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VOLUME 24 • ISSUE 1 Just $4.95
Winter 2018
DISPLAY UNTIL APRIL 15, 2018
ON THE ROAD WITH BOB IZUMI
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Contents Features 30 LATE ICE PIKE This time-tested two-hole system targets both inactive and active pike, and it can double your chances of success as the ice fishing season winds down. By Wil Wegman
40 NORTHERN ONTARIO GETAWAYS Ontario’s North Country offers some of the best multi-species fishing in the province along with a wide range of camps, lodges and resorts to base your trip from. By Bob Izumi and Real Fishing Staff
52 12 TIME AND MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR ANGLERS A dozen simple and inexpensive things you can do to ensure your fishing trips go smoothly. By Wes David
Winter 2018 Volume 24, Issue 1 Editor Jerry Hughes Art Production Rossi Piedimonte Design Publisher Fred Delsey National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679 President Wayne Izumi
Columns
20 6 OPENING LINES
26 BEST FISHING TIMES
By Jerry Hughes
Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar
Contributors Patrick Daradick, Wes David, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Ryan Lamothe, Steve May, Dave Taylor, Wil Wegman 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 $12.95. For USA add $10 all others add $30. Subscriptions: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6 Subscription inquiries Please call: 1-877-474-4141 or visit www.realfishing.com Canada Post Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40015689 Customer Account No. 2723816 GST Registration No. R102546504 Postmaster: Please return front cover/label only of undeliverables to: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6 Contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in Canada
On the cover: NORTHERN ONTARIO BROOK TROUT Photo by Izumi Outdoors
10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC News, trivia, event listings and more from the world of fishing
28 THE HOT BITE
14 WHAT’S NEW The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories
16 FISHING By Bob Izumi
18 FLY FISHING By Steve May
20 THE WATER’S EDGE By Dave Taylor
22 THE VINTAGE TACKLE BOX By Patrick Daradick
24
24 REAL FISHING FISH FACTS Walleye
58 TALES FROM THE ROAD
22
The trials and tribulations of life as a professional angler By Bob Izumi
64 WHAT’S COOKING 66 ART OF ANGLING
opening lines By Jerry Hughes
While Away The Winter By the time you read this issue of Real Fishing, winter will be in full swing across most of Canada. Snowmobiles, ATVs and portable shelters will have replaced boats on the lakes and fishing opportunities will be narrowed to a window of water accessible only by a small hole. There’s no question that winter presents unique angling challenges that are unlike any we face during the rest of the year. Some anglers relish the different approach that hard water fishing requires and spend their days trying to unlock the secrets to catching fish from under the ice. Others prefer to while away the season by reorganizing tackle, doing maintenance on rods and reels, and planning trips for the open water season. To each their own. This issue was put together to offer something of interest to every angler – whether you’re a die-hard ice angler or a winter couch warmer. Kicking things off is a look at Wil Wegman’s tried and true system for catching huge northern pike through the ice during the late part of the season. Wil is a hard core ice angler who taught ice fishing courses for 20-years and has been a featured seminar speaker for the last 15. He has had several top-ten finishes at the Canadian Ice Fishing Championships and was inducted into the Canadian Fishing Hall of Fame in 2017. When it comes to ice fishing, few anglers can match his expertise and his article, Late Ice Pike, is a must-read if catching trophy sized pike through the ice sounds appealing to you. If you prefer spending the winter months planning your next open water fishing trip, you’ll definitely want to read Bob Izumi’s article, Northern Ontario Getaways. Over the years Bob has visited countless lodges and resorts in Ontario, (as well as across Canada and around the 6 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
world) filming episodes of the Real Fishing Television Show, so he knows a good resort when he stays at one. In his article, Bob profiles four memorable trips he’s taken to Northern Ontario recently and tells why they rank high on his list of places to go for a fishing getaway this year. From outstanding fishing to five-star service, each of these destinations offer something special to visiting anglers and are worthy of consideration for your short list of possible vacation spots. Rounding out our feature articles is Wes David’s piece entitled, 12 Time and Money Saving Tips for Anglers. From handy ideas on protecting your fishing equipment to storing bait to preparing for adversity on a fishing trip, Wes’s insights come from years of experience in the outdoors. Besides being relatively inexpensive, a lot of these tips can actually end up saving you money in the long run; money that doesn’t appear in the household budget and that you can use, perhaps, for something like a new rod or reel. And that’s a good deal no matter what the season! Of course there’s a lot more in this issue, but I don’t want to give away everything here. I’ll leave it to you to explore the magazine at your leisure and I hope you enjoy what you find. ?
CORRECTION In our last issue we featured a new work from Charles Weiss on the Art of Angling page. Entitled, Canadian Muskie, the piece was dedicated to Canada's 150th anniversary and depicted a muskellunge chasing down a jig with a Canadian flaginspired red maple leaf on the side of it. Unfortunately the gremlins were at work when the issue went to press and we inadvertently provided the wrong address for Charles’ website. The address that was printed, www.charlesweiss.com, should have been listed as www.charlesweissart.com. We apologize to Charles and to you, our readers, for the error.
berkkley-fish yng.com
8 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
Say, “CHEESE!” These dolphins took a break from their duties at the Dolphin Connection marine-life educational facility in Florida just long enough to have their photos taken. We don’t know if they really enjoy their jobs, or if they thought there was something funny about us, but they sure seemed to have big grins on their faces when the camera came out. Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 9
NEW CANADIAN FIVE-BASS TOURNAMENT RECORD Lake Simcoe has proven, once again, that it is one of Canada’s premiere smallmouth bass fishing destinations. On Saturday, October 28, 2017, Matt Belzil and his tournament partner Jason Clay set a new Canadian tournament record during the Jack Link’s Lake Simcoe Open, hosted by
the Aurora Bassmasters, with a five-fish limit of smallmouth that weighed an astonishing 31.8-pounds. That surpassed the previous record of 31.55-pounds, which was set on Lake Simcoe in 2010 by Joey Muszynski and Mark Moran. Even more outstanding is the fact that the top three
teams all weighed over 30-pounds, and it took over 21-pounds to crack the top-10 in this event. Matt and Jason not only won the $7,800 first place prize, they stand to collect a further $20,000 bonus for breaking the Canadian tournament record once their catch is officially verified.
FLW SIGNS NEW CANADIAN PARTNER FLW has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with the Canadian Pro Bass Tour to assume operation of FLW Canada bass tournaments. The agreement was signed by FLW President of Operations Kathy Fennel and Andrew Pallotta, president of the Canadian Pro Bass Tour. “Canadian bass anglers are among the best in the world, and they deserve world-class events in which to showcase 10 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
their talent,” Fennel says. “We are excited to announce Andrew Pallotta as our new partner in Canada. We are confident that his extensive background in tournaments and sport shows will further elevate the status of FLW Canada tournaments and provide a promotional platform befitting such a talented group of anglers.” FLW Canada will continue to advance two pros and two co-anglers to the
Costa FLW Series Championship each year, where they will compete against a field of other International Division anglers. The highest finisher in the International Division will advance to the Forrest Wood Cup. “Our goal is to provide professionally run tournaments that welcome all anglers and provide Canadian citizens with opportunities for advancement that they
cannot receive anywhere else,” Pallotta says. “We will start with one major event,
the FLW Canada Cup, and grow from there with a focus on providing highly competi-
tive and enjoyable tournaments for the largest number of anglers possible.” The FLW Canada Cup, scheduled for August 16-18, 2018 on the Bay of Quinte, is open to all anglers. An FLW Canada membership is not required to compete in the new FLW Canada tournaments. Further inquiries can be directed to andrew@fishandboatshow.com.
EVENTS Calendar KIDS, COPS AND CANADIAN TIRE FISHING DAYS
SPRING FISHING AND BOAT SHOW
LAC DU BONNET ICE FISHING DERBY
Youth oriented fishing events Various dates and locations www.kidsandcops.ca
February 16 - 19 International Centre Mississauga, ON www.springfishingandboatshow.com
March 3 Lac du Bonnet Town Dock Lac du Bonnet, MB www.ldbice.ca
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
ONTARIO FAMILY FISHING WEEKEND
PERCHIN FOR MS
January 12 - 21 Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto, ON www.torontoboatshow.com
February 17 - 19 License-free fishing in Ontario www.ontariofamilyfishing.com
March 3 Lake Simcoe Sibbald Point Provincial Park www.perchinforms.com
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
January 17 - 21 BC Place and Granville Island Vancouver, BC www.vancouverboatshow.ca MONTREAL BOAT AND WATER SPORTS SHOW
February 1- 4 Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec, www.salondubateau.com CALGARY BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW
February 8 - 11 BMO Centre, Stampede Park Calgary, AB www.calgaryboatandsportshow.ca HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
February 8 - 11 Halifax Exhibition Centre Halifax, NS www.halifaxboatshow.com
SIMCOE COUNTY HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION ICE FISHING TOURNAMENT
WAWA ICE FISHING DERBY
February 17 Lake Simcoe, Kempenfelt Bay Barrie, ON www.icefishingbarrie.ca
March 2 - 4 Wawa, Hawk and Manitowik Lakes Wawa, ON www.wawaicefishingderby.com
LAKE SIMCOE CHAMPIONSHIP ICE FISHING DERBY
TORONTO SPORTSMEN’S SHOW
February 18 Lake Simcoe, Cook’s Bay Keswick, ON www.icefishinglakesimcoe.com
March 14 - 18 International Centre Mississauga, ON www.torontosportshow.ca
OTTAWA BOAT SHOW
EDMONTON BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW
February 22 - 25 EY Centre Ottawa, ON www.ottawaboatshow.ca
March 15 - 18 Edmonton Expo Centre, Northlands Park Edmonton, AB www.edmontonboatandsportshow.ca
MID-CANADA BOAT SHOW
QUEBEC OUTDOORS, HUNTING, FISHING AND CAMPING SHOW AND QUEBEC BOAT SHOW
March 1 - 4 RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg, MB www.midcanadaboatshow.com
March 15 - 18 ExpoCité Exhibition Center, Quebec, QC www.salonpleinairquebec.ca
BC SPORTSMEN'S SHOW MONTREAL HUNTING, FISHING AND CAMPING SHOW
February 15 - 18 Place Bonaventure Montreal, QC www.montrealoutdoorshow.ca
March 2 - 4 Tradex Abbotsford, BC www.bcboatandsportsmenshow.ca
MONCTON BOAT SHOW
March 23 - 25 Moncton Coliseum Moncton, NB www.monctonboatshow.ca
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 11
READER’S PHOTOS Dale LaBelle Devlin, ON Black Crappie
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 Lauren Turner Telkwa, BC Steelhead
Scott Walcott Picton, ON Peacock Bass Bill Fearns and Adriano Ventresca Welland, ON Yellow Perch and Smallmouth Bass John Robinson Pointe Claire, QC Smallmouth Bass
12 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
Catch BOB on the Tube! Tune in every Saturday morning on Global, and weekly on WFN, as Bob Izumi and his guests show you where, when and how to tackle the biggest fish from the hottest Canadian and international destinations.
STATION LISTING & AIRING TIMES* MARKET
PROV./STATE
STATION
DATE & AIR TIMES
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Global (CIHF)
Saturday 8:00 am
Calgary
AB
Global (CICT)
Saturday 10:30 am
Edmonton
AB
Global (CITV)
Saturday 10:30 pm
Ontario
ON
Global (CIII)
Saturday 8:30 am
Quebec
QC
Global (CKMI)
Saturday 8:30 am
Regina
SK
Global (CFRE)
Saturday 7:30 am
Saskatoon
SK
Global (CFSK)
Saturday 7:30 am
Vancouver
BC
Global (CHAN)
Saturday 10:30 am
Winnipeg
MB
Global (CKND)
Saturday 7:30 am
Canada/USA
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.
What’s
NEW
2018
HOOK THIS The new Lowrance Hook2 offers the latest in sonar technology and affordability, and comes auto-tuned right out the box to provide the perfect picture of fish and structure below a boat, regardless of water type or depth. Hook2 is available in 4-, 5-, 7-, 9 and 12-inch widescreen models and features wide-angle Broadband Sounder™ and CHIRP sonar. Most models also feature full navigational capability and pre-loaded, high-detail mapping.
www.lowrance.com
SNAPPY JIGS The Berkley Snap Jig is a versatile action jig head that makes an ideal pairing with the 4” PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow, 3” PowerBait Pro Twitch Tail Minnow, 3” Gulp! Fry or any of your other favorite soft plastics. It can be fished vertically, or cast and retrieved where it provides a dynamic side to side darting action. An innovative extended bait keeper allows anglers to easily slide a bait onto the jig, where the ridges secure it in place, and a unique secondary eye allows for the addition of stinger hooks, treble hooks or blades.
www.berkley-fishing.com
MADE IN THE SHADE Columbia’s men’s Solar Shade printed long sleeve shirt is built to stand out in a crowd while standing up to the sun’s glare. This lightweight long-sleeve is made for you to look - and stay - cool when the heat is on. Moisturewicking and sun-deflecting fabric whisk away sweat and offer UPF 50 sun protection so you can stay out longer. And the eye-catching design will make a splash, whether you’re on or off the water.
www.columbiasportswear.ca
14 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
We welcome submissions from manufacturers and distributors 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
POWER UP The Power-Pole CHARGE is the world’s first AC/DC and bi-directional DC/DC, all-in-one marine battery manager and charger and is designed specifically for boats that have up to three trolling motor batteries and one 12V main cranking battery. CHARGE works with multiple battery types; Lead Acid, AGM, GEL, and Lithium. When plugged into shore power it will charge up to three auxiliary batteries wired in series and balance the power to each while automatically charging the main cranking battery. When the motor is running, CHARGE will automatically charge the cranking battery, then move and balance the power to the auxiliary batteries. With CHARGE you can use the C-Monster App to easily control settings, configuration, and battery types from your smart phone.
www.powerpole.com
SNIP AND GRIP Cuda’s 5½” shear features large, non-slip Cuda scale pattern handles for comfort and control along with stainless steel titanium bonded blades for increased durability and corrosion-resistance. The blades feature micro-serrations for accurate and pristine cuts, and will easily grip and cut braid, monofilament and fluorocarbon lines.
The Cuda 5" mini plier is constructed of titanium bonded stainless steel for increased corrosion-resistance and features an integrated ring splitter and crimper. It will also cut most kinds of fishing lines, including braids. Cuda’s scale pattern handles channel water while providing a secure grip in any weather.
www.cudabrand.com
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 15
fishing
Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.
By Bob Izumi
Today’s Hits and Yesterday’s Favourites I love how certain radio stations use the tagline, “Today’s Hits and Yesterday’s Favourites”, and that’s what this issue’s column is all about. Specifically, are the old lures that have been around for years as effective as they once were, and are the new lures as good as the articles or the advertising that you see say they are? The answer to all of that is yes and yes. When I was a kid growing up on Rondeau Bay there were a lot of people from Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan who would frequent the fishing camps in Erieau and, as a teenager, I got to know a lot of them when they came up and fished for bass and pike. I remember when the Bayou Boogie was a popular lipless crankbait with these folks out on Rondeau. It was one of the earliest lipless crankbaits that I can remember, way before the Rattletraps, Cordell Spots and those types of lures were even around, and it
16 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
caught a lot of fish. In fact, me and a number of other anglers would often have 100fish-plus days by fishing the weedllines on Rondeau Bay with the Bayou Boogie. But after a while, instead of going out and catching 100-fish a day on these baits, you’d only catch 10 or 15 in a day. The fish just seemed to lose interest in them. I remember a fellow named Dick Wiley, who made a very unique spinnerbait. It was a thin black wire version that produced a lot of vibration and it was an amazing lure in its day. You could go around the bay and throw that thing up against the rocks, in shallow wood or out on the weed flats and catch dozens and dozens of fish. But, just like the Bayou Boogie, as Dick’s spinnerbait became used by more and more anglers,
over a period of time it became less effective. As crazy as it sounds, I’ve even been to fly-in fishing lakes where the tried-and-true lures, that have been used there for decades, don’t produce as well as they used to. Though it might be a remote, fly-in location, most of the people who go there use the same lures year after year, even though there might be something better. On some lake trout lakes I’ve seen where big spoons have been the key baits for catching monster lakers for years, but now big swimbaits have become equally or more effective than spoons. In all of these cases, yesterday’s favourite lure became old hat to the fish. What I feel happened is that there were so many recreational anglers out there, throwing the same lure in the same areas, that the fish either got caught and kept or became accustomed to being caught and released on a certain bait and so the bite slowed down. Now, is that true with all lures? I think fishing pressure will do that in certain situations but in other areas, where there’s not a lot of fishing pressure, old lures or new lures will catch the same amount of fish. What I do know is that today’s fishing lures are, for the most part, refinements of lures that might have been invented 20, 40, 60, 80 or even 100-years ago. They’ve got better hooks on them, they’ve got nicer finishes, they’ve got better components and they are made with materials that are going to give them the ultimate actions. There’s no question that a lot of the newer baits, because of the refinements they have, catch more fish. So the answer is, old lures still catch fish, and so do new ones. I personally believe that by staying ahead of the curve and trying some of the new, more refined baits, you are always going to put yourself at an advantage for catching more fish. But, I’ve seen it before and I’m sure I’ll see it again, where some of those old baits designed decades ago will still catch boatloads of fish. ?
EXCELLENCEE PREVAILS These products mean busine ess
VAsA its name implies, the Vibrato has a natural vibrating action. But unlike any VIBRATO otther vibrating lure it vibrates o on the fall, when jigged, twitched, retrieved steadily or trolled in any w wa ay and d at any speed.
IThehCEIceMAX Max spinning reel offers serious perfformanc ormance and cutting edge design th hat stops fish in their tracks.
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fly fishing By Stephen May
Happy Landings Part of the fly fishing experience is landing a fish efficiently and effectively with the safety of the fish in mind. Many people struggle with closing the deal with fly tackle, so here are a few tips to help you and the fish. Some of the nostalgia of fly fishing involves an arched rod with outstretched net. Nets are still an excellent tool to help land fish, but look for updated models with fish-friendly mesh options. These softer mesh nets, with no knots, help put the fish first. Good mesh will reduce slime loss and damage to fins, eyes or gills.
the fish under control, you need to net it head-first. Fish do not swim backwards well. If you try to net a fish tail-first, the fish will simply swim away from you. If you try to chase a fish with the net, things do not usually end well. Bringing the rod up and over your shoulder is usually the best method of getting the fish under control and leading it to the net near the surface. If done correctly, the net just needs to be lifted up to enclose the fish. Once in the net, use it to your advantage to keep the fish in the water. The fish is
Make sure your net is big enough. A tiny brook trout net is useless for salmon and steelhead and, believe me, it is no fun to hook a fish that will not fit in your net. It usually results in a story about the one that got away! So research your waters and plan appropriately. To get a fish in your net, you need to control it and ease it in. Smooth and steady is the way to capture your trophy with long and limber fly rods. Try to keep the fish away from strong currents and obstructions with smooth, but firm pressure. This will also wear out the fish and make it easier to get it into the net quickly. Once you have 18 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
under control and can recover while you do the same. The excitement of the epic battle can be calmed while you high-five your friend and get a camera ready for a quick photo. Use the opportunity of a calm fish under control in the net to unhook it. A tool like a pair of forceps, pliers or an unhooking tool can make this a real simple operation. The fish does not need to leave the water. Photos should be taken very quickly with an in-control fish. The sign of a good picture is seeing lots of water dripping from the fish’s fins in the photo. Pictures of the fish in the water and/or in the net can also look great. Try experimenting with a waterproof camera for some truly memorable images. Regardless whether you use a net or you hand-land or beach the fish, always try to avoid muddy water, which is not good for fish gills, and keep the fish on a wetted surface to protect that critical slime layer. When you release your catch it should charge away with a splash. If it does not, hold it steady into a gentle current, until it lets you know it wants to go back to its favourite haunt. Then you can continue your day with a wet net - an excellent sign of a great day on the stream! ?
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Dave Taylor is a well known photographer and naturalist from Mississauga, Ontario
water’s edge By Dave Taylor
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” This question comes not from a hungry friend, but from a voice someplace deep in the woods. It is a phonetic rendering of the call of the barred owl and it is one of the most familiar of all calls in the eastern half of North America. The barred owl’s preferred habitat is in mature mixed forests, often near water. The forests typically provide a wider range of prey species for the owls while the older trees provide nesting cavities for the birds to raise families in. Barred owls lay between one and five eggs in the spring, with two to three eggs being most typical. They prefer natural cavities located about 20 to 40-feet above the ground. They will also utilize stick platform nests if no suitable hole in a tree is found. The parent owls are very defensive of their nest and their young, and they will attack most intruders. Even so, many owlets are lost to weasels, raccoons, hawks and great horned owls.
20 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
Great horned owls are their major predator. The two species are both large owls, but the great horned is the larger of the two, ranging from 18 to 26-inches in height and weighing anywhere from about 2-pounds to just under 4-pounds. The barred owl is smaller, ranging from 19 to 22-inches in height with a weight range from just over 1pound to 2 ½-pounds. The major difference that a casual birder might note between these two large owls is the lack of ear tufts on the barred owl. Another obvious difference is the eyes: great horned owls have yellow eyes while the barred owl’s eyes are dark. If there are great horned owls in an area, the barred owls will move away for safety’s sake. Barred owls are not considered to be migratory but have, in the last century, expanded their range from the east coast of North America to the Pacific coast. The species has benefitted from more farmland reverting back to forest as the human population has moved to a more urban lifestyle. Young birds disperse from their parents’ range to colonize these new areas. In one Ontario study, a young, banded barred owl travelled almost 1000kilometers from where it was fledged, however, dispersals by young owls are more commonly less than 5-kilometers. As adults, barred owls are very territorial and their distinctive calls help proclaim their ownership. Pairs likely mate for life and they raise one brood per year. Barred owls occasionally turn up in places where they are not typically seen or heard. These “irruptions”
are typical of many species of owls and are best known to occur among snowy owls and great gray owls. These unusual migrations are often caused by especially harsh winters or a decline in their prey base. It is not at all unusual to find barred owls hanging around bird feeders in winter. At one location where I usually find them, they’ve been seen preying on everything from worms to a ring-necked pheasant. While nighttime is their preferred time to hunt, they will hunt during the day if prey is available. They are “perch hunters” and may sit on the same branch for hours waiting for prey to come by. The barred owl’s typical prey includes both flying and tree squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, rabbits, birds (including smaller owls such as the saw-whet, screech and even long-eared owls), frogs, toads, small reptiles and insects. They will sometimes perch over streams in the hopes of adding fish or crayfish to their diet. Like all owls barred owls swallow small prey whole while larger prey is reduced to smaller chunks before being consumed. Barred owls are increasing in number as well as expanding their range. I’ve photographed the species in several habitats including semi-tropical cypress swamps in Florida; within Toronto’s borders; and in Algonquin Provincial Park. The species is at least 11,000-years old and dates back to the Pleistocene, when woolly mammoths still roamed North America. Fossils of barred owls dating back this far have been found in Ontario, Florida and Tennessee. If you are fond of fishing around dawn and dusk you are likely to hear them calling. Sometimes a pair engages in a duet. A good imitation of this owl’s call may even bring the owl within view. They can be quite “tame” and will often stay around for you to have a good look at them - just don’t expect them to cook for you. ?
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the vintage tackle box
Patrick Daradick has been collecting vintage fishing tackle for over 25-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
AL&W Tenite (Plastic) Pikie Minnows AL&W was the short form for Allcock, Laight & Westwood, one of the oldest and most highly productive fishing tackle companies that ever existed. Originating in England in 1854, the company traveled to Canada and set up business on Bay Street, in Toronto, Ontario, and supplied the needs of sportsmen for over 100-years. Fisherman, hunters and trappers were not the only people served by this company as their yearly catalogues also offered an extensive line of general products for the outdoorsmen. In 1928, the rapidly growing Creek Chub Bait Company from Garrett, Indiana, made a business move and an agreement was formed with Allcock, Laight & Westwood to begin manufacturing Creek Chub’s patented baits in Toronto, Canada. The 1928 AL&W catalogue showed an extensive cooperative effort carrying 13 Creek Chub baits along with 73-pages of other tackle. The most ubiquitous offerings in the catalogue carried the AL&W logo.
22 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
The AL&W Company continued to produce standard Creek Chub baits and, in the 1950s, they began to produce Pikie Minnows. Although they resembled Creek Chub Pikies, they had very distinct qualities not found on the American-made lures. AL&W produced Husky Pikies, Baby Pikies, Midget Pikies and Spinning Pikies with distinctive lips, paint patterns, and rigging, indicating that AL&W not only produced Pikies, they developed some very distinctive alterations and innovations to the lures. These differences are helpful in identifying Canadian made Pikie Minnows. The AL&W Husky Pikies are easily distinguished from their American-made cousins by their high quality English hooks, extra twists of tail wire and a through-wire construction design. Their metal lips were adorned with the AL&W logo alongside the Creek Chub stamping and many of these plastic lures had an “AL&W” sticker placed on the tail end of
the lure. They were packaged in large cardboard boxes with a distinctive AL&W Pikie design logo. Creek Chub lure boxes from Garret, Indiana never did change their box design. AL&W also incorporated new hardware called surface rigging, instead of the typical cup rigs, for attaching hooks. Heddon Company lures also featured this surface rigging on many of their lures in the 1950s and ‘60s. AL&W designed a unique double-jointed Pikie that carried both the standard metal lip as well as the Heddon-style vamp lip. The tenite (plastic) Pikies made by AL&W stayed with a glass eye design while their American cousins stopped using glass eyes and went with an embossed, painted eye despite the fact that the glass eye versions were much more attractive. Probably the most inventive changes that made the AL&W Pikies so attractive to fisherman during this period (and much sought after by collectors today) were the unique paint patterns used on the Canadian-made lures. AL&W designed bright, colorful and bizarre paint patterns that no other lure company even tried to tackle during this time period. These included colour schemes like black shore, pearl paint, fire plug with lightning bolt, and various scale patterns, to name just a few. Canadian-made Pikie Minnows are very sought after today and many of these baits, especially those featuring unique paint designs and with their original boxes, would easily fetch $150 or more. ?
real fishing fish facts
Walleye Sander vitreus
The walleye is the largest member of the perch family and is closely related to the smaller sauger and the European zander. Despite being commonly referred to as “pickerel” in many areas of Canada, the walleye bears no relation to true pickerels, which are members of the Esox, or pike, family of fishes. Walleye are easily identified by their large, glassy eyes and white marking on the lower tip of their tail. They have large, rounded teeth and a razor sharp plate on the rear of the gill cover. Walleye have two separate dorsal fins; the frontal one is rounded and features 12 to 16 strong, sharp spines while the rearward dorsal is squarish in shape with a single, fine spine and 18 to 22 softer rays.
24 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
A walleye’s colour can range from bluish green to olive to almost black on the back with a gradual lightening to olive, yellow or brown on the flanks and finally to milky white or yellow-white on the belly. The blue walleye that once roamed lakes Erie, Ontario and possibly Nipissing had a slate or steelblue back that faded to icy blue or silver on the sides and silver to silver-white on the belly. The blue walleye was originally listed as a separate species but its status was changed to that of a sub-species. In 1970 it was placed on the “Rare and Endangered” list and today it is generally considered to be extinct. Walleye are widely distributed in Canada and the United States. In Canada they can be found in the eastern half of Quebec from the St. Lawrence River north to the eastern shore of James Bay; throughout Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan; in most of Alberta with the exception of the extreme southwestern portion; the northeastern section of British Columbia and through the western Northwest Territories as far north as the Mackenzie River delta. Walleye spawn in the spring, when water temperatures reach 42°F to 52°F. Their preferred spawning sites are in rocky, fast water areas of rivers or on boulder to coarse gravel shoals, and occasionally shorelines of lakes. The eggs hatch in 12 to 18-days and the fry disperse to the upper levels of open water within 10 to 15-days of hatching. By late summer the young fish move toward the bottom and are most often found relating to it in 20 to 30-feet of water. During the first several weeks of life, wall-
eye fry feed primarily on tiny crustaceans like water fleas and copepods. As they mature, their diet switches primarily to other fishes, including their own species. In some areas walleyes will also feed heavily on mayfly larvae or nymphs and other aquatic insects for part of the year. The walleye is one of the most popular freshwater fish in North America and is highly regarded for its firm, mildly flavored white flesh. Anglers pursue them throughout the year with a variety of live and artificial baits and commercial fishing operations harvest several million pounds annually. ?
DID YOU KNOW? In 2004, nearly 14-million pounds of walleye were harvested by commercial fishing operations, making them second only to whitefish as the most caught commercial species in Canada. Walleye are ranked first on the list of favored recreational species too. According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s 2005 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada, nearly 51 million were caught in Canada by resident and non-resident anglers in 2005.
FAST FACTS Colour: Background color ranges from olive to olive-brown to golden brown to yellow with darker tones on the back becoming lighter on the flanks and belly. Size: 14 to 18-inches and 1 to 3-pounds on average but can grow to over 30-inches and 15-pounds or more. Life Span: 10 to 12-years in the south and up to 20-years in the north. Habitat: Primarily large, shallow, turbid lakes and large rivers but are also found in clear lakes with suitable deep water areas. Spawning: Spring or early summer when water temperatures reach 42°F to 52°F.
RECORD The IFGA lists the current All-Tackle World Record walleye at 25-pounds even. The fish was caught in Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee, in 1960.
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26 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
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FEBRUARY
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Best Fishing Times 2018
DOUG HANNON’S
To order your copy of Doug Hannon’s 2018 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 28460, Atlanta, GA 30358
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You never know when you’re going to catch a trophy fish, but you usually have a pretty good idea about what species you’re going to catch. Occasionally though, something unplanned happens. Just ask Wayne Izumi, who caught this gigantic ling while fishing for pike and walleye on a fall trip to the Minaki region of Ontario. While Wayne’s smile says he’s happy with the catch, you can see by the way he’s holding it that he doesn’t want to get any closer to the eel-like fish than he has to. And who can blame him for that! 28 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
30 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
LATE ICE PIKE HUNTSVILLE, ONTARIO CANADA: It was a long day on the ice with not so much as a hint that there were any big toothy critters lurking below. A group of about six of us had worked relatively hard all day in our quest for an oversized northern pike, strategically setting our tip-ups within the maximum 60-meter viewing radius we are permitted here in Ontario. By drilling lots of extra holes we could augment the intense excitement of standing around anxiously waiting for our limp, idle flags to spring to life. Those who have fished with me know I’m not much for the idle-time, do-nothing-but-wait, style of ice fishing...
By Wil Wegman
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 31
“Ice fishing is such a relaxing sport – it’s so nice to just get together and hang-out; if you catch fish it’s a bonus.” Who hasn’t heard that line of crap before! I wanna get bit and in order to do that fairly consistently it’s like anything else – you’ve gotta be prepared and willing to work for it. In this Real Fishing exclusive, I’ll finish the story I started and also outline a system I began about three-decades ago that still works today, especially for late season northern pike through the ice.
BACK ON THE ICE IN HUNTSVILLE So it’s nearing the witching hour and we have to get off the ice because the sightfeeding northerns seldom bite our baits when darkness sets in. I begin to revisit my meandering set of open holes, strategically placed at different depths adjacent to a rivermouth. I know pike will use the mouth, then the river, as conduits to get to their spawning grounds right after ice-out. I drop a big, fat, eight-inch cigar shaped, salt n’ pepper colored tube bait down one hole, and then the next, and then another. Nothing! I try a few more holes until I have one last kick at the can. I prefer not to use too heavy of a weighted darter jig head as I’ve learned that super slow back and forth erratic fall is exactly what turns on any pike within striking distance. The author’s original photo of his 24-pound northern pike.
32 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
The windlass tip-up will gently jig your bait while the Polar tip-up is better suited to a stationary approach.
My tube spirals down. Hold on, it’s much deeper here than that. Why did my bait suddenly stop midway to the bottom? I pondered this as if in a lackadaisical haze after eight-hours of no action. When my line begins to rip sideways I don’t have to be told twice (or maybe I do?) that I finally have one on, so I set the hook with an exaggerated rod lift, take a couple of steps backwards to ensure the beast has no slack, reel and step forward to admire my rod as it’s bent right over and pulsating with all that esox lucius can throw at me. Long story short, this 24-pound, short and obese northern provided two screeching runs and a wicked headshake just as it was being eased into the hole before I finally put it on ice! Today, 30-years later, the original skin mount of that fish sits on a cabinet as a reminder of that day and of the system I’m about to elaborate on.
THE TWO HOLE APPROACH The time on the ice described above, ironically, did not provide great pike action, however, for me, day in and day out the two-hole method still produces far more pike, and bigger and better fish, than many of the other strategies I have tried. It capitalizes on the pike’s rather lazy and lackadaisical frame of mind throughout most of the winter season. Basically in the do-nothing hole either a Polar tip-up (stationary, with a submersed -spool) or a Windlass model (which has a metal flap on a rocker arm to capitalize on wind to gently jig your bait up and down) is used. The bait can vary depending on local restrictions (no live or dead bait in some regions). When live or dead baitfish are permitted I usually opt for a large, dead sucker, chub or semi-frozen herring rigged on a quick strike rig to facilitate
add a snap. I can’t swear whether one method works any better than the other but I must admit I like my jig or quick-strike rig to sit perfectly horizontally, like it does when you tie direct, versus the nose down way it sits when you add a snap. For my ice rods, again, I usually employ a fluorocarbon leader instead of wire and I spool my reels with 10-pound monofilament instead of fluorocarbon line. Why? Typically on late ice I am fishing shallow, and the stretch factor is minimized with reduced line out, so hooksets are still very effective with mono. Secondly, big pike can make those fast, out of the blue runs at the most inopportune times and that bit of stretch monofilament provides can be just the shock absorber the doctor ordered to help you land that personal best pike. Tip-ups and winter pike fishing are synonymous with success and that is why so many ardent pike enthusiasts utilize these easy and safe removal for a healthy live release. Why dead bait over live? Simply to take advantage of the pike’s scavenger-like feeding habits of plucking dead minnows and other fish right off bottom; a trait that is quite common throughout winter when water temperatures are just above the freezing mark. Admittedly, live baitfish can also be the ticket at times so many hard-core winter pike enthusiasts hate to leave shore without them. What do you do if only small shiner minnows are available at your local bait shop, or if live/dead bait is prohibited, or you simply prefer not to buy or use the real thing, dead or alive? That’s when today’s scent and tasteimpregnated soft plastic baits come into their own. A simple ¼-ounce Gulp! Minnow jighead tipped with a Berkley Gulp! four-inch minnow can effectively replace live or dead baitfish. Adding a stinger hook can definitely increase hook ups! For tip-ups, using a specially coated tipup line (made by several manufacturers) far outweighs the wind and tangle related hassles of regular mono, or even braid, and is a joy to handline in and lay on top of the ice. It is oversized though, so instead of adding a wire leader like many do, I prefer a long, one to two-meter length of 30 to 40-pound test fluorocarbon for the leader instead. To that you can either tie your bait directly or
A dead bait on a quick strike rig is a proven pike getter.
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 33
TESTED TOUGH WHERE A BAD DAY OF FISHING STILL BEATS A GOOD DAY WORKING.
units exclusively – regardless of whether they are permitted just one hole in their region or two or occasionally even more! Regardless of what I said earlier, if your idea of a good time is to set up a bunch of tip-ups with your ice buds in a high percentage area, build a campfire on shore and watch and maintain those tip-ups during the day, then all the power to you. Knock your socks off (not literally in winter, ‘cause frostbitten toes are no fun- trust me!) and 36 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
have at er! Truth be told, this laid back approach can be exceptionally effective and a fun social outing to boot. However, what about if you’re fishing in a hut – portable or more permanent? That’s when staring at a tip-up gets old in an awful hurry! What about if you are an impatient angler (like me) who gets fidgety after sitting around for more than a few minutes and just can’t control the urge to get up, move around and try to find the fish instead of just waiting
for the fish to find you? Well, that’s where the second hole and second ice rod come into play. I prefer to actually drill a series of holes at the start of the day, a few meters apart from each other, to have a “milk run” to rotate through during the course of the day. By spending anywhere from 15 to 30-minutes in each hole, jigging for semi active instead of the inactive pike that your tip-ups are tasked with, you really are maximizing your efforts and your time on the ice.
LOCATIONS FOR LATE ICE PIKE As mentioned, river mouths can act as magnets for late winter pike that are staging nearby just before their spawning period (and in most cases the closed season) kicks in. Back bays, especially those with even small creek channels coming in, can be equally as productive. Depth is usually less than 12-feet but, in some lakes where pike feed on ciscoes or whitefish, that depth can be doubled. Late winter does not normally offer lush green aquatic plant growth but if you can find any standing cabbage or coontail that is still fairly green then a hole nearby is well worth it. You may need to drill twice as many holes as you’d planned in order to find any with good, green weeds but that’s just the cost of doing business. Of course this task can be much easier with an underwater camera. Other structures, like rocks or woody debris, can be really productive if you happen to locate any. The same goes for subtle features like a change in bottom substrate, such as sand to muck. Finally, placing holes
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Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 37
near depth changes along a ledge or break, whether subtle or more moderate, may well be your only option so go ahead and cover your bases by drilling plenty of holes you can visit during the day. In clear water conditions, where a pike’s vision is at its best, each hole can be 10 to 15-meters apart but in murky or tea stained waters that distance can be reduced by half. Just be sure there are no holes further away from your ‘homebase tip-up’ than you are permitted in your province or state. One added benefit that I have learned over the years of this “walk-from-hole-tohole” approach is that it efficiently allows you to try several potential key holding areas for pike that could help establish a pattern as to their whereabouts on any given day. If you catch one, or experience a swing and a miss in one spot, take note of
38 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
what depth and structure type was there. If you can drill additional holes with the same characteristics below, then by all means go for it. What you must seriously consider, however, is to move your one allowable tipup to either that same location (within the 10-15 meter radius) or one very similar. There’s just no getting over the fact that more winter pike are rather inactive at any given time (due to lower metabolic rates in the winter) than those that are chasing baitfish and other prey hither and yon all over the place.
BAITS FOR YOUR “DO SOMETHING” HOLES As this piece began with a story of an oversized tube jig catching the one and only big fish of the day, I would be remiss if I didn’t say that even to this day those same big
plastic baits produce, especially in lakes where pike feed on big pelagic baitfish. However, my hole-to-hole arsenal also includes several other soft plastic rigs, from swimbaits to oversized grubs. I like to carry a pail full of rods on my little wanderings, all pre-rigged with different baits that each have their own virtues. I usually don’t start with the seductive, lifelike and natural soft baits but rather with hard baits aimed at catching any pike that are active and willing to rip over and grab that bait before another of his brethren makes the same attempt. Bright flashy spoons usually come out first, often used for five-minutes or so, to attract the ever-curious northerns to the feeding area rather than to actually hookup and land a bunch of them. Horizontal rattle baits can fall in the same category, playing more of a role in murkier water
than in ultra-clear water. Next up are large, minnow-shaped swimming jigs. I especially like these when they’re sweetened with the head of a large baitfish worked over the head hook of the jig and the tail of a baitfish rigged on the tail hook. These baits sinks like stones but they provide a wild side to side motion with each lift and fall. This swimming action should be augmented with long resting periods to capitalize on the lifelike baitfish look of the lure. Finally, the soft plastics - tubes, large grubs and even large swimbaits - come out to try and do their magic for a few minutes before I give up and move on to the next hole.
A WORD ABOUT SAFETY Late ice pike fishing can bring about an added degree of risk so anglers need to know what the ice conditions are like before heading out, or to approach their designated fishing areas with extreme caution, testing the ice frequently as they go. That 3½ to 4-inches of blue ice that was fine at the start of the season now needs to be at least doubled because it’s likely to
have much less strength near the end of the season. Stay away from any honeycombed or slushy looking ice all together. Steer clear of old ice holes that are now opening up and any springs or “bubblers” near the shore. Although rivermouth areas are prime spots for late season pike, don’t get too close to them as the current has likely degraded the ice from the bottom up. Late season ice fishing can be the single most productive period of the winter to catch the biggest pike any lake in Canada or the northern U.S. has to offer, and the approach I have outlined is one that has worked well for me over the years. I hope that it also works well for you and that you’ll seriously consider releasing all those
big beautiful creatures back to their icy wonderlands so that they can continue their spawning rituals and provide you, and our next generation of ice anglers, with tremendous pike opportunities for years to come. ?
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 39
NORTHERN ONTA Northern Ontario has always been a popular destination for anglers and it’s easy to understand why: it’s full of lakes, rivers and streams that are literally teeming with fish. If you want to catch trophy muskies, gigantic pike, tasty walleyes, brook, lake or rainbow trout, bass, or any number of other species,
40 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
you can find them swimming in this area. Along with the great fishing, this region offers a wide variety of camps, lodges and resorts – from rustic to five-star - to base your trip from. Whether you’re taking a family vacation, or a fishing getaway with your buddies, there are accommodations that will
suit your needs. Perhaps the hardest thing about planning a trip to Northern Ontario is deciding exactly where to go! The Real Fishing Show has visited countless lodges and resorts in Northern Ontario over the years and, quite frankly, they’ve all had something to offer. We’ve caught trophy-sized
ARIO GETAWAYS fish at some while at others we’ve enjoyed 100-plus fish days. We’ve driven-in, flown-in, boated in and even snowmobiled in. We’ve stayed in rustic housekeeping-style camps and we’ve stayed at full-service, five-star resorts. The one thing they all had in common is that they never disappointed in either the fishing or
the hospitality we enjoyed at any of them. In this article Bob Izumi tells you about a few of the recent trips he’s taken to Northern Ontario and what he experienced when he visited these particular areas. We’ve included places offering different types of accommodation styles and varied fishing
opportunities to give you a sense of what’s available in the region. They’re in no particular order, and they may or may not suit your definition of what makes a dream fishing destination, but they are all high on Bob’s list of places to go. And that alone makes them worth a look.
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 41
chefs are very good and they offer a great variety of wonderful home cooking. Brennan Harbour have 16 and 18-foot boats for rent and they are all fully equipped with a trolling motor, a fishfinder and all the required safety equipment. If you want to bring your own boat, there is plenty of secure dock space available. What makes this place really special is that the fishing is absolutely incredible. Being on the north part of Lake Huron you’ve got smallmouth bass, salmon, trout, pike, muskie and walleyes - you’ve got everything up there. The Whalesback Channel has a small lake feel with Great
BRENNAN HARBOUR RESORT SPANISH, ON
O
ne of the most common questions I get asked is, “Where can I take a fishing trip that I can drive to, within six-hours from the Toronto area, but that offers great fishing.” Of course the opportunities in Ontario are endless, but many times people also say that they want to go for the Northern Ontario experience as well. They need rental boats, cooked meals and comfortable cabins. That narrows the choices, but there are still a number of places that fit the bill. One place I can highly recommend is Brennan Harbour Resort. It’s located on the Whalesback Channel on northern Lake Huron, at the mouth of the Spanish River, and it’s less than five-hours from the city of Toronto.
42 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
You really get a sense that you are off the beaten track up here. The scenery is stunning and it’s everything you would expect from Northern Ontario. From the resort, you’ve got a clear view across the water at a number of tree-covered islands, granite outcroppings and the forests that go on for as far as the eye can see. Casey and James run this great little operation. They’ve got cabins to rent and several accommodation plans including housekeeping - where you cook your own meals in your cabin; modified American Plan where dinner is provided in the lodge and you take care of breakfast and lunch; or full American Plan where all of your meals are prepared for you in the main lodge. The
Lakes fish. It’s 14-miles long by about a mile to a mile and a half wide, and it’s protected from the larger water by a number of islands. On our spring trip we decided to focus on walleyes and maybe a few pike. We had three-days to fish up there and, unfortunately, we got a lot of rain during our stay. Despite the weather, we still had some incredible fishing and we got a great show shot as well. The walleye fishing was absolutely off the charts. I didn’t know that this quality of walleye fishing existed at a drive-to location. We literally caught dozens and dozens of them up to seven-pounds during our short stay there. The fish were everywhere and we started catching them as soon as we dropped the trolling motor, right at the dock that our boat was tied to. One group of folks set up on a point just out from the resort and they caught over 100 walleyes in
NORTHERN ONT ARIO GETAWAYS tom in five to eight-feet of water. One of our guests, 2016 FLW Canada Classic Champion Danny Mcgarry, caught a pile of walleyes on a ¼-ounce jighead tipped with a Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow. We also caught fish on Berkley Powerbait Pro Shad swimbaits that we cast out and reeled back with a slow, steady retrieve. From what we heard from some of the other anglers at the resort, bottom bouncers and worm harnesses tipped with Gulp! Crawlers or live worms were working on the walleyes as well. Aside from the food, the fishing, and the accommodations, what really makes
a few hours one morning without moving. One of the great things about the fishing at Brennan Harbour is that it didn’t take any special techniques to catch the walleyes. We got them on a variety of jigs tipped with soft plastics that we worked along the bot-
Brennan Harbour Resort so special are the owners, Casey and James. These are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. James is from England and he is always happy. I think that even when he’s unhappy he’s happy because when we were there he was always whistling and walking around talking to the people at the resort. Between them they made us feel like old friends instead of just clients. Their welcoming personalities and their willingness to accommodate our needs made the trip as much as the fishing did. If you’re looking for a drive-to fishing resort that offers fly-in quality fishing, clean and comfortable accommodations, great meals and a friendly, hospitable atmosphere, you really should check this place out. I know I’ll be going back! ?
Brennan Harbour owners James and Casey with Bob Izumi.
BRENNAN HARBOUR RESORT PHONE: 888-231-1199 E-MAIL: fishing@brennanharbour.com WEBSITE: www.brennanharbour.com PRIMARY SPECIES:
Walleye, Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Jumbo Perch Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 43
in Sudbury. We started fishing right out from the lodge on Flack Lake and we caught 10 lake trout in about three-hours of fishing. We trolled slowly with the Motorguide Xi5 remote control electric motor while long-lining Johnson Slama spoons that we tipped with a minnow. The fishing was pretty decent and it was easy pickings to catch those lakers. We got all of our lake trout taping done on day one and I thought it would be fun to see about the smallmouth bass fishing in the area. I asked Frank about it and he told me that years ago there were no smallmouth bass so he’d never fished Flack Lake for
LAURENTIAN LODGE ELLIOT LAKE, ON
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aurentian Lodge is located about 20minutes north of the city of Elliot Lake, in the Algoma district of northern Ontario. I met the owners, Doug and Melanie Seal, when I first stayed there about 20-years ago. The thing that really struck me on my first trip was how clean the place was and now, 20-plus years later, it’s still as immaculate as it was back then. They did not spare any expense on this property. Laurentian Lodge was originally built as a fly-in fishing and hunting lodge back in the 1930s, and it’s been transformed into quite a resort. Located on Flak Lake, it’s a great place for a family getaway or for an avid sportsperson to go fishing or hunting you can even have your wedding up there!
Flack Lake offers brook trout, lake trout and smallmouth bass right in the immediate area of the lodge or you can go to one of several hundred other lakes in the area to fish for all kinds of species. What I’ve always liked about the Algoma region is the vast number of lakes that are available to fish on. I’m talking about lakes that are teeming with fish and that receive very little fishing pressure because of the low population base in the area. One of the cool aspects of this particular region is that the bass season is open year-’round north of Highway 17, in Ontario’s zone 10. When I was there in May, I was fishing with guide Frank Clark, who lived in Elliot Lake for a number of years and now resides them, but he was eager to give it a try. So before we headed back to the dock we decided that we’d try the smallmouth. In a few short hours we caught more than 25 smallmouth by using lipless Sebile Lipless Seeker and Flatt Shad crankbaits. It was incredibly easy fishing and after catching all those bass we decided it was time to call it a day. On our second day we decided to venture to another one of the many lakes in the area to try for smallmouth bass but when we got there we were faced with 20-mile per hour winds, a cold front and some pretty tough fishing conditions. Even through the weather was not in our favour the fish didn’t seem to mind and Frank and I ended up catching about 15 good smallmouth.
44 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
NORTHERN ONT ARIO GETAWAYS The Flatt Shad (top) and Seeker crankbaits were the hot baits for the Flack Lake smallmouth.
My brother Wayne, who was with us running the camera boat, and his buddy Jerry Collins ended up catching a dozen bass. The biggest fish in each boat was just over sixpounds and we also had a 5-14, three other 5-pounders and numerous 4-pound fish. Jerry’s five heaviest fish weighed an incredible 27-pounds, 4-ounces - and he’s not even a hard-core bass fisherman! It really was
some incredible smallmouth fishing. We caught all of our smallmouth on lipless crankbaits, in water between six and 10-feet deep. Because it was early in the year, the water temperature was still in the 50-degree mark and the smallmouth were in a pre-spawn pattern. We found them holding on the edges off of the spawning flats where the bottom dropped off into deeper water. The key was to make long casts and to use a medium speed retrieve with our lures. This was one of those trips that had me wanting to stay longer but because of my tight work schedule I had to leave after two days. I do a lot of smallmouth bass fishing every year, both in tournaments and recreationally, and I’ve got to say that this area of Ontario offers some of the best fishing
I’ve come across recently. All the way home I kept wishing that I could have stayed up there for another day.
If you like your bass fishing as much as I do, but can’t get onto some of the bigger waters like lakes Erie, Simcoe or Ontario, the Flack Lake region just might be what you’ve been looking for. Laurentian Lodge offers great fishing on Flack Lake and it’s also a perfect base for fishing the numerous other lakes in the region. I know I can’t wait to get back up there. ?
LAURENTIAN LODGE PHONE: 705-848-0423 E-MAIL: laurentianlodge1929@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.laurentianlodge.com PRIMARY SPECIES: Lake Trout, Smallmouth
Bass, Brook Trout, Northern Pike Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 45
PASHA LAKE CABINS JELLICOE, ON
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ast May my son Darren, my friend John Whyte from www.timeonthewater.ca, and I loaded up the Lund 1975 ProV, jumped in the truck and headed out on a brook trout and pike trip to Pasha Lake Cabins in the Nipigon area. We got to Cochrane that night and did the rest of the drive the next day. Chad and Michelle Thompson from Wisconsin have owned Pasha Lake Cabins for a few years now and they do a great job of running this fishing camp. They have a number of cabins for rent and they offer their guests fishing on more than 100 lakes in the area, including big Lake Nipigon. Lake Nipigon has been on my bucket list since I got into this business so I was really looking
forward to sampling the fishing there. Most of the guests were concentrating on pike, walleye and brook trout on the smaller lakes in the area and I didn’t talk to one of them who weren’t catching fish. A father and son talked about the 40-inch pike they had caught after they limited out on walleyes that morning; another guy from Wisconsin was telling me how he caught 40 walleyes that day, and another group of guys were talking about the pike and walleyes that they caught. It seemed like everybody was catching fish! Walleye wasn’t open on Lake Nipigon when we were there so our main focus was on brook trout and pike. In the three-days of fishing we had up there we spent 70% to
80% of our time on brook trout and the other 20% to 30% of our time on pike. We didn’t catch any really big pike but every time we went into a good looking bay we would catch dozens of decent ones. The real reason we were there was for the trophy brook trout fishing the area is famous for. Last year we made a trip to Bowman Island Charters on the Lake Superior end on the Nipigon River and, on my third cast, I caught a 24-inch brook trout out on Lake Superior. Needless to say I was pretty excited to fish at the other end of the river, up on Lake Nipigon, this time. John Whyte with a beautiful brook trout.
On the first day Chad Thompson hooked us up with guide, Gus Buta. Gus has fished all his life, both commercially and recreationally. He’s a true outdoorsman and he’s got a wealth of knowledge of the area. The brook trout fishing, he said, is amazing, along with big pike and walleye fishing. Lake trout grow big in Lake Nipigon and Gus said the fish averaged around 20pounds and he’s seen them up to 40. It’s an incredible and diverse fishery up there. On the first day Gus took us to a “warm up area” where he said we would catch lots of 17 to 20-inch fish. Well, John and I ended up catching a dozen beautiful 17 to 20-inch brook trout as well as a few bonus pike. 46 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
NORTHERN ONT ARIO GETAWAYS The Nipigon brook trout definitely had a taste for the Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow (top) and the Powerbait Ripple Shad.
day. We ended up catching a dozen brookies in total and had an absolute riot getting our show shot. We decided to go on our own for the next two days and fish some different areas and ended up catching some beautiful brook trout up to 22-inches. My son Darren, who is the camera man, took a break and caught three in a row using a blue and silver Johnson Shutter Spoon. In the space of about 10-minutes he got his personal biggest, a four-pounder, then bested it with a four and a half-pounder and then got another personal best 22-incher that weighed about five and a half-pounds! Needless to say it was an amazing day. The next day we decided we’d go to go to another area about 20-miles away and, once again, we caught a number of big brook trout up to six-pounds. I caught a 22 ½-incher that was around six, John got a 22-incher that was well over five-pounds and we
The first three fish that John caught all came by jigging and snapping a little 1/8ounce jighead with a Berkley Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow on it. I was using a twoinch Powerbait Ripple Shad on a little 1/16ounce swimbait jighead rigged on fourpound Nanofil line with a fluorocarbon leader. My setup was definitely was the winner as it caught the most brook trout that caught another one in the 22-inch range. In fact, the smallest fish we caught that day was four-pounds. It was absolutely incredible! I’m glad I got this trip knocked off my bucket list but the problem is, now I want to go back. I’m already thinking of making another trip up there in another two-years or so. I’d really like to sample the walleye fishing there, I definitely want to go after the brook trout again and I want to poke around at some of those giant lakers and pike as well. ?
PASHA LAKE CABINS PHONE: 1-866-333-5943 E-MAIL: chad@pashalake.com WEBSITE: www.pashalake.com PRIMARY SPECIES: Lake Trout, Brook Trout,
Walleye, Pike Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 47
The pike fishing was very easy as well. After I had caught a bunch of walleyes one morning I said to my cameraman, “Let’s try some of the bays for pike before we meet everybody for shore lunch.” So we hit three
REID’S BIRCH ISLAND RESORT MINAKI, ON
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n all the years I’ve been traveling I can honestly say that I’ve never had a disappointing fishing trip to Northwestern Ontario’s Sunset Country. I have thoroughly enjoyed all my trips up there and the fishing has always been good, no matter what species I’ve been after. Reid’s Birch Island Resort is a beautiful island property that sits on the Winnipeg River system, within sight of the town of Minaki. One of the cool things about the resort is its boathouse suite. The boathouse is 100-years old and has been completely updated, right down to its ensuite bathrooms. The lodge itself houses 32 guests. Because it was built so many years ago it’s got a ton of history and character to it. In
fact, in the early years it served as a family retreat for the T. Eaton Company! On this particular spring trip we primarily focused on the walleye and pike fishing walleye in the morning, and then we’d do some pike fishing in the afternoon after the water heated up. The guides really knew their stuff and we had memorable fresh walleye shore lunches every day. The fishing was pretty easy and we kept it simple by using the old jig and minnow setup for the walleyes. It didn’t take long for us to catch what we needed for a shore lunch by slowly working the jig and minnow in the areas where these post-spawn fish were sitting. We caught most of our fish in depths of 18 to 40-feet.
small bays in the last hour before lunch and caught in the neighbourhood of 20 pike. We caught them on lipless, rattling Sebile Flatt Shads and Berkley Powerbait Rib Shads. By utilizing these baits we were able to cover water quickly and efficiently. It was a good test to see if I should do some videotaping of pike fishing while I was there and of course the answer was yes. That afternoon, and again the following afternoon, I ran as many bays as I could targeting these post-spawn pike. The key spots were the secondary rock points or shorelines that led into these bays, unlike some other pike lakes that I’ve been to where
early season fishing means targeting the back ends of the bays. In this case the pike had already finished spawning and were definitely on the lead-outs going into the main lake basin. It was textbook pike fishing and it was so good that you could literally catch as many as you wanted. 48 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
NORTHERN ONT ARIO GETAWAYS Reid’s Birch Island resort was an absolutely beautiful place to stay. It was comfortable, it was clean and its history made it a very unique place. This is an ideal resort for families, weddings, corporate getaways or just a fishing trip with your fishing buddies. With world class fishing, some of the best food you’ll ever eat, incredible service and extremely welcoming accommodations, there aren’t many places I’d rather go to for a dream fishing vacation. ?
The fishing was so good at Reid’s Birch Island Resort that Wayne Izumi made a return trip in the fall and found that things hadn’t changed much. This trophy walleye was just one of the big fish he caught during his short second stay at the resort.
For me personally, the absolute highlights of the trip were the meals we had at the lodge. I know a lot of you are probably thinking, man this guy is spoiled, and I guess I am a little bit. I’ve been very fortunate to have visited many, many lodges and resorts in my life. To give you an example of how good the food was, on the first night there we had Beef Wellington. Beef Wellington is, of
course, tenderloin in a pastry and the beef was cooked to perfection – medium-rare inside yet it had the hard pastry shell all around it. The next day we had a quartet of meats on our plates – beef tenderloin with a Hollandaise sauce, chicken parmesan, a lamb chop and a pork tenderloin, all on the same plate with side dishes that were absolutely delectable. I cannot tell you how incredible the meals were.
The Beef Wellington was cooked to perfection – medium-rare inside with a hard pastry shell around it.
The Quartet of Meats included beef tenderloin with a Hollandaise sauce, chicken parmesan, a lamb chop and a pork tenderloin, with delicious side dishes.
REID’S BIRCH ISLAND RESORT PHONE: 807-224-3471 E-MAIL: fishing@reidsbirchislandresort.com WEBSITE: www.reidsbirchislandresort.com PRIMARY SPECIES: Walleye, Pike, Muskie,
Smallmouth Bass
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 49
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52 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
12 TIME AND MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR ANGLERS By Wes David
Do you often catch yourself daydreaming about your next fishing trip and the new gear you may need or want for that trip? It’s amazing how much our fishing gear can cost and how much we are willing to pay for that gear. I’ve complained to my wife several times about the price of groceries, but I think nothing of Save Your Boat Tarp If you’re a boat owner then you know your boat tarp has wear points. You also know how much a boat tarp costs to repair and how much of your hard-earned money will be shelled out to replace a severely damaged one. The main wear point on most boat tarps is where the tarp comes over the top of the boat’s windshield. The tarp has no choice but to rest on the frame of the windshield and, as you trailer your boat down the highway, the wind is forced under the tarp, creating wear points and rub sores on the underside of it.
spending double that price on some new fishing gear I need, or simply want. However, I’ve also found ways to protect, prepare and repair a lot of my cherished fishing gear with these easy and inexpensive tips that have not only saved me time, but also some of my hard-earned money.
Even if the tarp is reinforced at this critical wear point, over time it can still wear through. However, for a $1.50 investment in a simple pool noodle, you can save hundreds of dollars of damage to your tarp. Simply cut the pool noodle on one side, lengthways, and slip it over the top of your boat’s windshield before you install your tarp. The pool noodle becomes a barrier between the metal frame of your windshield and your tarp, eliminating your tarp from rubbing and wearing against the frame of the windshield. Boat tarps can cost hundreds, even thousands, of dollars but a $1.50 pool noodle will help save your boat tarp and allow you to spend that money on other fishing gear.
Store Your Bottom Bouncing Baits I spend my winter evenings watching hockey and tying bottom bouncing baits for the coming walleye season. Storing these baits can be a problem but a second pool noodle,
cut into 10 to 12-inch sections, is ideal for wrapping and storing those bladed baits. You can purchase a $20 dollar bladed rig keeper at almost any tackle shop or you could fork out a measly $1.50 for a pool noodle that will store as many bladed baits as any angler could ever want.
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 53
Firestarter An empty snuff can or a small plastic container mixed with the right household contents can make the perfect lightweight fire starter for the backcountry hunter or angler.
Start at your dryer. Remove the dryer lint and mix it 50/50 with Vaseline. Put the mix into an empty snuff can or plastic container and you have an incredible lightweight fire starter that you can use multiple times. The grease of the Vaseline mixed with the dryer lint burns like a large candle. After you have your kindling in place, take a small piece of the greasy dryer lint and place it under your kindling, then light it. Once lit, it burns hot for a long period of time, allowing you to have your hands free to add wood to the kindling as needed. The best thing about this Vaseline and dryer lint combo is that it always lights and burns – even in the worst of weather conditions.
during a day of fishing. Freezing leftover minnows is one way to keep them for another day, but frozen minnows can only take so much freezing and thawing before they lose their natural texture. The more a tub of minnows thaw and freezes, the mushier they get until even the skeleton of the minnow breaks down. Eventually, they’re useless and won’t stay on a hook. However, taking five-minutes after returning from your day of fishing to drain the excess moisture out of the tub of minnows, pat them dry with a paper-towel and sprinkle them with a healthy dose of pickling salt before you put them back in the freezer, will help keep your frozen minnows fresh, healthier looking, and fishable much longer.
Back Your Trailer Up Like a Pro It’s true; we’re not all experts at backing a boat trailer into a boat launch or a camping trailer into a campsite. However, the only way to get as good as the person who thinks they’re an expert, is to practice. And backing into a boat launch or campsite can be practiced well before you ever have the pressure of backing into a real boat launch or camping site. Find an empty parking lot and set up two pylons or five-gallon pails, then take all the time you need practicing backing the trailer between the pylons or pails. You can set up a variety of scenarios to practice backing into or around and in a short time you will be backing up a trailer like a pro. When it comes time to back the boat into the launch, or a trailer into a campsite, you will turn heads with your skill. My absolute favorite
thing to see is when my wife backs the trailer into a tricky spot and I get to watch the jaws on the men that are watching her hit the ground. The sight of their staring eyes and dropped jaws all started from my wife practicing in an empty parking lot!
Eliminate Freezer Burn Freezer burn occurs in poorly wrapped meat, fish, or vegetables, even if the packaged product has never been opened. At my house, it’s rare that a fish fillet ever gets a chance to freezer burn, however, I do like to save a few fillets to enjoy during the winter months. If you don’t have the aid of a vacuum sealer which, in my opinion, is the best option, you can freeze your fillets in water and a sealable plastic bag. By placing the fillets in sealable bags and filling them with water, the water freezes around the fillet and doesn’t allow the effects of freezer burn to reach the fish, giving your fillets a much longer freezer life.
Fish frozen in water and a sealable plastic bag will have a longer freezer life than simply wrapping it up and freezing it.
Pickle Your Minnows When I first starting fishing, a tub of minnows could be purchased with pocket change. However, today they cost much more, and I seem to need more of them, but I don’t always use a full tub of minnows 54 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
A vacuum sealer is the best way to freeze your fish fillets.
T
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Cotton sticking to your rod’s eyelets is a sure sign of damage.
they provide, but also for their precious feathers. Grouse and other game birds provide a variety of different coloured feathers and these, along with hair from small or big game, can be used to tie a variety of flies to land trout, bass and other gamefish. One of my largest rainbow trout was caught using a fly that was tied by a friend using the hair from a whitetail buck I had killed the previous fall!
Understand Your Fish Finder Each year many anglers experience the thrill of receiving a new fish finder as a Christmas or birthday gift. Other anglers treat themselves and purchase a new fish finder at a boating or sportsmen’s show while still others may pick one up at their favorite sports store. However you get your new toy, don’t just let it sit until the next time you go fish-
Check Your Eyelets Every angler knows, or has seen, this trick but very few practice it. Some of today’s modern braided fishing lines can be abrasive on your fishing rod’s eyelets. Each time you cast or fight a fish the line is putting microscopic cuts in your rod’s eyelets. Over time, this will cause frays and cuts in your line, causing it to break at the worst possible time. Prior to your next fishing trip, simply push a cotton ball through each eyelet of your fishing rod. If any cotton sticks to the eyelet and stays behind, you have damage and you will have to either dress the eyelet with a small, fine-toothed file, or change the eyelet out. If you don’t, that fish
of a lifetime could be lost due to frayed line caused by the damaged eyelet. Depending on how much fishing you do you may want to check your eyelets a few times a year to avoid any future problems.
Save Your Game’s Hair and Feathers If you’re like me and many other anglers who enjoy hunting game animals and birds during the fall hunting season, and if you also enjoy the thrill of landing fish with a fly rod - especially if you tied the imitation fly yourself - then you may want to spend a few more days hunting each year. Each fall I pencil in a few days to hunt grouse, not only for the delicious table fare
ing. Modern fish finders have a simulation mode that allows anglers to simulate real conditions before they ever hit the water. With the fish finder’s manual in hand, you can figure out the basics of using your new fish finder in the comfort of your home. Educating yourself on the basics of your new electronics before you launch your boat will allow you to spend more time fishing and less time playing with your new fish finder when you’re finally on the water.
Basic Parts Each year many anglers head out on a fishing trip only to have something go wrong, such as a flat tire on the boat trailer, a burnt out trailer wheel bearing or an electrical issue with the trailer lights. There is nothing worse than being stuck in your driveway, or worse, on the side of the road, dealing with mechanical or electrical problems when you 56 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
Extra fuses are a must in any vehicle’s parts kit.
your boat is a no-brainer when you consider the alternative is a lost day of fishing while having to row or be towed back to the boat launch.
Have Tools, Will Travel Carrying the basic parts to get you out of a jam is a good start, but you also need to have the right tools on hand to fix any basic issues A worn out trailer bearing (left) next to a new one. that may arise. More than once I’ve stopped to help a truck pulling a boat that had a simple flat should be fishing. tire. I see that the Checking your trailer is jacked up lights before you using the jack that head out in the comes with the vehimorning is one cle, however, the tire thing, but having basic parts such as extra fuses, a roll of elec- iron that came with the vehicle doesn’t fit trical wire and electrician’s tape can save the trailer lug-nuts, therefore, the stranded you time, money, and possibly even your person can’t get the flat tire off the trailer. planned fishing trip, if something should go My favorite tire iron is the old fashioned four-arm kind that has the four most comwrong on the road. It goes without saying that you should mon lug-nut sizes on one tire iron. You also want to keep a small toolbox always carry a spare trailer tire and wheel assembly, but an often overlooked item is a filled with basic hand tools, such as wrenchset of trailer wheel bearings. Twelve-years es, sockets, screwdrivers, etc. And don’t forago I was stuck on the side of the road with get a set of wire strippers, electrical tape, a a seized wheel bearing on my boat trailer. bottle-jack and extra oil. Your emergency Not only did I miss my fishing trip, I had to get my boat and trailer towed because the small town I was close to didn’t have the bearing I needed. I’ve been through a few different boats since then and now the first thing I do when I get a new boat and trailer is order an extra set of wheel bearings. I’ve also learned to keep the extra wheel bearings in the boat instead of the truck. That way, regardless of the truck that’s pulling my boat, the extra wheel bearings are always going to be with the boat and trailer.
tool kit and parts can be purchased to suit your specific needs and all the tools can be found at your local Canadian Tire store. Your tool kit may cost a few dollars in the beginning, but it will last for years and in the long run it’s a whole lot cheaper than having to pay for a tow and a repair bill from a garage. These are just some of the money and time-saving ideas I’ve found that can be used before and during your outdoor adventures. There are literally hundreds of others and I’m sure you have several of your own that work for you. The main thing is to put these types of ideas to use so you can save some of your hard-earned money. After all, the money you save could be used to book the fishing trip of a lifetime you’ve been dreaming of! ?
Propellers Every angler I know has an extra propeller in their boat in case theirs is damaged on the water. If you have an electric trolling motor on your rig it’s a good idea to carry a spare prop for it too. Of course you should also be sure to have a spare hub along with all the tools you need to change these parts. The investment in having spare propellers in one of the compartments of Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 57
Tales from the Road By Bob Izumi
This Tales starts with a trip to Delawana Resort in the Honey Harbour area of Georgian Bay. The resort has a long history and they’re slowly fixing it up and completely revamping the property. It’s a wonderful family resort that offers some incredible fishing opportunities. On this particular outing it only took us about two-hours to get enough material for the show. And that’s including shooting some cutaways around the resort. We caught a number of smallmouth bass up to 5-pounds during our short outing up there. Then it was off to Kingston to fish the 1000 Islands Open out of Rockport, on the
58 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
St. Lawrence River. It’s definitely one of my favourite tournaments of the year and the reason is because of the incredibly diverse fishery on eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. On day-one Darren and I caught a number of smallmouth and weighed in 23.32-pounds. All but one of those fish came from shallow water. We were in pretty good shape after day-one, sitting in 15th place. On day-two we weighed a smaller limit of 18.81-pounds and slid down to 18th place.
We ran all around the lake but we couldn’t get any big fish to bite. Day-three was pretty windy so we decided to fish in the river. We fished deep all day and ended up weighing in 23.26-pounds, including a 6.01-pound smallmouth, and moved up to 8th place overall with a total of 65.39-pounds over the three days. Then it was back to Lake Erie for the Berkley B1 Port Colborne tournament. The B1 is a series of three tournaments that Ben Woo puts on and this was tournament number two of the series. The high winds of Lake Erie took their toll in this tournament and both days one and two were cancelled due to the conditions out on the lake. That made Sunday, which was originally a backup day in case of bad weather, a one-day shootout. We decided to gamble and make a long run down the lake but, after taking over twohours to get to our spot, we only caught 16.60-pounds and ended up in 25th place overall. The thing about tournament fishing is that it’s all about making the right decisions. Sometimes you can be conservative and do well and sometimes you can gamble and do well. You have to make those decisions and live and die by them. Cal Climpson and his partner Eric Santoro won the event with 24.06-pounds of smallmouth bass. As soon as we had weighed in I had to head down to the Potomac River for the Costa tournament. As I drove down there I couldn’t help but thinking about shifting gears from smallmouth to largemouth, which is what you need to catch on the Potomac. As I got down to the Potomac River on Monday afternoon the dark clouds were rolling in. I made the call to not go out because the wind and rain had started. It really came down heavy so I didn’t get out on Monday afternoon as planned, so I only had Tuesday and part of Wednesday to practice for the tournament. On day-one of the tournament I decided I would play it safe, keep my bait in the water and fish close to the tournament site to try and eke out enough fish for a respectable finish. It worked because at the end of the dayone I was sitting in 6th place with 16-
Largemouth like this are the key to winning on the Potomac River.
pounds, 5-ounces. I only caught seven keepers that day, but five of them were pretty decent fish. Day-two started with me losing a decent feeling fish before catching six keepers over the course of the day. I ended up with a small limit of 9-pounds, 12-ounces and wound up 8-ounces out of the top-10 cut, in 11th place overall. There were no complaints on my part as I felt that I had a pretty good finish. After the tournament I was sitting in 9th
overall in the points for the Northern division, which easily put me in the top-40 to qualify for the year-end championship on Kentucky Lake. The following week I took some Costa dealers on a corporate outing to Lake Ontario for some smallmouth and walleye fishing. I enlisted the help of charter captain Scott Walcott and we split the group up. For half the day I took half the group out bass fishing while he took the other folks walleye trolling, then after lunch we flipped groups. The weather was beautiful, the fish were biting and everybody had a great day on the water. After I got home I had the chance to visit the Ribfest in Burlington. I’ve never been to one of these before so I was looking forward to seeing what it was all about. An old friend of mine, Dave Kent, who used to produce Buoy-O-Boy life jackets in Guelph, is now in the rib business. He’s got a couple of great big
stainless steel trailers and he goes all over the place doing these Ribfests. I ended up getting a behind-the-scenes tour of how they do their cooking and I also got to meet some of Dave’s fellow ribbers. It was great seeing Dave and getting a chance to taste some of his tasty barbequing. His Silver Bullet Bar-B-Q certainly didn’t disappoint me, in fact, I’m still using some of the sauce that he gave me to try! Then it was up to Chaudière Lodge on the West Arm of Lake Nipissing, for a quick corporate fishing outing with the folks from Mystik Lubricants. As soon as I got home the next day I was off to London, to Columbia Sportswear’s Canadian headquarters, for a staff fish fry. We cooked fresh perch fillets for somewhere between 150 and 200 folks and had a wonderful Friday afternoon. The next day I flew up to Ottawa to do an appearance at Sail’s Ottawa store for their,
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Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 59
Bob and Dale LaBelle with a nice Rainy Lake walleye.
“The Big Sale”, event. It was very busy, there was lots of traffic, and it was great to see and talk with fellow anglers from up in the nation’s capital. As Labour Day approached it was time to take out a couple of Columbia Sportswear prize winners from the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show. Lucas Zammit brought along his friend from college and we went down to Lake Erie to catch some smallmouth. We ended up having some fun out there catching a bunch of smallmouth bass. The following week was set aside for personal time – no fishing-related work. The reason is that my daughter Kristin was tying the knot the following weekend in Picton, Ontario. Travis MacLachlan and her have been dating for a long time now. They met in Victoria, when Kristin was going to university out there years ago. They decided to have their wedding at this lovely barn that was converted into an open concept for parties. It was just an amazing day having family and friends together for such a wonderful celebration. The weather was absolutely ideal, the food was second to none. Overall, it was a very memorable week. Then it was time to head further east, to the third Berkley B1 tournament of the year, on Lake St. Francis in Valleyfield, Quebec. The thing about fishing Lake St. Francis is that there are so many options. It’s one of those fisheries where you can fish shallow, you can fish deep, you can fish for largemouth or you can fish for smallmouth. We decided that we were going to keep an open mind, but we would definitely not spend any time on largemouth bass. Over the years largemouth have been our demise at this tournament. Every time we’ve gone for them we have never done well. Although there are big largemouth there, they just can’t compete with the big smallmouth. On the first day we weighed in 20.92pounds of smallmouth bass. Three of those fish came from shallow water on the new Berkley Max Scent General stickbait, rigged wacky style. The other two came from deep water and were caught by Carolina rigging a green pumpkin coloured Berkley Rocket Craw. On day-two we fished deep for the entire day and weighed in with 20.89-pounds, putting us in 9th overall in the tournament. Chris 60 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
and Cory Johnston continued their ways by weighing in 49-pounds of smallmouth over two-days and winning their second B1 tournament of the year. What can I say; those kids really know how to catch them. Then it was off to LaBelle’s Birch Point Camp on Rainy Lake, in Ontario’s Sunset Country. I’ve heard about Rainy Lake for decades but I’ve never, ever made a trip there to fish, so I was looking forward to getting up there. Our goal on this trip was to fish for walleyes and crappies, even though I know that Rainy Lake has a tremendous bass fishery, primarily for smallmouth. Since I had just finished fishing for smallmouth during the Berkley B1 tournament on Lake St. Frances, I thought it would be nice to switch gears and try some late September walleye and crappie fishing on this trip. On day-one Dale LaBelle showed us some islands and shoals to hit for walleyes. His spots were right on the mark because by lunchtime we had caught numerous eating sized walleyes. We went back out in the afternoon and caught several more walleyes up to four-pounds before deciding to call it a day. That evening I asked Dale how the crappie fishing would be and his reply was that we could go and give it a shot, so we went out the next morning and just hammered slabsized crappies.
What really made this trip special was getting the chance to know Dale LaBelle and his extended family. Meeting and spending time with them, along with the great fishing we had, made this a trip that I wish I had done years ago. Having met the gang at LaBelle’s, I’ll definitely be back - whether they want me or not! I was going to fish the Lake Erie Open on the first weekend of October but for some reason Cory Johnston decided to have his wedding on the same day. I asked him if he could move his wedding but he didn’t seem to think that was possible. So we ended up not fishing the Lake Erie Open and going to Cory Johnston and Kerrilee Delong’s wedding instead. Kidding aside, it was a lot of fun. They had their wedding party in an airplane hanger at Cory’s aunt’s place in the country, outside of Peterborough, and they asked me if I would do a little talk at the wedding reception, which I was happy to do. When Cory got up to talk at the end of the night, he asked if me and some of the other Canadian tournament anglers who were there would stand up. I thought it was really nice that he would acknowledge all of us. After about eight of us stood up, Cory said, “I just want to thank all of you guys for helping to pay for this wonderful meal tonight.” It was an
awesome line! His delivery was right on and everybody had a good chuckle about the money we’ve donated in entry fees that he and his brother have won over the years. After the wedding I was scheduled to fish with charter captain Jim Fleming for muskies on Lake St. Clair. We’ve had some wonderful trips fishing with him over the years and have always had success. One of the things that I really admire about Jim is that he will call off a trip if the conditions don’t look ideal, and that’s exactly what happened. The fishing had been pretty good and then the wind switched direction and blew a lot of floating weeds into the areas Jim fishes. When you’ve got a lot of floating weeds on Lake St. Clair it gets on your line and slides down to your lures. It makes trolling very hard and it cuts down your odds substantially, so he called off the shoot. Later that week I was off to Kentucky Lake for two days of scouting before the lake became off-limits before the FLW/Costa Championship. After 25 or 30-years of running a Chevy Suburban I had decided to switch things up and I bought a GMC diesel Denali pickup. I had just picked up the new truck and decided to break it in on this trip to Kentucky Lake. My buddy Rick McCrory, from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, joined me. We caught a few largemouth here and there, including a couple of good ones, but overall the fishing was really tough. After our two days of practice the folks at the FLW headquarters let me leave my boat down there, so we left the boat and drove straight back to Ontario. When I got home I had to pack and get ready for a following day departure to the Amazon. This was my third trip to fish the Rio Negro River for peacock bass and I was pretty excited about it. There’s no question that, pound for pound, peacocks are the hardest fighting freshwater fish out there. When we arrived David McCarthy, from Hooked on Adventures, who had put this trip together, said it had rained three-days earlier and the river came up about threefeet, making the fishing tough. He was with a group the week prior and on the first part of their trip they caught a lot of 20-poundplus fish. They had an incredible outing before the rain came. When the river rises it disperses a lot of fish. They either go out into open water or way back into the jungle,
making them a lot harder to find. So we ended up having to work a little harder than normal for the fish. My brother Wayne, off-camera and in another boat, caught the biggest peacock of the week, a 22-pound trophy, by trolling a homemade bucktail hair jig. Truly a fish of a lifetime. I believe my biggest was about eightpounds. I caught a few in that range both on topwaters and bucktails. My son Darren caught a 13-pounder on a topwater rippertype bait. It was pretty cool because that fish exploded on this bait about 10-feet away from the boat as it was being ripped across the surface. David McCarthy works with the Amazon Lord and the Amazon Lord II. Both of these boats are luxurious and are incredible to stay on for a week of fishing down there. The food was top-notch and each room had two beds, a fridge and a bathroom. There were areas to sit outside, air conditioned areas
inside to watch movies or play cards; a bar and a dining room. It was really a nice setup. I will say that out of all the trips I’ve ever done for peacock bass, staying aboard the Amazon Lord with the good group of people that were with us, certainly made this trip memorable. When we got back home on Sunday afternoon I had to get some things unpacked, then repack some other things because the next morning I had a 14-hour drive back to Kentucky Lake in Tennessee. The good thing was I didn’t have a boat to tow, since I’d left it down there two-weeks prior. I got on the water for Tuesday and half a day Wednesday to scout as much as I could. I caught a few keepers – which have to be a minimum of 15-inches – on an Alabama rig so I was pretty excited about that. My game plan for the tournament was to run some rock bluffs that were about 60 to 80-miles down south on the Tennessee River,
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 61
and also fish some back bays in the area with topwater lures. Because I was running so far and had an early weigh-in time, I only had about 5-hours to fish on the first day. I started off on day-one by fishing two different creeks but I didn’t catch any keepers. I had one heavy fish hit an Alabama rig in deep
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62 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
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water along one of the bluffs on the main river, but it got off. I caught some non-keepers during the day but when it was all said and done I came in with a big, fat, goose-egg. On day-two I had to make a decision: do I burn all that time and gas and run south again? Since I had a late check-in (I didn’t weigh in until 5:10 that day) I decided to make the run. Well, first thing in the morning, on my first stop, I caught a 3-pound, 13ouncer on an Alabama rig at the mouth of one of the creeks and thought, “Hey, I could have a good day”. Later on we pulled in to get some gas and, while we were filling up the Ranger, my coangler noticed a bass chasing bait on the other side of the creek. After filling up the boat we went over to where the fish was, and didn’t my co-angler catch it on a buzzbait! It ended up being over 3-pounds so we decided to go further back into the creek but the fish we caught there were just short of being keepers. We came across a few logs in the water and I threw a chatterbait over one of them. All of a sudden I saw a fish flash on the lure so I let him suck it in. I set the hook and was fighting him but halfway to the boat the hook pulled out. That fish was over 5pounds. Later on I lost another 2-pounder that hit an Alabama rig along a rock bluff. I
should have had over 10-pounds that day, which would have been a pretty respectable for three fish, but as it turned out I only weighed in one fish for the tournament. To tell you how hard this tournament was, only one person out of the entire field of almost 200 professionals weighed in a limit three days in a row. It just goes to show you how tough some of these fisheries can be. When the fish aren’t biting there’s not much you can do. When I got home it was time for our annual wine tasting dinner at the Between the Lines winery in the Niagara region of southern Ontario. As usual the food was off the charts, and the wine tasting was very interesting with some very unique tastes. We certainly enjoyed a lot of the different flavours that evening while we were picking our next Izumi wine. Then I tagged up with Larry McNamee, the founder of BoaterExam.com, to do some swimbait fishing for smallmouth bass on Lake St. Francis. Although we had a cool northeast breeze that day, we scrounged up about 10 smallmouth up to about 4½pounds by fishing the Berkley Pro Shad swimbait on a jighead. The key was to get our baits down to the bottom, in around the rocks, and slowly swim them about 6-inches above the rocks.
After having a successful day on Lake St. Francis it was back home and then off again the next day to Lake Erie to fish some smallmouth bass. I wanted to do some spoon jigging for the cold water smallmouth but for
some reason the water temperature was still pretty warm. Here it was, the middle of November, and the water temperature was still 50°F. We ended up catching fish just under 6-pounds on a ¾-ounce, goldcoloured Johnson Splinter Spoon. We got quite a few big, fat smallmouth and had a good shoot down there. Then it was down to the Bay of Quinte to do a show with charter captain Scott Walcott. Scott’s an accomplished charter captain who has been operating down in the Bay of Quinte for a long time. About two-years ago he acquired the Picton Harbour Inn, which is right at the tip of the bay in Picton. We stayed there and I’ve got to tell you, I love that place. It’s a quaint place to stay and they’ve redone all of the rooms. And, what can I say, the breakfasts there are incredible! As usual Scott didn’t disappoint me on the fishing. Because it was just a down and dirty trip I decided to fish aboard Scott’s custom
made aluminum boat that has a cuddy cabin. Throughout the day there’s always a fresh pot of coffee and you can sit in the heated cabin or stand outside, depending on the weather. We ended up trolling in 100-plus-feet of water and caught six fish with the biggest being 11-pounds, 5-ounces. We had another one just under 10-pounds and four smaller fish. We got what we needed for the show, we had a wonderful time with Scott and, as usual, his hospitality was second to none. I was on Lake Erie yesterday with my old buddy Mike Watson. Mike recently retired from his auto manufacturing job and is enjoying the good life doing a lot of fishing. I jumped in Mike’s boat for a couple of hours of fishing and we caught about 15 bass up to 5-pounds. What can I say, it’s a dirty job…and I hope to be doing for a long, long time! ?
Winter 2018 – Real Fishing 63
What’s COOKING
VENISON “JOHN WAYNE” STEW This easy to prepare stew makes for a hearty and delicious meal that’s perfect after a cold day in the outdoors.
INGREDIENTS
Thanks to Ryan Lamothe, Sous Chef of the Holiday Inn Suites in Kanata, Ontario, for providing this recipe.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 °F. 2 pounds 1 can 8 ¾ cups 2 2 8 1 1 1 1 1 6 sprigs 6 sprigs 2
cubed venison stew meat (can be replaced with beef stewing meat) Guinness dark beer venison demi-glace (can be replaced with beef demi-glace or stock) large carrots (peeled and small diced) large sticks of celery (small diced) fingerling potatoes (split in half) large turnip (peeled and small diced) small butternut squash (peeled and small diced) large parsnip (small diced) large white onion (small diced) cinnamon stick fresh thyme (finely diced) fresh oregano (finely diced) garlic cloves (finely diced)
64 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
Toss the parsnip, butternut squash and turnip with a splash of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 15-minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Set a large soup pot on medium heat. Add a splash of vegetable oil, the cubed venison meat and the diced carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Cook until the meat and vegetables are brown. Add the venison demi-glace, Guinness beer, fingerling potatoes, cinnamon stick, thyme, oregano and the previously roasted vegetables (parsnip, butternut squash and turnip) to the soup pot. Bring stew to a boil then set on low for 4 to 6-hours. Take out the cinnamon stick and serve hot.
Dinn ner’s going to take awh h hile . Good d thing you brought the IIzumi. Izumi
COME ANND GET IT. Our wines are only available direct — either in person or by delivery from our vine eyard d in Niagara-on-th he-Lake, Ontario. It’s taken 14 years to get it right, to perfect the craft ft of making wine that is drinkable, accessible, and affordable. It all happenss here in our Big Red Barn. Our modern-rustic space houses our cellarr and is part tasting ro oom,, part clubhouse. There e’s no pre etension or mystery here e. All that we kknow, we e’re ready to share with you, to delight the novice wine lover and the veteran oenophile alike. Visit us or order d ahead for your nex xt big trip and for each purchase of an Izumi wine ne, Betwe een the Lines will donate $1 to the Fishing Forever Foundation, a non-pro ofit organization commit c ted to the pre eservation of Canada’s fishing resources.
Contact us to book y your our winery tour. Mention this a ad and receiv receive a free tasting of our Izumi wines:
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WINTER’S EMBRACE Description: It’s been said that art imitates life and this little slice of life shows nature at her artistic finest. A warm day causing a haze to form over the frozen lake; a waning sun struggling through building clouds and a lone angler wrapped in a misty blanket combine, in one frozen moment, to conjure feelings both ominous and ethereal.
66 Real Fishing – Winter 2018
Subject: Ice Fishing Medium: Unaltered digital photography Camera: Nikon D70
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