Winter 2017

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Contents Features 30 FRENCH RIVER REVERENCE Once an integral route for traders and explorers, Ontario’s French River is now a mecca for multi-species anglers.

By Mark Forabosco

40 WEST COAST BOTTOM FISHING Synonymous with salmon fishing, Canada’s West Coast is also home to incredible numbers of halibut, ling and rockfish that are eager to cooperate with anglers looking for a different fishing experience.

By Wes David

49 ICE FISHING SAFETY 10 tips to help make your ice fishing trips productive, comfortable and safe.

By Real Fishing

54 CHAINS AND SMALLIES OF NOVA SCOTIA Summertime fishing in Nova Scotia isn’t just about trout. Chain pickerel and smallmouth bass are great alternatives for local and visiting anglers alike.

By Charles Weiss

Winter 2017 Volume 23, 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

By Jerry Hughes

Contributors Patrick Daradick, Wes David, Mark Forabosco, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Chef Chris Juneau, Nick Laferriere, Steve May, Dave Taylor, Charles Weiss Real Fishing is published by Izumi Outdoors Inc. 940 Sheldon Court Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Tel: (905) 632-8679 Fax: (905) 632-2833 Privacy Policy: Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our subscribers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list and not receive these mailings, please write to us at the above address.

We welcome manuscripts, but will not be held responsible for loss of manuscripts, photos or other materials.

Published four times each year: January (Winter) April (Spring) July (Summer) October (Fall) One year subscription is $9.95.

For USA add $10 all others add $30.

Subscriptions: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6 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

26 BEST FISHING TIMES Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar

10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC News, trivia, event listings and more from the world of fishing

14 WHAT’S NEW

28 THE HOT BITE

18

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 REAL FISHING FISH FACTS Lake Whitefish

22

60 TALES FROM THE ROAD The trials and tribulations of life as a professional angler

By Bob Izumi

64 WHAT’S COOKING 66 ART OF ANGLING

On the cover: NORTH COUNTRY LARGEMOUTH Photo by Izumi Outdoors

opening lines

By Jerry Hughes

The Land of Plenty For anglers, there are few places on the planet that offer the number of species and the range of fishing opportunities that Canada has. You can catch trophy brook trout in Labrador and Quebec; Bluefin tuna and sharks off the East Coast and Atlantic salmon in the Maritimes. Quebec and Ontario are known for their bass, walleye and muskie fishing, while Manitoba and the Prairie Provinces are highly regarded for pike and walleye.

Alberta and British Columbia abound with lakes and rivers teeming with trout, and the Pacific Coast has some of the best chinook and coho salmon fishing in the world.

This issue of Real Fishing takes a look at some of Canada’s fishing diversity and offers some unique ideas for your next fishing adventure. Starting on the East Coast, Charles Weiss shares the story of his trip to Nova Scotia to tackle smallmouth bass and chain pickerel. Although best known for its Atlantic salmon fishing, Nova Scotia has numerous lakes, ponds and rivers that are full of bass and pickerel that are largely overlooked by local anglers. Best of all, some great fishing can be had only steps away from well-travelled roadways.

Moving west, Mark Forabosco shares his experiences during a family vacation to Ontario’s fabled French River. Walleye, bass, pike, muskies and whitefish are all available in this massive river system and trophy-sized fish are always possible. In his article, Mark reveals some of the tactics he used to catch a variety of species, and also tells a true angler’s tale of the one that got away.

Jumping to the West Coast, Wes David writes of his trip to tackle the numerous bottom fish that inhabit the deep waters of 6 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

the Pacific Ocean. Although salmon and steelhead are still the big draws, rockfish, ling cod and halibut, among others, are gaining momentum as viable sport fish along British Columbia’s western shores.

These fish are plentiful, hard fighting, and make great table fare so it’s no surprise that anglers are paying more attention to them. In his article, Wes reveals how he caught good numbers of fish as well as a couple of real trophies on his trip out of northern Vancouver Island.

Of course there are many, many more great angling adventures to be had in Canada, but we couldn’t possibly do justice to all of them in this one issue of Real Fishing. With that said, we hope these articles will give you an idea of some of the great fishing that’s waiting for you and maybe plant a seed for your next trip. ?

After over a decade of holding the line on the cost of Real Fishing magazine, economics have finally forced us to raise our single copy and subscription prices. Starting in January 2017, a single print copy of Real Fishing will be $4.95 while one, two and three-year subscriptions will be $12.95, $21.95 and $27.95 respectively.

The increase only applies to printed versions of Real Fishing and there is no change to the cost of the digital version of the magazine.

REAL FISHING Last September the Real Fishing crew, along with the folks from SC Johnson and a number of Canadian Tire and Home Hardware dealers, headed up to Bark Lake for SC Johnson’s annual corporate pro-am fishing trip.

Canadian Tire and Home hardware dealers were involved in a contest put on by SC Johnson with the winners receiving an all-expense paid trip to fish with Bob, Wayne and a number of professional anglers. As you can see, both the weather and the fishing were pretty good and everyone had a great couple of days in the Haliburton Highlands.

Tire's Tyler Mckown SC Johnson's Jeff Warren, Canadian Lake bass. and Bob Izumi with a brace of Bark David Chong guided Home Hardware's Jason Aylard and Terry Foley.

Canadian Tire dealers Mark Tripple (R) and Rus Friesen with their guide, John McGuigan.

Pro Angler Brian Hughes with Canadian Tire's Eric Bumstead and Brandon Bickle.

Pro Angler John Whyte with Ian McNaughton and Gord Trescher from Home Hardware.

8 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

IN HALIBURTON

Wayne Izumi put Canadian Tire's Jennifer Langille and Cullen Cameron onto some nice smallmouth bass.

Guide John McGuigan with Lorrie and Brian Makowecki from Canadian Tire.

Rob Lee guided SC Johnson's Agnes Bedard and Dan Parker to a nice bunch of walleyes.

and Doug Heck Home Hardware's Wayne guide. drew Bob Izumi as their

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 9

LICENCE-FREE FISHING DAYS Ontario Family Fishing Events is a province-wide opportunity for Canadian residents to fish Ontario waters between February 18 and 20, 2017 without the otherwise mandatory fishing version of the outdoors card. Participants fishing without a license must fish under the Conservation fishing license limits, which are set out in the current Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary. With the exception of the licensing requirement, all other Ontario fishing regulations continue to apply during license-free days. For more information on Ontario Family Fishing Events please visit www.ontariofamilyfishing.com.

Information on licencing, open seasons, catch limits and other regulations is available at www.ontario.ca/page/fishing.

FIGHTING INVASIVE SPECIES

Ontario is prohibiting and restricting 19 invasive species to prevent their arrival and control their spread in the province and protect the environment. New regulations now in effect under the Invasive Species Act ban the import, breeding, purchase and sale of these species – including Asian carp and snakeheads, golden mussels, killer shrimp and several plant species - in Ontario. The new rules also allow the

10 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

government to establish special restrictions in certain areas of the province if these species are discovered, and to enforce strong penalties for individuals who knowingly bring these species into Ontario. It is hoped that these preventative measures will help to keep the least wanted species from entering Ontario and the Great Lakes.

They say that fishermen are a secretive bunch but that doesn’t seem to be the case at a northern Ontario lodge we visited on Lake of the Woods.

We’re not sure if this sign is a hint that you might pick up a fishing tip or two from the other guests, or if it’s a warning that anything you say – on any topic - could become fodder for the gossip mill. To be safe, it’s probably best to keep the chat focused only on fishing and things you’re proud to have your boss or family hear about!

EVENTS Calendar KIDS, COPS AND CANADIAN TIRE FISHING DAYS

SPRING FISHING AND BOAT SHOW

BC BOAT & SPORTSMEN'S SHOW / BC HUNTING SHOW 2015

Youth oriented fishing events Various dates and locations www.kidsandcops.ca

February 17 - 20 International Centre Mississauga, ON www.springfishingandboatshow.com

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

SIMCOE COUNTY HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION ICE FISHING TOURNAMENT

WAWA ICE FISHING DERBY

January 20 – 29 Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto, ON www.torontoboatshow.com

February 18 Lake Simcoe, Kempenfelt Bay Barrie, ON http://icefishingbarrie.ca

March 3 - 5 Wawa, Hawk and Manitowik Lakes Wawa, ON www.wawaicefishingderby.com

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

ONTARIO FAMILY FISHING WEEKEND

PERCHIN FOR MS

February 18 - 20 License-free fishing in Ontario www.ontariofamilyfishing.com

March 4 Lake Simcoe Sibbald Point Provincial Park www.perchinforms.com

January 18 - 22 BC Place and Granville Island Vancouver, BC www.vancouverboatshow.ca CALGARY BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW

February 9 - 12 BMO Centre, Stampede Park Calgary, AB www.calgaryboatandsportshow.ca MONTREAL BOAT AND WATER SPORTS SHOW

February 2 - 5 Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec, www.salondubateau.com TORONTO SPORTSMEN’S SHOW

March 15 - 19 International Centre Mississauga, ON www.torontosportshow.ca

March 3 - 5 Tradex Abbotsford, BC www.bcboatandsportsmenshow.ca

HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

February 9 - 12 Halifax Exhibition Centre Halifax, NS www.halifaxboatshow.com MONTREAL HUNTING, FISHING AND CAMPING SHOW

February 16 - 19 Place Bonaventure Montreal, QC www.salonexpertchassemontreal.ca OTTAWA BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW

February 23 - 26 EY Centre Ottawa, ON www.ottawaboatandsportshow.ca MID-CANADA BOAT SHOW

EDMONTON BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW

March 16 - 19 Edmonton Expo Centre, Northlands Edmonton, AB www.edmontonboatandsportshow.ca QUEBEC CITY HUNTING, FISHING, CAMPING AND BOAT SHOWS

March 16 - 19 Centre de Foires ExpoCité Quebec City, QC qchfcs.sportshows.ca MONCTON BOAT SHOW

March 31 - April 2 Moncton Coliseum Moncton, NB www.monctonboatshow.ca

March 2 - 5 RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg, MB www.midcanadaboatshow.com

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 11

READER’S PHOTOS

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 Shane Jantzi Ayr, ON Walleye

Steve Hanson Harley, ON Smallmouth Bass

Cédric McNamee Ottawa, ON Largemouth Bass

Diane Robitaille Toronto, ON Freshwater Drum

Andrea Hanson Harley, ON Rock Bass

John Ward Georgetown, ON Northern Pike

12 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

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

2017

SMOOTH AS SILK New moss green SpiderWire® Stealth® Smooth™ braided line offers the same strength, dependability and sensitivity of Stealth, but in a new eight-carrier braid with a high pick count. This results in a smoother line that whisks through rod guides with ease, resulting in quieter and longer casts with less effort. Stealth Smooth is coated with a thin microcrystalline polymer for a colorfast line that is easy to tie, and cinches down on most knots effortlessly.

SpiderWire Stealth Smooth is available in strengths from six to 80-pound test and comes in 125, 200, 300, 500, 1500 and 3000-yard spools.

www.spiderwire.com

TIPS DOWN New for 2017, HT Enterprises Inc. introduces the all-new Little Jigger two-in-one tip-down ice fishing rod holder. The Little Jigger allows you to use a traditional jig pole style combo, or, by switching out a simple wire insert on the upright, change over and incorporate any standard spinning combo. Spinning combos are not locked in place so they can be quickly and easily removed for fast hook sets. The Little Jigger also features a stable, durable wood base that folds for transport and storage, and an adjustable, locking upright with multiple settings to position your rod at the precisely desired angle.

www.icefish.com

BIG SCREEN FISHING The new Lowrance Elite-12 Ti and Elite-9 Ti touchscreen fishfinder/chartplotters include the same features that anglers love about the Elite-Ti series, but on bigger 12- and 9-inch high-resolution, widescreen displays. The new models include an easy-to-use touchscreen, Bluetooth® and wireless connectivity, Lowrance navigation technology and high-performance sonar – including CHIRP, Broadband Sounder™ and StructureScan® HD with SideScan and DownScan Imaging™.

Both the Elite-12 Ti and Elite-9 Ti displays feature a built-in GPS antenna and Insight map, and are compatible with a number of optional charts.

www.lowrance.com 14 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

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

REMARKABLE RODS Fenwick® has made numerous upgrades to the Aetos™ family of casting and spinning rods for 2017. The new models feature X-Veil high modulus blanks for a stronger, more sensitive fishing rod, along with deep-depressed titanium guides that help eliminate insert pop-outs. Aetos rods utilize a custom Fenwick ergonomic reel seat that makes the rods more sensitive, and a blend of TAC (Technologically Advanced Construction) cork and high-density EVA for increased slip resistance when your hands are soaking wet.

Aetos rods are available in 10 spinning and 13 casting models and come in a variety of actions and lengths.

www.fenwickfishing.com

A NEW SPIN Mepps® Black Fury® and Aglia® Tandem Bucktails™ feature #5 bodies and blades matched with a dressed tandem bucktail hook setup. The hooks and dressing are smaller than on the original Musky Killer series, making these tandem baits suitable for use with medium to heavy spinning gear. For 2017 there are two new colour patterns in the Aglia Tandem series: glow white with a white tail and a chartreuse blade and tail model. The new for 2017 Black Fury Tandem is available with the classic black blade highlighted with three new colour combinations including a yellow dot blade with a yellow tail; a red dot blade and firetiger tail, and a chartreuse dot blade with a chartreuse tail.

www.mepps.ca

SAFE AND SECURE Bolt’s new Off-Vehicle Coupler Lock features patented onekey lock technology that permanently programs locks to the vehicle's ignition key for single-key use. Made of hardened steel for extra security, the Off-Vehicle Coupler Lock works with 1 7/8-inch, 2-inch and 2 15/16-inch couplers to keep a variety of trailers secure while unattended. The lock is a visible theft deterrent that is designed with a unique plate tumbler sidebar to prevent picking and bumping. A highly durable powder-coated finish is factory applied to the lock to keep dirt and moisture out while protecting the locking mechanism from harsh weather.

www.boltlock.com

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 15

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

On The Road Again There’s no question I’m a road warrior. After the number of years that I have spent living out of my vehicle I’ve learned a few things about how to make my trips just a little bit more enjoyable.

Even though you’re going to have the odd, unexpected thing pop up, by doing a few things both while you’re on the road and in advance, you can save yourself a ton of time and a lot of heartaches.

Before I hit the road on a trip I spend a lot of time packing, more time than you might think. I may get in from one trip and be leaving the next day for another so I might be up until one or two in the morning packing before catching a few hours of sleep. Having everything packed and ready ahead of time, rather than rushing around in the morning, can make or break your trip, but that’s just common sense.

Another thing that I do if I’ve got a trip that requires a lot of driving, and I know I’m not going to do it all in one day, is plan my trip so I know how far I can get in one day and pre-book a hotel near there. In the early years I used to say that I’d drive ‘till I dropped and then get a room but many times

16 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

I’d pull into a city or town and find that all of the hotels were booked. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when you have to drive a couple of extra hours to find a room you start to wonder why you didn’t book something in advance.

I also like to be prepared for emergencies when I’m on the road. I’ve got into so many snowstorms in my travels; I even hit a forest fire where the traffic was stopped for hours on end, so it’s nice to have food and drink in your vehicle. I always carry a Coleman cooler in my truck with water, soft drinks and some snacks in it because you never know when you might get stranded. The winter before last I got stranded in a snowstorm in Kentucky on I75 for hours. Luckily we had fuel in the vehicle and we had lots of food and drink.

A friend of mine from Ohio, Steve Clapper, put me on to this great fuel tip over a year ago. There’s an app you can get for your phone called Gas Buddy that shows you the prices of fuel in the area you’re travelling so you can take advantage of the cheapest prices. It’s amazing how much gas prices can vary in the same general area. You can save a lot of money on fuel, both for your boat and your tow vehicle, by using this app.

If I’m travelling in remote areas I always make sure I’ve got a full tank of fuel. That’s especially important if I’m

planning to be driving through the wee hours of the night. Gas stations can be few and far between when you get off the beaten path and a lot of smaller towns don’t have 24hour service centres. Also, if you get stopped due to something like a snowstorm or forest fire, you could end up being stopped in traffic for several hours and that can burn a lot of gas that you may not have anticipated. So when my fuel gauge starts getting low, I’ll fill up as soon as I can rather than try to make it down the road to the next gas station.

Here’s a great tip that I picked up a few years ago. Many times when you’re trying to pre-pay in the United States, you need to enter a zip code after you slide your card through the card reader but Canadians have postal codes instead of zip codes, and these won’t work. While I was fuelling up in Kentucky, the woman who worked in the gas station told me to use the numbers from my postal code, in order, and then add two zeros to the end. So if your postal code is A1B 2C3, you’d enter 1,2,3,0,0 when the machine asked for your zip code. Sure enough, I swiped the card and when it asked for the zip code I put in my postal code numbers and two zeros, and it worked. I’ve been doing this for the past couple of years and it’s taken the hassle out of pre-paying for gas in the United States.

Of course basic maintenance on your tow vehicle and trailer is essential. A lot of people don’t think about things like changing their transmission oil or differential fluid on their vehicles, or keeping tabs on their trailer bearing grease or oil but these are extremely important. You should also make sure your tires are properly inflated, both on your vehicle and your trailer.

If you travel a lot in your vehicle you’ve probably got your own system of how to prepare for your trips but over the years but I’ve found that these tips have helped me out the most, and I’m sure they’ll be useful to you too. ?

9 622 OTHER

MODELS IN STORE

BELOEIL - BROSSARD - BURLINGTON - CAMBRIDGE - ETOBICOKE - LAVAL - OSHAWA OTTAWA - QUEBEC - VAUGHAN

fly fishing

By Stephen May

Big Water - Big Fish Like many people, I started out fly fishing on small streams for trout. This is what I thought fly fishing was all about. But I have learned that using a boat does not mean you have to leave the fly gear on shore.

Fly fishing is simply a different way to present a bait to a fish. Targeting pike in the shallows, bass on a rocky point or targeting fish that are herding bait are all times when fly gear is perfect to have ready for action.

Fly tackle uses a weighted line to propel a small, light bait, allowing you to get these imitations out to fish very delicately. Of course, “small” and “light” are relative terms. A four-inch deer hair bass bug is much more delicate than a six-inch topwater plug and a 10-inch musky fly is far lighter than a double blade bucktail.

Heavy fly gear can be used for pretty much anything with fins and lips. Muskie, bass, pike, salmon and various saltwater fish like dorado, roosterfish, tarpon and sailfish are all superb fly fishing targets. Heavier fly rods can handle surprisingly large “flies” that will attract the attention of top predators.

Big fish flies often imitate baitfish, squid, frogs, muskrats, small birds and mice. If these lures are tied properly they can be very light weight and are reasonably easy to cast good distances. A large fly tied by an expert looks like it is alive in the water and is almost weightless. You can imitate bait, both in how it looks and how it swims, when creating flies with natural materials and some of the new flowing synthetics. Plastics, wood and metal lures just can’t compare.

One of the biggest challenges for fly anglers more familiar with small streams is finding fish. On a large expanse of water, where do you start? Boat anglers will know that electronics are your underwater eyes and can help you to find fish. Search the usual areas, but try to find places where fish hold in relatively shallow water or in areas that concentrate food. Also, be on the lookout for birds 18 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

or breaking fish. They will quickly tell you where a good spot to drop a fly is.

Fly gear is most effective the closer to the surface you are fishing. Fish in less than 15feet of water are easiest to reach with a fly. To get flies to the level the fish are working, you may need a couple of different setups.

Having a sinking line will help get a bait deep. An intermediate line is one of my

favorites because it is perfect for preventing a moderate wind from ruining your surface or sub-surface presentation.

One thing you will learn is to keep your boat deck clear. Cleats and gear lying around will always find a loop of fly line just when the fish are busting bait in front of you! If there is not enough deck space, or there is too much stuff in the boat, use a casting basket or garbage can to keep your line under control and avoid tangles.

Working the big water is a fun challenge and it is amazing to see big fish come from the depths to attack your fly. If you get the chance, get out there, hang on, and enjoy the action! ?

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

water’s edge

By Dave Taylor

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Just when you think you know a thing or two, someone comes along and upsets your apple cart. Take the red fox for example. This species is common across North America and just about every outdoors person has seen one.

It is obvious to all of us “a fox is a fox”.

Well it turns out that a red fox is not necessarily the red fox we all think we know.

When the Europeans first arrived in North America back in the 1500s they encountered the red fox. It looked just like the red fox they knew from the Old Country but apparently it was not especially common here. The tree-climbing gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteu) was far more abundant. To the Europeans the gray fox was not a very sporting chap. The British in particular liked to fox hunt with hounds and the gray fox climbed trees, making the hunt not very exciting, so they imported red foxes from Europe and released them.

We now know that the European fox had been isolated from the American red fox for thousands of years, thanks to the last Ice Age. The European fox was bigger and perhaps more aggressive than the native American red fox, however, they were

20 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

genetically close enough that they could and did interbreed. Soon the “new” red fox in the eastern half of North America had replaced the more abundant gray fox to the point where the gray fox virtually disappeared in Southern Ontario and was greatly reduced in numbers throughout the rest of its range. Even today this hybrid red fox is expanding its range and is even encroaching on the range of the much smaller Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), which is now becoming increasingly rare in the southern portion of its range.

It now appears that most of the above is incorrect (except for the impact of red fox on other fox species). Recent genetic studies have shown that the red fox now found in the eastern USA and Canada is not the result of fox introductions during the colonial period. It is a true native fox, however, the glaciers certainly did have an impact on red fox evolution. There were two migrations of

red fox into North America. The first occurred between 300,000 and 130,000 years ago with a population that migrated from Eurasia during an interglacial period.

This group then became isolated by the advancing Laurentide Ice Sheet that covered most of Canada and the northern USA. Then, some 10,000 years ago, a second migration of Eurasian foxes entered the continent as the last Ice Age ended.

The first population, which evolved into a new subspecies of red fox during this separation, took refuge in the southern USA. When the last ice age ended they migrated north and interbred with the second wave of Eurasian red foxes moving south from Alaska. Further complicating this picture are distinct genetic subspecies of red fox that live in alpine areas and isolated regions of the American southwest. One could conclude that the introduction of Eurasian red foxes during the colonial period simply augmented the trend towards larger red foxes that was already occurring naturally.

A complex story to be sure, but it is not a unique one. The ability to do DNA analysis is changing our understanding of the evolution of many North American species including wolves, coyotes, bears, cougars, deer, moose, and many species of birds as well. Fish, especially the salmonids, are also undergoing new appraisals.

Why is this important? Wildlife managers and politicians look at this new data and will make decisions on how best to manage a species based on it. Some will be given more protection while others may be receive less. It also sheds new light on our understanding of the complexity of nature and how our actions have impacted ecosystems.

The “common” red fox is proving to be far more “uncommon” then we knew. And our understanding of this species is not yet complete. No doubt our knowledge of foxes (and nature) will change again as more data is acquired. As Sherlock Holmes noted, “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” ?

TM|MC

*

PRESERVE BATTERY LIFE, STORE BATTERIES FOR YEARS*

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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

The Dizzy Decoy With the winter ice season approaching soon, many fisherman are preparing to brave the cold in the hope of spending a plentiful and fun day on the frozen lakes of Canada.

The modern approach features many electronic devices and a host of fancy tackle to help the angler beat the odds of landing a huge fish from one of their favourite waterbodies. Many of today’s anglers are not even aware that one of the most productive approaches to ice fishing, dating back into the 1950s, was the use of a “fish decoy”.

One such decoy was called the Dizzy Decoy, an invention by Charles R. Dailey from Brantford, Ontario. Charles moved from the United States to Brantford in 1950 with the sole purpose of starting a new machine shop business, which he named Bridgewater Machine.

Besides being a well-trained machinist with an inventive flair, Dailey was successful in marketing his products, which served him well. Charles, or Charlie as he was known to friends, was an ardent fisherman and soon found many new lakes to fish in Ontario.

22 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

Pleased with the variety of winter ice fishing available, he was especially keen on fishing Lake Simcoe, where he enjoyed excellent results using a wooden decoy made by a local native Indian guide - a decoy that was gifted to Charles by the guide.

Charles studied this rather crude wooden decoy and became obsessed with inventing his own version. He wanted his decoy to be more attractive and still have fish-catching capabilities. Thus began his quest to his invention, the Dizzy Decoy.

The name, Dizzy Decoy, was picked by Charles because of the very erratic movements the bait had in the water when fished.

Convinced he had a winner; he set up a hobby business in his home workshop at 10 Edgewood Avenue in Brantford and began to produce decoys for retail sales. The original name of his business was The Decoy Mfg. Company, but later became known as,

Dai-Lure “Hand Crafted Lures”.

With his son, Gordon, at his side, Charlie made many winter ice fishing trips to Lake Simcoe and Lake Nipissing. Combining father-son bonding with business, his productive catches soon had other fisherman asking for the Dizzy Decoy. The business began to expand quite rapidly with hundreds of his decoys being sold in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Charlie was always improving on his decoy’s finish and durability. With his machinist background, his workmanship was outstanding. This led to better paint qualities and the use of stainless steel for the die-punched, bottom-located side fin base plate that featured a down-standing, steerable fin. The name and address of Dizzy Decoy Mfg. were proudly stamped into the design, with a notation of “Patent Pending”.

They were made in various sizes, from four to seven-inches in length and were sold in individual, clear plastic, hinged lid boxes.

Charlie also designed and sold a pencilstyle bait, which was a very productive lure for walleye in the Detroit River. These were sold in an attractive hard pen/pencil style case with three different sized lures in each case.

Charlie lathe-turned every Dizzy Decoy himself from selected, imported American woods. Lead ballast was placed in the nose, making the decoy sink faster in the water. Its erratic swimming action was determined by the fisherman’s skill in jigging.

Today, Dizzy Decoys are very hard to locate and any collector would be happy to shell out between $150 and $200 for one in good condition. ?

real fishing fish facts

Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis

The lake whitefish has a moderately long, slender body which is somewhat pointed at the snout, gradually deepening through the dorsal region then tapering again towards the tail.

The head is relatively small, comprising only 20% to 23% of the fish’s overall length, and features an unmistakable snout that overhangs the mouth. Whitefish have a single, soft dorsal fin, a small, fleshy adipose fin and a deeply forked tail along with the usual pectoral, pelvic and anal fins. Their bodies are covered in large scales which are heavily overlaid with mucus or slime, making them extremely slippery and hard to handle.

The overall color of the whitefish is silvery. Their backs range from a pale, greenish brown through darker brown to black depending on the waterbody they live in.

The flanks are silver, fading to a silvery white or white on the belly. The fins are usually clear or lightly colored on fish from southern waters, but they are often darker and tipped with black on fish from more northern regions.

Whitefish are widely distributed across Canada, from New Brunswick and Labrador in the east, throughout most of Quebec and Ontario and across the Prairie Provinces as far west as central or western British Columbia. They can be found as far south as the Great Lakes Basin and into the extreme northern United States. In the north they are common throughout Nunavut, the Northwest and Yukon Territories, and Alaska.

Lake whitefish are a cool water species that spend most of the warm water season in deeper water, below the thermocline. In northern waters, where lakes do not stratify, whitefish may remain in shallower water all year.

They are primarily bottom feeders who consume a wide variety of invertebrates, mollusks, insect larvae and small fish. In

some areas, where water temperatures allow, they will also feed on various planktons and terrestrial insects.

Whitefish are an important commercial species, second only to walleye in Canada. In 2003, over 6,800 tons were taken, all coming from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Territories. Interestingly, Ontario contributed over 2,000 tons of whitefish roe to the commercial fishery, yet it accounted for no fish, while the Western Provinces’ commercial catch did not include any roe.

Along with their commercial importance, whitefish are an extremely popular sport fish, especially in the winter, when they are the mainstay of many ice fisheries. In some parts of Canada, especially the northern areas, whitefish can also be caught on spinning, casting or fly gear throughout much of the year. In southern regions there are fewer opportunities to catch whitefish in open water, although some limited spring and fall fisheries do exist and there are a few anglers who do well by deep water jigging or trolling during the warmer months. When hooked, they put up a spirited battle and anglers must use a light touch to avoid tearing the hooks out of the fish’s delicate mouths. ?

DID YOU KNOW? Whitefish can lose up to 10% of their total body weight after spawning.

FAST FACTS Colour: Silver to silver-white with a darker back Size: Two to three-pounds on average, occasionally reaching over ten-pounds Life Span: Commonly 10 to 15-years but can surpass 20-years Spawning: Late fall, in water temperatures of 46°F or less

RECORD The current IFGA All-Tackle World Record lake whitefish stands at 14 lbs, 6 oz. The fish was caught in Georgian Bay, Ontario, on May 21, 1984.

24 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

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26 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

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MARCH

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It’s never over until it’s over and that’s especially true when it comes to fishing.

At last year’s Kingston Canadian Open, Darren Izumi had four small fish in his livewell with only a couple of hours of time left in the tournament. He had pretty much given up on the day when he decided to leave his fishing area and go looking for at least one decent fish to fill out his limit. With his trolling motor on high he spotted a big fish just as his boat passed over it, so he picked up his dropshot rig, threw a blind cast behind the boat and felt a “tick” on his line. He set the hook and, after a battle that included three jumps, his co-angler slipped the net under this massive 7.2-pound smallmouth. Darren ended up catching four more big fish and finished with 22.2-pounds for the day.

His big smallmouth was not only the biggest fish caught in the tournament, it turned out to be the biggest bass that had ever been weighed in over the 30-year history of the Canadian Open bass tournament. It just goes to show that good things can happen at any time when you’re fishing!

28 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

FRENCH RIVER

REVERENCE

By Mark Forabosco

I can still remember my father going there on a fishing trip when I was a small child. Upon his return the stories he shared of this spiritual place left such a profound effect on my impressionable mind that I made a silent promise to one day set foot there myself. Time is fleeting and, with work and family responsibilities, whatever free time I had was spent on subdued home waters which I had a close familiarity with. The thought of expanding my angling experiences on such a large and unfamiliar territory was too risky. That is, until I picked up a brochure at a spring fishing show. With a push from my son, who described it as a new adventure, and remembering that silent promise from so many years earlier, I took a leap of faith.

The Ojibwa pronounce it Wemitigoj-sibi, which translates to French River, because it brought the French to their lands. This 290-kilometer long majestic waterway, which is chaperoned by high and disjointed rock walls, was an integral travel route for those involved in the fur and lumber trade for over 200-years. It is easy to understand why the Group of Seven did so many landscape paintings of this breathtaking stretch of the Canadian Shield.

30 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 31

My home base was Totem Point Lodge on Wolseley Bay. Their historic cabins, built in the early ’30s, are filled with an amiable charm that is perfect for the entire family.

Being unfamiliar with this system I was at a loss on just where to begin. Fortunately, the patient staff answered all of my angling questions, pointing out where to wet a line.

What I found very interesting is that some of the vacationing families I met had been coming to this area to fish and recharge their batteries for over 50-years. With an endorsement like that, I was confident that I had chosen the right place.

Bread and Butter of the French Smallmouth bass and walleye have always been synonymous when talk turns to fishing this mighty river. The biggest question for a first timer is where to start. In my case I picked the brains of anglers who had fished this system for many years, as well as locals, who were quick to point out that the innumerable tributaries and bays

32 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

held both species in good numbers.

Through some trial and error of my own I grasped the fact that the walleye and smallmouth bass shared much of the same habitat, which was usually shallow weed beds adjacent to deep, rocky drop-offs. While fishing as a sport is continually evolving, here the standard technique that reaped the greatest rewards was a simple collarhooked dew worm and split shot.

On one of the first weed beds that my son, wife and I worked, we landed four smallmouth and two walleye over the course of an hour. With regards to size, the majority of these fish ranged from one to over two-pounds, but I was forewarned that at any time a trophy walleye could unexpectedly give a relaxed angler the surprise of their life.

Throughout the week my graph marked fish of size in many areas of the river, but always on the edge of rocky drop-offs in depths of 30 to 50-feet. It was later explained to me that these were schools of

either large walleye or whitefish. By my third day of keeping a vigilant eye on local anglers I was able to observe a number of popular trolling routes for walleye. Here again the simple rigs, like trolling a minnowbait or a worm harness, won out.

A number of years back the MNR wisely imposed a slot size in order to protect the fishery and help increase gamefish numbers, and to date this endeavor is a bonafide success. Not to be outdone, pike and largemouth bass abound in most of the quiet, weedy or lily pad filled bays. Good slop lures, like weedless frogs or a rubber rat, slowly dragged across the surface resulted in a number of hook-ups.

Children get bored quickly, and even more so these days because they are so used to always having a video game within arm’s reach. But, because the concentration of bass was so high and the action was virtually continuous, my son never lost interest.

The French’s eco-system is nothing short of amazing. Every bass, regardless of

The author with a chunky French River largemouth bass.

price for a hiring a guide for the day is modest, to say the least, and it provides anglers both young and old with a true north woods experience that will be cherished for years to come.

The Hunters of the French

weight, (I was shown a recent photo of an eight-pound largemouth) had a swelled girth and every weed bed was swarming with schools of minnows. Though northern pike aren’t one of the more sought after species they can, and do, provide some exciting opportunities. On my first afternoon I picked up two over 30-inches in length on a wobbling yellow surface lure that had been residing in my tackle box for close to 25- years.

A Guide’s Gift On the fourth day I wanted my son and I to experience a traditional guiding excursion, including a shore lunch. Ron Belland grew up in this rugged country and has been fishing the French for over 45-years.

When your guide picks you up for a day of angling, and he doesn’t have a graph on his boat, he must know the waters well! Ron took us to a number of his honey holes where he shared many anecdotes and life experiences as a guide on the French. His jovial mood only added to the day’s events.

Ron recounted the story of how he’s developed a friendship with two eagles, feeding them fish entrails and heads before almost every fry. Another was about how a large muskie once parked itself beneath his

They haunt the depths; they are the hunters, the top of the food chain and the river’s greatest predator. They are also the most sought after trophy by only the most ardent of anglers. They are the muskellunge. Though their numbers are stable, finding them is difficult. You see, muskies relate to structure, and the dilemma on the French is that there is excellent structure everywhere!

If you prefer to cast, be prepared to work.

Aside from an encounter with a temperamental otter, that got his nose out of joint because he had to share his hunting grounds with me, I had good results covering shallow weed flats early in the mornings by throwing top water lures like Creepers.

If I had a follow or a strike, I would mark the spot for later and add another customer to my paper route.

On the main channel, which is the widest and largest part of the French, covering the most water in the shortest time span means trolling. Al Hess has been holidaying at Totem Point Lodge for 55-years and is a

boat and stole three bass in a row before he was forced to move elsewhere. My favourite regarded a lady angler who landed a 16-pound walleye within the first 20minutes of wetting a line, smiled, said that was enough excitement for one day and, with her trophy in tow, returned to the cabin. What really got my blood pumping were some of his muskie stories. He has seen fish over 50pounds and is steadfast that the river has some giants that would surpass 60.

Ron’s list of clients range from everyday folks to Navy Admirals, professional athletes, well known politicians and even a billionaire. When I inquired about the trophy walleye available in the French, he told me that clients of his have landed 36 fish over 10-pounds!

Our day ended with numerous bass and a limit of golden walleye being caught. All but three were released and the ones that we kept made for a Guide Ron Belland with a typical French River walleye. delicious evening fish fry. The

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 33

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Trolling is the best way to cover water in the main channel of the French River.

inspection and with the help of a magnifying glass, I could see a nick in the guide. It didn’t help my mood any when my son kept wondering aloud if the fish might have been a world record.

Booking with a seasoned musky guide on unfamiliar waters is a wise choice. Not only will this increase your odds of success, but in one day he can share information relating to structure, lure presentations and the areas to fish that would take you years to learn on your own.

Friends of mine from Muskies Canada recommended Andy Pappas of Vicious Fishes Guide Service. Andy has been hunting muskellunge on the French for a number of years and has helped many clients achieve their dream of landing a trophy.

Heartfelt Reflections

true muskie aficionado who has landed numerous trophies over the 30-pound mark by trolling lures that emulate the local forage. His greatest accomplishment took place on a warm August day when he guided his granddaughter, Beata, to a 53-inch, 37-pound prize muskie by trolling a large Believer lure.

Al shared some sound advice he has learned over the years with me, starting with the fact that some 95% of his muskies have come from water under 30-feet in depth. This eliminates miles of unproductive area where depths vary between 30 to greater than 100-feet. Trolling within three boat lengths of the surrounding rock walls almost guarantees you will stay within that 30-foot deep zone. Closely monitoring your graph at all times is essential in order to keep your lures from getting hung up as the rock structure rises and falls constantly.

Running your body baits between 10 and 15-feet down is ideal in order to maximize your success.

Though the muskellunge population is healthy, this is not a numbers fishery so you must remain diligent. The trade-off is that these fish reach tremendous proportions.

My shot at a trophy took place after Thomas Jones, an employee at Totem Point Lodge, shared a little secret with me that the 36 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

North Channel had been producing some big fish recently. After some simple directions I was off and the next day I tied into a fish that hit like a freight train. The strain caused my heavy action rod to bend like a strand of wheat in a windstorm! Then, as quick as a shooting star, it was gone. My 60-pound test braided line had snapped off right at the rod tip. Later, under closer Andy Pappas knows how to catch big muskies on the French River.

I generally judge the success of a holiday on the water by the number and size of the fish that were landed but this time it was something more intangible. I thought about the heartfelt memories made here with my son; memories that he will hold onto long after I am gone from this mortal coil. Going to a place where a simple aluminum boat, a spinning rod, a can of dew worms and a few jigs were all you needed to catch dinner.

A place so rugged and hauntingly beautiful that I am sure the almighty must have smiled with great satisfaction after its creation was complete.

CONTACT INFORMATION For more information on Totem Point Lodge, visit their website at: The Wolseley Bay area has numerous camps and cabins for rent, yet it only takes a 10-minute boat ride to find oneself void of any buildings, to an area that looks free of any human intervention, exactly as it did 10,000-years ago. This is a place where time has stood still, where it isn’t out of the norm to see an old cedar strip boat gliding through the morning fog carrying an eager fisherman to his favourite walleye hole.

Just three and a half-hours out of Toronto, this sanctuary of wilderness has something to offer every member of the family. After a week free from any form of

38 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

video entertainment or social media, the first thing my son said to me as we got in the car to head home was that it was the best holiday he ever had! Any family who has a passion for the outdoors should visit this unspoiled piece of Ontario, at least once in their lifetime. It is for that reason alone that I decided to write this particular article. The French River is a mystical place that gets into your blood. In regards to that large muskellunge that stole my lure and left me so shaken, all I can say is that I shall definitely return! ?

www.totempointlodge.com or call them at 705-898-2562 (May – November) or 519-633-8216 (December – April) To to get in touch with Andy Pappas, visit his website at www.viciousfishes.ca

www.power-pole.com

WEST COAST BOTTOM FISHING

By Wes David

40 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 41

Rockfish

The flight into Comox, British Columbia, was comfortably smooth and as the plane dropped through the clouds I could see the lush green scenery and rustic mountain landscape below. As far as I could see there was a full forest of pine trees that was filled with wildlife and unspoiled beauty. The mountain peaks poked through the clouds and I was frozen in time at the sight of their rugged beauty. And, even though I was still on the airplane, I could feel the history within the land below.

After loading our luggage into the rental car we drove for three hours up Highway 19 to our final destination of Port Hardy, British Columbia. There we were met by the owner of Serengeti Fishing Charters, the company my two friends and I would be fishing with for the next three-days. After getting squared away in the lodge, I made my way upstairs to be welcomed by an incredible view of the Pacific Coastline through the large picture window in the kitchen. As I sat at the table staring at the saltwater in front of me, and eating a delicious salmon meal that was caught earlier that day, I couldn’t help but daydream of the bounties the Pacific held for me.

Natives and early settlers hunted and fished in this area and their trials and errors as they struggled to survive in such rugged but beautiful land are hidden within the landscape. During the 1800s, and well into the 1900s, both early settlers and native Canadians faced danger, and even death, around every corner. However, these 42 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

strong-willed individuals would rather give their life to the land than leave it. If this land could talk I can only imagine the stories it could tell. However, modern advancements have made life much easier and today, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, anglers come from around the world not to fish for their survival, but to fulfill their angling dreams.

Yelloweye are one of the prettiest rockfish of the Northern Pacific.

The next morning, after a 5:30 am breakfast, we headed to the dock. The waters were a little rough on our first day, however, in 25-years of fishing the area Serengeti has never missed a booked day of fishing.

Many of the fishing charter owners and guides in central and northern BC have been raised in the area and have fished the Pacific Ocean, as well as many of the freshwaters lakes and river systems, since they were old enough to walk. For them, maneuvering a boat in rough water is second nature.

Years of navigational knowledge and fishing hotspots have been passed down from generation to generation and the guides are eager to show anglers their secrets. The area we were fishing has several large rock islands and David, our Captain and guide, uses these islands to his advantage during rough conditions by tucking in behind them to protect us from the rough water. It’s also an opportunity to take advantage of the abundant rockfish that are often overlooked.

Aggressive, colourful, abundant, and eager to bite an anglers offering, the rockfish that swim within the Northern Pacific don’t get the credit they deserve. Each and every

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Prehistoric looking Quillback are one of the author’s favorite rockfish to catch.

feet of line between you and your jig, nostretch line is important in getting a solid hookset on the fish. Rockfish have very tough mouths and, if a fishing line has too much stretch, the hooks will not penetrate into the fish’s mouth when the angler sets the hook, causing more fish to be lost than landed. The 60-pound line is needed as it’s not uncommon for large halibut, or even 50-pound class lingcod, to take your offering. During our outing we even landed a 50-pound Pacific octopus!

Less than three-minutes after I sent my jig down, I felt the weight of a heavy fish so I set the hook and the fight was on. Like fighting any fish species, after setting the hook it’s important not to give the fish any slack line. The combination of 14-ounce lures, 100 or more feet of line, and an aggressively fighting fish meant that any slack line between the angler and the fish would result in the fish spitting the hook.

We spent seven-hours fishing a variety of locations, landing quillback, lingcod, yelone I’ve caught has put up an incredible fight and there is a skill to catching them.

Many species of rockfish can be caught from the shallows to well down in the depths, so finding a good rockfish bite isn’t as simple as just sending your lure down and pulling up a fish. The location is key, and the proper jigging pattern needs to be mastered to consistently trigger a bite.

At our first location, David held the boat in position as we sent our 14-ounce jigs (yes-14-ounce jigs!) that were tied to 60pound braided line, 100-feet down into the depths. After our lures reached the bottom we quickly started jigging by lifting the bait three to five-feet off the bottom, letting it free-fall, and then repeating.

It was important for our jigs to be worked aggressively so they would send powerful vibrations through the water and be at their most effective attracting a wide variety of predatory rockfish. This aggressive snapping action caused the lure to imitate a wounded or dying baitfish, making it irresistible to the fish in the area. If we jigged our lures too slowly we received minimal to no bites and, at times, the lure would snag on the bottom, causing even more grief.

The braided line was one of the most important keys to this system. With 10044 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

A black rockfish that fell for the author’s jig.

Lingcod are aggressive and abundant in the northern Pacific.

loweye, black rockfish, English sole, and many other species. Despite the rough water, it was one of the best days of fishing I’ve ever had. We lost count of how many rockfish we caught and released and, of course, we kept a few for the freezer.

seemed to stand still. However, there was fishing to be done and the bounties of Pacific Ocean are many - and the prehistoric halibut is one of them.

When hooking into a large halibut, anglers can expect to not only strain their fishing gear, their bodies will also feel the effects of a day of catching and releasing halibut from 200-feet of water. That’s especially true if you’re fortunate enough to hook into a halibut that exceeds 100-

pounds, which the northern Pacific is famous for.

After arriving at the halibut waters we anchored the boat in 220-feet of water, adjacent to a sharp underwater drop-off that plunged another 80-feet into the depths. We were armed with heavy action halibut rods and 80-pound test, no-stretch line. However, the same 14-ounce jigs were used and our drags were set to be a little more forgiving.

A brilliantly marked redbanded rockfish.

Halibut It was hard to believe that Serengeti Fishing Charters could top the excitement of rockfish fishing, however, the Pacific Ocean is full of life. As we made our way out to the halibut waters on the second morning, a few killer whales came to the surface for a breath of fresh air only 60meters from the boat.

A short distance later we were entertained by porpoises playfully racing alongside the boat. It was amazing to see these animals so close and free and, for a brief moment as we watched in excitement, time Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 45

We sent our jigs, tipped with fresh cut bait, down and waited in anticipation as they free-fell into the depths. Once they reached the bottom we lifted them slightly and let them hang there, letting the scent of the cut bait attract any hungry halibut in the area. It didn’t take long before a halibut latched onto my lure and, after a few minutes of fighting the fish, a 40-pound halibut, locally known as a “chicken”, was on the deck. With the anticipation of 100-pound or larger halibut beneath us, we held our saltwater fishing rods tightly. We knew it was only a matter of time before larger halibut came to the feast.

Anglers in this area are allowed to keep two halibut, however, to keep this a world class fishery, there are two different slot limits that each halibut must fall within. The slot limits are determined by the halibut’s

46 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

length. Undersized halibut must be under 90-centimeters while an oversize halibut can measure no longer than 133-centimeters.

If you plan a trip to this area, check the BC Fishing Regulations prior to fishing, especially, if you plan on keeping any fish.

It was mid-afternoon and we were taking turns catching and releasing halibut ranging from 30-pounds to 80-pounds, but we had yet to crack the 100-pound barrier. Then, all of a sudden I set my hook into a halibut with a significant amount of weight. The rod bowed under the pressure and the reel and drag system were put to the test. I knew it was going to be a battle to bring this large fish to the surface so I pressed both knees into the side of the boat and prepared for the fight. I was amazed at the power of this fish. Every time I thought I was gaining the upper hand, with one thrust of the monster’s tail he took back every inch of line I had gained.

The fight seemed to last forever as the halibut and I worked equally hard to wear each other down. I had set the hook 10minutes earlier in 240-feet of water and I now had him less than 70-feet from the surface. I was praying the fight would soon be over, however, I quickly questioned who was fighting who. Just as I thought I would see this prehistoric beast break the surface of the water, he took everything I had gained back into the depths and planted his belly on the bottom. As hard as I tried to turn his head, there was nothing I could do but watch yard after yard of 80-pound braided line be pulled from the reel.

After the fish reached the bottom the battle began again. My arms felt like jelly and my lower back was feeling the strain of the fight, however, the trip back into the depths had played the flatfish out and, with a lot of encouragement, I was finally able to bring him to the surface.

What I had been fighting was 165pound halibut. It took three of us to hold him up for a picture. We’ve all heard it said that fighting a large halibut is like pulling up a sheet of plywood. Well, I promise you, it’s harder. After a few pictures, we quickly released the big boy back into the water and watched him swim deep into the depths of the Pacific Ocean. As much as I enjoyed the fight I equally enjoyed watching him swim away.

After releasing our first big halibut, larger fish beneath us decided to strap on the

The author with his hard fighting 165-pound halibut that was successfully released after a few photos.

feedbag. The next three to take the bait weighed over 100-pounds each and all three gave each angler an incredible fight.

After a few pictures to remember them by they were successfully released to fight another day.

As much as I love fishing for salmon on the West Coast, if you’re looking for a fishing adventure of a lifetime you may want to try your hand at landing multiple rockfish species and halibut on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. It’s a lot of fun and it’s not uncommon to catch multiple species in the same day. ?

ICE FISHING

SAFETY

By Real Fishing

Ice fishing is as Canadian as hockey and beavers, and tens of thousands of anglers take to the frozen lakes and rivers each winter in search of a fishing fix. There’s no question that a day on the ice can be a lot of fun, but it also comes with some inherent dangers so proper preparation is one of the keys to ensuring a safe day on the hard water.

1 KNOW THE ICE The only thing keeping you from a frigid dip in the drink is the thin layer of ice that covers the lake.

Before you head out, be sure the ice is safe. Be aware that the ice is never uniformly thick and dangerous areas frequently occur around rivermouths, underwater springs, beaver dams and dark, rocky shorelines. Clear blue ice is generally the strongest while white honeycombed ice is only half as strong.

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 49

2 DRESS FOR SUCCESS You never know what the weather will bring so be sure to dress for the worst. This is especially true if you plan on fishing backcountry lakes or areas where help may be a long way off. A broken snow machine, a personal injury or getting turned around in the bush could result in you having to hunker down for several hours or even overnight.

Make sure you are prepared. It’s easy to peel off a layer of clothing or two if the weather gets warm, but you can’t put on extra layers if they’re still at home.

4 PHONE HOME

3 FOOD FOR THOUGHT

50 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

Cold weather combined with physical exertion can sap your energy quickly and if you run into trouble your next meal may be a long way off. A couple of snacks and a bottle of water or a thermos of coffee can help replace lost energy and can help you survive if you run into a situation that keeps you out longer than expected.

Always carry a cell or satellite phone when you’re heading out ice fishing so you can call for help if the need arises. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, then let them know if your plans change. Besides the obvious safety feature, most cell phones come with built-in cameras so you can record your day on the water without lugging an expensive camera. There are GPS apps and Navionics lake charts you can download to your phone as well. This one piece of equipment can do the work of several pieces of gear and should be a staple in your kit bag.

5 STAY TUNED Mobility is the trend in ice fishing these days and the best anglers are often the ones who can cover hard water quickly and efficiently. Snowmobiles, ATVs and the like make travel fast and easy and there’s no doubt that they open up areas that walking anglers will never reach. If they’re running that is. Mechanical devices have a way of acting up when the temperatures plummet so be sure your machine is in tip-top running order before you head out. Have the engine tuned up, add fuel stabilizer to every tank of gas and always carry a few spare parts like belts, hoses and spark plugs.

6 PACK RIGHT, PACK LIGHT Ice anglers are somewhat restricted in the amount of gear they can carry so why load up with unnecessary tackle.

For example, if you’re heading out for perch, put your perch tackle in a small, flat tackle tray and leave your big jigging spoons at home. If you are planning to fish multiple species, take a tray for each. Even five or six trays packed into a bag will weigh less than a big tackle box, and the shoulder strap will make it much easier to carry.

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 51

7 CUTTING EDGE TOOLS Before you can catch a fish through the ice you’ve got to cut a hole and there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to hack through a foot or two of ice with a dull tool. Chainsaws and axes will work, but they are inherently dangerous, especially when their grips are wet or ice coated. Powered or manual ice augers and spud bars are designed specifically for cutting through “hard water” and they do a wonderful job as long as the blades are sharp. Whether you sharpen them yourself or simply add replacement blades, keep them well-honed and keep them covered when they are not in use.

8 SHACKING UP Portable ice huts are arguably one of the best pieces of equipment an ice angler can have.

There’s nothing wrong with permanent huts, but fish move throughout the season and a big, wooden shack can be brutal to move in the depths of winter. Portable huts give you the flexibility to go where the fish are while staying warm and comfortable. There are models that fold up and can be towed, others pack into a bag that can be carried on your back like a knapsack. Look for models that have some type of ventilation and are made from strong, water resistant fabrics.

52 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

9

10 SWEET HEAT

FLOAT ON Smart boaters always wear personal flotation and ice anglers should do the same, especially if there’s any question about the integrity of the ice. Wearing a specialized flotation suit or an inflatable vest is cheap insurance should you or your machine ever break through the ice.

It goes without saying that the cold is one of the biggest obstacles to enjoying a day of ice fishing so some type of heat is, if not essential, definitely welcome. Simple hand warmers stuffed into your pockets or boots will keep your extremities from freezing on milder days but they aren’t really suitable for long periods in extreme cold. When the mercury plummets you’ll want to be inside some type of shelter with a more powerful heat source. Whether you choose infrared, catalytic, propane, butane or liquid fuel is a matter of personal preference, heating requirements and budget. Whichever model you choose, make sure it is working properly and that you have plenty of fuel before you head out. Be familiar with how it works and always have your shelter properly ventilated.

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Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 53

CHAINS AND SMALLIES OF NOVA SCOTIA 54 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

By Charles Weiss

T

here are lots of small inland lakes spread across the many counties in Nova Scotia. Last summer, my wife Diane and I enjoyed a road trip down there to explore a small number of them with small spinning reels, light fishing rods and my trusty, travelling five-weight fly rod.

While visiting family relatives in Bridgewater, at the LaHave River, we stopped in at the Home Hardware store and asked an attentive sporting goods clerk about the fishing for chain pickerel and smallmouth bass in the area. As we examined the colourful rows of fishing lures on display our conversation also brought up the popular salmon fishing on the LaHave River, which had been closed since the end of May. He mentioned a wider section of the river about 10-kilometres north of town, called Wentzells Lake, that had fishing for pickerel and that allowed fishing from a couple of roadside spots. He also suggested a couple of lakes near a summer camp north of Barss Corner. We bought our fishing licenses and thanked him, then we started on the drive out of town to search for these fish.

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 55

The lake could easily be seen from Highway 10 and the high water levels made shore fishing look very inviting. The best spot we saw had submerged vegetation and a large tree branch floating right close to shore.

With some quick footwork over some large stones, I was able to find a perch and start fan-casting. Surface lures attached to a

56 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

six-inch wire leader were doing the best at getting bites. It was awkward trying to photograph, unhook and release the pickerel and at one point I got a very wet foot during some “tree branch gymnastics”.

Although the fish were small, they were interesting to watch as they would dart out and follow the lure, looking just like miniature muskellunge.

We fished for a while and then decided to move on in search of larger fish. After driving along the many country roads, and regularly referring to the road map, we were finally able to find the summer camp the hardware store clerk had told us about.

We started by casting a variety of small lures including inline spinners, spinnerbaits, medium sized shallow diving crankbaits and surface baits. The fishing was a bit slow at first, and we had to make many short overlapping casts to try and get bites from the unaggressive fish.

As I was fishing, Diane would regularly make a new lure selection from her tackle box and ask my approval of its fish catching ability. I would usually reply that it wouldn’t catch any fish so she would ignore my advice, start casting, and proceed to catch a bass after making a few casts.

Medium sized inline spinners were successful for her while a bright orange, four-inch long walk-the-dog style surface lure got the bites from the largest chain pickerel and bass that we caught.

Exploring the edge of this lake we drove along a sideroad, past an abandoned old house, and found another excellent looking spot. Like our first area, this one looked ideal with high water, semi-submerged shore plants and underwater weed growth.

We used frog imitating surface baits with a stop and go retrieve and the smallmouth bass would follow the lure before striking right at the water’s edge. The aggressive strikes usually happened when the lure was quickly brought past the edge of flooded shoreline vegetation. A good set of needle nose pliers were a must to quickly get the hooks out.

One again, while trying to keep my balance and get a closer casting perch near the fishiest looking spot, I got another waterfilled shoe. This didn’t dampen my fishing spirit though, and I continued to fish. I waited until later to wring out my soaked socks and try to dry out my running shoe much to Diane’s amusement!

We were releasing most of the fish immediately after catching them, but we did keep a few pickerel for dinner. While filleting one of the fish that was about 18 inches-long, I noticed a large lump in its belly that turned out to be a half digested pickerel of about eight-inches in length. This indicated these

The biggest smallmouth of the trip hit a four-inch long walk-the-dog style surface lure.

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Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 57

One of many smallmouth bass caught while pickerel fishing.

fish were willing to eat their own as well as any other fish in the lake.

With a sharp fillet knife, the “Y” bone segment can be removed, similar to preparing a northern pike The tiny section just above the backbone can be cut out as well, creating ribbons of fillets. The taste is fine and our fresh pickerel were enjoyable dinner fare.

Fly Fishing for Chain Pickerel Because chain pickerel are abundant, aggressive, easy to catch and not so easy to eat, they are often thought of as trash fish.

That’s unfortunate, because pickerel can be great fun when taken on light tackle.

For me, that’s a medium weight fly rod and small poppers. A 20-inch pickerel will give you all you can handle on such a rod, and they are much more common than 20inch trout are.

The best poppers for pickerel are small ones made of molded hard plastic. Deer hair and cork bugs just don’t stand up well to this toothy gamefish. The popper’s 58 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

hooks must be sharp, as the pickerel’s mouth is hard and bony. When a fish takes the bait, set the hook hard and get ready for a real battle.

Pickerel are also tough on conventional fly leaders, so don’t bother with them.

Instead, I use a two-foot piece of 25 to 30pound test monofilament (pickerel are not at all leader shy) and even this frays after a day of catching them.

We found most of the pickerel in shallow, weed-choked water. The best approach was to make casts parallel to the shoreline edges of weed beds and work the popper back with lots of splash and noise before stopping and letting it lie still, pausing for a bit, and then working it hard again.

The mention of inland fishing in Nova Scotia can conjure up images of colourful brook trout, stately looking Atlantic salmon and a stay at a riverside lodge. But chain pickerel and smallmouth bass offer roadside angling that doesn’t require any fancy gear, guides or reservations at a

lodge. In fact, there are plenty of fish to be found easily, since wading along the shore is the most efficient way to target them. By July the water is warm enough that you won’t even need waders - shorts and an old pair of running shoes is enough for this style of fishing.

Diane and I truly enjoyed fishing for the abundant bass we found in most of the lakes we stopped at. For me though, the best fun was tackling Nova Scotia’s finned fury - the slightly smaller but no less aggressive member of the pike family, the chain pickerel. ?

N OVA S COT I A F I S H I N G According to the official Nova Scotia Fishing Map, smallmouth bass and chain pickerel have not always enjoyed the popularity they do now. Both species were introduced to the province and were considered “alien species” of questionable value. Across Canada several species of fish that were introduced beyond their natural range endured less than desirable appreciation from anglers when they first showed up.

Opinions differ on the merits of the chain pickerel as a gamefish, but many anglers rank them highly. They are aggressive fish and they put up a good fight on light tackle. A hint at their growing popularity are the numerous ice fishing and summer derbies that are frequently held for them now. Although most of the

chain pickerel in Nova Scotia are on the small side, much bigger fish are there for the catching. The provincial record chain pickerel is a very respectable 6.75-pound fish that was caught in Grand Lake.

When it comes to smallmouth bass, Nova Scotia is ranked third in Canada with over a million caught every year. A couple of recent catch records from Big Mushamush Lake include a smallmouth that was 23-inches length with a 17-inch girth and a tournament-caught, five fish limit that weighed 19.5-pounds.

For information on fishing in Nova Scotia, check www.novascotiafishing.com, http://novascotia.ca/fish/sportfishing, or call the Department of Natural Resources, Inland Fisheries, at 902-484-5056.

Smallmouth bass and chain pickerel can both be caught from the same areas.

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 59

Tales from the Road

By Bob Izumi

I drive somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 kilometers a year but I also do a fair amount of flying so I’ll start this Tales off with jumping on a flight to Ottawa in late August.

I was scheduled to visit the Sail store up there to do a store appearance and a seminar for their fishing department staff. It was one of those quick trips where I flew up on Friday and flew back home on Saturday afternoon. It was nice to meet all the staff and the folks who showed up to say hi while I was there.

When I got home I had to pack up for a shoot at Crow Rock Lodge in Ontario’s Sunset Country. My brother Wayne’s friend, Jerry Collins, was going to Kenora to pick up his children and he offered to tow up our Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass boat, so we decided to fly up and meet him there. Wendel and Kurt Dafcik have been involved in the fishing lodge business their whole lives and they do a wonderful job running Crow Rock Lodge, a top-notch place in the heart of Lake of the Woods.

The folks from Cuda Brand joined us on this trip - John Ward, who heads up the Canadian division of Acme United and Rick Constantine from the U.S. division, who also brought along his dad, Ted. From what I understand, Rick and Ted had never done any fishing for pike, walleye or lake trout.

In three-days of fishing we caught all kinds of walleyes, smallmouth bass, pike Rick (left) and Ted Constantine with a nice Lake of the Woods lake trout.

60 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

and lake trout. It was nice to see Rick and his father having fun and catching fish.

They’re die-hard saltwater anglers and are legends when it comes to shark fishing so I thought it would be fun to have them on a trip where they got to fish in a way that was very different than what they are used to.

After the trip to Crow Rock Lodge it was a quick flight home to repack and hit the road to the Renegade Bass Classic at Dog and Cranberry Lake. I had a pretty good practice and, after three-days of pre-fishing, I was feeling pretty confident.

Darren and I caught between 20 and 30 fish on day one and our five heaviest weighed 14.84-pounds, which put us in the middle of the pack going into day two. Day two was windy because a cold front had come through and the fishing was a bit tougher. We only managed a small five-fish limit that weighed 12.43-pounds and we ended up in 23rd place overall, which was pretty disappointing.

Even though we caught a lot of fish, we did not get a single bona-fide four-pound fish in two days of tournament fishing, yet in practice I got one over four-pounds every day. No matter what you think you know about fishing, it doesn’t always happen the way you want it to. But that’s fishing for you, there are no guarantees, only more things to learn. .

On Monday I drove by myself from Portland, Ontario, to Bark Lake in Haliburton to fish with some of our sponsors and two groups of contest winners. The folks from SC Johnson were up there with the winners of their annual OFF! dealers fishing contest along with the people from Mystik Lubricants and the winners of their “Win a Day of Fishing” contest.

The fishing on Bark Lake is always consistent but on this particular trip it was a lit-

tle tougher than in other years. We still managed to scrape up decent numbers of fish, and everyone had lots of fun, but it was definitely not as easy as it normally is up there.

I headed back home and started to get the boat ready for the CSFL Lake Simcoe Showdown when I got a text saying that the tournament had been cancelled. Suddenly I found myself with a weekend off. It was kind of weird being home for a whole weekend with nothing scheduled but it was nice to just kick back and spend some time with the family.

Then it was off to the annual B1 tournament in Valleyfield, Quebec. We stayed in Cornwall and primarily fished the west end of Lake St. Francis during our practice period. Once again, practice was pretty good.

We saw a lot of big smallmouth, we caught some pretty big largemouth, and things were looking good going into the tournament.

I have to say that in past years, when I’ve decided to go for largemouth in a tournament on Lake St. Francis, I know I’m only fishing to save face. In the last five or sixyears, tournaments there have always been dominated by big smallmouth.

On day one we started by getting some smallmouth but only one was decent, so I said to Darren that it was time to save face and go for some largemouth. Every time I do that he always looks at me like I’m crazy

Bob Izumi and Joe Ford with a Rice Lake muskie that hit a tube jig.

and, quite frankly, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s right when it comes to largemouth bass on Lake St. Francis. We ended up weighing 14.02-pounds on day one with a mixed bag.

So on day two I said to Darren, “Okay, no largemouth bass. We’ve got to go for smallmouth and we’re going to fish deep all day.”

We fished our plan and caught probably 20 smallmouth bass, but we couldn’t get a four-pound or better fish. We ended up with 16-pounds even, finished with just over 30pounds in total and ended up in 46th place.

It took 37-pounds to get a cheque at this tournament. If you fish as many tournaments as I do you know that sometimes it’s a fine line between cashing a cheque and not. At other times it’s a fairly thick line and this was definitely a thicker line because seven-pounds is quite a bit of weight. But, there’s always next year.

I got home and was able to sleep in my own bed for one night before hitting the road to do a shoot at Goldie and Regan Thompson’s Mashkinonge Lodge on the West Arm of Lake Nipissing. Regan is a keen fisherman who also does some guiding at the

Wayne Izumi and George Hatcher with a couple of Lake Nipissing smallmouth bass.

lodge so I was looking forward to getting into their corner of Lake Nipissing. I haven’t fished a lot in the West Arm and I was excited to try some of their waters. My brother Wayne also came up and he brought Chip Jaggard, the marketing manager from Pure Fishing, and Chip’s father-in-law, George.

George is an Atlantic salmon fly fishing guide and a pretty good all-around angler.

On day one Wayne, Chip and George caught more and bigger fish than we did.

On day two we all ended up catching some decent smallmouth bass and a number of pike. On the last morning Wayne and his crew had to hit the road early but Darren and I decided to go out and give it one more shot to finish our video. We had a great day and ended up catching some nice smallmouth bass and getting our video finished.

Then it was time to repack the boat and truck and head to Elmhirst Lodge on Rice Lake in the Kawarthas. Elmhirst Lodge is a first class, family owned business that has been operating on the northeast shore of Rice Lake for many years. Fishing guide and tournament angler, Joe Ford, who has guided on Rice for many years, told me that Elmhirst Lodge would be a good place to do a show out of so we met him up there to shoot a show. We ended up catching a number of smallmouth and largemouth bass, a walleye and, to top off the trip, Joe caught a beautiful muskie on a tube jig. He threw his tube up on the sand, on the inside of a weedline, got a bite and set the hook on a fish that didn’t move. Then it went absolutely crazy. After a wild fight on a light spinning outfit, Joe finally landed a decent muskie to close off our show. Overall it was one of those easy shoots. It was close, the accommodations were stellar, we had superb meals, the hospitality was first rate and the fish cooperated.

The following Saturday, Darren and I fished the Canadian Tire Lake Erie Open out of Chippewa Creek on the Niagara River, just above Niagara Falls. I guess you’d say that this has been the year of gambling when it comes to my tournament fishing and in the morning I said to Darren that we were going to go for it and try to win. We ended up doing a fairly long run down Lake Erie, so long that we had to stop and fuel up just to make it back to weigh-in.

Can you imagine a strong west wind, waves that are four or five-feet tall, and you’re running right into them for three straight hours? Well that’s what we did. It took us three-hours to get to our first stop.

At one point we had to stop and change our clothes because we were soaked. So much water had gone down the necks of our rainsuits that we were completely drenched and had to change into a whole new set of clothes, right down to our underwear.

When we finally got to our spot I looked at my graph and saw nothing on it. The fish were gone. At that point, with only maybe two-hours left to fish, I wondered what to do. Do I idle around and try to locate those fish or do I try to save face by hitting a few spots here and there on the way back to try and put a limit together?

We decided to turn around and head back. On the way we picked up a fish here and a fish there but our first two would have only weighed about a pound and three quarters for the two of them. Darren caught our third fish, a decent one that was over fourpounds. It was so rough that I had to hold the boat with the big motor in six-foot waves while Darren fished. He managed to get three in short order, including another one over four-pounds, and saved our bacon.

Once again we ended up close, but no cigar.

We had 16-pounds and change and it took just over 17-pounds to get into the prizes.

I’ve made that same long run in four different tournaments now and it hasn’t paid off yet, although I scraped up enough fish in one tournament earlier this summer to cash a cheque. I have to say that the competitive gambler in me still likes to roll the dice, but I really have to re-think my tournament strategy because rolling the dice isn’t always the answer. In this last tournament I probably could have stayed closer and weighed in a bigger limit, but that’s a different discussion.

Then it was home for Thanksgiving. It was a nice two days and I got to see all of the family before it was time to hit the road for Pigeon Lake. I haven’t fished muskies on Pigeon much in the last 15-years, but in the early part of my career I used to go up there quite a bit to fish for them. Guide Taro Murata, who guides in all kinds of different Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 61

Taro Murata’s big smallmouth that tried to eat a Medusa muskie bait.

lakes throughout the year, joined me.

We had one day scheduled for the shoot so we got up there the night before. We got out on the water in the morning but it was really foggy and we couldn’t go very far, so we idled out of Bobcaygeon and started fishing on a weedline. Within minutes Taro caught a giant smallmouth, about fivepounds, on a great big Medusa muskie bait.

I’m still shocked that fish could even get hooked on a lure that size.

We only landed two muskies that day, one that was 40-plus inches and another smaller one. But, we had over 20 follows.

When we got back to the ramp I was feeling a little down so I said to Taro, “Why

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62 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

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don’t we stay up here and give it another shot tomorrow.”

Taro was keen so we stayed overnight and, when we hit the water the next morning, it was game on. We landed seven fish in short order and Taro caught six of those. He really put on a clinic. He caught four in about 45-minutes on one stretch of weedline and three of them were in the 40-inch range.

It was great to get a lot of fish and a lot of good video up there. What can I say, Taro is definitely a fishing machine.

Then it was a quick trip to Redtail Golf Course down in the St. Thomas area to join up with some of the folks from Columbia Sportswear. It was fun to get out since I’d only been able to go golfing maybe five or six times this whole year. After golfing, I had a week at home to get some work done at the office and to get the boats and tackle sorted out.

On Saturday my family joined up with a bunch of our relatives for a birthday party for my uncle Michi, who would be turning 100-years old three days later. Michi talked, laughed, ate sushi and stayed right to the end of the party. Sadly, 100-years to the morning of his real birthday, he passed away. He got up, got dressed for breakfast, then told the caregiver at the nursing home

happy I was able to be there for it.

Then I made a quick trip to Kingston to speak at the Eastern Ontario Water Works Association’s 69th annual conference. A good many of the people at this conference were outdoorsy types and I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to them about some of the adventures that I’ve been on. It was a lot of fun and an honour to be asked to speak to this group.

Then it was back home to pack for the FLW/Costa Championship on Table Rock Lake in Missouri. This was the grand finale of the Costa series and 200 boaters from Canada, the United States and other areas of the world were there to compete in this prestigious tournament. It was also the first time I’ve ever been to Table Rock.

The lake has got largemouth bass, spotted bass and smallmouth bass in it. During the four official practice days I covered a lot of water and caught at least one keeper every day, but wouldn’t say that I had a great practice. Prior to the tournament everybody was talking about how there would be low weights because Table Rock typically fishes

that he wasn’t feeling that good and was going to rest a little bit before breakfast.

When they came back to check on him an hour later he had peacefully passed in his sleep. As sad as it was that Michi passed away, it was great that he got to visit with all of the people who had come to see him and pay their respects. That birthday party was an incredible celebration of life and I’m

pretty tough in the early fall, so I was just hoping to get five keeper bites a day.

On the first day I ran about 60-miles to my first spot. My co-angler from California, Joe Cunningham, ended up catching a nice largemouth over three-pounds off the tip of a dock and then he caught a decent spotted bass off a wooded shoreline. He finished day one with just under five-pounds for his two fish.

Unfortunately for me, I was five bites away from having a great day – I did not catch a single keeper fish. I had a number that were within a quarter of an inch of measuring but I did not have one bona fide 15-inch fish. I have to admit that it’s a very humbling experience when you don’t have a single fish to weigh in in a tournament. The one good thing about the day is that I got to see my friends Forrest and Nina Woods at the tournament. They developed the Ranger boat brand many decades ago and it was great seeing them.

When day two rolled around the lake was covered in thick fog and there was a threehour fog delay. By the time I got to my spot we only had about three-hours of fishing time at best and, once again, I couldn’t catch a keeper bass. The closest I came was a spotted bass that was about one-millimeter short. So my co-angler and I got back to the weigh-in with goose eggs. It’s the first time in my entire bass tournament career that I have zeroed two days in a row in a tournament and it was

one of those events that I definitely want to put in the past. One thing about tournament fishing is that if you fish enough of Larry McNamee and Bob enjoyed a great them you are guaranteed day of smallmouth fishing on Lake Erie. to have some bad ones.

When I got home it was time for our of fishing by myself. I caught a bunch of annual five-day shotgun deer hunt on my smallmouth bass on a Johnson Splinter property. To continue the theme of my Table Spoon, as well as a 3½-pound walleye, Rock performance, in five-days we did not (which was very tasty) and I felt like the fishsee a single deer. It was the first time in 22- ing was good enough that we should be able years of hunting where I live that we did not to get a pretty decent show shot. When harvest a deer. I didn’t even see a squirrel this Larry arrived the next day we headed down year. It’s almost like I had some kind of to Lake Erie and started dragging 3 ½-inch repellent on me. In fishing, we want to be green pumpkin Power Tubes. We ended up consistent and I would say that my fishing at catching a lot of fish including two smallTable Rock and my five-day shotgun hunt mouth in the five-pound, 10-ounce range; were definitely consistent - consistently bad! another one just over five-pounds and a Larry McNamee from BoaterExam.com bunch of smaller ones. It was easy fishing was scheduled to fish Lake Erie with us so I and it was nice to have a bit of redemption. thought I’d better go out the day before he On that note, I think it’s time to hook the flew in, to make sure I could find some fish. boat up and get just a little more redemption So I drove down and spent a couple of hours before Old Man Winter rolls in! ?

Winter 2017 – Real Fishing 63

What’s COOKING

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH CINNAMON ORANGE YOGURT Braising the lamb shanks is a great way to produce tender, comforting pieces of meat. Slow cooked, they take on the full flavour of the braising liquids, resulting in a deep and rich tasting home cooked meal for the whole family to enjoy.

Thanks to Chef Chris Juneau, Executive Chef, Central Bierhaus (www.centralbierhaus.ca), Kanata, Ontario, for providing this recipe.

64 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

4 3/4 cup 1 cup ½ cup ½ cup 3 cloves

lamb shanks flour onion - chopped carrot - chopped celery - chopped garlic - chopped

Preheat a Dutch oven to medium high heat and add canola oil.

1 can or bottle 2 sprigs 2 sprigs 3 cups 3 cups ¼ cup

your favourite dark beer thyme rosemary chicken stock beef stock canola oil

salt and pepper

to taste

Dredge lamb shanks in flour and sear until golden brown.

Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Continue to color vegetables until nice and dark.

Deglaze with your favourite dark beer then add beef and chicken stocks and the fresh herbs. Bring to a simmer and cover.

Place in preheated 300°F oven and cook for 3-4 hours. When meat is cooked and tender, remove from braise and strain out vegetables.

Place shanks back in the Dutch oven and cover with braise sauce.

CINNAMON ORANGE YOGURT 1 cup extra thick yogurt 1 tsp ground cinnamon Zest and juice from 1 orange Mix all ingredients together and serve on top of finished lamb shanks.

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PASSING THE TORCH

Artist: Nick Laferriere Size: 19.5″ x 27″ Medium: Acrylic on fir board Contact: www.nicklaferriere.com www.facebook.com/artofnicklaferriere

66 Real Fishing – Winter 2017

This artwork, by Canadian artist Nick Laferriere, has been selected as the new Salmon Conservation Stamp by the Pacific Salmon Foundation. The piece is a visual tale of sockeye salmon and rainbow trout, depicting the delicate balance of the circle of life. It illustrates the almost impossible odds that salmon face on their journey to return to their natal streams. This painting is meant to bring attention to the importance of protecting spawning habits and ensuring a bright future for B.C.’s iconic fish.

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