Summer 2014 by Real Fishing

Canada Post Mail Product Agreement No. 40015689

VOLUME 20 • ISSUE 3 Just $3.95

SUMMER 2014

DISPLAY UNTIL OCTOBER 15, 2014

L A N G A R A LO D G E ’ S F I S H I N G C A M P F O R K I D S

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©Mercury Marine

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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 PADDLING LAKE SUPERIOR’S SLATE ISLANDS Lake trout, salmon, caribou and stunning scenery make the Slate Islands a canoe angler’s dream destination. By Jim Baird

36 SOFT STICKBAITS Next to live bait, a soft stickbait is one of the most effective lures for attracting and catching neutral or negative bass. By Johnathan LePera

42 DEFINING DOCKS Patterns, baits and presentations for catching dock bass throughout the open water season. By David A. Brown

53 IF YOU TEACH A KID TO FISH… Camp Langara offers young anglers friendship, personal growth and the opportunity to hone their fishing skills. By Val Hunter

Summer 2014 Volume 20, Issue 3 Editor Jerry Hughes Art Production Rossi Piedimonte Design Publisher Fred Delsey National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679 President Wayne Izumi Contributors Rolly Astrom, Jim Baird, David A. Brown, Patrick Daradick, Val Hunter, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Jonathan LePera, Steve May, Renee Schatzley, Dave Taylor, Tim Tibbitts 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

Roosterfish

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

24 DOCK DAWGS! 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

Your Own Way of Fishing At its core, fishing is a highly personal activity that provides enjoyment on a number of levels. Some folks are fueled by the thrill of competitive tournament angling while others get pleasure from simply relaxing on the bank and waiting for something to bite. Between these extremes are literally hundreds of other approaches. None are “better” or “worse” than any of the others because there is no right or wrong way to fish. It all comes down to what floats your personal boat and makes you happy on the water. As summer settles in, people from all across the country will be taking to lakes and rivers in pursuit of their own ideal angling experiences. With that in mind, this issue of Real Fishing is geared towards a broad range of fishing topics. Whether you are a die-hard bass angler, someone who enjoys fishing off the beaten path or an angler who is looking for a way to introduce a child to fishing, we’re sure there will be something in this issue to help you get more out of your time on the water. Jim Baird kicks things off with the story of his adventure while canoeing and camping around Lake Superior’s Slate Islands with his brother and their girlfriends. Jim’s article not only highlights the great fishing the area has to offer, it also shows how folks from different backgrounds can get together and enjoy the great outdoors as a group while still having uniquely personal and pleasurable experiences. From the thrill of encountering wildlife close-up to exploring the historic aspects of the area to sightseeing to photographing the stunning scenery, Jim’s trip to the Slate Islands touches all the points that make a summer getaway a truly memorable experience. If bass fishing gets your heart pumping then you’ll want to be sure to read 6 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

Johnathan LePera’s article on using soft stickbaits to catch them. Simple in design, stickbaits lend themselves to a number of different presentations and rigging options that will all work at one time or another. Johnathan spoke to Bob Izumi about his preferred methods to catch bass on these lures and his insights will definitely help you put more bass in your boat this season. Keeping with bass, writer and FLW Tournament reporter David A. Brown spoke to a number of top American tournament anglers to get the inside scoop on fishing docks and other manmade structure for big bass throughout the open water season. David’s article touches on a wide variety of presentation tactics and profiles a couple of unusual bait choices that can take your dock fishing far beyond the standard jig and pig approach. For young anglers - or for parents of young anglers - Val Hunter’s article, If You Teach a Kid to Fish, is a must-read look at Langara Lodge’s unique fishing camp geared specifically to kids. This full service camp provides kids with the opportunity to learn all about fishing while meeting new friends and working together to create memories that will last a lifetime. Along with our feature articles, this issue

also looks at stillwater fly fishing, tackle collecting, and some of the newest fishing and outdoor gear for this summer. Bob Izumi talks about how fishing the conditions you’re faced with can increase your odds of success and we’ve got a super summer fish recipe that will have your dinner guests begging for more. Canadian summers are far too short, especially if you are passionate about spending time on the water pursuing your love of fishing. We hope this issue of Real Fishing will help you to get the most out of your summer fishing adventures, no matter what form they may take. ?

Bait Tackle Tims

ÂŠ Tim Hortons, 2012

2014 FISHING FORE On May 23 Fishing Forever held their annual Fundraising Golf Day at Turtle Creek Golf Club in Campbellville, Ontario. This year nearly 100 folks took to the links in support of the popular Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days program. Along with the golf tournament there were a number of mini-contests including hole-in-one, longest drive and closest to the pin competitions; a chipping contest and a putting challenge, and two fishing holes where golfers shaved a stroke off of their score for every fish they caught. There was a fresh perch lunch and a preview tasting of the new Izumi wines at the turn and, after the golf, everyone enjoyed a sit-down dinner of barbequed pork, chicken, salads, sides and desserts. Live and silent auctions offered fishing gear, trips, clothing, camping supplies, sports gear and a host of other items that were donated by a number of generous companies and individuals. At the end of the day $20,000 was raised to support the Kids and Cops program. Thanks to everyone who took part and helped make the day a huge success. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event! Fresh fried perch was the highlight of lunch.

Getting the barbequed chicken and pork ready for dinner.

8 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

The auctions offered some incredible items including this signed Darryl Sittler jersey.

VER GOLF TOURNAMENT

Third place in the golf tournament was won by the team of Craig Bartlett, Neil Bartlett, Bruce Disher and Don McLachlan.

Tasting the new Izumi wines from Between the Lines Winery.

Bob and Wayne present the Big Fish of the Day award to Dave Schmelesske (holding trophy) and Mike Kehoe. Old-school goose deterrent.

Yannick Wertsch and Lisa SuĂĄrez-Tadus of Between the Lines Winery donated one-dollar to Fishing Forever from every bottle of Izumi Wine sold.

Chip it into the basket and

win the paddleboat.

Summer 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Fishing 9

GOLFING “FORE” KIDS On May 23 nearly 100 fishing industry people, media folks and individual anglers descended on Turtle Creek Golf Club in Campbellville, Ontario, for the annual Fishing Forever Fundraising Golf Day in support of the Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days program. Each year Kids and Cops co-hosts over 70 youth oriented, free fishing days designed to let youngsters experience the thrill of fishing in a safe, controlled environment. Members of the Police Association of Ontario and local volunteer groups are on hand to interact with the kids, bait hooks, tie lines and make sure everybody has an enjoyable experience. This year’s golf day raised $20,000 for the program and will help to ensure kids from all reaches of Ontario have the chance to try their hand at fishing this year.

WHY DO WE FISH? From the excitement of battling a hooked fish to the serenity of spending time in the outdoors, every angler has their own personal reasons for fishing. We thought we’d heard them all until we spotted this shirt at a local fishing derby...

10 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

READ ALL ABOUT IT SPORTSMAN’S BEST: SURF FISHING By David A. Brown

The rigs and tactics may differ, but the basic principles of catching fish in the surf are the same no matter where you fish. David A. Brown, one of America’s most-traveled outdoors writers, makes those principles clear and vivid with hands-on explanations of technique, tackle and strategy, plus interviews with local surf fishing experts. Surf Fishing, part of the Sportsman’s Best series from Florida Sportsman, focuses on how to enjoy and excel at one of fishing’s most accessible – and increasingly popular – pursuits. A team of some of the country’s best surf fishing photographers contributed more than 250 full-color photos of tackle, gear and catch shots from around the country and the book includes a DVD featuring author David A. Brown explaining the core concepts of surf fishing covered in the book, along with additional on-scene surf fishing instructional material. Paperback with DVD insert 224 pages, 6 X 9 inches ISBN-10: 1-934622-22-2 ISBN-13: 978-1-934622-22-3 List Price: $19.95 Published by Florida Sportsman, www.floridasportsman.com

FISHIN’ FOR DUMBASSES – Tips For Folks Who Want to Catch Their Own Food (and have fun doing it!) By John Toone with illustrations by National Newspaper Award winner, Dale Cummings

From hipsters to foodies to the environmentally-aware, it seems everyone is interested in sourcing their own food these days. Man about town, and country, John Toone, brings his years of experience (both good and bad) to this new guide. Instructional, non-judgmental, and often very funny, Toone shares what he has learned about fishing the myriad waters of Western Canada. Topics range from removing hooks from yourself, why so-called garbage fish can be a culinary delight, and the tricky etiquette of relieving oneself from a boat. John Toone is a writer, angler, hunter and gatherer, home-schooler, and jack-of-all-trades from Winnipeg, Manitoba whose collections of poetry and children’s books have been shortlisted for seven Manitoba Book Awards. Soft Cover, 160 pages ISBN: 978-1-926531-92-2 List Price: $19.95 Published by Great Plains Publications, www.greatplains.mb.ca For more publications by John Toone, visit www.johntoone.ca

EVENTS Calendar KINGSTON CANADIAN OPEN OF FISHING July 24, 25 & 26 Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River Kingston, ON www.csfl.ca

NATIONAL FISHING WEEK July 5 - 13 Events scheduled across Canada www.catchfishing.com

LAKE SIMCOE SHOWDOWN August 22 & 23 Lake Simcoe Orillia ON www.csfl.ca

GREAT ONTARIO SALMON DERBY July 5 - August 23 Lake Ontario www.greatontariosalmon derby.ca

NEW BRUNSWICK SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION Bass Tournaments May - August Various locations in New Brunswick www.nbsportfishing.net

TEMISKAMING SMALLMOUTH BASS SERIES June - September Various locations in NorthCentral Ontario www.temiskamingsmall mouthbass.com

RENEGADE BASS TOUR June - August Various locations in Eastern Ontario www.renegadebass.com

FORT FRANCES CANADIAN BASS CHAMPIONSHIP July 24 - 26 Canadian waters of Rainy Lake Fort Frances, ON www.canadianbass.com

CSFL BASS TOURNAMENTS June - September Various locations in Ontario www.csfl.ca KIDS AND COPS FISHING DAYS Year ‘round youth oriented fishing events Various dates and locations www.kidsandcops.ca PRO BASS CANADA June - August Various locations in Quebec www.probasscanada.com

CHANTRY CHINOOK CLASSIC July 26 - August 10 Lake Huron Kincardine, ON http://64.177.125.54/Chantry/ index.htm KENORA BASS INTERNATIONAL August 7 - 9 Lake of the Woods Kenora, ON www.kbifishing.com

OWEN SOUND SALMON EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS SPECTACULAR August 22 - 31 QUINTE FISHING SERIES CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR Georgian Bay Bass Tournaments

Owen Sound, ON May - September CALENDAR EVENTS EVENTS www.sydenhamsportsmen.com Bay of Quinte, ON

CALENDAR www.quintefishing.com EVENTS CALENDAR

BERKLEY B1 EVENTS CANADIAN EVENTS BASS OPEN TOP BASS FISHINGCALENDAR SERIES October 4 - 5 June - August CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR Lake St. Francis Various locations in Ontario

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC www.top-bass.ca CALENDAR EVENTS EVENTS www.berkleyb1.com

CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR

EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR

Summer 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

Madison Sarris Whitby ON Smallmouth Bass

Rob Feenie Vancouver BC Chinook Salmon

Rick McCrory Montreal QC Largemouth Bass

Liz Seymour Ninette MB Walleye

Doreen Fedyniak Courtice ON Steelhead

12 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

Cole Chantler Barrie ON Pike

Catch BOB on the Tube! BOB IZUMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26 August 2 August 9 August 16 August 23 August 30 September 6 September 13 September 20 September 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 7:30 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

Canada-wide

Nat Geo Wild HD

Sunday 8:00 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. ** As of September 1, 2014, the Real Fishing Show will air at 8:30 am in Ontario.

What’s

NEW

2014

TIE ONE DOWN Erickson Manufacturing’s new Re-tractable ratcheting tie-downs work like a conventional ratchet system with one big advantage – a spring loaded storage reel that stores excess webbing. The reel acts much like a tape measure, quickly reeling in the excess webbing to keep it free from dirt and oil and preventing it from being blown around in the wind. The award winning, patented design is simple and easy to operate and is available on both standard and bolt-on tie downs.

www.ericksonmfg.com

NEW FLICKER MINNOW Berkley’s new Flicker Minnow has a unique swimming action with a big, aggressive roll that mimics a fleeing baitfish. The body is elongated and features a large bill with a steep pitch, creating a steeper dive curve than other similar baits. Constructed with increased internal weight for bullet-like precision casting and an internal rattle to call fish in, the Flicker Minnow is available in two sizes and 12 pro-selected colours. The size 7, ¼-ounce, 2 ¾-inch model can reach depths of 14 to 17-feet while the size 9, 1/3-ounce, 3 ½-inch model can easily dive to 18 to 23-feet deep.

www.berkley-fishing.com

KEEP BUGS OFF OFF!® EXPLORE™ Insect Repellent provides long lasting protection from mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, chiggers, fleas, gnats and no-see-ums. The 25% DEET formula will not damage cotton, wool, or nylon and the secure, snap-on cap attaches to a carabiner, making it ruggedly portable and ideal for active outdoor adventures like hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, and backpacking.

www.bugsmart.ca

14 Real Fishing – Summer 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

THE REEL DEAL Abu Garcia’s new, affordable Orra™ SX is built with a durable, lightweight aluminum frame and spool which provide reliability and performance day in and day out. Its eight bearing system creates smooth retrieves, the Pitch Centrifugal Brake gives remarkable cast control and the Power Disk drag system provides up to 15-pounds of silky smooth drag. The Orra SX is available in both right and left hand models with 6.4:1 retrieve speeds as well as in a high-speed, 7.1:1 right hand retrieve version.

www.abugarcia.com

CARP ZOOM CSI Global Distribution, the exclusive North American Distributor of Carp Zoom products, is pleased to offer carp anglers over 700 different items including ground baits, boilies, maize, pellets, aromas, artificial baits and more. New this year are TigerNuts in natural, pineapple and chili flavours; new flavours of maize including liver, spicy sausage and salty and new artificial baits such as corn, maggots, worms and blood worms.

www.csidistribution.ca

GET COOKING Coleman has introduced two new portable camp stoves just in time for the outdoor cooking season. The new Gladiator™ 2-Burner Hyperflame™ Stove delivers 12,000 BTUs per burner and will last up to one-hour on a single 16.4-ounce propane cylinder with both burners on high. The HyperFlame™ technology reduces boil time and provides superior wind resistance. The new Triton 2-Burner Camo Series Stove puts out 11,000 BTUs from each burner and will also run on high for one-hour using a single 16.4-ounce propane cylinder. Exclusive WindBlock™ Shields prevent the wind from blowing the flames around and an aluminized cooktop makes cleanup a breeze.

www.colemancanada.ca

Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 15

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

Fishing the Moment As anglers, we all have preconceived notions and ideas about what the fish are doing – or should be doing – based on the conditions we’re faced with. I have to admit that one of my strengths in fishing is not getting too locked in to a specific idea unless, of course, it’s working. Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about. You might think that you’re going to catch them on a specific technique and it turns out that you pick up a different rod with a different bait and you catch a fish. Does that mean that you might be on to something? You wonder whether catching that fish was a fluke or whether your bait and presentation was what the fish wanted. I like to keep an

open mind and fish the moment. In my Tales from the Road column in this issue I talk about Derek Strub and I starting the first day of the Sturgeon Bay Open bass tournament on Lake Michigan in an area that had muddied up overnight. During practice the water was gin clear but on day one the visibility was under a foot. We did16 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

n’t know if the fish had moved or not until I caught a 3-pound bass on a 3/16-ounce jighead rigged with a Havoc Beat Shad swimbait as a trailer. That first fish signalled that the bass were still around and that the vibration and profile of the lure I was using was attractive to them. After I caught two more, it didn’t take long for Derek to switch up and we proceeded to put 30 or 35 smallmouth in the boat in about an hour. This was a spring tournament and the bass were seeking their spawning areas. These pre-spawn smallmouth were in shallower water that would warm up faster and they weren’t going to leave the area. Even though the water got murky, the fish were still there. We just had to figure out a way of catching them. That’s what I call fishing the moment. I did not ever in my wildest dreams think that we’d load the boat on a swimbait in the first hour of the tournament, but this kind of thing happens all the time. Just recently, up at Kesagami Lake, my old fishing friend and guide Bruce Leeson and I were fishing some pencil reeds for pike. Bruce loves to use spinnerbaits and buzzbaits for pike but on this particular outing the fish were a little sluggish, the water was cold and the fish didn’t want a really fast moving bait. After I started getting a lot of blow-ups and catching a number of good-sized pike on a Berkley Rib Shad swimbait, it didn’t take Bruce long to switch over to a Berkley Split Belly swimbait and he started getting

fish as well. The key was to work the swimbait as slowly as you could through the reeds. The pike were just annihilating these baits because we could work them slowly and keep them in the strike zone. When the sun popped out I could see why it was so effective. There were a number of 10 to 15-pound pike within inches of the surface, suspended in the pencil reeds, sunning themselves. So this presentation was right in the strike zone where those fish didn’t have to expend too much energy. The funny thing is, sometimes when we were fishing the swimbaits we would see the reeds move, maybe 10-feet away, and then all of a sudden a wake would move towards the bait. The next thing you know the water would explode with a pike eating the swimbait. You’d think those fish were aggressive and that they would bite on fast moving spinnerbaits or buzzbaits but that just wasn’t the case. Another example came this past winter, fishing on Lake Okeechobee in Florida. My wife Sandy, my fishing buddy Rick McCrory and myself were out having some fun catching a lot of fish by working through scattered lily pads on a 5 or 6-foot deep weed flat. After we had gone through and caught the catchable fish on the Berkley Rib Shad, we decided to use some Hollow Popping Frogs and work them slowly through the same area we had just fished with the swimbaits. We ended up catching some bonus big largemouth from water we had already raked pretty good. I think in a lot of cases fishing the moment means working a specific technique or lure that seems to suit the conditions. But every now and then - it might be intuition, it might be throwing the dice, it could be just a guess - change things up and try something that might not have been on your menu of things you were planning on doing. You just might hit on something that works better than the bait or technique you thought the fish would like. And that’s what I call, fishing the moment. ?

IT KEEPS GET TING BET TER Introducing the new Mitchell 300. Its innovative bail halo design increases strength and prevents line from getting underneath the spool. The reel comes equipped with an advanced polymeric body, rotor, handle, and aluminum spool for added durability. These reels will deliver on the legendary durability and performance of the Mitchell 300 family.

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fly fishing

Steve May works for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. When heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not working to improve our fisheries, Steve can be found guiding or fly-casting on his local rivers.

By Stephen May

Stillwater Fly Fishing The classic fly fishing scene involves standing in a river with trout rising to dry flies but, in reality, waters that are not flowing hold a ton of fish that are perfect for chasing with fur and feathers. There are thousands of lakes and ponds that hold solid populations of fish like bass, walleye, carp, pike, musky, sunfish, trout and many more species that are fun to pursue. If you are used to letting the flow of the river present to the fly to the fish for you, there will be some adjustments that you will need to make with stillwater fishing - the first thing being still water. This means casting accuracy and distance can be more important. You need to identify different fish holding areas and then get your fly to these sweet spots. This cover can be less apparent for the seasoned river angler to identify. Shorelines with vegetation, rocky outcrops, points and weedy flats are all worth checking out and make sure you look for rising fish. Yes, dry flies can be excellent on stillwaters too!

18 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2014

Once you make a cast to the fish you will have to activate your fly to make it look alive. This is accomplished with some techniques only occasionally used by streamside anglers. Hand twist retrieves and a wide variety of different stripping techniques are all good to work with when fishing the flat stuff. The use of various sinking lines is another thing to consider when working deeper structure and flats to get your offering in the face of the finned creatures. Common fish food in a lake or pond is also somewhat different. Midges are much more important and often much larger. They are fished suspended or by a slow retrieve.

There are mayflies and caddis flies on many cold water lakes but they are not nearly as important as leeches, damselflies and dragon flies. Baitfish and crayfish patterns can be quite important, depending on the species you are after. If your quarry is sunfish or bass, add small surface poppers and attractors to the mix. They are just about as much fun to tie or look at as they are to fish. All have their own unique ways to be fished best. When in doubt, a black or olive woolly bugger is as good a fly as any to start with. Getting to the fish can also provide some challenges as shoreline vegetation can make backcasts difficult. Wading can work if there are shallow areas near shore. Boats can be the best answer. The boat should be stable as flycasting requires a bit more movement than working a spinning or baitcasting rig. The deck of the boat should be clear as fly line has a way of finding something to snag on at the most inopportune times. Pontoon boats, rowboats, float tubes and fishing kayaks can all help get you to your favorite spots. Lakes and ponds can provide a super place to get out and explore the tranquility of fly fishing while catching beautiful fish in a beautiful quiet lake area. For many anglers, stillwaters are already favorites. For others, they provide a whole new fly fishing world to explore. ?

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www.stearns.colemancanada.ca

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

water’s edge By Dave Taylor

Coyote or Brush Wolf You are out fishing one fine summer morning. You happen to look along the bank and see a dog looking at you. Then

Due to crossbreeding, Eastern coyotes are larger and have a wider range of colours than their western counterparts.

you realize it is not a dog but a wolf - or is it a coyote? Or a brush wolf? The animal vanishes as soon as it realizes that it has been spotted. Just what did you see? If you were in the Prairie or Mountain provinces you would have two choices: wolf or coyote. Coyotes have a much wider range out west than wolves, and they are much smaller. Identification should be easy. But if you are in Southern Ontario (south of a line drawn from Sudbury to Petawawa) the choice is not so straightforward. Coyotes invaded Ontario and Eastern Canada in a pincer movement. With the removal of the wolf from much of its range south of the boreal forest, coyotes were quick to fill the gap. They entered from Manitoba and the Dakotas in the first half

Western coyotes are much smaller than wolves, making identification relatively easy.

20 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

of 20th century. They also invaded from the Eastern USA in the last half of that century. When coyotes began expanding their range our understanding of wolf biology was in its infancy. When I worked up in Algonquin Provincial Park in the 1960s scientists “knew” the wolf we had there was the timber wolf. Turns out they were wrong. DNA studies in the 1990s, and again at the beginning of this century, showed clearly that the Algonquin wolf was genetically different from the larger timber or grey wolf of the north. In fact, the Algonquin or Eastern wolf was genetically more closely related to the red wolf and the coyote. These species are about the same size as coyotes too. The coyote line is uniquely North American. The grey wolf evolved in Asia and did not enter into North America until about 100,000 years ago. The coyote family was, by then, a couple of million years old. In the 50s and 60s biologists assumed that the expanding coyote population was breeding with “wolves” since, at that time, they only knew of one species of wolf. We now have pretty good evidence that they were crossbreeding not with grey wolves but with the closely related Eastern wolf and the red wolf of the southern USA. The red

wolf was crossbred virtually out of existence and now exists in a few isolated pockets where it is protected from coyotes. While there is little (almost no) evidence that coyotes are even capable of crossbreeding with grey wolves, there is abundant evidence of them breeding with the Eastern or Algonquin wolf. Indeed the problem is so pervasive that many biologists fear that the pure strain of this wolf species will soon cease to exist, particularly in Algonquin Provincial Park. The result is a larger race of coyote now called the Eastern coyote or brush wolf. It shows a wider range of colour than the western coyote. Unlike grey wolves, coyotes are a perfect size in that they can feed as individuals on small animals (grey wolves cannot really do this) or they can form packs and hunt larger prey. So what you saw may be an emerging new species or it may be an extremely old species. If you saw it in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland or the Maritimes you can assume it was a brush wolf or an Eastern coyote. They are one and the same. What about a coy-dog you might ask? Don’t get me started on them – they will take another whole column! ?

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the vintage tackle box

Patrick Daradick has been collecting vintage fishing tackle for over 25-years and is a specialist in Ontario made tackle. He enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge and can be contacted online at www.ontariolures.com or by phone at 613-398-7245.

By Patrick Daradick

Bob’s Baits – Whitevale Ontario Whitevale, formerly Majorville, is a community located within the district of Pickering in Durham Region, Ontario. Once a prosperous village in the 1800s, the village arrived at its name due to the impact T.P. White investments had on the community. Born June 22, 1903, in this quaint village that Duffins Creek flows through was Clarence Robert Christian, commonly known as Bob to his friends and family. Bob witnessed many changes to the Whitevale village he spent his entire life in and he worked many jobs to support his family. Bob worked as a creamery operator and as a bus driver but his passion for fishing led

22 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

him into the field of fishing tackle manufacturing in the early 1940s. Bob Christian was determined to compete against larger tackle makers and, with his inventions and quality designs, he managed to produce quality metal lures from the 1940s until the mid-1970s. A couple of his first inventions were shiny, reflective metal lures designed to be weedless and in

the 1940s he patented the Weedless Treble Hook under patent 392411. His most prized invention was Bob’s Slipweed Spinner. When first issued it was sold in a cardboard tube stating the factory location in Whitevale, Ontario. The Slipweed Spinner was not only weedless, but also dressed with attractive feathers and a shiny metal blade with a concave centre, making it a deadly lure for most types of fish. These lures were later sold in clear plastic tubes. Bob’s factory was a large, two storey garage behind the family home, situated on the banks of Duffins Creek, an area where Bob would test some of his designs and hone their perfection. It seemed Bob had a determination to develop metal lures that were a benefit to fisherman who liked to fish the boulders, logs and weeds. Some of his more interesting lure designs were the Galloping Jet, Bob’s Retriever and the Galloping Ghost. The cards they were sold on were clear as to what each lure did best with statements like: “Gallops or Wobbles,” “Shallow or Deep,” “Climbs over Logs,” “Never Winds the Line” and “Casts like a Bullet”. Over time he added other lures like the Swampworm, Bob’s Rock-N-Roll, and Bob’s “7 Aces” lure. Bob’s Bait lures were sold via catalogue by Canada Tackle & Sports and Direct Factory, both from Toronto, Ontario. They could also be found in Canadian Tire Stores in Ontario. For 30 years Bob Christian managed to forge a living selling his metal wares to fisherman and the quality of these lures was outstanding. As a small time guy from a small village, Bob Christian made quite an impact on fisherman and the tackle industry in developing lures to help weed those monster fish out from the stumps and logs. Today Bob’s Baits lures are very collectible, with the Slipweed Spinner in the original tube worth about $125. ?

® S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. used under license and IMPORTED BY S.C. JOHNSON AND SON, LIMITED, BRANTFORD ON, CANADA N3T 5R1.

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real fishing fish facts

Roosterfish Nematistius pectoralis

The roosterfish is one of the most identifiable of all saltwater gamefish due to its extremely oversized, twosectioned dorsal fin. The front part of the fin is comprised of seven long, threadlike spines that can reach to well over a foot in length while the rear portion is much shorter, comprised of alternating rays and spines, and extends from mid-body back to the “wrist” of the tail. The dorsal stands erect when the roosterfish is threatened or agitated but normally it lies in a sheath along the fish’s back. It has been said that the dorsal is reminiscent of the comb on a rooster, hence the name, roosterfish. The roosterfish’s general coloration is gray to black along the back with an iridescent silver to silver-gray body that becomes white on the belly. There are two pro-

nounced black stripes flowing diagonally down from the dorsal region and along the flanks, and two more dark stripes running vertically down from the head. The head stripes vary in intensity between individuals and range from being extremely dark to extremely light. On average, roosterfish run between about 10 and 30-pounds but they can and do grow much larger. Fish in the 50-

DID YOU KNOW? Roosterfish are members of the Carangidae family of fishes, commonly known as jacks and pompano, which include amberjack, jack crevalle, permit and about 140 other species.

FAST FACTS Colour: Gray to grayish silver Size: 10 to 30-pounds on average but can reach over 100-pounds Life Span: Up to 75-years. Habitat: Sandy inshore areas less than 100feet deep

RECORD The current lGFA All-Tackle World Record roosterfish stands at 114-pounds even and was caught off La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, on June 1, 1960.

pound class are caught regularly and larger ones, up to 100-pounds or more, are a possibility. Roosterfish are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Baja Peninsula in the north to Peru in the south. They are most common in inshore areas of moderate depth, especially off of sandy shores, beaches with scattered rock outcroppings or around island groups. Juveniles are often found in tidal pools. They are exceptional sportfish that put up a furious battle when hooked. Roosterfish make searing runs and will jump several times before diving and engaging in a tug-ofwar with the angler. They travel in loose groups so catching one is a good sign that there will be others in the area. Roosterfish can be caught using a variety of techniques including trolling, drifting, casting and fly fishing. Live or cut baits, plugs, large streamer flies and even topwater baits are all effective bait choices. ?

24 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

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26 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

J U LY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

1 Excellent Time

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

Good Time

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

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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26 1:18 1:42 7:45 8:09 -

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

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

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18 8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

am pm am pm

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

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

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

3 8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

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

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

am pm am pm

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

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

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

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

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 -

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

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

SATURDAY

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

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

FRIDAY

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

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

23 am pm am pm

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

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

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

am pm am pm

15 am pm am pm

THURSDAY

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

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

21 8:06 8:30 2:03 2:27

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

am pm am pm

WEDNESDAY

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

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

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

SEPTEMBER

Best Fishing Times 2014

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SUNDAY

am pm am pm

27 3:18 3:42 9:15 9:39

am pm am pm

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The Payara may not be the biggest fish in the world, but its gigantic fangs make it one of the most fearsome looking. These incredibly strong South American fish are top level predators that can definitely put the “hot bite” on just about anything they please!

28 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

Available vailable for E10 to E85 fuels.

Paddling Lake Su By Jim Baird

30 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2014

Slate Isl

450 million years ago, a meteor slammed head-on into the granite bedrock of the Canadian Shield. Amidst a massive nuclear-scale explosion, deep striations penetrated the Earth’s crust and filled with liquid iron from the cosmic inferno. The cataclysmic impact rang deep in the Earth’s core, creating a 32-kilometer wide crater, and the rebounding splash of metamorphosed volcanic rock in the

perior’s

crater’s center formed what are now the Slate Islands.

ands Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 31

Camping gear, fishing rods, and tackle meticulously packed, canoes strapped to the roof racks, our group of four pulls into Terrace Bay, Ontario, after a 14-hour drive from Toronto. It’s dark and raining hard as we fumble our way into a motel room. The next morning we look out from the mainland and see the Slate Islands through patches of fog and drizzling rain as the wind blows hard against our backs. The islands are a long way out, nine kilometers off the north shore of Lake Superior. Uneasy, I pick up the phone and call Captain Come (pronounced Comb), a displaced Acadian and charter boat captain who answers in his francophone accent. “Can we head out today?” I ask. “Better wait,” Come returns with a laugh. “The swells are over two meters out there today with the north wind. You can’t see them from shore, but they get big a couple miles out.” Come says to call him in the morning, and I hang up. “We’re windbound,” I tell the group, glad that we decided to charter a large boat. Trying to paddle out in canoes is not impossible, but it could mean days of waiting for good weather. And in summer, Lake Superior rarely gets warmer than 13°C, which means upsets far from shore can be fatal. Our group consisted of my brother Ted, his girlfriend Heather, and my girlfriend, Tori. The girls like to fish, but not as much as Ted and me. And, the canoe routes Ted and I choose often consist of raging whitewater runs, long bushwhack portages, and narrow escapes from predators. In talking over possible routes, the girls wanted something a little more relaxing. When Ted and I had promised we’d take a “vay-cay” with them, Heather’s suggestion was, “How about Cuba?” My relationship with Tori was relatively new, but Heather wasn’t falling for our old sales pitch this time. She wasn’t up for another trip where she’d likely find herself in a mosquito vortex while portaging in waist-deep mud under an 80pound pack—not this summer, anyway. So I mentioned the Slate Islands because I knew they had something to offer us all. The scenery of the Islands is breathtaking. Eons of gouging ice and relentless water have sculpted the rugged cliffs, barren rocks, and free standing spires that are visible on the outer coasts. The woodland caribou that call the island home are often 32 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

quite bold in the more visited areas of the Slates, a non-operating Provincial Park. And they’ve been known to walk right through your campsite! Wild flower species that are usually only seen much farther north cling to the craggy coasts of the islands after being left behind by retreating glaciers some 10,000-years ago; the cooling effect of the lake allows them to remain. Plus, there’d be no portages on the trip, and there are no bears on the islands. With a little more persuasion, it seemed we could all agree. My favorite selling point is the cold deep waters of Superior and the ideal lake trout habitat they provide. The fishing around the archipelago is known to be superb. Lake Superior offers the chance to fish clean water and self-sustaining lake trout populations, which are the only populations on the Great Lakes that exist without stocking programs after the fishery collapsed in the mid-1900s, a fate brought on by heavy commercial fishing and the invasion of sea lampreys. Thankfully, a unique, pure strain variation of lakers still inhabit the waters around the Slates and commercial fishing boats stay clear. Although a fairly rare catch around the islands, introduced Coho salmon sometimes provide a vigorous fight and tasty table fare to those lucky enough to hook into one. We rise early at the accommodating Drifters Motel in Terrace Bay. The winds have died and it’s beautiful out. We hustle to meet Captain Come and his Caribou Charters boat at the water. It’s an enjoyable 40-minute ride out to the islands as we speed over 500-foot deep water that abruptly changes colour as we slow and enter into the shelter of the archipelago. Come tells us the minerals left in the islands from the meteor impact give the water a darker and deeper blue than the rest of the lake. Our plan is to circumnavigate

Patterson Island, the largest of the Slates. An easy 20-km paddle in the five days we have there, should the weather and waves cooperate with us. Because Superior’s waters are cold, lake trout can often be caught at as little as 10feet deep or less in summer. As soon as our paddles are in the water, so are our lines, and we begin flatlining with #5 Mepps spinners. The action picks up right away as Ted and Heather paddle over a shoal and Ted hooks one. It’s a beautiful sight watching the fish fighting in the clear water. Heather reaches back with the net and the fish is boated. Cheers go out all around.

Three more lakers take a silver Blue Fox #4 before we get out of the canoes for an easy uphill climb to a lighthouse where we’re greeted by a panoramic view. We camp at the end of a deep bay beside a shipwreck on a pristine beach that’s loaded with caribou prints. For dinner, we roast the orange meat of the lake trout in a double-sided fish basket grill, with some light seasoning and fresh cut onions. The fish was delicious but the only thing was, Ted caught it, not me. Although spring and early summer are the calmest times on the lake, we meet strong winds and whitecaps when we leave the protection of the bay early in the afternoon on day two. It’s nerve-racking paddling in the waves, and there’s no way we can troll safely. We pull over in a small cove in front of the lighthouse keeper’s house, and are gra-

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ciously welcomed by his son. Turns out the wreck we camped beside was his! He tells us, “The boat broke loose in a fierce October storm a couple years back,” as he points way up shore to show us how high the waves were breaking. “Sounds like the witch of November came early,” I shoot back, quoting “The Wreck of The Edmond Fitzgerald,” unsure if he is attempting to scare us or not. Insect repellents are a necessity when you travel in the great outdoors and the new Off! Explore personal repellent is ideal for active outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, camping or backpacking. Its nongreasy formula protects against mosquitoes, black flies, stable flies, ticks, chiggers, biting midges and deer flies, and the secure, snap-on cap is designed to attach to a carabiner so it’s always handy when you need it.

Tori does appear a little rattled, however. Especially after he shows her a poster map entitled “Superior, the Graveyard of the Great Lakes”. And, with Ted and I continuing to sing the famous Superior shipwreck song by Gordon Lightfoot, she doesn’t calm down much. Ted and I know we’re going to be fine in the waves, though, and we tie our canoes together using two long spruce poles and a lot of rope to create a sturdy catamaran. We secure the rig by lashing the poles across the front and rear thwarts, and then run the ropes under the hull of the canoe, securing them back to the poles with tight trucker’s hitches. Our spray decks go on too, for good measure. We push off, head back into the waves, and the first two rollers break over the bow! Heather lets out a scream of excitement but Tori’s fears soon quell as she realizes the newfound stability of the catamaran. Now it’s time to change up my tactics and get my lure deeper. I dig into my tackle bag for a triple swivel, a great rig to use if you 34 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

do not have the luxury of fishing with a downrigger. And, in my opinion, the rig works better than a Dipsy Diver. I tie one loop of the triple swivel to my main line. To the rear swivel I tie on a three-foot line, a clamp swivel and attach a large Five of Diamonds spoon. To the third and bottom swivel, I tie a two-foot line, outfitted with two, one-ounce egg sinkers, a clamp swivel, and finally a one-ounce pencil sinker. If I want to add or remove weight (you’ll need a lot of weight to get deep with a large spoon) I can easily add or remove pencil sinkers from the clamp. I find pencil sinkers to be key for this rig as they get hung up a lot less frequently. I’m only looking to get about 10-15 feet down in the cold waters of Superior. When fishing this rig correctly, the bottom line of the rig carrying the weights hangs freely down and, strangely enough, rarely becomes tangled. I let the rig out slowly as we paddle forward, which further prevents tangles. The ideal trolling speed is just fast enough for your lure to get action, while the slower speed allows your lure to go deeper. If you want to go deeper still, try using lighter pound test and a small spinner or small floating jerkbait. Despite the rig, we can’t seem to get into any fish. Our desired campsite appears as we turn into a beautiful sheltered bay and paddle towards a private white sand beach. I hook into a nice laker minutes before calling it quits - I get to be the hero this day! We cook some of the fish on a grill over the fire, our sizzling corn steaming in soaked husks A three-way swivel rig is a great substitute for a downrigger.

nestled in the hot coals below. Meanwhile, Ted pan fries some beer battered trout fillets to a crunchy, mouth-watering golden brown. Battered fish is best without the skin, but removing trout skin can be tricky. The easiest way to do this before cooking is to leave the skin attached at the tail after you’re done the fillet. Then, flip the fillet over lengthwise so it lies horizontally behind the fish, meat side up. Next, anchor the fish with your free hand and carefully cut down into the meat where the skin is attached at the tail. Right before you hit the skin, begin sliding your fillet knife in a curving motion towards the far end of the fillet until the blade is horizontal, then slide the knife between the meat and skin like you’d remove the skin from any fillet. We throw our fish carcasses onto the rocks by camp for the gulls, and dusk falls as we begin to eat dinner. I take a moment to breathe in the tranquility of the secluded bay. It feels as if we are on some distant ocean shore in a Robinson Crusoe story as the gulls call overhead. “Where are all the Caribou?” Heather asks. A cool morning greets us on day three as we watch a thick fog roll in. Warm light adds a golden tinge to the fog as the sun tries to penetrate the abyss-like surroundings. The day is calm but we leave our catamaran together for fun. Everyone is concerned that we are not going to see any caribou, so we decide to complete our circumnavigation and make camp in the inner islands, where the bolder caribou are. Lines always in the water, we paddle quickly past more astonishing coastline. When we slow to look at the map Ted gets a hit and lands a beautiful nine-pound lake trout. Of course, we stop to take some picturess. Tori decides to wet a line rigged with a white tube jig and weighted hook and in moments she jigs out another chunky laker. The weather is cool as we near camp and, when our site comes into view, we see our first caribou. A big bull with large antlers fully clad in velvet. We silently paddle up to the animal, trying not to spook it. Camera shutters clicking we pull up on the beach and I quietly climb out. It sees me and nonchalantly walks right past me. I instinctively put my hand out like I’m greeting a dog. Tory laughs and the big caribou walks right up to her and sniffs her camera. We soon realize silence is not a requirement to view

caribou at the Slates. Minutes later, we’re all out of the canoes and the ‘bou walks up to us to take a handful of moss from each of our outstretched hands! Out on the point, another caribou is silhouetted by the backdrop of fog. Come dinner, I’m stunned by the irony of it all – a couple hours ago we worried we wouldn’t see a caribou, and now I’m almost annoyed with them as the caribou (which we are now calling Clarence) wanders back to camp at suppertime and decides he’d like to steal our apples and carrots! The big lad is really getting in the way so Ted wisely holds out an apple and leads him off into the woods. The same caribou would visit our site daily. It’s day four and I hear cheers echoing over the still water as Tori and I sit in our canoe, watching a caribou meander through the black spruce forest a couple of kilometers away from camp. On closer inspection, I see Ted has landed a shiny

Coho Salmon on a large, silver Daredevle spoon and triple swivel rig while trolling the waters of the inner islands. Turns out, Heather had just caught and released a nice laker too. I’m jealous. Round after round of fresh salmon and generous glasses of wine go around until late in the night as we sit around a bonfire, built high to fend off the unseasonably cool evening. We troll around the inner islands on our last day, catching and releasing a couple smaller trout before we see Captain Come’s boat coming towards our pre-arranged pick up point. Come also provides chartered fishing trips and as we load the boat, he’s impressed with the fish we caught, explaining that the bite was off because of the cold

A fairly rare catch around the islands, introduced Coho salmon provide a vigorous fight to those lucky enough to hook into one.

front. We motor back to the mainland slowly, in swells far too big to canoe in. Ted and I are undoubtedly satisfied with the trip and the girls look relaxed and happy too, but it’s not until a few months go by that Heather reflects, “I liked the Slate Islands better than both my Cuba and St. Lucia trips.” Sentiments I share entirely, as I’ve always felt more at home and in the moment with wild Canadian coastlines and beautiful trout dancing on my line than I do anywhere else. ?

IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS AND THIS COULD BE FOR REAL. Watch for the warning signs and don’t fish or swim near dams and hydroelectric stations. Water levels rise rapidly and currents can become deadly in seconds.

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Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 35

By Johnathan LePera

Soft

Stickbai

36 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2014

aits

Few conditions in bass fishing could be labeled as deplorable, but there is one that we all dread. Yes, the Darth Vader of fishing and every bass angler’s nemesis – clear, flat calm clear water on a bright summer day. We’ve all experienced those “dog days” of summer where it is super-hot, our raccoon eyes have formed under our sunglasses and the water is flatter than a sheet of plywood. If the water had more colour to it a vibrating bait might get the nod, but clear and flat water make fish extremely spooky so subtlety is the key to getting them to bite. I tracked down Bob Izumi and asked him for some insight into dealing with these conditions and he was gracious enough to put my fears at ease and help us all put more fish in the boat. One of the best antidotes aside from live bait, says Izumi, is the soft-bodied stickbait. They excel in that not only can they be launched a country mile, but they are great for pinpoint casting. Regardless of the conditions, Bob Izumi always has a few rods rigged with these lures. The ever so subtle presentation of a soft stickbait is perfect for enticing even the most neutral fish to bite. If you prefer power-fishing with fast moving baits, be sure to leave that logic at home – along with your sources of caffeine - as patience is paramount when you’re fishing stickbaits. A perfectly presented soft stickbait, like a Havoc Flat Dawg or Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow, will have an ever so slight wobble or quiver as it falls and it’s that understated movement that can entice neutral fish to bite. Izumi estimates that 90% of the strikes occur either on the fall, or as you lift the bait after it has settled on bottom. When fishing expansive, shallow flats for smallmouth, Izumi’s retrieve involves lifting his rod tip to make the bait rise about 3-feet while sweeping it towards him 5 or 6- feet. He’ll let the bait settle back onto the bottom and then let it sit motionless for 2 or 3seconds before repeating.

The rules change a little bit if he is fishing for largemouth bass in a confined area, as is the case around docks, lily pads, trees, or heavy weeds. In those scenarios he’ll fish the edges of the cover but only move his bait in 1 to 1 ½-foot increments. Largemouth can get locked on to a piece of cover and, when they are in a neutral or negative mood, the bait must literally land on their nose to elicit a bite. Early in the season smaller baits are key. History has taught us that fish will be somewhat inactive with their belly to the bottom or protecting their fry so this is the time to scale down to something like a Berkley TwitchTail Minnow. Once July and August roll around, fish will exhibit the roaming behaviors that they are known for. As their metabolism fires up, so will their interest in consuming well presented baits. Both Izumi and I concur that, if fish are aggressive, then perhaps

Berkley’s TwitchTail minnow is the ideal size when bass demand a small, subtle bait.

Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 37

the Flat Dawg or Gulp Sinking Minnow are not the most efficient means of covering water. While Izumi will look to a Grass Pig or Rib Shad, I’ll fish my strengths and go with a light spinnerbait, wakebait or shallow running crankbait. Izumi is quick to remind anglers of the old adage, “let the fish tell you what they want!” Fish don’t generally smash a stickbait like they will a spinnerbait or crankbait. In fact, the bite will often feel like a light tick or your line will slowly start to tighten up. If you are really fortunate, you will see your line start moving off in another direction! When any of these occur, sweep your rod in the opposite direction and keep pressure on the fish. Do not snap-set the hook! Izumi estimates that up to 50% of missed fish while using this technique are because anglers are not setting the hook correctly. It’s important to use super-sharp hooks for any type of stickbait fishing. If you are Texas-rigging the bait in or around heavy cover for largemouth, an offset 3/0 or 4/0 from Lazer Trokar, Gamakatsu, or Owner is a great choice. If you are dropshotting for smallmouth in more open water, a dropshot hook like a 1/0 Owner Mosquito with a weedguard on it is the way to go. Whichever technique you are using, make sure to check your hook point often.

38 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

The best way to rig a soft stickbait is with an O-ring.

A common secret among many anglers is that the best way to wacky rig soft-plastic stickbaits is with an O-ring. Yes, those same O-rings that you use for your taps in your faucets! While you can buy them at your local tackle shop, you can purchase them in large quantities at your local hardware store as well. Izumi was quick to point out that the O-ring should slip over the bait so that it will not slide off, but it shouldn’t be so tight that it leaves a heavy indentation in the bait. There is so much salt in a Havoc Flat Dawg that, without an O-ring, you could literally rip the bait in half with a snap-cast. By employing the use of an O-ring, you’ll be able to get three to five fish per bait if it’s rigged properly. Bob Izumi has travelled the globe and, while he’s on top of his game the majority of the time, no one is above being humbled every once in a while. Once, while fishing the FLW tour on Lake Wheeler, he was

paired with a co-angler and plying his trade in the community hole known as Decatur Flats. Bob had an awesome pre-fish wielding a jig and plastic chunk combo and figured he was onto a winning technique, but once the tournament started those fish shut right down. Izumi stuck with his approach to the very end - with minimal success - despite watching his co-angler lay a vicious beating on those fish with a nail-weighted, wackyrigged soft-plastic stickbait. Izumi laments that he’ll never make that same mistake again. He told me that it was a much needed lesson. Finesse techniques trump power tactics more often than not so, once again, “let the fish tell you what they want!” “Nail weighting” is just as it sounds. You can purchase finishing nails of varying diameters from your local hardware store and insert them into the tail end of the soft-plastic stick bait to not only make them fall more quickly, but also impart a unique action. Ultra Tungsten has recently come out with a great new replication of such weights and, as with all things tungsten, you get a more compact material yielding a heavier weight. Bassmaster Elite touring pro David Smith will shun the nail weight, opting instead for the smallest tungsten bullet sinker that he can find. If he can get his hands on 1/64-ounce weights he’ll be able to

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time his fall rate just right, especially if he is fishing for suspended fish. Probably the most important tip that you can take away from this article is to make as long a cast as possible when fishing these baits. If you are fishing for smallmouth you are going to want to pretend your rod is a rocket launcher and get that bait as far away from the boat as possible. For those fishing largemouth, you are going to want to employ a similar logic, but do not be shy to skip your bait way under trees, docks, and boat houses. To get the most out of your stickbait fishing you are going to need some pretty specialized tackle. When fishing a wacky-rig or dropshot in open water, with either the Flat Dawg or the Sinking Minnow, Bob Izumi likes a 7’ 4” Fenwick Aetos rod paired with a Pflueger Patriarch 9535X spinning reel loaded with 15-pound test Berkley Nanofil line. Nanofil is a gel spun line which makes it super soft and very easy to cast extremely long distances with, but it is not noted for its abrasion resistance so it’s best used in open water areas. Bob always attaches a leader of 12pound test Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon line to his mainline for a stealthy approach. When fishing in heavy cover or along thick weedlines for largemouth, Izumi will opt for a baitcasting outfit: an Abu Garcia Veracity 7’ medium-heavy rod paired with a 40 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

Revo MGXtreme reel that is spooled with 15-pound test 100% Berkley Fluorocarbon line. He will Texas-rig a five inch bait on a 3/0 to 5/0 wide gap hook and, if there isn’t much opportunity to get snagged up, he’ll leave the hook point exposed or just barely skin hooked. If Izumi needs to skip baits back up under docks or trees, he’ll opt for his spinning outfit but will spool it with 15-pound test Berkley Trilene Braid. If by chance you are fishing a wacky-rig in such situations, especially when you are fishing weed-lines or dunking holes in the weeds, be sure to fish a hook with a weed guard to save you a lot of frustration! The last piece of the puzzle is, most obviously, colour selection. When fishing baits like the Havoc Flat Dawg or Sinking Minnow for smallmouth, the subtle, more natural colours like green pumpkin/watermelon laminate, cinnamon with purple flake, dark watermelon, and green pumpkin candy all get the nod. For largemouth the colour selection is pretty simple; either black or black blue! Unless he is sight fishing, white is never in Bob Izumi’s arsenal, while I prefer white during late summer and early fall, especially when the water is chock-full of bait. If you are looking for a change of pace or a different presentation, the Gulp Sinking minnow

in either Green Pumpkin Pearl or Watermelon Red Glitter are good places to start looking. There are few anglers who hit their favorite waters without some form of softplastic stick bait in hand. These types of baits excel in that they are an excellent bait of for both the seasoned veteran and the novice angler alike. Tie one on this summer and really give them a chance to work. While there are no guarantees in fishing, soft stickbaits come as close as any bait you’ll ever use. Tight lines and good fishing! ?

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Defi By David A. Brown

42 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2014

You gotta admit, it’s a pretty sweet setup. Protected by masses of wood, steel, floatation chambers, cables and boats, bass find their basic needs of shelter, safety and food handled nicely. They have full reign of the grounds for sunning, roaming and chomping on whatever prey avails. And the moment they’re threatened, or find themselves the least bit uncomfortable, the fish can tuck themselves into the comfort of the castle.

ning Docks Manmade Structures Offer Attractive Digs for Bass

Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 43

“Those bass are ambush feeders and they don’t have any eyelids (to block sunlight), so they like to get back there in those dark holes,” said Missouri bass pro Dennis Berhorst. “They don’t get as much pressure when they’re in there. People are running around the outsides of those boat docks and they just pull into the middle of them.” No doubt, docks are to freshwater what artificial reefs are to the briny bunch. Easier to find than their saltwater counterparts, docks are more convenient to identify, examine and mark for return visits – either by GPS waypoints or a simple visual identification based on location, color, landmarks, etc. Except where ice forms, docks are consistent in positioning and, while designs vary greatly in size and complexity, the fish will often determine some consistent criteria that defines where they’ll be on a given day. Just ask Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney. “I like a lake with docks because you can usually pattern them pretty easily,” the Gonzales, Louisiana angler said. “Once you determine that pattern, you can normally run the whole lake and find that pattern just about everywhere.”

DOCK DEDUCTION Berhorst expects docks to produce in pretty much all but the depths of winter. The best times, he said, are the prespawn and the fall feeding frenzy. Docks are also a good bet during the spawn, but with most of the fish pushing shallow and needing sunlight, the concept dilutes somewhat. Dock size matters little, but Berhorst likes structures near pea gravel banks in fall because that’s where the big gizzard shad run. Banks with chunk rock, especially the dark ones, hold heat and attract more forage, so nearby docks present prime fall targets. During the spring, docks located near the prespawn staging areas, and then the ones actually in the spawning pockets, produce best. FLW Tour pro Dion Hibdon points out that docks located just inside of creeks present the dual benefit of main lake current and quick shelter from rough conditions when big winds rock the main lake. And, while you’re assessing the location thing, consider both sides of this coin: A bank with abundant docks offers multiple options once you 44 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

Docks near gravel or rock banks can be prime bass hangouts in the fall.

pattern the day’s preference. Just don’t overlook that one remote dock that looks like it’s on time-out from the rest of the class. A structure standing all by its lonesome gets less pressure and may very well hold one of the creek’s biggest bass. As for water color, Berhorst offers this rule of thumb: Stained water merits more presentation time, while clear water gets a quick in and out. Promising docks get more face time, but each presentation moves at a brisk pace. When fishing dock-laden lakes, Greg Hackney is particular about which structures he fishes. The search can be extensive, but he follows a mental check list to narrow down the most likely spots. “The first thing I look at is the time of year,” Hackney said. “In the winter or summer, I look for a creek channel swing with some deep water close by. In the spring or fall,

The style of dock can be a clue as to how bass will be positioned on it.

I’ll look for docks in protected areas like the backs of coves where the shad will gather.” As far as dock style – floating or fixed pilings – Hackney has no strong preference. He does, however, expect to find fish suspending more beneath floating docks, whereas he’ll look for fish holding closer to the bottoms of pilings on the pier-style structures. Now, one element that Hackney actively seeks is the old-fashioned Styrofoam blocks under the more seasoned docks. Modern structures are mostly built with plastic floatation chambers, but the big white blocks, Hackney said, merit close attention because they tend to concentrate the food bass seek. “You get a lot more algae growing on the Styrofoam than on the black plastic,” he said. “The shad eat the algae so they favor the Styrofoam more than the black plastic. If I can find a dock with Styrofoam, I’ll definitely look for that.” The plastic floats have their benefits too, and Hackney’ fellow Elite Series pro Mike Iaconelli says those black floats absorb more heat than lighter ones. Therefore, the docks with dark floats become very attractive to shivering bass when late fall-winter finds lake temperatures in the chilly zone. And don’t overlook adjacent structure. Lake of the Ozarks guide Mike “Cowboy” Foree knows that brush piles and stake beds attract bass, and many of the ones near docks were positioned by crappie anglers. Foree advises looking for docks with evidence of crappie fishing - small boats, rod holders, deck chairs and cleaning stations. All offer a good indication of additional habitat. Similarly, California pro Zack Thompson spends more time at Delta docks where

PERSONAL SPACE Subways, elevators, grocery store lines – you know, that guy who always stands too close? He may have no ill intent, but his invasive proximity puts you on edge. Don’t be “that guy” with dock bass. “A lot of times, when we fish, we’re too close to the bass, says Bassmaster Elite Series pro Gary Klein. “The personalities of these fish change so dramatically when we approach them. They are very aware of their environment and we change their environment every time we run through there.” tides have pushed dense wed mats into the corners. The canopies formed by floating weeds extend the cover and broaden the appeal to bass.

TOUR THE FACILITY Experienced dock anglers know that the potential for finding bass extends well beyond the structure’s face. For Dennis Berhorst, that means complete coverage and a fearless commitment to hitting the strike zone. Other words, he’ll reach areas many consider unreachable. “It’s fishing areas that most people don’t fish,” he said. “It’s not that they can’t put a bait in there; they’re afraid that if they do put it in there, they can’t get the fish out. You gotta put (the bait) where the fish are, so I’m putting it someplace no one else puts it most of the time. If I know there’s a fish living there, I’ll pick it apart and flip every

hole, every nook and cranny and make sure I put it in front of a fish if he’s in there. Sometimes it may take me 10-15 minutes to fish one boat dock.” For Gerald Swindle, the Elite pro from Warrior, Alabama, the dock plan starts with an all-inclusive view of the target, which, in most cases, comprises a walkway and some form of end structure such as a T, a boat shed or a pavilion. The dock’s outer end is typically the most visually impressive and many anglers mistakenly stop there. Swindle notes that doing so means overlooking a dock’s full potential. “Don’t just focus on the building and ignore the highway leading to it,” he said. “That fish uses a dock just like he uses an entire creek ledge. You really need to look at all of those areas. They’re a little aggravating and hard to get to, but they can be productive.”

Klein’s fellow Elite pro Gerald Swindle suggests staying as far away from the dock as you can stretch your realistic casting range. “Boat noise, trolling motor noise and bumping around the deck will all affect the fish,” he notes. “Set up your casts from your strong side – if you’re righthanded, set up your cast that way.” Of all the mistakes a dock angler can make, few rival blowing out the spot with sudden blast of the trolling motor. Wind can ruin the deal also, by pushing you too close too fast, so a measured approach is critical. Staking out with a push pole or mud spike helps, but boats rigged with PowerPoles have the distinct advantage of stopping on a dime and advancing incrementally. Klein gets creative with his hydraulic anchoring system, especially around docks. For strategic positioning, he’ll use his twin PowerPoles like arms to reach back across a limb, log or dock cable to “catch” a holding position so he can fish a spot, release and repeat as the situation dictates. This strategy enables him to approach a dock from various angles without running the risk of spooking the spot with his trolling motor.

46 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

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Speaking of aggravating, waterfront homeowners often fit their docks with debris guards – vertical slats that minimize the accumulation of limbs, grass and other flotsam beneath their fixed docks. The narrow spacing greatly reduces one’s casting lanes but Swindle said he relishes the challenge. “When I identify a dock with anything nailed down in the water, it’s almost like a No Trespassing sign,” he said. “Most fishermen would just go around that dock, but an alarm goes off in my head and that’s the one I’m just dying to throw under because those are generally the ones that are untouched.”

THE JIG IS UP Hackney’s top choice for dock fishing is a flipping style jig and one of his favorite presentations is swimming it. A more aggressive approach than flipping or pitching, this option shows the fish something they don’t often see and separates the window shoppers from the real customers. “Swimming a jig is hard to beat around boat docks,” Hackney said. “They see a lot of spinnerbaits and crankbaits, but this gives them a different look.” Hackney swims a ½-ounce jig with a craw trailer and matches the bait to the prevalent forage.

48 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

“If they’re on shad I’ll throw a white jig. If they’re on bluegill, I’ll throw green or brown. I’ll look at the bluegill under the dock and see what color they are and match my jig accordingly.” Swindle notes that the swimming tactic is particularly effective during the post spawn, when fish gather in the cooler water off the ends of deep docks. In most cases, though, he prefers skipping a 3/8-ounce jig with a green pumpkin twin-tail trailer. This tactic enables him to reach well into the sweet spots, while keeping his distance to avoid spooking the fish. Using a 6-foot-10 spinnerbait rod and a 6.3:1 reel spooled with 20-pound fluorocarbon, Swindle uses a sharp sidearm cast and aims for a spot about six inches in front of the dock. This way, the bait makes contact with the water and then flattens out before skipping toward the gap between dock and water. Aiming too close increases the risk of actually hitting the dock and that’ll stop a bait’s progress – and alert the fish. Swindle makes it look easy, but he said anyone can learn the right presentation by trusting their tackle and choosing precision over power. “One thing that’s important for skipping docks is that you shouldn’t adjust your casting tension,” he said. “A lot of guys want to tighten down their reel so they don’t back-

lash, but you end up throwing too hard and that makes you cast too high. Use your thumb to control the tension.” Foregoing traditional jigs, Elite pro Brett Hite won’t hesitate to employ a chatterbait. Because the bladed vibrating jig exhibits characteristics similar to those of a squarebill crankbait, Hite expects to tempt fish by bumping around pilings or flotation chambers. But what about skipping? “It’s very difficult to skip a squarebill crankbait,” Hite points out. “But the chatterbait skips very well. I can get it under a dock where no bass has ever seen anything that moves like that.”

DOCK DIVERSITY Complementing the jig family, dock anglers have many more viable options in their arsenal. When shad spawn around these hard structures, Elite pro Mark Davis likes a squarebill crankbait, a white or white/chartreuse spinnerbait and a hollow body swimbait in shad colors. Traditional topwater baits like walkers or poppers will interest plenty of dock fish - not only during the shad spawn, but also throughout much of the warm water season. Ask California pro Ish Monroe for an atypical, yet highly productive dock bait and he’ll point to his namesake Snagproof

PHAT Frog. Coast-to-coast, he likes the versatility of a bait that walks, chugs and floats motionless when paused. “March through October bass will follow bait schools, which position near food sources like bugs and algae,” he said. “Docks have shade for the baitfish, plus algae and bugs for them to eat. Everyone thinks that a frog only imitates a frog – but it also imitates a bluegill, a shad or a mouse. It imitates anything that’s in the water (or may end up in the water) that a bass is going to eat.” During the cold season, Mike Foree knows that a jerkbait can be just the thing for tempting sluggish fish. The bait’s erratic fluttering and the suspending or slow-sinking action impersonates a dying shad and that’s an easy food source for winter fish that don’t want to move around much. Various models sit differently in the water, but anglers like Foree often adjust the sink rates and angles by upsizing treble hooks, adding adhesive lead strips to one end of the bait, or wrapping lead wire around hook shanks. Mike Iaconelli also likes hardbaits for dock

50 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

presentations, but he urges anglers to not overlook the wakebait. Drawing inspiration from his youth, Ike said the semi-topwater design is a good bet for matching the hatch. “As a kid, I grew up on a lake in the Poconos and when I wasn’t fishing, I was swimming off the dock,” Iaconelli said. “Any time I was swimming around the dock and I’d look up, I’d see bluegill around the foam of those floating docks. From when I was a kid until now, I’ve seen that. Whether it’s bluegill, shad spawning around

the docks, or perch around the docks, that’s a killer pattern. If you look at the shape and profile of that forage, a wakebait is a perfect imitator.” Iaconelli prefers short, stubby wakebaits for imitating bluegill or perch and longer models for lanky baitfish like shad. Keeping his boat about 30-40 feet out from a dock, he’ll make his first cast as far back to the near side as possible. As he trolls forward, the cast works parallel to that side. Cast number two passes the dock’s face, and the third shot borders the far side. Simple and efficient, the formula gives any hungry fish a good look. “I like to fish all the edges and, for me, three casts can cover a dock,” Iaconelli explained. “Some docks are more complex, but in general, it’s a great way to do that. You can cover a lot of water with a wakebait.” Of course, soft plastics have their place in the dock game as well, so don’t hesitate to flip a Texas-rigged worm or lizard into the shadows. Greg Hackney is a big fan of shaky heads and he enjoys the accuracy and versatility of throwing a 1/8-ounce head with a 4- or 7-inch finesse worm on spinning gear. “I like the ability to put it in the right place,” he said. “If I can get a foot of clearance below the dock, I can get the shaky head all the way to the back and it’s hard to do that with conventional tackle.” Whatever you throw, Hackney said the key to consistent dock success is a diligent, open-minded approach: “The most import thing about a boat dock is to be thorough until you pattern the fish under them. Work shallow to deep, on both sides to find the fish. Are they on the corners? Are they on the left side or the right side? Once you dial it in, you can pattern the entire lake. ?

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If you Teach a Kid to Fish… By Val Hunter

For five days each July, Moosehead Lodge, Langara Fishing Adventures’ rustic lakeside retreat in British Columbia’s Chilcotin backcountry – only accessible by floatplane – is transformed into Camp Langara – a fishing and adventure camp for kids aged 11 to 17. For the eager young adventurers, just getting to Camp Langara is a kick. After a one-hour flight on Pacific Coastal Air from Vancouver’s south airport to Anahim, in the heart of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, the kids, chaperoned the entire way by Camp Langara certified counselors, can’t hide their excitement on the ten-minute bus ride to Nimpo Lake, where they’ll board a floatplane for the 35-minute jaunt to the lodge.

Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 53

On the trip last summer many of the kids, already seasoned trout fishers, could hardly wait to get to the freshwater heaven. Among them was Will Turnbull, an eighth grader from New Westminster, BC who started lake fishing when he was three-years old. A few years later he started fishing for salmon and now he can’t get enough of either. Will, who turned 14 in May, first attended Camp Langara two-years ago with one of his friends, and he’s set to return again this year. That old adage, “If you teach a kid to fish when they’re young, they’ll fish for the rest of their lives”, also rings true for Alex Popnadynetz, a Grade 6 student from Calgary, Alberta. Alex started fishing salmon when he was five-years old. He attended Camp Langara last summer, when he was just 10, and says, “I felt really mature going on my own.” And as soon as he returned home, Alex and his dad bought fly fishing gear. Says Alex, “It’s been one of my hobbies ever since.” His dad had never fly fished before but now he’s hooked on it too. Alex says with pride, “I taught him how.” A veteran of three summers at Camp Langara, Jacob Bourne, 13, was all of sixmonths old when his family first took him fishing and, though he doesn’t remember the experience, he has the photos to prove it. Jacob likes lake fishing, “Because I can go out by myself, which is fun, but ocean fishing is fun, too,” he says.

Over their five-days at Camp Langara the kids typically fish with dry flies, from the shallows near shore to the deeper mid-lake waters. Using 5 and 6-weight fly and casting rods, with floating and sinking lines, they soon discover that they can use a variety of dry flies, because of the insect hatches that occur around the lake in summer. Sometimes they troll, and some even spin cast directly off the dock at the lodge. Whether they are out fishing in a belly boat or float tube, a boat with an electric motor, or in a pontoon boat, there is always supervision. But first, there is a safety orientation for everyone. “Before we could go fishing,” Will says, “we were tested to see that we had everything ready on our boat. We had to have lifejackets and make sure everything we

Campers AJ Steele and Will Turnbull on the plane to Camp Langara

54 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

would need was in the fishing box.” Having spent most of his young life with a fishing rod in his hand, Jacob has developed his own special way of doing things when he’s fishing for trout.

“Every so often I rev the engine so the boat goes faster and the line speeds up, then slows down and sinks. That’s my own technique,” says Jacob, “that my dad showed me.” The kids say the things they learned there have stayed with them long after leaving Camp Langara, and there are elements of fishing that have built their confidence in a way that other experiences haven’t. Lauren Smith, now 20 and a Sheridan College student who is building her own photography business, went to Camp Langara when she was 11-years old with her younger cousins, Andrea and Karen. Though that was 10 summers ago she remembers learning all the basics – everything about being on the water and how to use a boat safely. Lauren says, “We fished for our food and we cooked it together. I really enjoyed the fact that we learned a lot of skills at camp, and that they taught us about safety.”

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Kaito Gavac, another sixth grader at Moose Lake last summer, was five-years old when his parents and grandparents started teaching him to fish at their cottage at Silver Lake in Washington State. At Camp Langara, Kaito learned how to fly fish. What stands out for Kaito from the adventure was fishing on the lake, which he did most of the days he was there. Just one fish away from his limit on his first trip, Kaito would return in a heartbeat. All of the boys raved about the food. “The chef cooked the best food I’ve ever had,” says Will. Breakfasts were bacon and eggs and cereal and fruit – whatever the kids wanted to eat. Some days the chef made a shore lunch over a campfire while the kids played games. Dinners were always different, and always special. Each day of camp has a full slate of offerings besides fishing. A favourite event is the Moosehead Olympics. 56 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

“We do a bunch of sports and you’re split up in teams. It’s really fun,” says Jacob. The kids climb trees and go on hikes, participate in fly tying competitions and play

fish poker – where they get a card for each fish they catch, and whoever has the best poker hand wins. “So the more fish you get, the more cards you get,” says Jacob. And there’s a contest to see which fly is the best for fishing. Jacob says, “You make a homemade fly. I won that competition last year.” When asked about a significant memory, Will recounts a time when he and his friend, A.J. were on Moose Lake and their attention was focused on the moment. “When you’re in the city everything moves so quickly but when you’re fishing everything’s calm until a fish gets on the line. All of a sudden both of our lines went off at the same time and we had to focus on fishing while we steered the boat. It was pretty difficult because while one person was holding onto their rod they had to net the fish the other person had caught,” says Will.

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needs to make sure that the lines don’t get tangled and the fish stay in the right spot. It’s a big group effort.” The boys, from different communities, speak like ambassadors for the environment, respectful of the fish and of each other. They’ve learned responsibility, they’ve learned accountability, and they’ve learned about working together because they’re always teamed with someone when they’re fishing. They have respect for nature. They’ve learned to manage their time. And they do it all with a lot of laughter and fun. Jacob says, “I’m going to go again this summer.” Will is counting down the weeks, and says, “I can’t wait to go back this July.” “I would definitely recommend it!” says Alex, and something tells us we’ll see him there, too! ?

The boys worked together and managed to land both of the wild rainbow trout, each 13 to 15-inches long. Says Alex, “We did a lot of catch-andrelease at camp, and we were taught to do it in a way that doesn’t hurt the fish.” With everyone catching their limit, the boys only kept the ones they felt were impressive. All of the boys said they thought most young people would benefit from learning to fish, and they all gave two thumbs up to Camp Langara. Jacob was 10 on his first trip to Camp Langara. “The first two-years I went with other kids I met who were travelling there too. You meet people there and hang out together,” he says. Alex felt his time at Camp Langara strengthened him as a person. “I feel a lot more confident now. I had never done anything like that before and just going there and doing it felt really good.” Kaito didn’t know anyone when he started out, but he made new friends at the camp, tried new things, and left there with a newly found sense of competence. Will says, “You have to cooperate with your partner to make sure that you actually catch your fish. You need your partner and you need leadership to do that. Everyone 58 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

CAMP LANGARA

– July 21 to 25, 2014

Camp Langara takes place at Moosehead Lodge, in the remote backcountry of BC’s Chilcotin region. Moosehead Lodge is a well-appointed facility in a scenic and safe wilderness setting. All participants are supervised throughout the trip by certified counselors, and are accompanied by counselors during travel from Vancouver to the Lodge. While enjoying camp, youngsters are introduced to a variety of outdoor skills and experiences, including canoeing, motorboating and rowboating; hiking and compass orienteering; archery, outdoor cooking and wilderness first aid. Of course fly fishing is the main draw and anglers will learn fly casting, proper catch-and-release techniques, and even fly tying. A week at Camp Langara includes accommodations and all meals, equipment for all of the camp activities and a Camp Langara shirt and fly box. For more information visit www.langara.com and follow the links to Moosehead Lodge and Camp Langara.

Made possible with a financial contribution from Transport Canada.

Tales from the Road By Bob Izumi

I keep pretty busy year ‘round but when spring rolls around everything really kicks into high gear. This spring started off with some perch ice fishing in March on Lake Erie. It’s not every year that Lake Erie is fishable through the ice but this past winter was an exceptionally cold one with at least three to four-feet of ice on the big lake. My brother, Wayne, and I met up with Erie aces Mike and Sue Watson and their friend, Josh Davies. It took a while, but once we found the perch - in about 50-feet of water – it was game on. We easily caught a few hundred of them with some real jumbos mixed in.

It’s always nice to get in some late-season ice fishing so near the end of March we loaded up the SnoBear and headed out to Lake Winnipeg for the 2014 SnoBear Migration. Our friend Steve Chantler, and his son, Cole, joined us on this trip. Steve offered to pull our big SnoBear trailer with his GMC diesel truck and boy could that thing haul! That truck towed the trailer all the way to Manitoba like it was nothing. It was a lot of fun meeting other SnoBear owners and seeing how pimped-out some of their machines were. They were decked out with everything from wide screen TVs to coffee makers to custom tackle storage. You wouldn’t believe some of the things we saw. One guy from Manitoba even dragged a wood burning hot tub, which used lake water, out onto the ice. The reason he did this is that he had seen one of my shows where I 60 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

was interviewing Ron Balzer, the president of SnoBear. At the end of the interview I said to Ron that the only thing a SnoBear didn’t have is a hot tub, so this guy decided to build one and bring it out on the ice. I ran into and old fishing friend of mine from Winkler, Ed Martens. He had his ice shack out there and, between him and his neighbour, they cleaned and cooked up a walleye feast for the group of us that was fit for a king. Overall it was an excellent few days of fishing. Everyone caught a bunch of fish and there were a few big ones as well, including an 11-pound and change giant that I got. After the SnoBear Migration we loaded up and headed into Northwestern Ontario’s Sunset Country to tag up with my Real Fishing Radio co-host, Gord Pyzer. I had mentioned to Gord that I wanted to do some multi-species ice fishing so we started off the first day catching some walleyes and some incidental smallmouth. The next day we targeted trophy pike and I mean trophy pike. The fishing was slow but we still ended up landing a pike that, according to the length x girth equation, worked out to 31.68-pounds! It was the biggest pike that I’ve ever caught in 31years of doing the Real Fishing Show either in open water or through the ice. It

was caught on a quick strike rig that we had set up on an HT tip-up. When we were pulling the fish up it kept getting wedged on the ice, which was a good four-feet thick. We ended up using the telescopic pole that we use for our underwater Go Pro camera to push the line and eventually we got the nose of the pike into the hole. What an amazing fish! Gord certainly has the Northwest Ontario fishing dialed in! Overall it was a great trip to Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario and it certainly made the 24-hour drive home seem short.

Speaking of Gord Pyzer, Gord flew into Southern Ontario a few days later to work with me on our syndicated Real Fishing Radio Show. After we got the shows done things really got busy. I had to do a number of interviews, including one with Mechanical Business magazine. Then I was a guest on the Humble and Fred Sirius Satellite Radio show. It’s always a lot of fun and a lot of good laughs when I’m on their show. After that I went to the Chase the Dream fundraising gala in Woodbridge for young Chase Galea. It was a very successful event for a great cause. Next was the Home Hardware Show in St. Jacobs with the folks from OFF! to meet a bunch of the dealers. After that I attended a fundraiser for cancer

at the Paradise Banquet Hall in Woodbridge that my niece, Mariko Izumi, was involved in. It was quite an event. The night had a Las Vegas theme and they got everything perfect – right down to the showgirls!

The next day we headed to Uxbridge for the annual Huck Finn youth fishing day that we support through our Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days program. As always, it was a very successful event with tons of folks catching plenty of fish. From there we immediately went over to Wooden Sticks Golf Course in Uxbridge for

the Match the Hatch charity golf tournament in support of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. After the golf tournament it was time to get the boat packed and head out for a video shoot I was doing with the folks from Columbia Sportswear in Oklahoma. I spent the day after the golf tournament packing and we finally got on the road around five at night. We drove as far as Indianapolis that night and the next day we drove into Springfield, Missouri, to meet up with the folks from Camillus Knives for dinner. We have a new line of product coming out with these folks that will be introduced at the ICAST show in Orlando, Florida in July. You’ll be hearing a lot about these new fishing tools later this summer. Then we were off to southern Oklahoma to meet the Columbia people at a friend of mine’s place on a small lake on the Oklahoma/Texas border. The folks from Columbia were ready to go when we got

there so we met for dinner and the next morning we got right at it. I shot a number of fishing tip video clips for their website and social media pages that day. Krystl Tonkin, the public relations person for Columbia, and her production crew joined us on the shoot. We had a lot of fun and once we got the work done we even managed to catch a bunch of big largemouth bass. Krystl showed me that she definitely is an angler as she ended up catching some pretty big bass in a few short hours of fishing. We ended up staying for an extra day to shoot some video for my TV show. I’m working on a swimbait-themed show that will air in 2015 where I’ll be using them for largemouth, northern pike, walleye and lake trout. I’ll also be doing an article for a future issue of our magazine on the effec-

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Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 61

tiveness of swimbaits for multiple species. I ended up catching some pretty good largemouth for that show and article before it was time to head back to Ontario. Literally two-days later I was on Lake Erie with Derek Strub and Paul Michele from Navionics. We launched out of Buffalo and hit just a gorgeous day on this May outing. The funny thing is, we only saw three or four other boats out there. By the end of the day we had caught 39 smallmouth bass, 15 jumbo perch and 9 walleyes. The absolute hot bait of the day, without a doubt, was the Johnson Thinfisher. It’s a blade bait but, unlike many other blade baits, this ½-ounce gold coloured bait is a fish catching machine for a couple of reasons. Number one, it has an incredibly great vibration. We were letting it sink down and then lifting it up a foot or so, with just enough of a lift to get vibration, and then letting it drop down again and so on. Number two, it doesn’t foul your hooks. A lot of blade baits foul up as they’re falling where this one seems to drop fairly true. It doesn’t turn around so the hooks don’t get caught on your snap or your line.

It is the absolute coolest blade bait that I have ever used, bar none, and I’ve used probably six or eight other brands over the years. The guys with me were blown away by it. After I started wailing fish on the Thinfisher they were begging me to let them use one. It’s always nice to add a new lure to your arsenal and this one is definitely going to be with me for life. Then it was time to get home, sort my gear and get packed for my annual trip to the Sturgeon Bay Open bass tournament in Wisconsin with my fishing buddy, Derek Strub. This is the sixth year that Derek and I have fished the Sturgeon Bay Open together. It’s a great tournament that attracts a full 200-boat field of some of the best smallmouth anglers from the Midwest, Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba. Even though every year is different, the fishing is usually off the charts. When we got over there it was pretty windy and cold, there was still some ice on the shore, water temperatures were in the 40s and the fish were a little bit sluggish. Despite the conditions we still had a pretty good practice. On our best day we had about 28-pounds for our heaviest six bass, which is the limit in this event. What was amazing was the exceptional walleye fishing we had out there. We caught probably 12 to 15 walleyes, all in the 6 to 10 ½-pound range and the hot lure was, once Derek Strub with a giant Wisconsin walleye.

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again, the ½-ounce, gold, Johnson Thinfisher. That bait is an absolute walleye catching machine. To tell you how good it was, while we were fishing in about 10-feet of water Derek and I spotted a walleye. Derek lowered a Thinfisher onto the bottom, about 3-feet away from the walleye, and that walleye came over, flared its gills and sucked the lure right in. We were getting into so many walleyes that at one point I caught three on three consecutive casts. On the fourth cast I lost one and Derek caught one. What a fish-

ery! I wish we could have just stayed and fished for the walleyes but we had to move on because the smallmouth just weren’t where the walleyes were. On day one of the tournament we got to our first spot only to find that the water had muddied up. In practice it was crystal clear, but now the visibility was about six-inches. We fished around and all of a sudden I got one about 3-pounds on a 3/16-ounce jighead rigged with a small Havoc Beat Shad swimbait as a trailer. We ended up catching 30 to 35 bass on small swimbaits rigged on jigheads in a 40-yard stretch of water. Our technique was to let the swimbaits sink to the bottom in anywhere from 6 to 10-feet of water and then slowly reel them in so that they were just ticking bottom. We ended up finding another school of bass and caught another 30 or so fish from it. All in, we ended up catching about 70 or 80 fish on day one and weighed in just over 28-pounds for our 6 fish limit. We were sitting pretty good and looking forward to day two. The next day we weighed in 6 fish for just under 28 ½-pounds, thanks to Derek, who definitely had the hot hand that day. He put a whooping on me and caught a lot of big fish. That’s the cool thing about team tournaments, it doesn’t matter who catches them, as long as one of you do. In this case it was Derek who had a stellar day and helped us wind up in 11th place overall. After the tournament it was time to head home for the annual Fishing Forever fundraising golf tournament at Turtle Creek Golf Club, just outside of Milton. This year was another big success with a lot of fish caught in conjunction with the golf tournament. Each golfer got to fish on a couple of designated “fishing holes” and each fish caught counted as a stroke off of their golf score, up to three per golfer, per hole. Our team’s putting was a little off but our fishing was bang-on and we got our three strokes off at each of the fishing holes. I’d like to thank all of the people who came out and support-

Bob and Bruce Leeson with a nice Kesagami pike.

ed this event and made the day as much fun as it was. I can’t wait for next year! The last, but not least, of my spring trips started with a nice, short drive to Cochrane, Ontario. When you drive as much as I do, an 8 ½-hour drive is like going to the corner store for a loaf of bread. Two truckloads of us headed up to Cochrane, hopped aboard a Cochrane Air Services Beaver float plane and flew into Kesagami Wilderness Lodge. It was great to spend some time with Charlie McDonald, who has been the resort manager there for the last 19-years and who I’ve known since the ‘80s. We had a group of friends join us on this trip and everyone caught a lot of fish. One of the highlights was that I got to spend three days with my old friend, Bruce Leeson. Bruce and his father, Denny, fished the bass tournaments back in the early ‘80s so I’ve known them for a long time. They also operated a salmon charter service on Lake Ontario for many years. After Denny retired he ended up guiding at Kesagami for over a

decade. Sadly, he passed away last year but he truly lived a full life. To spend time with Bruce, who I’ve known forever – heck, our kids grew up together at tournaments back in the 80’s – was great. It was so much fun to spend time on the water with him, especially since the fishing was bang-on. The biggest fish that Bruce caught was a 44 ½-inch pike that he got on a walleye jig while using a spinning rod rigged with 8-pound test Berkley Trilene XL line. My biggest was a 41incher that hit a Berkley 4 ½-inch Rib Shad swimbait that I was fishing in the pencil reeds on a 6/0, weighted, weedless hook. The fishing was absolutely incredible and you could literally catch as many pike or walleye as you wanted. To give you an idea of how good the fishing was, two of the guys in our group fished off the dock on the first evening and caught a combination of over 60 pike and walleye in about an hour and a half. John Ward, from Camillus Knives, and Don Scott, from CRC Canada, decided that they wanted to fish off the dock on the last

evening of the trip and they caught about 25 fish in about 35-minutes, including each of their personal best pike of the trip. They got a 43 and a 41-incher off the dock along with a number of other pike and walleye. The fishing was so good that we got enough footage for an episode of the Real Fishing Show on the first day we were out. After a while we put the cameras down and just had fun catching fish after fish after fish. It was one of those trips that was just way too easy. If you’re looking for a fly-in fishing adventure that’s not hard to get to, and offers some of the best pike and walleye fishing there is, you should look up Kesagami Wilderness Lodge. The wonderful staff, great meals and top-notch guides make it an all-around winner. Well, that’s it for now. Have a great summer everyone, and stay safe on the water this season. ?

Summer 2014 – Real Fishing 63

What’s COOKING

Crisp Red Snapper with Ragout of Potatoes, Onions, Artichokes, and Green Olives with Sauce Vierge INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

4 3 tbsp.

For the Fish

7-ounce snapper fillets, skin on, scaled extra-virgin olive oil

extra-virgin olive oil fingerling potatoes or small new potatoes, parboiled until not quite tender 12 cipollini onions, roasted, peeled, and halved 12 artichoke hearts, cooked and quartered 24 green olives, pitted 1 cup chicken stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, but not smoking, place fish in pan skin side down, gently pressing on the fish so it does not curl up. From this point turn down the heat to medium and do not touch the fish. The skin will become crispy and release itself from the pan. Cook for 4minutes on the skin side then turn the fish over and cook for 2 more minutes or just until done. Keep warm.

For the Sauce Vierge

For the Ragout

For the Ragout 3 tbsp 12

1 3 2 1/2 cup 2 tbsp Salt and pepper

lemon garlic cloves, chopped tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced small or canned diced tomato parsley leaves extra-virgin olive oil

64 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and onions, sautéing them until warmed through and a little color has appeared on the potatoes. Add the artichokes and olives and cook another 2-minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Continue

cooking until the potatoes are tender. Drizzle remaining1 tablespoon of olive oil into the ragout before plating. Serve warm.

For the Sauce Vierge Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from half of the lemon into a bowl, removing any seeds that may fall into the bowl. Slice the other half of the lemon into thin slices, and place them in the bowl. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and parsley to the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. To serve, spoon the ragout evenly into 4 warm bowls, or deep plates. Top the ragout with the fish, skin side up. Drizzle the sauce on top of the fish and serve immediately. Thanks to Chef Tim Tibbitts, owner of Flying Fish Modern Seafood in Freeport, Bahamas, for providing this recipe.

There are better ways to say ‘Thanks’. COME AND GET IT. Our wines are only available direct — either in person or by delivery from our vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It’s taken 14 years to get it right, to perfect the craft of making wine that is drinkable, accessible, and affordable. It all happens here in our Big Red Barn. Our modern-rustic space houses our cellar and is part tasting room, part clubhouse. There’s no pretension or mystery here. All that we know, we’re ready to share with you, to delight the novice wine lover and the veteran oenophile alike. Visit us or order ahead for your next big trip and for each purchase of an Izumi wine, Between the Lines will donate $1 to the Fishing Forever Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the preservation of Canada’s fishing resources.

Contact Contact us to to book your your winery tour. tour. Mention this ad and receive receive a free free tasting of our Izumi wines:

BetweenTheLinesWinery.com BetweenTheLinesWinery.com

Reeling Up Artist:

Renee Schatzley

Medium:

Cast in Argentium Sterling Silver

Contact:

Renee Schatzley Tight Lines Jewelry P.O. Box 2527 Toledo, OH 43606 419-535-8888 tightlinesjewelry@gmail.com http://tightlinesjewelry.com

“I recently designed this pendant called “Reeling Up”. It has a 9mm “S”-handle fly reel with a concealed bail, and the wire wrap with the loop mimics the fly line. This pendant is showcased with a brown trout. It reminds me of being out on the stream, reeling in a trout, and then the fish jumps right out of the water in front of me, hence not a “tight line”. The fly reel was drawn by me and the design was reiterated into a CAD program to create a 3D image. A mold was then made and silver was poured to create that section of the design. The wire wrap is hand curled and the fish soldered to the end was hand-carved in wax to bring out all the necessary detail.” – Renee Schatzley

66 Real Fishing – Summer 2014

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