Fall 2014 by Real Fishing

Canada Post Mail Product Agreement No. 40015689

VOLUME 20 • ISSUE 4 Just $3.95

FALL 2014

DISPLAY UNTIL JANUARY 15, 2015

SPOTLIGHT ON STRIPERS

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TM/® are trademarks/registered trademarks of Ranger Boats, LLC or suppliers. © Copyright MMXIII Fishing Holdings, LLC d/b/a Ranger® Boats R-3111

Contents Features 30 DRILL & GO Mobility on the ice is one of the keys to enjoying successful winter fishing. Here’s how you can put the odds in your favour by making all the right moves during the upcoming ice fishing season. By David A. Brown

38 OPEN WATER YEAR-ROUND Perhaps one of the last “undiscovered” fishing opportunities, plying open water areas in the winter can result in exceptional catches when the conditions are right. By Wes David

44 THE SENTIMENTAL SPOON AND AUTUMN STEELHEAD When fall steelhead become conditioned to float presentations it could be time to tie on a spoon. By Mark Forabosco

53 THE WONDERS OF OUACHITA A 12-month fishing season, world class stripers, walleye to 10-pounds, largemouth that average three-pounds and all the crappies and bluegills you can handle. What’s not to like? By Craig Ritchie

Fall 2014 Volume 20, Issue 4 Editor Jerry Hughes Art Production Rossi Piedimonte Design Publisher Fred Delsey National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679 President Wayne Izumi Contributors David A. Brown, Patrick Daradick, Wes David, Mark Forabosco, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Steve May, Craig Ritchie, Dave Taylor, Tim Tibbitts, 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

Columns

6 OPENING LINES

24 REAL FISHING FISH FACTS

By Jerry Hughes

Carp

10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC

26 BEST FISHING TIMES

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

28 THE HOT BITE 14 WHAT’S NEW The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories

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

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

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

64 WHAT’S COOKING

66 ART OF ANGLING

22 WHAT A WINTER WALLEYE! Photo by Izumi Outdoors

16 FISHING

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

On the cover:

Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar

opening lines By Jerry Hughes

Transitions The onset of fall marks a major transitional period for anglers across the country. As the trees exchange their green canopies for shades of yellow and red, fish are also changing. Not in colour so much, (although salmon and some trout do as they ascend rivers on their spawning runs) but in their habits and locations. Anglers too, undergo a change in the fall. Some see it as a time to stow away their rods, reels and boats until the next spring while others simply switch their open water gear for hard-water tackle. The hard-core may change which species and areas they target; moving from back-bay bass fishing to stalking steelhead in rivers, for example. This issue of Real Fishing looks at the many transitions that occur between the onset of fall and the inevitable arrival of winter, and how anglers can maximize their opportunities throughout this time. David A. Brown starts things off with a look at early season ice fishing and how mobility can be the key to staying on fish as they move from their summer haunts to their wintering areas. Today’s GPS systems, sonars and underwater cameras give anglers an edge in confirming the presence of fish, but knowing when to move – and where to move to – is the real secret to putting fish on the ice. Wes David is one of those anglers who refuses to give in to winter and he goes to great lengths to keep fishing in open water, wherever he can find it. In his article, Open Water Year-round, Wes shares some of his late season fishing experiences and offers some options for like-minded anglers who prefer casting and trolling to fishing vertically through a hole in the ice. 6 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

Steelhead are, arguably, one of the premiere late fall/early winter species and volumes have been written about how, where and when to intercept them as the fall progresses. Mark Forabosco knows all the new tricks but in recent times he has begun revisiting some of the tried and true, oldschool tactics that were once mainstays in the harbours and rivers that host runs of these powerful fish. In this issue, Mark takes a fresh look at spoon fishing and how this tactic can be an angler’s “ace up the sleeve” when the more popular techniques aren’t producing as well as expected. No matter how you approach fall fishing, eventually slush forms on lakes, river levels drop and fishing, at least temporarily, grinds to a crawl. The weeks between the open water season and the formation of safe ice can be an angler’s nightmare and many folks simply put fishing on hiatus until conditions stabilize. Others, Like Craig Ritchie, see this time as an opportunity to explore new places and enjoy the extended open water seasons available south of the border. In The Wonders of Ouachita, Craig travels to Arkansas for some incredible topwater striper fishing on Lake Ouachita, where 10-pound fish are just average; 20 to 30-pounders are fairly common and larger fish are a distinct possibility. Walleyes to 10-pounds, loads of 3pound largemouth and giant crappies and

bluegills offer an enjoyable change of pace on this incredible fishery. As Canadian anglers, we live with the inescapable truth that summer will end and winter will take its place and, if we want to keep fishing, we have to adapt our methods to fit the transitional nature of this change in seasons. The alternative is to admit defeat and hang up our tackle until the conditions stabilize, and that’s something no real angler would seriously consider. ?

Bait Tackle Tims

ÂŠ Tim Hortons, 2012

David Dishky (L), and Shane Jantzi (R) from Home Hardware in Caledonia, with pro angler John Whyte

Andrew Jonkman and Andrew Schreiber from Canadian Tire in Georgetown, with guide, John McGuigan

SC J O H N S O N D E A L E R S E N From September 3rd to 5th this year SC Johnson, along with Bob and Wayne Izumi, hosted SC Johnson’s corporate reward pro-am fishing trip to Bark Lake in Haliburton, Ontario. Canadian Tire and Home Hardware dealers from across the country participated in a contest promoting SC Johnson’s Raid and OFF! products, with the winners receiving an all-expense paid trip to fish with Bob, Wayne and a number of professional anglers. As you can see, the fishing was outstanding and everyone caught good numbers of smallmouth bass and walleye. We’d like to thank SC Johnson for their hard work in arranging the contest and to all the store owners who participated. It was a great trip and we are already looking forward to doing it again next year. Weighmaster, Bob Izumi

Michel and Judy Thibaudeau from Canadian Tire's Granby, QC location, flank their guide, Will Kooy

8 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

John Cunningham and Jason Lambert from Canadian Tire in Halifax, with Wayne Izumi

Andrew Van Wyk (L) and Tom Maillet (R) from Canadian Tire’s Orleans store, with their guide, Steve Chantler

Gerald Gaschnitz (L) and Kenneth Skjoth (R) from Canadian Tire in Spruce Grove, Alberta, with their guide, Ward Edmonds

JOY A REAL FISHING TRIP

Jamie (L) and Gerry Vanderburg (R) from Home Hardware in Wasaga Beach, with Bob Izumi

Jason Mullins (L), and Eric Kuchta (R) from Home Hardware in Petrolia, with pro angler Rob Lee

SC Johnson’s Nick Rombeau and Greg Vrantis

Tracy (L) and Jason Miller (R) from Home Hardware in Sauble Beach, with their guide, Brian Hughes

Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 9

The Ontario Conservation Officers Association (OCOA) is pleased to announce that Steve Emms has been selected as the 2014 Conservation Officer of the Year. Steve currently works as a Provincial Training Specialist out of Thunder Bay, Ontario. “Steve has been a Conservation Officer for 29-years and has had many great accomplishments. Steve is the first Provincial Training Specialist to receive this prestigious award,” said OCOA President Joe McCambridge. Mr. Emms has worked around the Province and some of his career highlights include being a founding member of the Ministry of Natural Resources Provincial Training Unit in 1997, and helping to bring innovative new training techniques and tools to the field that have improved training. Steve is active within the Ontario Conservation Officer Association and is currently the Northwest Regional Representative.

Photo: Don Weltz

ONTARIO NAMES CONSERVATION OFFICER OF THE YEAR

OCOA President Joe McCambridge (left) and 2014 Officer of the Year, Steve Emms.

While accepting the award Steve indicated that he “never really considered being a Conservation Officer a career, it is more a lifestyle”. He stressed that, without the support of his family throughout his career, it would not have been possible. Steve was also presented with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Officer of the Year award by Lois

Deacon, Director, MNRF Enforcement Branch, and by Assistant Deputy Minister, Provincial Services Division, Al Tithecott. In addition, Steve also received the ShikarSafari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year Award and the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Officer of the Year Award.

EVENTS Calendar FALL CHALLENGE October 4 Lake Couchiching Orillia, ON www.csfl.ca

BERKLEY B1 October 4 – 5 Lake St. Francis Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC www.berkleyb1.com

THE ULTIMATE BASS CHALLENGE October 5 Lake Couchiching Orillia, ON www.csfl.ca

BASS PRO SHOPS LAKE SIMCOE OPEN October 18 Lake Simcoe Couchiching Beach Park Orillia, ON www.simcoeopen.com

10 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

KIDS AND COPS FISHING DAYS Youth oriented fishing events Various dates and locations www.kidsandcops.ca TORONTO INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW January 10 - 18, 2015 Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto, ON www.torontoboatshow.com

ICAST ANNOUNCES 2014 “BEST OF SHOW” AWARDS

Overall Best of Show

Predator XL Kayak

Johnson Outdoors Watercraft

Best of Show Category Winners C AT E G O R Y

PRODUCT

C O M PA N Y

Freshwater Rod

Micro Magic Pro

Duckett Fishing

Saltwater Rod

Terez Stand Up

Shimano American Corporation

Fly Fishing Rod

PRO4x Short Stix

G. Loomis, Inc.

Freshwater Reel

Abu-Revo Beast

Pure Fishing, Inc.

Saltwater Reel

PENN Battle II Spinning

Pure Fishing, Inc.

Fly Fishing Reel

TF-70 Sealed Fly Reel

3TAND, LLC

Hard Lure

BBZ-1 Rat

SPRO Corporation

Soft Lure

Savage Gear 3D PVC Crab

Okuma Fishing Tackle Corp.

Lifestyle Apparel

4TEK Fish Finder Boardshort

Pelagic, Inc.

Technical Apparel

Fusion Bib

STORMR

Boating Accessory

Minn Kota Ulterra Trolling Motor

Johnson Outdoors

Boats

Predator XL

Johnson Outdoors Watercraft

Combo

American Hero Baitcast Combo

Lew’s Fishing Tackle

Electronics

Humminbird ONIX 8SI

Johnson Outdoors

Eyewear

Hamlin - 580P Mirror Lenses

Costa

Fishing Accessory

Lit Coolers

Lit-Industries, LLC

FishSmart Tackle

Cuda Grip & Scale

Cuda Fishing Tools

Fly Fishing Accessory

M2300 Fly Caddy

Plastica Panaro SRL

Footwear

Megavent PFG

Columbia Sportswear

Giftware

Authentic Skeletal Articulation

Helter Skeletons, Ltd.

Kids’ Tackle

ZEBCO Splash Combos

ZEBCO Brands

Line

Berkley IronSilk

Pure Fishing, Inc

Tackle Management

UC30-RH

ENGEL U.S.A.

Terminal Tackle

TroKar TK619

Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle

Fall 2014 – 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 Jerry Collins (L) and Edward Faruzel Waterloo, ON Walleye

Trevor Armbruster Saskatoon, SK Pike

Ron (L) and Ryan May Waterloo, ON Largemouth Bass

Victoria Frauzel Halifax, NS Smallmouth Bass

Ryan Parkinson Burlington, ON Chinook Salmon

Charles Weiss Toronto, ON Muskellunge

12 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

Catch BOB on the Tube! BOB IZUMI’S REAL FISHING SHOW SCHEDULE Costa Rican Roosterfish Great Lakes Smallies Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing for Lake Trout Ontario Spring Steelhead Slammin’ Swimbait Walleye Grand Bahamas Bonefish Pitching PowerBait for Bass Lake of the Woods Luxury Fishing at Grace Anne Lodge Georgian Bay Bassin' Sunset Country Crappies Inshore/Offshore Fishing at Zancudo Lodge Kenora Walleye Niagara River Fall Steelhead

October 4 October 11 October 18 October 25 November 1 November 8 November 15 November 22 November 29 December 6 December 13 December 20 December 27

STATION LISTING & AIRING TIMES* MARKET

PROV./STATE

STATION

DATE & AIR TIMES

Atlantic Canada

Global (CIHF)

Saturday 8:00 am

Calgary

Global (CICT)

Saturday 10:30 am

Edmonton

Global (CITV)

Saturday 10:30 pm

Ontario

Global (CIII)

Saturday 8:30 am

Quebec

Global (CKMI)

Saturday 8:30 am

Regina

Global (CFRE)

Saturday 7:30 am

Saskatoon

Global (CFSK)

Saturday 7:30 am

Vancouver

Global (CHAN)

Saturday 10:30 am

Winnipeg

Global (CKND)

Saturday 7:30 am

Canada/USA

WFN

Check www.wfn.tv for dates and times

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

What’s

NEW

2014

THE CUTTING EDGE Premium Polar Fire augers are now available in 8” and 10” models, both powered by a powerful, yet lightweight 37.7 cc, 4-stroke engine. The all new, high performance power heads fire quickly and run smoothly and quietly, even in the most extreme cold. The cutting edge features a solid base centering ring and point system surrounding deluxe, razor sharp heat-annealed blades. Each Polar Fire 4-stroke also features a durable, cast aluminum gear housing and all steel flighting; an ergonomic, comfort grip foam handle, a see-through gas tank, a protective muffler guard and a blade protector.

www.polarfiregear.com

CUSTOM BIG GAME BAITS The Johnston Lure Company offers a variety of individually handmade, customizable, plastic or wooden lures constructed from the highest quality materials, components and finishes. Designed for big game fish such as muskies and pike, these baits feature shatter-proof Lexan bills; epoxied in, heavy duty stainless steel screw eyes; 250-pound heavy duty stainless steel split rings; super sharp 3/0, 4/0, 5/0 and 6/0, 4X strong hooks; high quality airbrush paints, primers and sealers and multiple coats of epoxy topcoat. Johnston baits are available in straight or jointed models, come in sizes from 5” to 8” and will dive between 4’ and 8’ while casting or 12’ to 15’ while trolling.

www.johnstonlurecompany.com

CARRY ON FISHING A.R.E. has introduced the Rod Pod™, a uniquely-designed fishing rod carrier created to safely transport fishing rods on the roof rack of any vehicle or truck cap. The Rod Pod can be mounted on any type of roof rack and is built to withstand years of use in all types of weather. Constructed with durable PVC plastic and corrosion-resistant stainless steel hardware, the Rod Pod is 8’ 4” long; 6” in diameter and can comfortably accommodate a number of rods. A spring-loaded end cap can accept a padlock and the unit is protected by textured black LINE-X elastomeric coating for long-lasting good looks.

www.4are.com

14 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

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

A REEL BEAST Abu Garcia’s new Revo® Beast has been engineered for strength from the ground up. The Beast features titanium coated side plates, 7 stainless steel HPCR™ bearings and 1 roller bearing as well as an X-Cräftic™ alloy frame for increased durability and corrosion resistance. A Duragear™ brass main gear and the tried-and-true Carbon Matrix™ drag deliver impressive power and durability in a low profile design. With a maximum drag rating of 22-pounds, an internal centrifugal brake and an externally adjustable magnetic brake, the Revo Beast provides the power and precision to tackle the big ones.

www.abugarcia.com

LOOK SHARP Tight Lines Jewelry offers a full collection of stunning, fly fishing inspired pendants, necklaces, rings, cuff links and tie tacks for both men and women. Each design is carefully hand carved in wax before being cast in either Argentium--a non-tarnishing sterling silver formula – or yellow or white gold. Founder and designer, Renee Schatzley, creates each piece with a solid feel that won't weigh its wearer down while ensuring it can stand up to everyday life on or off the water.

www.tightlinesjewelry.com

TROLLING ALONG The new Mepps Trolling Rig combines the best attributes of a spinner and a floating worm rig into one of the most effective walleye baits there is. The front section features a genuine Mepps Aglia blade and a floating body to help keep the lure suspended while pulled behind a bottom bouncer or walking sinker. The rear has a dressed single hook and a stinger hook attached with a flexible, braided, stainless steel leader. The two sections are connected using a stainless steel split ring to allow the tail section to be changed quickly and easily. The Mepps Trolling Rig is available in 2 blade sizes, 6 blade and tail colour combinations and comes in bucktail or tinsel versions.

www.brecksinc.com

Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 15

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

Time For Change It’s that time of the year when we have a limited amount of time before winter sets in - and it’s one of my favourite times to fish. The lakes and rivers are a lot less busy, the kids are back at school, a lot of folks have already taken their vacation time and, as a result, the fish are a lot less pressured. It’s a perfect time to keep your fishing equipment ready and, if the opportunity knocks, it’s one of the best times to catch some of the biggest fish of the whole year. Whether it’s walleye, bass, muskie, salmon, trout or something else, there are all kinds of species that will bite readily during the fall period.

As the fish get into their deep water wintering haunts they become not only predictable, but plentiful as they group up. A lot of fish become condensed in two ways, both in numbers and in areas. It can be a real windfall. The chance of catching a personal best is a lot better at this time of year because the fish are actively feeding and putting on weight to help them get through the cold, lean months. Some species start producing eggs in the fall and this can contribute to them packing on weight late in the season. 16 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

If you don’t fish late into the year then fall is the time to consider getting your equipment ready to be stored for the winter. That means if you have a boat there are certain things you should do. Certainly check the lower unit oil and if it’s milky at all that means that water has gotten into it. You definitely don’t want oil that is saturated with water to freeze over the winter and crack your lower unit or blow out a seal. I change my lower unit oil at the end of the season and again in the middle of the next season. It’s simple and easy to do at home or a dealer can do it for you at a nominal charge. Another thing to consider is putting a product like PhaseGuard 4 into your gas tank. By adding this chemical to your gas you’re ensuring that you’ll reduce the amount of phase separation that occurs with today’s blended ethanol fuels. This is absolutely key to keeping your motor in good running order. Make sure that all the water is drained from your bilge, livewells and all of the plumbing hoses and pumps throughout your boat. It’s amazing how, when water freezes inside of a hose or compartment, it can easily damage, crack or burst hoses, pumps and even storage areas in the boat. Pull the drain plug and lift the front of your boat so that any water left inside will be able to drain out. I remember once, back about 30-plus years ago, I had parked the covered boat outside in November with the transom plug in it. Little did I know there was still 6-8 inches of water in the bilge area and, as a result, there was water throughout all the pumps. When winter set in the cold temperatures froze everything and burst all of the bilge and livewell pumps. All of the pumps were ruined. I’m going to blame it on being young and inexperienced back then. It only

takes once and you realize it’s not a cool thing to have happen. Finally, cover the boat with a good cover or tarpaulin, or have it shrink wrapped to keep snow, rain and critters, like mice, out. If you are finished fishing for the season it’s a good idea to strip the old line from your reels and give them a good cleaning and lubrication so they will be all set to go in the spring. You also want to pay attention to how your tackle is stored. One thing you really have to consider is that any moisture that gets into your tackle boxes can be really detrimental to your hooks. Whenever I buy electronics I save the silica packs that come with them and I put them into my hard bait and hook boxes to prevent any moisture that can lead to rust. A lot of the soft plastic baits we have now will last forever and I make sure that my PowerBaits and other soft plastics are put into big Ziploc bags, just in case there’s a hole in the original package. It keeps them from smelling and potentially leaking over the winter. It’s also a good way to keep them sorted and organized. Whether you fish right up until freeze-up, or pack your gear away at the first sign of frost, there’s a lot to keep you busy during the late season. The fish are there for the taking and the chance at a true trophy is definitely a possibility. If you don’t fish, at least you can be sure that your boat is ready as soon as the ice leaves the lakes in the spring. Have a great fall everyone! ?

Graphite and fiberglass construction. One-piece stainless steel guides. Tougher than the original.

@uglystik

/uglystikfishing

ug ly st ik . com

fly fishing By Stephen May

Chasing Great Lakes Silver... Break out the Caviar! Many steelhead fly fishers consider using egg flies somewhere close to knuckle dragging on the evolutionary scale. Swinging fancy flies is the only “proper” way of going about hooking up with these noble fish. But, when the chips are down and I need to get a couple of fish to warm up a cold fall afternoon, out comes the bobber and colourful bits of yarn that imitate fish eggs. It is tough to argue with the success of this approach to getting hooked up with rainbows in the Great Lakes or out west. I don’t get it. If these fish were cutthroats slurping in mayfly nymphs, or browns feasting on caddis emergers, you would be encouraged to match the hatch. But, when eggs are what fish are eating, this technique is viewed as uncouth by some. Don’t worry about it; fishing egg flies is perfectly normal. With the right set-up it is easy to present egg imitations with fly tackle. A strike indicator, some weight and a simple egg imitating fly is my most successful Great Lakes steelhead set-up. A longer rod, such as a switch rod, is the ultimate for assisting with line control but, on smaller waters, a nine-foot model works just fine. The added rod length helps you control your presentation and your roll cast to avoid bank-side obstructions while getting your fly back into the strike zone quickly. A longer rod and a floating fly line also help you steer your rig around boulders and next to fish holding cover. The resulting vertical presentation is combination of what spin anglers would call float fishing and bottom bouncing. When you are set up properly, the indicator should drift with regular hesitations that confirm bottom contact. The bouncing shot helps produce a good drift speed with the fly 18 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

right in the strike zone. It is important to adjust your weight, and the distance between your shot and strike indicator, to achieve this perfect drift. The fly should reach the fish first, followed by the shot, before the indicator and line go over the fish’s position. If there are steelhead in the river you will see the effectiveness of a well presented egg fly pretty quickly.

Egg patterns come in many variations. Glo bugs, blood dots, and nuke eggs made from egg yarn are standards. Brighter flies made from sparkle chenille and bright beads are also popular egg fly components. Generally, I go with smaller and more subtle eggs in clearer water or when fish have been in the river for a while. Fresh fish and higher water mean upping the size and brightness of your offerings. The best water to present eggs in is where the fish are concentrated and seeing eggs drift by. Runs and pools located below faster water areas are always good bets. If there is nearby cover, in the form of wood or boulders, you are probably standing next to a hotspot. Egging for steelhead isn’t for everyone. You need to actually look forward to cold and rainy November days. Good waders and rain gear, combined with layers of fleece and some fingerless gloves, will help make your day comfortable. It will only take a couple of fish to have you coming back through rain and snow to mine for fall silver with your favourite egg pattern. ?

296 OTHER

MODELS IN STORE

BELOEIL - BROSSARD - BURLINGTON - ETOBICOKE - LAVAL - OSHAWA - OTTAWA - QUEBEC - VAUGHAN NEW STORE OPENING IN FALL 2014 - CAMBRIDGE

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

water’s edge By Dave Taylor

Red-Tailed Hawk On your drive to your favorite fishing spot it is not uncommon to pass a hawk sitting on a post, light standard or tree. What you may not realize is that that same hawk may not move off that pole during the entire time you are out trying to hook the big one. Most likely that patient bird was a Red-tailed hawk. Pole sitting is but one technique this predator uses to hunt its prey. The green margins along our highways and byways provide perfect habitat for mice and meadow voles. The bird’s sharp eyes (about 12 times more powerful than ours) spot movement in the grass and then the hawk drops, talons first, for the kill. The actual kill is done not by the talons, but rather with a skull piercing thrust of the bird’s beak. This is not their only method of hunting. The hawk’s broad wings allow it to soar on thermals and it can do this for hours at a time as it looks for a telltale movement below. The Red-tail is one of the largest hawks found in North America. Males weigh between 690 and 1600 grams (1.5 to 3.5 pounds) and have a wing span of 110 to

20 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

145 cm (43-57 inches). Females are about 25% heavier. Among mammals, males are usually larger than females but among birds this sexual dimorphism is often reversed. Red-tails are generalists in their choice of habitats. As farmlands replaced forests this species embraced the change, but they are just as comfortable hunting in open forests, plains, deserts, high altitudes or low, tropical rainforests and urban streets. Where I live, in Mississauga, some Redtails have become specialists in taking the abundant grey squirrels; even those in my own backyard! Once, while visiting the National Zoo in Washington D.C., a hawk took a squirrel right in front of a crowd of us. City dwelling Red-tails have achieved a bit of fame in both New York City and Toronto, yet they are very much at home in the wildest parts of the continent. During the breeding season Red-tails defend a home territory of roughly 390 hectares (1.5 square miles) or larger,

depending on how rich in prey the range is. Territories are defended by both sexes. Resident birds may occupy this same area year-‘round but migrants are only there during the breeding season, which lasts from February to June. These hawks prefer to nest fairly high off the ground, in the crotch of a tree. One to five eggs are laid, about two-days apart, and incubation by both sexes likely starts when the first egg is hatched. Chicks hatch in the order the eggs were laid, which helps ensure that at least a few of the young will survive to fledging. The first to hatch may fall victim to a cold spell but, if it survives, it will be larger in size that its siblings and this gives it an advantage when the parents bring food. In years when food is abundant all the chicks may survive but in poor years only one may live. By June most of the young are fully fledged and will soon be able to hunt. They will be three or four years-old before they seek a mate. Pairs return to the same territory year after year and they remain together until death. Courting, however, is a yearly thing and the birds renew their vows each spring. There are not many places in Canada where Red-tail hawks don’t live. If you spend any amount of time outdoors - in the city, the suburbs or in the country - don’t be surprised to hear the screeching call of this bird as it soars overhead. ?

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INTROD U CING TURBODO INTRODUCING TURBODOWN. WN. We We started with natural down, then pumped it with Omni-Heat insulation and lined it with Omni-Heat Reflective. People may call you a cheater, cheater, but those people ar e probably probably cold. Visit Visit columbia.com are

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

Warner Walter Tiede’s “Doodlers” Windsor, Ontario, was home to many early Ontario tackle makers. With the ability to market lures on either side of the famous Detroit River, many a man became obsessed with trying to find that one lure that would attract and catch those mighty Detroit River fish. One of the most colourful and artistic baits to hit the market in the 1950s was invented by Warner Walter Tiede. Warner was born in 1920 and, at the time of his patented 1955 Doodler bait, he was a successful dental technician in the Windsor area. Warner’s grandfather, Gustuv Tiede, (pronounced TeeDee) was a hard working German immigrant who came to Canada and purchased a controlling share in the Formosa Brewery in Formosa, Ontario. He became brew master in 1910. Warner’s childhood passion for fishing the Detroit River led to him and his brother, Leo, pursuing the “Miracle Lure” for fisherman. The newly-formed Tiede

Enterprises Ltd. eventually patented the “Miracle Lure” in 1955 (patent #516227) and their business flourished dramatically. The new lures were an automatic success and fisherman in the area began catching many fish with them. Word spread quickly along the Detroit River and across southern Ontario. With this success, the company needed more help so Warner’s family were employed to help prepare the cold plastic lures for the molds. To obtain the lures’ colourful designs, plastic beads were heated, then tumbled and polished. They were finished with sequined eyes, which were cased in the same type of heated plastic. These lures

were made in many fancy and irresistible colours, and in many sizes, from the small fly rod size bait called Spin-Eze, to the massive musky sized Tiede Doodler, known to fisherman as TDs. The Doodlers were packaged in hard, clear plastic cases and were available in split colours, scrambled colours and both split and scrambled. It is quite a feat to collect all of the colour variations. Most Tiede Doodlers can be found with a chrome baffle ahead of the plastic body, giving the lure a wobbling, shiny attractor to entice the fish to bite. Doodlers without the baffles were sold under the name, Troll-Eze. With the company’s success, Warner expanded to make metal lures that were just as attractive and effective. His line of metal lures was called Flutter-Flash and they were made in many sizes. The hardest of all Tiede baits to find is the large, beetle-style musky bait. To date this lure hasn’t surfaced in any collections. The lures of Warner Tiede were such a colourful invention in their time and many of today’s lure collectors find them just as colourful to collect. The values are highest for the musky sized Doodlers with their original boxes. You’ll not find another lure ever marketed such as the artistic, plastic, Canadian made Doodler. It’s a great piece of history from quite a colourful family. ? Thanks to Joe Van’t Hof for the research on this article.

22 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

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real fishing fish facts

Common Carp Cyprinus carpio

The carp is one of the most prized of all fish species in Europe but in Canada it has been held in disregard for decades. Recently, however, that bias has started to change as more and more anglers are discovering the thrill of catching these large, hard-fighting fish. Carp are easily recognized by their single, elongated dorsal fin, two pairs of barbells and their large, rubbery-looking lips. The carp is generally olive green to dark golden brown on the back, lighter down the flanks and ranging from yellowish to white on the belly. The common carp is covered in large, thick scales. A variation, called the leather carp, has no scales while another variation, the mirror carp, has scales scattered randomly along the flanks. The average size of a common carp ranges between 15 and 20-inches in length and they generally weigh between 4 and 6pounds, however, they regularly grow much larger. Carp exceeding 15-pounds are relatively common and fish surpassing 30-pounds are caught frequently. The first carp were introduced into Canada in the late 1800s and, through escapes and natural migrations, they have

24 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

become established throughout Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. They are not known to be present in the Atlantic Provinces or Alberta. Carp prefer warm, shallow waters with soft bottoms that are heavily vegetated. This fondness for turbid areas makes them an ideal species in waters that are unsuitable for more traditional gamefish. They thrive in small ponds as well as in shallow back bays of larger lakes, making them easily accessible to shore anglers. Although carp are not heavily pursued by sport anglers in Canada, they are a hard-fighting fish and certainly one of the biggest fish that can be caught regularly from shore. When hooked, a carp will make many long, powerful runs that will strain tackle to its limit and put most other sportfish to shame. Because of its excellent fighting abilities, wide distribution and

DID YOU KNOW? Carp were among the first species of fish to be farmed. In Asia, they once were kept in emperors’ ponds and were harvested only on festive occasions. When European explorers returned with carp, the fish were intentionally raised in food ponds and became one of the choicest items on the menus of royalty. Today, carp remain an important food fish in most parts of the world except in North America.

FAST FACTS Colour: Olive to golden-brown to yellowgold Size: Average 15” to 20” and 4 to 6-pounds. Commonly surpasses 25-pounds Life Span: 20 years in the wild, longer in captivity Habitat: Shallow, warm, turbid waters with heavy vegetation.

RECORD The current IGFA All Tackle World Record common carp weighs 75-pounds, 11ounces and was caught in Lac de St. Cassien, France, in May 1987.

preference for accessible waters, the carp has been slowly gaining acceptance as a true sport fish. ?

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OCTOBER

MONDAY

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4:18 - 6:18 4:42 - 6:42 10:45 - 12:15 11:09 - 12:39

am pm am pm

6 am 10:42 - 12:42 am pm 11:06 - 1:06 pm am 5:09 - 6:39 am pm 5:33 - 7:03 pm

3:30 - 5:30 am 3:54 - 5:54 pm 9:57 - 11:27 am 10:21 - 11:51 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

SATURDAY

3 6:54 7:18 1:21 1:45 -

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

FRIDAY

am pm am pm

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

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

THURSDAY

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

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

WEDNESDAY

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

Good Time

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

NOVEMBER

TUESDAY

Excellent Time

DECEMBER

Best Fishing Times 2014

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SUNDAY

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Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proof that frigid weather is no excuse for slow fishing. Despite the sub-zero temperatures outside, Wayne Izumi enjoyed some hot walleye action while ice fishing from the comfort of his heated SnoBear last season on Lake Winnipeg. Without having to worry about freezing lines (and fingers) Wayne was able to concentrate on his jigging technique and the result was this monstrous walleye.

28 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fall 2014

DRILL & GO By David A. Brown

30 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

My inaugural ice fishing adventure kept me on the go and, as I’d learn, that was an essential element of the productive trip I enjoyed. Admittedly, I wasn’t keen on parking over a hole and staring into the coldest water I’d ever met but, thankfully, the seasoned ice rangers running this show kept things hopping and delivered a thrill in the chill.

Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 31

So why’s an orange-pickin’, gator-chasin’ Florida boy writing about ice fishing? A valid query, no doubt, so here’s the valid response: Perspective. Often, looking from the inside-out of those things familiar, we breeze over key points – typically through intuitive assumption. We know it, we do it. No need to analyze or discuss. For me, this experience on these Grand Rapids, Minnesota, waters was an open book. I wanted to know why some guys are more productive than others when everyone is doing essentially the same thing – dropping baits through hard-water holes. Like any form of fishing, parking a first timer in one spot for hours on end, with little more than a pat on the back and instructions to wait for some possibly dramatic occurrence, is the recipe for a soured impression. Two-time national ice fishing champion, Tony Boshold, summed up the exact opposite approach: “Active fish bite. Go find them.” Boshold and local guides, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl and Jeff Sundin, demonstrated their tactics and later discussed strategy. Three different personalities, but each angler embodies that invaluable blend of patience and insistence. They know the fish will bite, but they’re not waiting all day for them to make up their minds.

GET AFTER IT I’ll admit it; my ice debut left me deeply addicted. The activity was engaging, but so was the cognitive connection to fishing styles with which I’m more familiar. Just like stalking spooky Tampa Bay redfish or coaxing smoker kingfish to strike trolled live baits, ice fishing demands two critical understandings: 1) There’s always a fish willing to bite somewhere and 2) you’ll usually have to go find him. That’s how my guys roll. We stayed after the fish and we stayed on the fish. We probably could’ve caught a whole lot more if not for our objective of securing photos of practically every element of the game. However, the mixed bag of crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and even a wayward sucker nobly represented the local mix. Throughout the day, and afterwards, my teachers were gracious enough to share a sampling of their insights into the world of hard-water angling.

Jeff Sundin: “Looking at the charts, I narrow my choices down to an area that combines a deep water sanctuary, a large, shallow-water feeding flat, a couple of shoreline points and maybe a couple of mid-lake humps or small bars. I try to isolate a section of the lake that provides everything that the fish need, but in a form simple enough to cover in a day. Too much structure and too many choices tend to bog down the search for fish.” “During winter, the presence of a marl bottom is a key feeding area. Typically, I try to find areas where a hard bottom structure meets the edges of a softer, marl bottom. The depths vary between lakes, so, to cover my bases, I start at the tips of shoreline related points. Then I move into the shallow water weeds, then out into open water areas that are near, but not necessarily on, mid-lake structure.”

SITE SELECTION Modern digital charts show the pictures, but experienced analysis enables that important decision-making process. Here are a few points of consideration:

Tony Boshold: “I consider time of season and pick out five spots on the map before I get to the lake. If a lake is 80-percent muck/mud, I want to know where to find the 20-percent with hard bottom. Why do 80-percent of fish get caught by 20-percent of the fishermen? Because the fish are only in 20-percent of the lake. That’s why it’s important to find the areas that provide them comfort. In shallow water, that’s cover; in deep water, it’s safety in numbers.” Brian Brosdahl: “When I move around, I use the contour lines of my mapping chips to straightedge and figure out where the fish are going to be, based on where they last bit. I’ll also look for areas with potential forge such as muddy areas that hold bloodworms, steep breaks that hold bait fish balls, or rock/gravel structure for crayfish. I also want to know if they are in the weeds, neck-down areas or on sharp contours.” 32 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

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SPACING CONSIDERATIONS

It’s the irrefutable fact of our sport – fish have tails. That means finding your quarry is only part of the challenge. You have to stay on them. Decisions must combine the elements of access, intuition and accommodation.

Random effort nets random results. That’s true throughout the angling world, but particularly so for ice fishing. Every auger effort won’t reach a gold mine, but there must be a method to the madness.

Sundin: “Almost every species I fish for will routinely make multiple moves during a day. Sometimes the moves are small, so that fine tuning is all that’s required. During winter, it is very common for all species of fish to make feeding runs during low light periods. Many times I have to first figure out where the fish are holding while they are resting and then make an educated guess about where they’ll move onto structure(s) during a feeding run.”

Sundin: “The rule of thumb states: ‘Don’t drill without a plan.’ Thanks to the accuracy of electronic charts, drilling holes has become much more strategic these days. Instead of drilling 100 holes at random spacing, I will now drill a hole or two at several key locations that I see on the chart. Maybe a hole on each point, another one at each inside corner and a few in open water, adjacent to these key areas. I’ll attempt to place holes at a variety of depths. Ultimately, it is fishing, not a hole drilling contest.”

GETTING AROUND When Minnesota fishing guide Jeff Sundin plans an active day of moving around the ice, he’ll use a snowmobile to pull a sled full of gear from spot to spot. Fellow guide Brian Brosdahl finds his clients appreciate the combination of

Brosdahl: “Walleyes move mornings and evenings, so you drill holes where they will be because you don’t want to make noise when they are swimming through. (Perch, crappies and bluegills will move when drilling holes.) Mid-afternoon I will drill a few extra holes but in the morning you drill a spread of holes so you can drop right on the school.” During winter, it is very common for fish to make feeding runs during low light periods.

Boshold: “Moves can be as small as a foot or less if I’m on a weed bed and want to get my lure next to it. In deeper water, like crossing basins and with schools that can number in the 100’s of fish, I make longer moves and drill holes farther apart. I walk and drill 20 to 30-steps between holes. With my snowmobile, I can throw a search bait rod on the dash and fish fast by driving, drilling, fishing - move, move, move - covering water.” Brosdahl: “I drill my holes about 10 to 20feet apart when searching, but you only drill what you have to because you don’t want to disturb the fish. I will start with about a dozen holes and drill as I need to. When I was younger, I drilled a lot of holes but I’ve realized that, with the new map chips, you don’t need an excessive number of holes. Drilling in specific locations is key. 34 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

quick moves and partially enclosed option of “car door” fishing from his specially outfitted Toyota FJ Cruiser. Greg “The Prowler” Wilczynski – former coach of the U.S. Ice Fishing Team which won the 2010 world title – earned his nickname from his preference for hiking around and locating fish on foot. For the ultimate in on-ice mobility, nothing beats a SnoBear. Designed and engineered to serve as the ice-fisherman's dream, the dual-tracked SnoBear has an on-board furnace, built-in latched fishing holes in the floor, automotive-style power steering and controls, disc brakes, deluxe seating, carpeting, optional folddown bunks and more.

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An underwater camera gives a good look at the habitat and whether fish are present.

get a look at the habitat and to scope out the available species. Unhooking the camera from its standard horizontal orientation and letting it hang vertically enables him to spy on the fish from 4 to 10-feet above, in downview mode. “I see them take the bait and I don’t set the hook until the hook is in their mouth,” Brosdahl said. “This gives you almost a 100-percent hookup ratio. There are times when you won’t catch a bluegill or crappie if you are not watching them in downview mode. The fish grab the lure wrong or backwards or they only have the lure halfway in their mouths. I have been out there watching people whiffing with hook sets and missing fish and I’m catching every one.”

FISHIN’ TOWNS Hosted by my pals at Traditions Media, my first ice-fishing adventure introduced me to Grand Rapids, Minnesota – a town that I immediately added to my “come back” list. From chats of local tournament tradition over a warming bowl of wild rice soup at Forest Lakes Restaurant, to the comfortably authentic feel of Ben’s Bait & Tackle Tackle Shop where I purchased my Minnesota fishing license, to the “where’s your beard and blubber” inquiry from the clerk at the White Oak Inn and Suites, this town radiates an infectious fishing culture. Coming up from well below the Mason Dixon Line you might think such a change of pace would be quite the culture shock, but nothing could

But there are times when I have to drill a grid of holes to corner crappies.” Brosdahl said his drilling pattern depends on the size of the area he’s attacking. “I like to drill in a zigzag pattern on a spot. I find you will bump into the school sooner or later. When I am cutting up an entire lake basin I will drill in straight line. I will drill a hole, pull forward 50-feet then drill another hole until I am across an area and then fish my way back through the holes.”

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS With holes drilled, taking a gander at what lies beneath facilitates opportunity assessment and presentation. Here’s a couple of strategy points: Angle of View: Using an underwater camera, Brosdahl will spin the unit around to 36 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

Side-Finding: Boshold employs another strategy he calls “sidefinding,” an innovative strategy that actually does not employ a side-finding sonar unit. “I’m using this technique in deeper water basin fishing so these are most likely suspended fish coming and going,” Boshold said. “As they appear and you catch some, they will move on. As you notice them dissipate, gently swing the transducer side to side and back and forth. If you see the signal blinks in one direction or the other you can then head them off and drop in front of them and literally follow the school. You can also send other anglers to the active hole(s).” Putting things in perspective, Boshold said: “Fish finders are mood indicators. Fast moving, hard striking fish are on. Slow moving nippers are tentative. There’s usually some of both in the same schools. Some of those tentative ones may have been caught and released. Negative fish are not feeding, moving, or active at all. Making adjustments and dialing it in is why we call it fishing, not catching.” Indeed, but the more you move with a well-defined plan, the greater your chances of dropping your baits to receptive fish. ?

be farther from the truth. Simply put, a fishin’ town is a fishin’ town, no matter the zip code. My job takes me to such places throughout North America and the consistent elements of kindred angling spirits are unmistakable. One guy packing or unpacking a boat will quickly become a small crowd of helping hands and eagerly shared tales of the day’s expectations or happenings. In the mornings, folks will gather by the breakfast spot, sip their coffee and banter on about the day’s expected heat or chill – depending on the latitude. Somewhere in the process someone will break out a “new” bait that fosters a colorful debate fueled by optimism, skepticism and veiled envy. Before the deal’s over, that lure will be shared by several friends – some wellestablished, others newly made. That’s how it’s done in a fishin’ town. For information on Grand Rapids, MN, check out visitgrandrapids.com

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Open Water

Year38 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fall 2014

By Wes David

-round

The thought of putting my boat and fair-weather fishing gear away at the end of the year is always a depressing time for me. As Canadians, we have no choice but to face the dreaded winter months each year. Sure there are years when Old Man Winter arrives late but, for the most part, the end of October triggers the end of my fair weather fishing season and it’s time to start preparing for the ice fishing season. Or is it? In August, 2013, I was already thinking about prolonging my fair-weather, or at least my open water, fishing season. I was on the phone booking a fishing trip for midDecember to Kaslo, British Columbia. During the outing I would be pursuing rainbow trout on Kootenay Lake with Kootenay KingFisher Guiding Services. More specifically, I was targeting Gerard Rainbow trout, the largest strain of rain-

bow trout in the world. Old Man Winter does rear his ugly head in Kaslo, however, Kootenay Lake never freezes and that open

water is what we were going to be taking advantage of. It was only 10-days until Christmas and it seemed strange to be loading my fishing gear into the boat with over a foot of fresh snow on the ground. However, the frigid 12°C weather was quickly forgotten as the boat picked up speed, heading towards our first of many fishing spots on the massive lake. The diesel heater in the cabin allowed Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 39

us to forget about the weather and focus on the breathtaking scenery of the snow covered mountains that surrounded the glacier lake. It was amazing and rustic scenery and, even better, we had a chance to hook into one of the 20-pound plus Gerard trout that are known to be swimming within the cold glacier water. Kootenay Lake can be a difficult lake to fish consistently. It is 90-miles long and, in some locations, over 400-feet deep. Rainbow and Gerard trout can be found as shallow as four-feet beneath the surface or as deep as 150-feet. Bull trout (that Kootenay Lake is also famous for) tend to roam in deeper depths, between 75 and 200-feet. Brad Stubbs, the owner of Kootenay Kingfisher, likes to target both species. Brad has guided on Kootenay Lake for 18years and has learned the importance of targeting multiple species of fish at the same time so his clients have every opportunity to land more fish. He says it’s important that each rod is running a lure at a different depth so each lure is in the strike zone 95% of the time. During our outing we trolled two large flies, one only two-feet below the surface and the second 20-feet down. These two flies were targeting Gerrard and rainbow trout. Trout that are this shallow are commonly feeding on the surface and, even though we were trolling in open water, it wasn’t uncommon to see trout take our offerings through the jade clear water. Trout were often seen following the baits

that were running just below the surface. During our two-day fishing trip the big bull trout were holding well below the surface, at between 100 and 130-feet deep. So, on the deep running rods, we ran plug lures on downriggers set at 99-feet (which we called the Gretzky rod) and 130-feet. The 40 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

larger plugs triggered more bites from the bull trout than the oversized imitation flies. These lures gave off more vibration, which allowed the bull trout to locate the lure within the deep water where light was nonexistent. It was a unique setting. Snow covered the mountains and the early morning landscape was often seen through a misty fog. However, we had no trouble seeing both rods take turns bowing under the pressure of two different trout species. What a way to start the Christmas season; fishing in open water while everyone at home was waiting for ice fishing to begin.

A big Kootenay Lake bull trout that fell for a deeply trolled plug.

fishing, I’m not going to go into what flies and lures work the best and what you should or shouldn’t be using. The truth is, the best working lures, baits, colours, and fishing patterns will vary throughout the Canadian provinces and you will have to spend time fishing to find the hot baits and flies for your area. However, there’s one mistake that we all seem to make during these cold weather fishing conditions. During the summer months, when we’re throwing a variety of baits and flies into our river systems, we are very mindful of our body position, movements, and we even pay close attention to where our shadow is cast on the water. But during cold weather conditions we seem to forget about these little things. We often blame a bad day of fishing on the poor weather conditions when, truthfully, it may simply that we are not paying attention to the details. When anglers are fly fishing, fishing from shore, fishing in shallow water or fishing small water bodies during the fair weather fishing season, almost all of them are very

Many years ago I vowed never to be so quick to put my fair-weather fishing gear away and now it stays at the ready, year‘round. If an angler is willing to put in a little time and research, they will come to realize there is a ton of open water fishing throughout the winter months in every Canadian province, including in your own backyard.

Rivers Canada is blessed with over 10% of the world’s freshwater supply and much of that is in the form of rivers and streams. Rivers and streams mean flowing water and, in many cases, open water year-‘round. There’s rarely a winter that I don’t get out once or twice a month for some late season fly fishing on a variety of river systems. Flowing water isn’t just for the fly fisherman, spinning gear will also catch fish. Many times I take both types of rods with me and land a number of fish on both of them. If the fly bite slows, or isn’t producing fish, the spinning gear will often produce. Having it with you and ready is the key. If you’re reading this magazine then you obviously love the sport of fishing. And, if you’re a hard-core angler, you’re willing to fish in some less than ideal weather conditions. If you have this extreme passion for

mindful of their surroundings. For example, when I’m fly fishing in a wooded area I will wear my camo clothing to help me blend into the background. Make no mistake about it, fish are very aware of their surroundings, both in the water and along the shoreline. You may not see the fish, but they can see you. Like many anglers, I enjoy fishing during a light rain or just after. The same holds true during the winter months. I enjoy fishing

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while it’s snowing or right after a fresh snow fall. Therefore, I wear my snow camo to blend into my snow covered surroundings, making it harder for the fish to make out my human outline. It’s also important to be very mindful of your shadow. For some reason, many anglers forget this during the winter months. Casting a shadow over the fish, or the area you’re fishing, is one of the biggest reasons an angler limits his or her hookups. You may get away with casting a shadow over an aggressive species, such as a pike, but shallow water trout are very shadow shy and will move out of the area you’re fishing. Put careful thought into your wardrobe before you leave for a day of open water winter fishing and be mindful of your shadow as you fish throughout the day.

Mild Winters Sometimes we’re blessed with a mild winter where avid anglers can get an extra week, or even a month, of open water fishing. Many times that includes fishing from a boat. This is one of my favourite times of the year to fish. If you’re a hunter, you may even want to take a few days from your hunting trips to go fishing. Many fish will bite a variety of baits and lures at this time and it’s not uncommon to have fish stacked up and competing for your well-presented bait. Mother Nature triggers the feeding instinct within the fish as early as September and fish will feed aggressively to bulk up before winter sets in. Feeding is the

only thing on their minds during the late season. September throughout December, and sometimes even into January, has produced some of my biggest fish and some of my most productive “numbers” days. This is a great time for anglers to experiment or to fish those baits and lures in you tacklebox that rarely get used. Fish won’t be hard to find, just locate the bait or food source and you will find aggressive fish. During the fall of 2009 my area experienced a very mild winter and we decided to go for an afternoon of trout fishing on November 30th. It was minus four and the water was on the verge of freezing, however, the rainbow trout were feeding as if they were great white sharks. Many times our spoons would barely hit the water before a trout would hit. At one point I made 12 casts and landed 12 trout! We even threw oversized spoons and the fish not only hit the large spoons, they competed for them. During another late season fishing trip, this time for walleye, the daytime temperatures were dropping to -10 and the boat had to break a light crust of ice on the surface of the water before we could begin fishing. On that day I sent a baited jig down 18-feet, 14 times, and I ended up catching 14 walleyes. I’ve had some of my best fishing trips during the late season and it’s not uncommon to land some of the biggest fish of the year when the weather is less than ideal. But it’s well worth the effort. I watch the weather conditions in the fall even more closely than I watch the spring weather conditions

OPEN WATER OPTIONS Rivers and Rivermouths Moving water doesn’t freeze as easily as still water and many rivers have sections that remain ice-free in all but the coldest conditions. Rivermouths are even better, especially if the river flows into a large lake, as wind and wave action combines with the river’s flow to keep ice at bay. Depending on where you live, these areas can be magnets for walleye, trout, pike and coarse fish like drum or carp. Power Generating Facilities Most power plants, be they nuclear or coal-fired, use lake water for cooling. The water is then returned to the lake creating a warm-water outflow that attracts everything from baitfish to sportfish. Many fish species use these warm areas as feeding stations throughout the winter. A word of caution – these areas can generate fast currents that can be hazardous to boaters. Some are posted “off-limits” to watercraft and some are “no-trespassing” so always check whether access is allowed before you head out. Great Lakes Harbours The Great Lakes rarely freeze completely and there are almost always open areas in the vicinity of large harbours. Breakwalls and piers that extend into the lake offer structure and access to deeper water, and the attached shorelines offer shallow feeding areas. Many harbours feature incoming rivers as well, making them fish magnets throughout the late fall, winter and early spring.

in the hope of getting out one last time before Old Man Winter gets too comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I love the thrill of ice fishing, but it’s open water fishing that really gets my blood racing. Keep safety in mind whenever you’re fishing late in the season. Dress for the conditions and take the time to research the open water bodies in your area. With any luck you will have the pleasure of catching unpressured fish in open water well after everyone else has put their fair-weather gear away. ? 42 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

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The Sentimental Spoon and Autumn Steelhead

I was around 13 when I first asked my father, on a rainy Sunday morning, about the fishing trophy that sat on top of our

television set. It had been there since I could

remember - a stained walnut base with a

brass statue of a tail-walking trout jumping

out of the water. On the inscription plate it

read, “Dolly Varden Trout, 1st place 1965”.

By Mark Forabosco

44 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

My dad was relaxing on the couch watching a western. “I caught that in the Maligne River when we lived out west, a few years before you were born, on a Dardevle spoon.” “Why don’t you tell him how you really caught it!” interrupted my mother as she was carrying down a basket of laundry. My father shifted his weight and rolled his eyes. “I caught it on a spoon!” My father had always followed the game laws but I could tell by his squeamish reaction that there was much more to this story. Mom filled me in on the whole tale while dad was trying to overcome his memory blockage.

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It seems that he hooked into this trout and worked the Dolly Varden into a deep bay with a swirling current. The trout ended up snapping my father off but remained hooked. The loose line became tangled in some large, blown over pine tree that extended into the river. My father, being much more spry and fearless in those days, decided to do his best Flying Wallenda impersonation and tightrope the pine tree, then make a grab for the trout as it held its position just below the surface. Shortly thereafter he arrived home, soaked and chilled to the bone, spouting out a number of expressive adjectives. My mother said the next thing she saw was Dad with a six-foot long two-by-four in his hand, preparing to head back to the river and reach out and deliver the ultimate coup de grace. Two hours later he returned with his trout and his trophy. “You cheated” I shouted, as I stared my father down. “No I didn’t, I hooked that trout fair and square! They didn’t have six-foot nets back then, so I improvised. I caught it on a spoon!”

With that, my father went back to watching his western. That trophy was shipped away to a thrift shop during a spring cleanup years ago, and my father has long departed this mortal coil. But that story has always stayed with me and I guess, in part, that’s why my dad was always fond of casting spoons for trout. With regards to the ethical side of this particular story, I will let you make your own decision, but one thing is for certain. My father worked bloody hard for that one fish.

Underappreciated and Underutilized Julio Thompson Buel invented the first spoon in 1821. As the story goes, he was eating some fruit out of an earthen jar when his drifting boat hit a submerged rock. The spoon fell out of his hand and into the water. As he watched it drift out of sight, the idea was born. Casting spoons has always held a special place in the hearts of West Coast trout and steelhead anglers but, aside for a few weeks in the fall when casting from piers, most Ontario anglers relegate their trout spoons The author with a nice spoon-caught steelhead.

to the bottom of a tackle box. Upon reflection of my experiences when pursuing river trout, I really cannot recall any encounters with other anglers throwing spoons for steelhead in the autumn. I know, you’re probably saying to yourself, “That’s because roe bags will out-fish spoons when fishing rivers.” Not always! Last October, on an overcast drizzly day, I decided to try my luck on a Lake Erie tributary and, within two-hours, I ended up hooking into five steelhead. The largest one weighed in at just over 8-pounds. Of the six anglers who were float fishing no more than 20-yards away from me, they hooked into two in that same time frame. At first I was very generic in my approach to trout fishing. I fished roe bags dutifully for close to 30-years before I thought that I might try something different. You see, I once had a very dear friend, who had a recipe for brown trout roe which was quite exceptional. Unfortunately, father time caught up to him and along with the loss of a good friend and angling mentor went his recipe for brown roe. After that I took some time to mull things over and recalled the last time my father and I wet a line together. He was older and I spent most of the day giving him the watchful eye, making sure he didn’t go for a spill on the slippery rocks as he waded, casting a Cleo, into a turbulent pool in the upper Saugeen River. We weren’t there very long before he hooked and landed a shimmering trout of about five-pounds. That memory, along with the reality that I no longer had a magical concoction of brown trout roe to rely on, was what spurred me into seriously considering giving spoons an opportunity. So far, the results have been greater than I ever expected.

Why Spoons Work When steelhead leave their deep water lake sanctuaries and begin to make the annual migration runs into the rivers, not only are there seasonal changes taking place, there are internal changes taking place as well. Steelhead are no longer eating to live, but living to spawn as reproduction has taken precedence above all else. They will often gather in holding pools and stay there anywhere from a few days before continuing their quest, or, under certain conditions, remain in that location all winter. 46 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

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Over the weeks and months preceding spawning these fish will be inundated with roe bags and flies. Many of these fish will, at one time or another, end up being hooked. The success with spoons is due to the fact that not only are you offering up something to the fish that they haven’t seen before, you are triggering a reflex strike. When spending summers out on the lake pursuing smelt and other forage, trout feed aggressively. In theory, a spoon works by igniting an instinctive reaction. Another point to consider is that spawning trout can be extremely territorial at times and are not shy about laying down an old fashioned, behind the woodshed thrashing on some intrusive spoon. When a trout hits a spoon there is nothing subtle about it!

Fishing with Spoons What I like best about spoons is that they hold no prejudice against the novice; in all honesty, it is just the opposite. There is not what one would call a long learning curve when compared to other angling techniques. This old-school artificial can perform its rhythmic dance with equal grace in slow or fast water. Another benefit is that, because it of its weight, it will stay deeper in stronger current sections when compared to other lures, such as spinners. This is advantageous to the angler as the majority of spawning trout stay close to a river’s rocky bottom. Simply cast your spoon to typical trout holding locations like bends where the water deepens, staging pools, and runs.

The author’s son with brace of October spoon-caught trout.

Every river has well-known honey holes that receive excessive attention from fishermen, unfortunately, that’s just the nature of the game. When going from one main holding area to another, don’t be afraid to cast along overhanging trees, beside large rocks, or along an undercut bank. Sometimes anglers are so preoccupied with getting on to the next “big drift” that they will completely pass by those smaller fish holding locations. If it’s large enough to hold one trout, it’s worth making a cast to. Many times over the years making this little extra effort has resulted in a nice steelhead.

Four Spoons Every Trout Angler Should Have Eppinger Dardevle Created in 1912 and originally called the Osprey, its named was changed at the end of WW1 in honour of returning U.S. Marines

who were nicknamed “Daredevles” by the Allies. It gained notoriety with West Coast steelheaders back in the early 1950s, eventually moving east and catching on in the Great Lakes region. Over three million of these lures are sold every year. Delfin Aligator One of the oldest European spoons made, Arnulf Hoff of Norway built the first one in 1882 which he sold from his jew-

ellery shop. Today they are still a top seller with European trout anglers. EGB Spoon Earnest Gubler, of Basil, Switzerland, began manufacturing this spoon over 50years ago. Each one was silver plated and

48 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

the brass body was hand hammered. A very popular lure with river anglers, the EGB spoon is an excellent artificial to use in stained water conditions. Little Cleo Upon returning home to Rhode Island at the end of WW2, Art Lavellee began to make homemade spoons for striped bass. In

1952 Art founded the Acme Tackle Company and named his lure the Cleo, after a famous burlesque dancer that caught his eye. This lure is an old-time favourite among pier and river fisherman.

Recommend Rivers for Spoon Fishing in Southern Ontario One of the most famous trout rivers in North America, the Saugeen, offers the spoon angler a multitude of areas to fish. Deep water runs and channels in river bends,

50 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

as well as below a number of the dams located on that system, are where many trout congregate before continuing their spawning runs. The Maitland and the Grand, rivers similar in size, depth and rocky structure, can also offer up some tremendous opportunities for autumn ‘bows. For pure numbers, and if you’re looking for a place to go cast a lure where it isn’t shoulder to shoulder, the lower Niagara River would get my nod of approval. Sure, there are going to be other fisherman nearby, but the lower Niagara goes many kilometers from the Whirlpool to the mouth of Lake Ontario. Here the shoreline possibilities are endless. You probably have more steelhead, brown and lake trout per square kilometer here than anywhere else on earth, and there is room for everyone. I mention these rivers only because I am well acquainted with them, spoons are just as effective up north when fishing a Lake Superior tributary as they are down south when fishing a tributary of Lake Erie.

Giving Credit Where it’s Due Over the last 40-years the sport of angling has progressed at an incredibly fast

pace. What’s new today is old by tomorrow’s standards. We now have artificial lures that look more lifelike than the real thing. Because of this it’s easy to understand why the spoon’s popularity has waned. Who knows, maybe I’m just one of those old sentimentalists who takes comfort in a more traditional approach to trout angling from a simpler era. A man who still remembers being a wide-eyed young boy, watching his father casting a red and white Dardevle and landing a 14-inch trout that might as well have been 14-pounds at the time. Although you may be hard pressed to find a spoon in the vest pocket of the majority of today’s modern trout/steelhead anglers, it has earned the right to be there! I would never claim to be the Yoda of the trout angling fraternity, far from it in fact. All I ask is that you indulge this old fisherman and, if you’re having one of those slow days on the river, tie on a nostalgic spoon. You know, the kind my father used so many decades ago. Then maybe, just maybe, after landing a trout or two you’ll give this simple lure the credit that it is surely due! ?

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THE WONDERS OF OUACHITA By Craig Ritchie

Some of the best topwater action anywhere takes place in the winter, on south-western Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita, when massive striped bass move shallow and crush everything in their path. Talk about the perfect spot for an off-season getaway!

Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 53

Heavy overcast and the threat of imminent rain kept the sun from making much of an impact as dawn broke over Lake Ouachita. But the conditions were absolutely perfect to the experienced eyes of Chris Darby, my guide for the day and one of south-western Arkansas’ most successful tournament anglers. “Stripers are feeding on shad that are swimming right below the surface,” explained Chris as he killed the big engine and made his way to the Ranger’s front deck. Handing me a rod rigged with a seven-inch minnowbait, he continued. “When it’s overcast like this, they’ll stay up top all day. The idea is to slow-roll that minnowbait, right on the surface, making it look like a big ‘ol shad that’s having some trouble. If a fish boils on it and misses, just keep on reeling. It will come back and most of the time they don’t miss on the second try.”

54 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

Chris fired out a long cast toward a flooded shoreline point and began slowly retrieving in demonstration, the lure barely making forward motion. About halfway back to the boat a yard-wide boil right behind his bait abruptly shattered the morning calm. Flashing a grin, he kept reeling while quietly coaxing the striper to come back. It did and, as promised, the second time it didn’t miss. Another massive boil, a hard hookset, and Chris’ heavyaction baitcasting rod bent to the handle as the bright silver fish rocketed away on a powerful run. I put my rod down and grabbed the camera instead. There wasn’t much light to work with, so it would be tough to take any decent action shots as Chris slowly gained the upper hand and coaxed the striper closer to the boat. Through the lake’s clear waters we could clearly see the brilliant silvery fish rolling on the line,

about 10-feet beneath the surface, as Chris muscled it closer. “This one’s just a baby” he said, as he neatly corralled about 12-pounds of irate striped bass into his long-handled net. “We don’t normally photograph these.” I snapped away regardless. While a 12pound striper on a topwater might not have been a big deal to this guy, for me it was pretty awesome. Besides, although it was now well after dawn, the sky was growing darker by the minute and it didn’t look like it would be very long ‘till the forecasted electrical storm would chase us off the water. Over the next hour we managed a halfdozen stripers and a couple of bonus walleye between us before we felt the wind pick up and saw the distant shoreline fade away behind a wall of low, grey cloud. With the storm advancing, we quickly stowed the gear, Chris hit the gas and we beat it back to the launch with just a few minutes to spare.

Largemouth bass fishing is another big draw on Lake Ouachita.

Although I could have done without the rain delay, I was nonetheless thrilled with my introduction to Lake Ouachita. The best part was that this was all happening during that dead time between last ice and open water, while my friends back home in Ontario were sweating it out, waiting for the soft water season to fully arrive.

An Awesome Winter Option One thing I’ve learned over the years is that time on the water is a truly precious thing. None of us ever seem to get out there as much as we would like. That being the case, I want to make my fishing days count. When opportunities close to home are limited, or when conditions are less than ideal, I’m perfectly happy to travel any distance if I can find better options. I decided that a

few hours on the road and six hours of really good fishing beat a full day of lousy fishing every single time. I started thinking that way seasonally as well. Why sit at home wishing bass season was open, when I could actually go catch bass by traveling someplace else? Why sit at home waiting for open water when people were catching big stripers and largemouth on topwaters down south? The answer was a no-brainer, and that’s what brought me to Arkansas. Lake Ouachita (pronounced WASH-awtah) is an impoundment that was created in 1953, when the US Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Ouachita River. The resulting lake is now the largest in Arkansas, spanning some 16,000 hectares and featuring more than 1,100 km of shore-

line. The lake averages 50-feet deep, with the maximum of just over 200. More interestingly, the area now occupied by Lake Ouachita was not clear-cut before it was filled, so a full, mature forest still stands beneath its glassy surface. Some of those trees are more than 60-feet tall. And, because the bottom is as up-and-down as the mountains that surround it, water depth in the big lake can go from 150-feet to 2-feet in just a couple of boat lengths. This crazy up-and-down bottom, that’s covered with sunken trees, provides ideal habitat for largemouth and smallmouth bass, spotted bass, black and white crappie, bluegill, walleye and several varieties of catfish. It’s also part of the reason Lake Ouachita is known as the striped bass capital of the world. Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 55

Fish like these are why Lake Ouachita is known as the striped bass capital of the world.

The Striper Capital Stripers were first introduced to Lake Ouachita in 1956. With an abundant population of both gizzard and threadfin shad, it didn’t take long for the fishery to take off. The average Ouachita striper today weighs from 10 to 12-pounds, and fish over 30pounds are fairly common. The best fishing of the year takes place from September until April, when the big fish feed on the surface. If you want to catch a 40-pound striper on a surface bait, this is when you want to be on the water. “Ouachita is a big lake with a lot of different types of habitat,” says Chris Darby. “The benefit of that is that there’s always something going on. Conditions are always going to be right for something. The challenge to it is that it’s a big lake, and the fish do move around a lot so you could spend a lot of time fishing empty water.” As everywhere, a visiting angler can dramatically cut the learning curve by hiring a guide, even if only for the first day of their 56 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

trip. Chris Darby, who spends an average of 320 days a year fishing the lake, charges $330 for a half-day trip. He provides everything needed except for a non-resident fishing license, which costs just $11. While stripers are easily the number one draw on Lake Ouachita, crappie and bluegill also attract a lot of attention from visiting anglers – no doubt due to the large size they regularly attain. The lake also hosts an excellent walleye population, with fish averaging about three-pounds and frequently topping 10. Largemouth bass average three to four-pounds, and are found throughout the lake. The smallmouth population is fairly small and mobile, so they’re very much here today, gone tomorrow.

Gearing Up The good news for anglers is that most of the same tackle and techniques used at home in Canada will work equally well in Arkansas. For stripers, a medium-heavy baitcasting outfit - similar to what one

would use for casting to pike and muskie is just about perfect. When the fish are feeding on top, large minnowbaits in the seveninch range are tough to beat. Make long casts and retrieve slowly – just fast enough to roll the bait from side to side. Big topwater lures are also popular and are favourites for catching mixed bags of stripers and largemouth. Walleye, largemouth and panfish will all respond to the same lures used at home. That’s the great thing about fishing in Arkansas – it’s different, but familiar at the same time. With its 12-month open seasons, you can enjoy your favourite style of fishing at almost any time of year, even when our Canadian lakes are choked with slush, making it impossible to safely fish from either a boat or through the ice. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of fishing on Lake Ouachita is that it lies almost entirely within Lake Ouachita State Park. Unlike lakes at home, you just don’t see a lot of shoreline development here.

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Crappie and bluegill attract a lot of attention from visiting anglers – no doubt due to the large size they regularly attain.

There are virtually no cottages to speak of, giving the waterway a peaceful sense of natural beauty.

Road Trip While many Canadian anglers think of Florida when planning an off-season getaway, Arkansas flies under the radar – amazing when you consider it has such fan-

58 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

tastic fishing and is a much shorter drive. From my home in southern Ontario it’s just over 17 hours to Lake Ouachita – all of it on Interstate highways, so towing a boat isn’t a white-knuckle ride. If you’re tight for time, a cheap flight puts you on the water in about four hours. My flight from Toronto to Little Rock cost about the same as I would have spent on gas, so I took the speedy route. Harbor Mountain Resort, located near the town of Mount Ida, offers comfortable accommodations right on the lake and a large, fully equipped marina that that’s home to the only floating Subway franchise in the world. They have two excellent launch ramps, gas, boat rentals (including bass boats), and non-resident licenses. Harbor Mountain also serves as a home port for Chris Darby and several other professional fishing guides, making it the ideal base for an Arkansas getaway. The resort even has a world-class spa on-site, so a nonfishing spouse can relax and indulge while you chase stripers and bass. I never did land that magical 40-pound striper on my trip, so I’ll be back to Lake

LAKE OUACHITA CONTACTS Harbor Mountain Resort Mount Ida, Arkansas Toll-free: (800) 832-2276 www.mountainharborresort.com Chris Darby, Fishing Guide Contact through Harbor Mountain or direct on his cell: (870) 867-7822 Arkansas Non-Resident Fishing License You can purchase an Arkansas fishing license online at www.ar.wildlifelicense.com/start.php

Ouachita again this winter to settle some unfinished business. Why wait for open water when you can enjoy fantastic fishing action just a day’s drive away? Ice fishing may be fun, but the lure of having yardlong fish crushing topwaters all day long is just too hard to ignore! ?

Tales from the Road By Bob Izumi

This Tales starts with some golfing and fishing at the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association’s Golf Fore Fish tournament at Glen Eagle. The CSIA does a lot of work for the fishing industry and for the awareness of fishing in Canada, including hosting National Fishing Week, and this fundraiser was to support their work for this great cause. After the golf day we hit the road to Montreal for a meeting before heading south to spend some time fishing on Lake Champlain with my buddy, Rick McCrory. One of the cool things about Champlain is that it has a short, catch and release spring bass fishing season. It was great to get out after a long winter to catch a few bass and have a little fun. As soon as I got back I grabbed a suitcase and went down to Florida to fish with the folks from Columbia Sportswear. They had a week-long media event in Key West but I was only going for one day of fishing because of my tight schedule. I had a great dinner with the Columbia people at the Westin Marina and the next day I went out charter fishing with a number of fishing writers and editors on a boat called Key Limey. Captain Tony Murphy has been chartering down there for over two decades, and he is originally from England, so the boat is appropriately named! We planned to fish for Mahi-Mahi but a lot of the floating weeds they like had blown away so we ended up fishing a few wrecks instead. We tied into some pretty big sand sharks as well as some snappers during our outing. After we were done fishing I jumped into a cab and went straight to the Key West airport to catch my flight to Orlando and on to Toronto that night. When you travel as much as I do you expect hiccups and, by the time I got to the counter in Orlando that evening, they were closed and I had missed my flight to Toronto. I had to try to get a hotel room, a cab, and I had to book a flight to Toronto as I was already scheduled to fly from Toronto to Montauk, New York, the next 60 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

day for a shark tournament. After I got a hotel room I called the airline and got put on hold. The recording said I could stay on hold or I could leave my number and they would call me back within 47-minutes. I was dog-tired so I left my cell phone number and fell asleep. A while later I got my phone call and was told that, because I had flown with a different airline from Key West, it was their issue so I would have to call them. So, just before midnight I called the other airline and explained which flight I wanted the next morning. I had already checked availability and about 30% of the seats were open. After being put on hold for about 15-minutes the guy from the airline got back on the line and said that they could get me on a flight routed from Orlando to Atlanta, Atlanta to somewhere and then to Toronto. It would have been about eight or nine-hours of travel time for what was less than a three-hour flight. I asked the guy why I couldn’t get on the flight that I asked for earlier and he said he would check into it. Then he then put me on hold again. About 10-minutes later he came back and said he had gotten me onto that flight. I wonder why he didn’t do that in the first place.

I finally got home with just an hour and a half to pack for my trip to the annual Star Island Shark Tournament in Montauk, New York. We would be fishing with Rick Constantine, who is with the Cuda line of products, and his dad, Ted. The two of them have cut their teeth fishing for sharks on the ocean so I was really excited to join them. Also on the team were John Ward from Acme United, and my brother, Wayne. Day one started off with a bang. We were catching numbers of blue sharks in the 80 to 100-pound range before hooking into a huge thresher shark that took three-hours to land. When we got back to the dock the fish weighed 314-pounds and was the second biggest fish brought in that day. On day two we caught blue sharks until our arms fell off. They were swimming all around the boat eating the chum we had put out and it made for an extremely exciting day. We ended up with the third biggest shark overall. The first place winner got $269,000; second place got $43,000 and our winnings were $1,000. Unfortunately we were below the break-even point but boy did we have a lot of fun! All of the meat from the sharks was donated to feed homeless people in New York so the tournament was not only good for the competitors, it helped a lot of needy people as well. The day after the tournament we ordered a limo to take us back to the airport. As it turned out, the limo was booked from a bogus website and there was no such company, so we were stuck without a ride and Wayne Izumi, John Ward, Bob Izumi, Ted Constantine and Rick Constantine with their 314-pound thresher shark.

Frank DiMarcantonio and Bob Izumi with a nice smallmouth that fell for a Sebile Ghost Walker.

ended up missing our flight. Luckily there was another flight to Toronto that we were able to get on. Then it was time to head to the 1000 Islands for two, one-day Shootout Series bass tournaments. My son, Darren, and I were pretty excited and we weren’t disappointed. The fishing was off the charts! On day-one we weighed 27.26-pounds and culled another 25-pound limit but only got sixth place. On day-two we weighed 27.06pounds and ended up in fifth place overall. The fishing was so phenomenal that I called Wayne and told him to bring down another boat so we could tape a segment for the Real Fishing Show. He did, and we shot a segment the day after the tournament. We caught so many five-pound plus fish it was crazy! The fishing on the St. Lawrence River and eastern Lake Ontario is absolutely incredible. I went home for a day and then went back to eastern Ontario for the first

Renegade Bass tournament of the year on Newboro Lake. We ended up with a mediocre limit weighing 13.29-pounds and finished in 16th place. Then it was back home to meet up with fishing guide, Frank DiMarcantonio, on Lake Erie. Frank told me that it would be easy to get a topwater show by fishing the shallows. “You’re not going to catch the biggest fish in the lake doing this, but if you want explosive surface action, and something a little different, we should give it a try.” I always like trying new things so we headed out with some Sebile Ghost Walker baits and got a great show. We caught dozens of smallmouth by “walking the dog” with this cool, liquid-filled topwater lure.

Then I fished the CSFL Casey Cup tournament on Lake Simcoe, but the smallmouth fishing wasn’t as good as in past years. After spending three-quarters of the day on Simcoe, and only getting one small fish, we moved into Lake Couchiching. We got a limit of mixed smallmouth and largemouth that weighed just over 15-pounds, but it wasn’t enough to do much in the tournament. After the Casey Cup, Brent McNamee from BoaterExam asked if Wayne and I would come out for a charity golf tournament in Stittsville, hosted by the Gongshow hockey clothing company. The name, Gongshow was very appropriate for this tournament. It was a very young crowd, including a number of NHL players and there was lots of loud music, partying and fun. Somebody said there was even a golf tournament going on! After the golf tournament, Frank Guida hosted his annual charity bass tournament on Lake Couchiching to raise money for

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Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 61

Fishing Forever. Frank gets roughly 25 or 30 boats together each year for this worthwhile fundraiser and he always puts on a first-class event. It’s a pro-am format where two corporate team members fish with a professional fisherman. We fish from noon until five p.m. and afterwards there’s a banquet at Casino Rama. The food is outstanding, the prize table is incredible and everybody goes away a winner. What a great way of raising money for a great cause. Then it was back to eastern Ontario for the next Renegade tournament on Mississippi Lake. We caught a lot of fish, but not a lot of big ones and we ended up in 30th place. After the tournament I stopped at the Napanee Rod and Gun Club’s Kids and Cops fishing event. It was so neat to see a lot of smiling kids having fun on a drizzly, but warm, day. Lots of fish were caught and all the kids left with a prize and food in their bellies. What more could you ask for? We got home and packed our bags for the annual ICAST convention in Orlando, Florida. It was nice to see a lot of the companies I work with and to check out some

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of the new products they will be coming out with next year. Then I was off to the Kingston Canadian Open tournament in Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian Open has been going on in various forms since the ‘80s and I’m very fond of fishing it. I had three first-place finishes in a row in the ‘90s and a couple of second place finishes over the years so it’s been a very good tournament for me. I had a good day-one with 23.2-pounds; a good day-two with 21.2, but on the third day I was eight-minutes late and was penalized eight-pounds. I would have finished in fourth place but dropped all the way to 15th. The bright spot on the weekend was when Wayne caught a giant, 6.25-pound smallmouth that ended up being the biggest fish caught during the tournament.

Then I was off to the Sail store in Lavalle, Quebec, with Chip Jaggard from Pure Fishing, to give away a beautiful Berkley/Lund/Mercury prize package to Julie Comtois for winning the Berkley Boat Sweepstakes contest. It was so much fun to see how excited she got when we pulled the boat from behind the store! After that I was off to Morrisburg, Ontario, for the third and fourth Renegade tournaments of the year on the St. Lawrence River. We decided to roll the dice and run more than 200-miles ‘round-trip on each day. Darren and I were confident that we would have a shot at winning if we did this incredible run. Between gassing up twice and having very little time to fish it was definitely a gamble. We had over 20-pounds on day-one, got in with 3 ½-minutes to spare and ended up in 15th place. On day-two we had to stop and gas-up on our way back, the he boat traffic on the river was horrendous and we ended up being 6-minutes late for weigh-in. With the penalty, we went from 10th place

all the way down to 37th. I guess that’s the risk you take when you’re running that far. After the long weekend, we flew from Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie to do some fishing in the Algoma district with Cam Thomson from Pure Fishing; John Ward from Cuda and his wife, Linda; Frank Guida; and Brian Hughes and his fiance, Anais. We stayed at the White River Motel and in the morning we took the train for about an hour and a half from White River into Lodge 88. I had never been on the Budd Car, which is a train that goes between Sudbury and White River, so this was an experience for me. Taking the train was such a cool thing. There was so much leg room, it was comfortable, you could stand up, you could look out the window, it was just wonderful. We were only able to fish for a day and a half because of our tight schedule so we got on the water immediately after we had lunch at the lodge. The conditions were flat calm, hot, and there wasn’t a ripple on the water, but the fishing did not disappoint us. We ended up catching a lot of pike and walleyes and our guide, Brent Myles, cooked an incredible shore lunch for our whole group. This guy cleaned and fried all of the fish, cooked all the potatoes, heated the beans and then cleaned everything up. The guy was a machine! I’ve never seen a guide this efficient in my life. The biggest walleye caught on our trip was an eight-pounder that my friend, Brian Hughes, got. It was his personal biggest and it was fun to be close by when he caught it. Another high point was when John Ward and his wife Linda were bringing in an “eater-sized” walleye. They looked down Wayne Izumi caught a giant, 6.25-pound smallmouth that ended up being the biggest fish caught during the Canadian Open tournament.

Bob and Taro Murata enjoyed a day of largemouth fishing on Lake Simcoe.

and saw a monster walleye following their fish right to the surface. It hovered 3 to 4feet under their boat, nipping at the tail of the fish they had hooked. The walleye was easily between 10 and 12-pounds and was the biggest one that John had ever seen. He and his wife were freaking out! Sometimes just seeing the biggest fish of the trip can be more exciting than catching it! Lodge 88 is a first class operation. They have wonderful accommodations, meals, guides and the fishing is as good as you’ll get in the Algoma region. This place is definitely worth checking out. After I got home I spent a day fishing for largemouth bass on Lake Simcoe with fishing

guide, Taro Murata. We ended up catching a lot of fish and I can see why Taro is busy guiding for 240 days a year. The guy is a fishin’ magician when it comes to producing fish. Then we packed up and went to Lake St. Francis for the last Renegade qualifying tournament of the year. It was a wet, cold and windy day and we got a small limit of 14.32-pounds that put us in 48th place. The good thing is that we snuck into the qualifying top 40 and would be fishing the Classic on the Ottawa River in September. After the tournament I was getting ready to pre-fish for the Simcoe Showdown when I heard that my long-time friend, Gary O’Neill, had passed away suddenly. Ironically, I had called Gary on Sunday morning and left him a voice mail. That evening he called me back and we talked about family, work and fishing. He was in very good spirits but then, two days later, he passed away. It was very sad news and I’ll definitely miss him. Pre-fishing for the Lake Simcoe Showdown did not go very well and

I didn’t feel very confident going into the tournament. My first fish on day-one was a hefty, 4.2pound largemouth, but the rest of the day didn’t go so well and we ended up with a small limit weighing 14.9-pounds. Day-two was a little different. I was fishing with 17-year old Cole Chantler, who happens to be a friend of mine. Cole and his father, Steve, have fished with me many times over the years. After fishing on Lake Couchiching until 11 o’clock we only had two small fish, so we decided to go to Lake Simcoe and try for big smallmouth. Our first two stops produced nothing but on our third stop we got a 20-minute flurry of three giant fish that gave us an 18.1-pound limit. Cole moved up to third place on the amateur side and I moved up to 11th place. Unfortunately the tournament only paid to 10th place, but our 18.1-pound weight for three giant fish and two wee ones was a good, positive note to leave on. I can’t wait for the next tournament! ?

Fall 2014 – Real Fishing 63

What’s COOKING

Linguine with Clams This classic recipe is high in taste and appearance but simple in execution, making it ideal to serve as an appetizer or as a quick and easy entrée.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

3 tbsp

coarse salt

6 tbsp

extra-virgin olive oil

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.

3 cloves

minced garlic

Add 3 tablespoons of salt and return to a boil.

6 tbsp

dry white wine

1 tbsp

crushed red-pepper flakes

1 pound

small clams such as Manila, littlenecks or cockles, scrubbed

Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until garlic is softened, about 1-minute.

1 pound

dried linguine

1/3 cup

coarsely chopped, fresh, flat-leaf parsley

Add wine, red pepper flakes and clams. Cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until clams open, about 5-minutes. Transfer clams to bowl as they open; discard any unopened clams. Add pasta to boiling water and cook, according to package directions, until just al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water.

64 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

Add the pasta and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the clam broth; stir and toss over medium heat until pasta is well coated, adding a splash or two more of reserved pasta water, if necessary, to loosen the sauce. Stir in clams, with their juices, and toss until just heated through. Stir in parsley and serve immediately. Special thanks to Tim Tibbitts, chef and owner of the Flying Fish Modern Seafood in Freeport, Bahamas for providing this recipe. Flying Fish is the #1 rated restaurant in the Bahamas on tripadvisor.com. You can see what Flying Fish is all about at www.flyingfishbahamas.com or www.facebook.com/flyingfishmodernseafood and you can follow Tim on twitter @flyingfishfreep.

Dinner’s going to take awhile. Good thing you brought the Izumi.

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Waiting for a Bite

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66 Real Fishing – Fall 2014

in the Honey Harbour area. My family would spend a week camping and fishing at an island that was part of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park. A lot of panfish were caught along with a variety of smallmouth bass and northern pike.” – Charles Weiss

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