catch fish. They have won so many tournaments in their young careers it is stellar. I know they are going to be forces to be reckoned with for decades to come. I got back and literally had half a day to get ready to head down to Leamington on Lake Erie for a day of fishing with Krista Kendall from Transport Canada, aboard Drifter II Charters, which is owned and operated by Captain Jim Fleming. It gave me an opportunity to talk to her about boating safety and some of the statistics in Canada. Since the requirement for a Pleasure Craft Operator Card came into effect, the research has shown that boating fatalities are down by about 50percent. I do believe that the card is having an effect and may have helped save a number of those lives. Sturgeon Bay Open winners Chris (L) and Cory Johnston.

Out of the 10 or 12-days I’ve fished with Jim over the years - for muskie, walleye, steelhead and perch - I’ve never had a bad trip with him and this one was no exception. We ran about two-miles out of Leamington and set the rods. There were eight of us on this trip so we set eight rods. To give you an idea of how good the fishing was, at one point five rods went off at once. We put three walleyes in the net at once, brought them into the boat and then scooped two more. We literally landed five fish at once! We fished walleyes for three or four-hours that morning and caught over 20. Then we decided to go for Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 63

Waiting to tee off at the Fishing Forever golf tournament

some perch and we caught a bunch of them too before calling it a day. I always love it when you can tie up a meeting with golf. I had a sponsor meeting the next day and we decided that the best thing to do was have a quick meeting at the office before heading out to the golf course. You’ve got to love those kinds of meetings! The next day was our Fishing Forever fundraising golf tournament at Turtle Creek Golf Club. My friends, Rob Stevens and Leo Capobianco, built this challenging 18-hole public course just north of Milton. I’m not going to tell you how my team did but I’ll guarantee that we had as much fun as anybody else, even though we didn’t take home a trophy. I literally have not unpacked from my last five or six trips but right after the golf tournament I had to throw a few things into a bag and go up to Sudbury for an appearance at the OLG casino at Sudbury Downs. I spent a few hours up there signing autographs and meeting some of the folks from that region as part of a month-long fishing promotion they had at the casino. It was really neat to talk fishing with the friendly people from that area. In my line of work where I’m constantly traveling I really am thankful when everything goes smoothly. This was one of those deals where I jumped on a flight in Toronto, Tim and Bob with a chunky Beauchene brookie.

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flew up there, did the gig and flew back with no hiccups. It’s nice when that happens because a lot of times you only dwell on the times when things don’t go right. I don’t dwell on those things because, with as much traveling as I do, I know you’ve got to take the good with the bad. I don’t care who you are or what you do, you are always going to have some good times and some bad times so I’m always happy when things go really smoothly as they did on my trip to Sudbury. I got back home late that night and the next morning was off to La Reserve Beauchene, in Quebec. I invited some friends along who wanted to experience the reserve, including Carolina Hurricanes center, Tim Brent. Tim is a very keen angler who loves to fish. I had a chance to fish with him last year and found out that he just loves the outdoors. We fished for smallmouth bass and caught oodles of them, along with a few bonus pike. For one hour one evening we went into a lake to fish for brook trout and caught three native brookies. I was trolling a streamer fly while Tim was trolling with an in-line spinner. I got the first fish, then Tim caught one, then I got another. I can’t believe how many black flies were out that evening. They were everywhere. It would have been unbearable if we hadn’t have been using Off! Deep Woods Dry. I was also testing the new Off! Clip-on. This little unit has a fan in it that circulates repellent around you for up to 12-hours. It doesn’t smell, it’s quiet and it does a great job of keeping bugs away. I have to admit that these repellents saved our evening. It started getting dark so we decided to head back to the lodge to enjoy a wonderful meal prepared by Chef Gary Nisbet. He’s one of those chefs who can also bake – most chefs are chefs and bakers are bakers but Gary does both. What I really liked after our great meal was going to the dessert table where there was maple syrup pie, strawberry shortcake, carrot cake, lemon meringue pie and a number of other goodies to choose from. When I see that many desserts laid out it’s almost as good as going into a tackle store; it’s like a feeding frenzy. I would equate a good dessert table to a good tackle store – I just can’t get enough!

As I wrap up this column I’m supposed to be going to Ottawa for some gar fishing but the weather isn’t looking good for that. We need sun for the gar fishing and the forecast is for overcast skies for the next few days so I might have to postpone that trip for a little while. Oh well, I hear the smallmouth are starting to bite good out of Buffalo on Lake Erie... ?

What’s COOKING

A little sweet and a little heat makes this an ideal summer salmon dish to share with family, friends and, of course, your fishing buddies.

Adobo Marinated Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa INGREDIENTS

METHOD Remove the chipotle peppers from the can, reserving all the adobo sauce.

salt and pepper to taste. Let stand in the fridge for 1-hour.

Place salmon fillets and adobo sauce in a large Ziploc bag. Chop chipotle peppers and add to bag – more for a hotter marinade, fewer for a milder one. Seal bag, place in refrigerator and let marinate for 1 to 3-hours.

Remove salmon from bag and pat dry on a paper towel.

6-ounce salmon fillets

3.9-ounce cans of

golden pineapple

chipotle peppers

small red onion

red pepper

1 tbsp

rice vinegar

1 tbsp

honey

lime

Clean the skin off the pineapple, cut into quarters and remove the core. Slice 2 of the quarters in half, lengthwise, and dice into small pieces.

2 tbsp

cilantro

Dice red onion and red pepper into small pieces.

Pre-heat the grill on medium-high and rub with a little oil. Place salmon on the grill and cook for 5 to 7-minutes per side, until salmon is flaky. Remove salmon and let rest for 5-minutes. Place salmon on plate and top with salsa. Serve with your favorite side dish.

Salt and pepper to taste Place pineapple, red onion and red pepper pieces into a bowl. Chop cilantro and add to the mix. Add vinegar and honey. Stir well and add

Special thanks to Jason Mohring of Tecvana Corporation for providing this recipe.

Summer 2012 – Real Fishing 65

FLOAT PLANE PIKE

Description: “This artwork features a float plane whose destination is Lower Manitou Lake in north-western Ontario. I wanted to express the excitement of landing a plane on a distant lake that has been rarely fished and then catching a large pike from the plane’s a pontoon.” – Charles Weiss Size: 11" x 14" Medium: Acrylic on board Contact: Charles Weiss Charles Weiss Art 34 Hughey Cr. Toronto, On M1K 2V4 Tel: 416-752-4363 www.charlesweissart.com

66 Real Fishing – Summer 2012