Winter 2011 by Real Fishing

Canada Post Mail Product Agreement No. 40015689

VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1 Just $3.95

Winter 2011

DISPLAY UNTIL APRIL 15, 2011

HARDWATER STRATEGIES FOR SLAB CRAPPIES

GET UP TO

YEARS OF FACTORY-BACKED PROTECTION

FREE

Purchase a qualifying Mercury® outboard between January 1 and May 31, 2011, from your participating Mercury dealer and you’ll receive an additional two years of gold-level Mercury Product Protection. That’s five years of factory-backed protection FREE! ELIGIBLE MODELS All 2.5 – 300 hp FourStrokes Including Verado® & Jet Outboards

All OptiMax® Outboards Including Pro XS & Jet Outboards

800-MERCURY MercuryMarine.com

ADDED COVERAGE

TOTAL COVERAGE

2 YEARS

5 YEARS

2 YEARS

5 YEARS

SEE YOUR LOCAL MERCURY OUTBOARD DEALER FOR DETAILS ON THE 5 & DRIVE SALES EVENT TODAY.

© 2010 MERCURY MARINE. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All Pacemaker, Mercury Racing,® Government or waterski engines, previously registered or donation engines, as well as engines sold for commercial, camp or resort applications, are not eligible. This promotion is valid in the U.S. and Canada only. Customer must adhere to the recommended service intervals and maintenance recommendations as stated in their Mercury Owners Manual. Service must be completed by a Mercury Authorized dealer and any parts replaced will require the use of genuine Mercury parts, oils and lubricants.

M aking the most of your time gets a little tougher everyday. It’s why Ranger developed a whole new level of leadership in the revolutionary Z-Comanche® Series. With muscle-car-inspired engineering and a long list of best-in-class features, these designs continue to take acceleration, handling, space, fishability and head-turning performance to new extremes. So take charge of your time and space. Surround yourself with the pace-setting freedom of the Ranger Z-Comanche® Series. It’s an all-out reminder of the power that comes from turning things loose!

For The Name Of Your Nearest Ranger Dealer, Call:

1-800-373-BOAT (2628)

©Copyright MMIX Ranger® Boats R-9011

Contents Features 32 5 DECADES OF TOURNAMENT SUCCESS From his first tournament victory in 1977 to his latest triumph in 2010, Bob Izumi has won more top level bass tournaments than any other Canadian angler. In this article Bob shares some of the tips, techniques and memorable moments he has acquired in five decades of tournament fishing. By Bob Izumi as told to Jerry Hughes

46 CAPITALIZING ON EARLY ICE A systematic approach to patterning and catching walleyes at first ice. By Lindy Fishing Tackle

56 WINTER CRAPPIE ESSENTIALS Nomadic crappies can be caught throughout the winter if you know where to look for them and how to make them bite. Here’s how to do both, at any stage of the ice fishing season. By Tom Gruenwald

50 EXPLOSIONS FROM ARENAL Joel Duncan searches for Rainbow Bass in Costa Rica’s Lake Arenal. By Joel Duncan

WINTER 2011 Volume 17, Issue 1 Editor Jerry Hughes Art Production Rossi Piedimonte Design Publisher Fred Delsey National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679 President Wayne Izumi Contributors Curtis Atwater, Patrick Daradick, Joel Duncan, Tom Gruenwald, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Steve May, Jason Mohring, Dave Taylor Real Fishing is published by Izumi Outdoors Inc. 940 Sheldon Court Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Tel: (905) 632-8679 Fax: (905) 632-2833 Privacy Policy: Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our subscribers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list and not receive these mailings, please write to us at the above address.

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

Columns 6 OPENING LINES

22 THE WATER’S EDGE

By Jerry Hughes

By Dave Taylor

10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC

24 THE VINTAGE TACKLE BOX

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

By Patrick Daradick

26 REAL FISHING FISH FACTS 16 WHAT’S NEW

Rainbow trout/Steelhead

The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories

18 FISHING Fuel Crisis? By Bob Izumi

20 FLY FISHING By Steve May

28 THE HOT BITE

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

30 BEST FISHING TIMES Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar

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

62 TALES FROM THE ROAD

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

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

65 WHAT’S COOKING 66 ART OF ANGLING

On the cover: 2010 Lake St. Francis Champs! Photo by Izumi Outdoors

opening lines By Jerry Hughes

Treasured Tackle I started my winter cleaning the other day. No, I’m not talking about housework; I’m referring to organizing and storing my soft water fishing gear so that it will be ready to go as soon as the ice releases its grip on my favourite lakes. Part of my cleaning ritual involves sorting through piles of baits, rods, reels, tools and other fishing necessities and trying to cull out the things I don’t use in order to free up space for some new stuff. I always start with great intentions but my “keep” pile always seems to end up larger than my “toss” pile. It’s been going on like this for as long as I can remember. Why does any sane person need 100 pairs of fishing pliers with holsters? Is it because there’s a fishing show logo on the holster? Or 300 sample packages of a 15-year-old soft bait that was all the rage in the 90s? Shoulder patches from defunct tournament organizations anyone? I’ve got thousands of them. I’ve also got dozens of broken or retired rods and reels; boxes full of hard baits that are bordering on being antiques; old electronics and all kinds of other fishing gear that I know will never see water again. Every year I swear that I’m going to get rid of all the stuff I don’t use, but every year I find some reason to keep most of it. I’ve got a few old Cardinal C3 spinning reels that were the envy of every steelheader back in the late 70’s. Crude by today’s standards – with their short spools and smallish rear drag systems – these reels are prized by collectors and can often fetch three or four times their original sticker price. I don’t use them anymore so why don’t I sell them or otherwise get rid of them? Maybe it’s because of the 16-pound steelhead I landed on the Bighead River at dusk back in 1981 while using one of these reels strapped to the butt end of a six-foot, four-weight fly rod. That fish was caught on four-pound test line while bottom bouncing (float fishing was just making its appearance on the steelhead scene) with a single red Jensen Egg in what 6 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

we called the Old Mill Hole. She fought like a demon; cart-wheeling across the pool, stripping line; charging towards me and then away; dogging on the bottom. Eventually the fish tired and my friend, John, landed it. That steelhead’s flanks were as silver as the Queen’s best teapot and its back was jet black. Absolutely gorgeous. At first the two of us cheered like young anglers do when they catch a truly big fish, but we soon found ourselves standing in awestruck silence as we admired the massive hen. In that moment we both matured as anglers and fishing became much more than simply catching fish. Maybe it was the size of the fish; maybe it was the backdrop of the river bathed in the soft, golden light of the setting sun. Perhaps it was the fact that the fish hit on what was the last cast of the day or maybe it’s because I caught my personal best steelhead while fishing with my best fishing buddy. I can’t say exactly why, but that fish was, and remains to this day, one of the most beautiful and memorable I’ve ever caught. Every time I see one of my old, green C3s I recall that fish. I know I’ll never use these reels again, but letting go of them is unthinkable. Then there’s the pile of old rods that are stuffed into the corner of my fishing room. Most are broken or missing guides but a couple, like my 25-year old nine-foot, eightweight Black Hawk fly rod, still see action once or twice a year despite being heavy and cumbersome when compared to the rods we’ve got now. That fly rod was my first “long” steelhead rod and I had it matched to a cheap Ryobi fly reel that I removed the clicker from. Sort of a poor man’s float reel I guess. Crude, but I caught hundreds of fish on that setup and I enjoy the feeling of nostalgia I get whenever I pick it up.

I’ve got untold numbers of old spoons and crankbaits, most with chipped paint and rusty hooks, that should be destined for the trash pile but whenever I touch one the memories associated with it pop up and my fingers can’t let go. I recall the fishing trips that those baits took with me; I remember the people I was with and I remember the fish that succumbed to those lures over the years. Tossing them out would be like tossing out part of who I was, who I am, and how I got here. So despite my best intentions I’m afraid that my winter cleaning will be the same this year as it is every year. I’ll pick up some dusty old relic and recall the time when it was brand new. I’ll remember something about it and I’ll smile. Then I’ll put it back in the “keep” pile. I guess I’ll just have to find some extra space around the house for my new fishing gear... ?

The first catch of the day.

ÂŠ Tim Hortons, 2009

Terry Cross’ grand prize winning photo

8 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

graph.

From June 1 to August 31, 2010, anglers from across Canada were invited to enter their best outdoors pictures in the Canadian Tire Catch, Click, Win photo contest for a chance to win some fantastic weekly prizes and a shot at one of three grand prizes including a Lund boat/motor/trailer package. There were 5 categories: Family, Friends & Kids fishing; Relaxing in the great outdoors; Heritage Photos from years past; Nature shots of lakes, loons and landscapes; and Big Fish photos.

Thousands of anglers submitted photographs and selecting the grand prize winners was a challenge. After much deliberation Bob and Wayne Izumi, along with representatives from Canadian Tire and Berkley, selected Terry Cross of Kelowna, BC as the overall grand prize winner. Guy Abel from Marie-Guyartr, QC grabbed second and Karen Murchie from Ottawa, ON was third. Here are the winning photos along with a sampling of the other wonderful outdoor memories that Canadians captured last summer.

g image. e with this early mornin Guy Abel took second plac

e shot. Karen Murchieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third plac

Winter 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Fishing 9

New Canadian Bass Tournament Record On October 23, 2010 Mark Moran and Joe Muszynski stepped into Canadian angling

Photo courtesy of Lures and Tours (www.luresandtours.com)

history when they set a new all time Canadian bass tournament record by weighing a five fish limit of 31.5-pounds in the Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open. That’s an average weight of over 6-pounds for each of their smallmouth bass! For their record win the pair took home the $25,000 first place cheque; an additional $20,000 from the Toyota Truck Record Payout for setting the new record and an additional $8,000 in other sponsor awards. Their $53,000 total cash payout is one of the highest in the history of tournament fishing in the country. Moran and Muszynski fished in 30 to 40-feet of water with a variety of tube jigs and dropshotted minnow baits to catch a total of 20 fish during the tournament. Another potential record may have been set by James Paluch and Shaun McKay who James Paluch with a couple of Simcoe smallies including the 8.05-pound monster that may be a new Canadian tournament record fish.

finished the tournament in 12th place. The duo weighed in a respectable 23.5-pounds for their best five bass but one fish in particular raised more than a few eyebrows – an 8.05-pound smallmouth bass that may be the largest single bass ever weighed in a Canadian tournament. The massive smallmouth earned Paluch and McKay the $4,000 big fish of the day award as well as an additional $1,000 for the Berkley Trilene 8-pound test prize. The fish is currently being investigated by tournament officials to determine whether it is, indeed, the largest single bass ever weighed in a Canadian bass tournament. Lake Simcoe continues to be one of the hottest smallmouth lakes in the country, especially in the late fall. The top 10 teams in the 2010 Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open all weighed in over 27-pounds for their best five fish and it took over 19-pounds to make the top 20. That’s incredible fishing no matter where you drop a line!

10 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

Lindy Launches Audio Fishing Reports Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle has added real time audio fishing reports to its website at lindyfishingtackle.com. Each report is updated three days per week by a collection of the top professional fishing guides from around the country. Reports are two to three-minutes in length and are packed with detailed information to help anglers catch more fish. Reports include information about hot lure colors, best baits, preferred depth, water temperature and ice thickness where applicable. For instance, anglers looking for information on the salmon and steelhead runs from the Great Lakes to the Niagara and Manistee Rivers can simply click on the desired report and hear all the latest news on what’s hot and what’s not. A diverse range of favorite fisheries are included in the reports - from Lake Eufaula, Pickwick/Wilson/Wheeler lakes, Grenada, Reelfoot and Kentucky Lakes in the south to Lake Mille Lacs, Lake of the Woods, Devil’s Lake, Lake Oahe and Red Lake in the north. You can get more information and the latest reports from great fisheries across the country on the Fishing Report page at www.lindyfishingtackle.com.

Ontario Artist Wins Salmon Conservation Art Contest Ontario based artist and longtime Real Fishing contributor, Curtis Atwater, has won the honour of having his painting, A Moment of Action – Chinook Salmon, appear on the federal fishing license decal required by anglers in order to keep Pacific salmon caught in saltwater off Canada’s West Coast. Known as the Salmon Conservation Stamp, each year a new image for the decal is selected through a contest run by the Vancouver-based Pacific Salmon Foundation.

Curtis Atwater’s painting won the contest following several rounds of balloting by judges on November 17 in Vancouver. Atwater, who lives in Caledon East, Ontario won the contest previously in 1991. An avid fisherman, the artist said most of the inspiration for his paintings came from experiences on the water. Atwater’s paintings have been featured in a variety of outdoor magazines and he is a member of Artists for Conservation Foundation. “I have found inspiration for my painting during fishing trips all across Canada, but fishing for salmon in British Columbia has always been an especially inspiring experience,” said Atwater. “Salmon are iconic on the west coast of Canada, so I feel privileged to have my work appear on the Salmon Conservation Stamp, and proud to know my work will help support salmon conservation.” Since 1989, some of the money generated through sales of the salmon conservation stamp has been directed back to continues next page

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 11

continued from page 11

Ontario Artist Wins Salmon Conservation Art Contest the Pacific Salmon Foundation by the federal government in support of salmon conservation projects. The foundation’s president, Dr. Brian Riddell, said $5.8 million of stamp revenue had been directed to 1,185 community projects since 1991. “The salmon conservation stamp is a very important funding source for wild Pacific salmon conservation and serves as a visible reminder to people who catch salmon that it is a precious natural resource,” said Riddell.“We all benefit from wild Pacific salmon and it is up to us to help create a sustainable future for salmon and to protect and restore habitat they depend on.”

IGFA Introduces World Record Length Category Catch-and-release anglers and conservationists; you asked for it and you got it. The International Game Fish Association has

MOBILE FISH & GAME FORECASTS DataSport’s popular Fish & Game Forecasts are now available to sportsmen through iPhone/iTouch and Android applications for instant access on their mobile devices. The HuntCast 2011 and FishCast 2011 apps are simple, to-the-point applications that allow users to select a date from a calendar and view the forecast graphic for that date. The graphs predict “excellent, “good” and “fair” activity times for hunting, fishing, bird watching and wildlife photography. They also include Doug Hannon’s well known Moon Times and Moon Clock. There is no need to enter location data since the forecasts are accurate in the entire Northern Hemisphere. Information and graphics are the same for both HuntCast and FishCast which eliminates the necessity of having to download both apps. The applications can be found by searching “datasport” in the iTunes and Android App Stores.

added a new 100% release category to its world records section beginning in 2011. Based on length rather than weight, the new All-Tackle Length Record category will make 60 freshwater and 67 saltwater species eligible for new world records while requiring the fish to be returned to the water alive after measurement. “The new All-Tackle Length record category is another great means of recognizing angler achievement and also has a strong conservation message,” said IGFA World

2011 CLASSIC MUSKIE CALENDAR Noted Canadian artist Charles Weiss has just released the 2011 version of his popular Classic Muskie Calendar. The calendar contains images of 12 original paintings inspired by Charles’ observations and angling adventures with the king of Canada’s freshwater fish. The full-colour, spiral-bound calendar is printed on heavy card stock and contains moon phases and holidays to help plan your next muskie trip. The 2011 Classic Muskie Calendar is available for $20 from the Charles Weiss Art Studio, 34 Hughey Cr., Toronto, ON M1K 2V4, 416-752-4363, www.charlesweissart.com

Records Coordinator Jack Vitek. “While the IGFA does not require a fish to be killed for traditional weight category records, and many fish are indeed released alive, this is the first IGFA record category to adopt an all-release format.” According to the official IGFA Rules and Requirements

for

All-Tackle

Length

Records, the fish “must be measured at the site of capture and released so that it swims away on its own and in good condition.” Anglers will be required to measure their fish with an official IGFA measuring device (available online at igfa.org and through several major fishing tackle retailers) to record the length of their catch. The new IGFA All-Tackle Length record category will begin accepting applications on January 1. For more information on rules, requirements and eligible species, visit the IGFA’s website at www.igfa.org or contact Jack Vitek by email at jvitek@igfa.org or by phone at 954-924-4246.

12 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

READ ALL ABOUT IT OUTDOOR PARENTS, OUTDOOR KIDS By Eugene Buchanan

Anglers and outdoorsmen know that the future of heritage outdoor sports like fishing and camping depends on recruiting youngsters to these activities. Outdoor Parents, Outdoor Kids shines a muchneeded headlamp on ways parents can accomplish this and more. With an informative and entertaining look at fishing, biking, camping, swimming, paddling, hiking, snow sports, climbing, and other outdoor pursuits, award-winning author Eugene Buchanan extends parents a helping hand in getting their kids outside and instilling in them a respect for their health and the environment. It’s a set of training wheels for first-time parents or those inexperienced in the outdoors, and an essential guide for hair-pulling veterans. A portion of all sales benefits the Outdoor Industry Foundation and their efforts to grow youth participation in outdoor recreation. Softcover, $19.95 US 7” X 9”, 300 pages B&W with illustrations ISBN: 9781896980485 Heliconia Press, 1576 Beachburg Road, Beachburg, ON K0J 1C0, 1-888-582-2001 www.helipress.com

E V E N T S Calendar TORONTO INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW January 8 – 16 Direct Energy Centre 100 Princes’ Blvd., Toronto, ON www.torontoboatshow.com

CANADIAN ICE FISHING CHAMPIONSHIP February 19 - 20 Lake Simcoe Georgina, ON www.georginafishingseries.ca

WINTER PERCH ATTACK March 6 Lake Simcoe Georgina, ON www.georginafishingseries.ca

THE GREAT GEORGINA ICE FISHING DERBY January 29 – February 13 Lake Simcoe Georgina, ON www.georginafishingseries.ca

ONTARIO FAMILY FISHING WEEKEND February 19 - 21 License-free fishing in Ontario www.familyfishingweekend.com

QUEBEC HUNTING, FISHING & CAMPING SHOW/QUEBEC BOAT SHOW March 10 – 13 Centre De Foires D’expocité Québec City, QC www.salonexpertchassequebec.ca

CALGARY BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW February 3 - 6 BMO Centre Stampede Park Calgary, AB www.calgaryboatandsportshow.ca

MONTREAL HUNTING, FISHING & CAMPING SHOW February 24 - 27 Place Bonaventure Montreal, QC www.salonexpertchassemontreal.ca

SPRING FISHING AND BOAT SHOW February 18 – 21 International Centre, 6900 Airport Rd, Mississauga ON www.springfishingandboatshow.com/

OTTAWA BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW February 24 - 27 Lansdowne Park Ottawa, ON www.ottawaboatandsportshow.ca

BRIDGENORTH WINTER PANFISH FESTIVAL February 19 Chemong Lake at B.E.L. Rotary Park Ennismore, ON www.clearvieworganizing.com

20TH ANNIVERSARY WAWA ICE FISHING DERBY March 4 – 6 Wawa, Hawk and Manitowik Lakes Wawa, ON www.wawaicefishingderby.com

NIAGARA OUTDOOR SHOW March 12 - 13 Optimist Club, Morrison St. Niagara Falls, Ontario www.niagaraoutdoorshow.com TORONTO SPORTSMEN’S SHOW March 16 – 20 Metro Toronto Convention Centre 222 Bremner Blvd., Toronto, ON www.torontosportshow.ca EDMONTON BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW March 17 - 20 Edmonton Expo Centre Edmonton, AB www.edmontonboatandsportshow.ca

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 13

READER’S PHOTOS Aiden Good Rutland, VT Bluegill

Cameron Hodson Oakville, ON Smallmouth Bass

Steven Lisi Thunder Bay, ON Pike

Madeline Swan Huntsville, ON Largemouth Bass

14 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

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

Adolfo “Junior” Ingribelli Niagara Falls, ON Largemouth Bass

Rafael Blanco Windsor, ON Chinook Salmon

BOB IZUMI’S REAL FISHING SHOW SCHEDULE Father’s Day Fishing Smallmouth Fishing with Big Jim McLaughlin Jigging for Lake Trout Bob’s Little Friend, Carley BoaterExam.com Smallmouth Challenge Trophy Walleye with Navionics Fall Smallmouth/Ice Fishing with Mike Lazarus Vancouver Island Adventure Georgian Bay Walleye St. Lawrence Walleye with Jack Levert TBD TBD TBD

January 1 January 8 January 15 January 22 January 29 February 5 February 12 February 19 February 26 March 5 March 12 March 19 March 26

STATION LISTING & AIRING TIMES* MARKET Atlantic Canada Calgary Edmonton Manitoba Ontario Quebec Regina Saskatoon Vancouver Canada/USA

PROV./STATE Atlantic Canada AB AB MB ON QC SK SK BC Canada/USA

STATION Global (CIHF) Global (CICT) Global (CITV) Global (CKND) Global (CIII) Global (CKMI) Global (CFRE) Global (CFSK) Global (CHAN) WFN

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

DATE & AIR TIMES Saturday 10:00 am Saturday 10:30 am; Sunday 6:00 am Saturday 10:30 pm; Sunday 6:00 am Saturday 9:30 am Saturday 9:30 am Saturday 10:00 am Saturday 9:30 am Saturday 9:30 am Saturday 10:30 am Check www.wfn.tv for dates and times

What’s

NEW

2011

AVALANCHE TRAIL BOOTS Sorel’s Avalanche Trail boots are ideal for long, cold days hunting, trekking or ice fishing in the snow. Constructed with a waterproof leather upper and lightweight Techlite™ shell, these boots will protect you from the elements without weighing you down. Inside, 200 grams of Thinsulate™ insulation earn it a rating of -25º below zero so you can stay out longer and go farther on even the most frigid of days.

www.sorel.com

WiiTM LOVE FISHING Video game producer, Zoo Entertainment, has just released the Kevin Van Dam Big Bass Challenge for the Nintendo Wii system. Featuring expert advice from Kevin VanDam, Big Bass Challenge offers both quick-play and career modes that give players a chance to angle for a variety of bass - including largemouth, smallmouth and spotted - at different levels of difficulty. The Kevin VanDam Big Bass Challenge special edition bundle features a unique and innovative fishing rod that allows players to can cast, reel, jig, set the hook and fight fish using the same motions they would if fishing in the great outdoors.

www.zoogamesinc.com

LINDY RATTL’N FLYER SPOON Lindy’s Rattl’n Flyer Spoon is a hybrid flyer and jigging spoon, with wings that allow it to “fly” out away from the hole on the drop. A must-have among ice fishermen for years, the Rattl’n Flyer Spoon now comes in two new colors, Tullibee and Purple Smelt, which join a line of lifelike baitfish scale patterns. Also new for 2011 is a 3/8-ounce size, which is perfect for large walleye and pike. Rattl’n Flyer Spoons are available in five sizes and eight baitfish scale colors.

www.lindyfishingtackle.com

16 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

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

WARM UP TO OMNI-HEAT Columbia’s Omni-Heat® technology is the ultimate body heat management system for the outdoors, maintaining warmth while preventing heat loss to keep you comfortable in cold weather. The exclusive thermal technology features thousands of reflective silver dots that help regulate your temperature by reflecting and retaining the warmth your body generates while dissipating moisture and excess heat to keep you comfortable. Omni-Heat boosts heat retention by 20% on average while maintaining a high level of breathability to reduce excess heat and moisture. Omni-Heat technology is available in a wide range of Columbia jackets, pants, sweatshirts and other apparel for men, women and children.

www.columbia.com

QUIK-SHAK PORTABLE ICE HOUSE HT Enterprises has just introduced the new Quik-Shak portable ice house. This revolutionary one-man, portable hut features a floor, a sturdy metal pop-up frame system and a built-in, fold-up chair that collapses when the unit is folded. The Quik-Shak has a zippered, easy access door for convenient entry; two-sided ventilation; four direction removable, draped windows; tackle storage pockets and storage/carry bags with both suitcase style handles and shoulder straps for hands-free transport. The Quik-Shak measures 51” L x 32” W x 65” H when set-up, 52” x 33” x 5” when collapsed, and weighs only 29-pounds.

www.icefish.com

LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD For years, fishing enthusiasts have used fishing vests for important items, but the RIBZ Front Pack is a vastly superior option. With four external zippered pockets and four additional internal pockets the pack is capable of carrying more than 600-cubic inches of gear (a smaller 400 cubic inch model also available). It fits comfortably and securely around the user’s ribcage and it does not impede torso or arm movement. Extra-wide, heavy-duty nylon shoulder straps are designed to evenly distribute weight while remaining comfortable all day long. The RIBZ Front Pack is made from 210D waterproof, rip-stop nylon and weighs just 11-ounces. For heavy-duty use an 18-ounce, water resistant 600D nylon version is also available.

www.ribzwear.com Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 17

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

Fuel Crisis? There’s nothing worse than having bad gas. No, I’m not talking about what happens when you’re relaxing on the couch after a big bowl of chili; I’m talking about the bad gas that is created when you store fuel for long periods of time. Specifically, I’m talking about something called phase separation, which is what happens to ethanol-based fuel that is left sitting in fuel tanks. Most gasoline available in Canada contains ethanol, an ethyl alcohol made from crops like corn and sugar cane. It’s renewable and may help reduce our need for petroleum but it isn’t perfect. In fact, ethanol based fuels can wreak havoc on small engines like the one on the back of your boat, the one in your ATV, the one on your chainsaw, lawnmower or snowmobile.

What’s the problem with ethanol? Simple. It attracts and absorbs water. When stored, the water and ethanol separate from the fuel and drop to the bottom of the tank in a process called phase separation. That can cause the octane level of the gasoline to be reduced by as much as Everything you need to upgrade your boat like Bob’s can four points so the 87-octane gas you be found at a Boat or Sportsmen’s Show this winter. bought now functions like an 83-octane 18 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

fuel. This results in loss of horsepower, engine knock and poor fuel economy. It also goes against most engine manufacturer’s recommendations. Once the ethanol becomes separated from the fuel blend it acts like a solvent and can degrade rubber fuel lines, seals and other rubber or plastic components within your fuel system. It can eat away at these parts and send debris into your carburetor or fuel injection system causing rough running or spark plug fouling at best. In the worst case it can cause complete engine failure. There’s more. The water that separates from the ethanol causes corrosion to the internal metal parts of your motor. Rusted pistons anyone? It’s pretty clear that internal engine corrosion is going to cause excessive wear and tear on your engine and it can lead to shorter engine life or, once again, premature engine failure. That’s pretty disturbing news if you’ve just shelled out several thousand bucks for a new outboard, ATV or other gas powered toy. Finding pure gasoline at the local fuel station is next to impossible but that doesn’t mean your new machine is destined to explode without warning. You can live with ethanol by using an additive that minimizes phase separation. I’ve been using a great new product from the folks

at CRC called PhaseGuard4 and I’ve got to say my outboards have never run better. PhaseGuard4 is a fuel additive that allows gasoline to disperse and suspend the water that the ethanol has absorbed. This basically stops phase separation so your octane level stays where it should be. Your engine will retain power and mileage and it will run cleaner. You won’t have to worry about debris getting pulled into your fuel system so you will be extending the life of the rubber and plastic parts. PhaseGuard4 has some powerful corrosion inhibitors to prevent long term wear & tear and it cleans all of your engine components. I add PhaseGuard4 to every tank of gas in all of my toys, all season long. When I’m not using something for a long time, like storing my boats for the winter, I top up the tanks with treated fuel and run the engine for a few minutes. PhaseGuard4 can protect stored fuel for over 12-months so I know that I’m not going to have any trouble when I hit the water in the spring. If you’re spending your hard earned money on a new gas powered toy or tool it only makes sense to protect your investment. Adding PhaseGuard4 is inexpensive and it’s one of the best ways to ensure your engines keep running long and strong. And that’s cheap insurance in my books. ?

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

fly fishing By Stephen May

Movement = Life = Food Every year at winter fly-tying shows I am amazed by the artistry and realism some fly tiers put into their work. Some of them must consider a pattern to be a success if someone whacks it with a fly swatter! The realism that is possible in these mini bug sculptures is incredible, but

molding and holographic paint jobs were used in fishing lures. If it looks alive, vulnerable and the fish thinks it can wrap its lips around it, you are in the ballpark. If it is close in size, profile and action, you are looking at a hot fly. The woolly bugger is a prime example of this, but the Adams dry fly, hares ear nymph and Clouser Minnow are other real winners

I judge success by the most important critics... fish. They don’t need that level of detail. Let’s face it; a fish has a pea-sized brain and they don’t go around counting the scales on the lateral line of a baitfish or the number of segments on a mayfly spinner. The survival instinct of a fish looks for things that don’t seem right. A tiny bug skimming across the water at light speed when the rest are drifting slowly with the current or a minnow that swims upside down and straight at a predator are red flags for even the dumbest fish. Whether a fly has two or three tails - or has a hook hanging out of its butt - does not seem to register as a problem. Fish are looking for an excuse to eat your fly and they can be easily fooled by something that

20 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

moves naturally and looks “close enough”. Most successful fly patterns can be boiled down to simply; “Movement = Life = Food.” Using various feathers, furs and many new synthetic materials to create movement, you can be a modern aquatic Dr. Frankenstein at the tying bench, building “life” with a hook in it. With the slightest breath of current these offerings come alive with natural motion. Life-giving fly tying materials like marabou, rabbit fur, hackles and many synthetics can do what heavier pieces of wood, metal or even plastic cannot duplicate. Lifelike fly-tying materials have been fooling fish since long before precision

because they resemble both the look and action of a variety of fish food items. These are the types of patterns that continue to end up stuck to the lips of a lot of fish. Proper fly movement can be affected by the person holding the fly rod or by the fly itself. Having flies that can do the lion’s share of this fish fooling movement is what I search for. Good fly action simply makes it easier for you to fool fish. For a dry fly, floating properly on the surface is important. For nymphs, getting to the bottom efficiently is the ticket. Streamers have to swim like a minnow, preferably an injured one. Learning how to make these baits act like food is easier if the fly is designed properly. Without that natural motion you really do have to work a lot harder to get fish to swat your offering. This year, at the tying demonstrations, take a bit more time to examine flies that might take on a whole new look in the water. Some of the ugly flies you are seeing might just be the “critics choice” winners on the stream. ?

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

water’s edge By Dave Taylor

Elephant Seal I suppose relatively few anglers will encounter an elephant seal in Canadian waters and those that do will likely be fishing for salmon off of Vancouver Island or the B.C. coast. However, the chance of these encounters occurring has increased over the last few decades and I have been fortunate enough to have seen them a few times. They are impressive animals. Seals and sea lions are commonly seen from California north to Alaska but the elephant seal has been a bit of a rarity. That seems odd given that males can grow up to 14-feet in length and weigh up to 5,000pounds and females, while much smaller, are still impressive at up to 11-feet long and 1400-pounds in weight. In comparison, the more frequently encountered harbor seal weighs only around 200-pounds and reaches only five-feet in length. It was their huge size that brought the elephant seal to the brink of extinction. In the 1800s they were killed by the hundreds for their blubber which was boiled down into prized oil. By 1870 they were considered extinct but a few survived on islands west of Mexico. By the early 1900s there were fewer than 1000 left, perhaps as few as only 20. Those few that remained were protect-

22 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

ed first by the Mexican government and then by the United States. Given protection their numbers slowly increased. In 1960 there were an estimated 15,000. At first their colonies were confined to off-shore islands but today thousands of elephant seals breed along the California shore. Today there are between 100,000 and 130,000 and they have re-colonized much of their former territory from Mexico to Northern California. Breeding takes place from December through March. Bulls stake out territories and try to contain numbers of cows and their recently born calves. Bulls, aggressive all year long, are even more aggressive at this time of year. This is a dangerous time to take up the sport of surfing as the seals’ main predator has also increased in numbers as its prey base has grown. There is perhaps no greater con-

centration of mature white sharks in the world than along the California coast from November to March. Forget what you learned in the movie, “Jaws.” Much of what was written there has been debunked by new research, a good deal of it coming from the California coasts. The sharks encountered feeding on elephant seals are not much bigger than the seals themselves. Most are less than 17-feet long, not the monster-size portrayed in the movie. Once a kill is made the shark (and sometimes two or three) feeds on it and then may not be seen again that season. A meal goes a long way. Sharks are not the ravenous eating machines of our nightmares. The silhouettes of an elephant seal on the surface and that of a surfer bear a strong resemblance to each other. The shark, cruising on the bottom, rockets to the surface and with a massive, stunning blow and a huge bite, inflicts a horrible wound on its prey. Cows and young seals die quickly but a large male elephant seal will survive for a while. The shark does not press its attack, preferring to let the animal bleed to death. Similarly surfers are rarely, if ever, attacked again. White sharks apparently do not care for the taste of humans. Once done breeding, the seals head for the open ocean. Theirs is a solitary journey and they will spend most of it below the surface. They can dive to depths of 2,500-feet and will rest up to 300-feet below the surface. They feed on squid and fish found at these depths. During the summer months the males come ashore to molt and that is when they are most commonly encountered along the British Columbia shoreline by Canadian anglers. ?

the vintage tackle box By Patrick Daradick

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

The Williams Bait Company The Williams Bait Company was a small operation run by George Henry Charles Williams from the basement of his home in Peterborough, Ontario. Founder and designer of a many wooden and metal lures, George starting production in the early 1930s. George was born in Peterborough on November 28, 1901. The son of John Booth Williams and Annie Smith, George had four brothers and two sisters. He attended school until grade eight and then proceeded to learn the machinist trade by traveling to the United States while still residing with his parents. After honing his machinist skills, George was employed by Canadian General Electric during the late 1920s. Williams was married on June 23, 1930 to Edith Annie Wallwork. They had three children; George, Ann and Betty. William built a house on Douglas Avenue where he raised his family. When the depression started in 1929, George and his father found themselves unemployed from General Electric, so George informed his family that he was going to start making fishing tackle. All sorts of items were produced during the work shortage and the Williams’ produced wooden knitting needles, corner and shelf brackets etc., gradually progressing into fishing tackle around 1931-1932. Williams moved into a store on George Street in the late 1930s. One half was a barber shop and the other half his tackle business. He displayed a huge assortment of his tackle as well a selling tackle imported from the USA. George manufactured his own dies for his metal lures in his basement workshop and he used a coal furnace to heat, treat and harden the dies. The metal to make the spoons was acquired from Westclox Clock Co., who sold the scrap brass and other metals that George used to produce metal lures. The forms for his wooden lures were 24 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

designed from hardwood. All his wooden plugs were made in the workshop using an old wooden lathe and templates to manufacture accurate shapes. His first metal bait was the popular June Bug. Williams never stamped any of his metal lures so unless one is found on a card you probably wouldn't be able to identify these lures. The wooden baits are easier to identify. The have distinctive hammered metal lips, a unique style of dark glass eyes and a paint pattern called “gold spots.” There never was any type of lure catalog for Williams’ baits and most of his sales came from word of mouth. There was a small ad as well as a small article on Williams Bait Company in a 1930s tourist brochure called “Smileys.” Most bait shops in the Rice Lake and Buckhorn area - and as far away as Kingston and Lake Simcoe carried Williams Baits. George was an avid sportsman and tested his own lures in lakes around Peterborough district - especially

Little Lake and the Otonabee River. None of George Williams’ lures were ever patented although there were several styles of boxes for his baits. The earliest boxes would have the address 572 Douglas Ave. on them. In the 1940s the address was changed to 562 Douglas Ave. The shop never moved, but new houses were built on Douglas Ave. and this changed the street numbers. Williams Baits lure boxes have been found in five different styles to date and all are rare as they were only made to ship lures in and not as retail packaging. The wooden plugs were made in many patterns and lengths. The first plugs were all red & white. In the late 1930s they started to incorporate many paint schemes. Williams was fond of the rib, gold dots and gill spray pattern. His plugs were made from 1931 to 1941 but production stopped due to the shortage of fish hooks he imported from England. With the war, the demand for fishing tackle dwindled, as did his business. Williams opted out of making tackle and in 1942 his company closed. George found employment with Outboard Marine Co. in Peterborough and continued to fish and make tackle for friends and some local sales on a very small scale until his death in 1974. ? Thanks to George’s son, Gerry Williams, for his help with this article.

Get the card!

127,&(

(IIHFWLYH $SULO WK HQKDQFHPHQWV WR WKH 2SHUDWRU &RPSHWHQF\ 3URJUDP ZLOO WDNH HIIHFW LQFOXGLQJ D PRUH FRPSUHKHQVLYH TXHVWLRQ H[DP )RU PRUH GHWDLOV YLVLW ZZZ %RDWHU([DP FRP EORJ

* or proof of competency | a minimum fine of $250.

$10 OFF YOUR ONLINE ÂŽ TAKE YOUR EXAM ONLINE 7 DAYS A WEEK

BOATER EXAM

Use this code to obtain $10 off your ONLINE Boater ExamÂŽ. Visit BoaterExam.comÂŽ for more information. Coupon is not valid on prior purchases. No cash value.

5($)6+

www.BoaterExam.com Toll Free 1.866.688.2628

DISCOUNT CODE

CCanada's anada's largest largest course course provider. provider. www.BoaterExam.com w ww.BoaterExam.com | 1.866.688.2628 | 203-1568 CCarling arling AAve. ve. Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7M4

real fishing fish facts

Rainbow Trout/Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss

In terms of appearance, size, habits and habitats, rainbow trout are one of the most varied of all fish species. Stream, river and landlocked versions are generally known as rainbow trout while anadromous versions are generally referred to as steelhead. Within these general guidelines there are several sub groups such as the Kamloops and Gerrard trout of British Columbia. All rainbows are basically trout-shaped with an elongated body that is somewhat laterally compressed. They have an adipose fin and a slightly forked to squarish shaped tail. Typical steelhead are steel-blue to bluegreen to olive or black on the back; lightly spotted on the back and upper flanks, silvery to white with a faint pink or red stripe along the lateral line and silvery to white on the belly. Stream and landlocked rainbow trout are usually darker, more vibrantly coloured and more heavily spotted than open-water steelhead. The red stripe along the flank is more prominent in stream and landlocked fish and may not be apparent on open water steelhead until the spawn. All rainbows become more intensely coloured during the spawn, and males develop a hooked lower jaw. The native range of the rainbow trout included the eastern Pacific Ocean and the fresh water lakes and rivers west of the Rocky Mountains, from northwestern

Mexico to Alaska. It has been widely introduced into almost all suitable areas of North America as well as to New Zealand, Africa, Japan, Asia, Europe and Hawaii. They were introduced into the Great Lakes in 1895 and into Ontario sometime between 1883 and 1904. Rainbow trout are basically spring spawners although some steelhead begin entering tributaries in the fall and may spawn at any time between November and May. All rainbows prefer to spawn in riffle areas of small tributary streams, over a fine gravel bottom. Most spawning takes place in water temperatures between 50°F and 60°F. Rainbow trout are one of the top sport fish in North America. They can be caught on a number of techniques including wet or dry fly fishing, bait fishing with or without floats, by casting spoons, spinners or body baits, by trolling or even by jigging soft plastics. When hooked, rainbows often make spectacular leaps and they will fight hard until they are exhausted. As a food fish, rainbow trout rank near the top of the list. Their flesh can range from white through pink to bright red or orange depending on their diet - and is rich and flavourful no matter how it is prepared. ?

DID YOU KNOW? A rainbow trout caught in the Bay of Quinte in 1958 was part of a group of tagged fish that had been released in Michigan some 8 months earlier? Between its release and capture the fish had traveled about 600-miles, survived the plunge over Niagara Falls or negotiated the Welland Ship Canal, and had grown 10-inches in length.

FAST FACTS Colour: Steel-blue to blue-green to olive on the back, black spots on the back and sides, silvery to white with a pink to red stripe along the lateral line, silvery to white on the belly Size: Rainbows 1 - 3-pounds on average; steelhead 5 - 8 pounds on average Life Span: 3 to 5 years for inland rainbows; up to 8 years for steelhead Habitat: Rainbows: streams, rivers and inland lakes. Steelhead: open water of the Pacific Ocean or Great Lakes Spawning: Generally March to June for rainbow trout; November to April for steelhead

RECORD The IFGA lists the current All-Tackle World Record rainbow trout at 43-pounds, 10ounces. The fish was caught from Lake Deifenbaker, Saskatchewan, on June 5, 2007. 26 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

SPRING

SHOW

Feb. 18, 19, 20 & 21, 2011

INTERNATIONAL INTERNA TIONAL CENTRE · 6900 Airport Rd. · Mississauga ON · springfishingandboatshow.com springfishingandboatshow springfishingandboatshow gandboatshow.com .com

TACKLE BOATS BOA TS SEMINARS ATVs ATVs RESORTS, LODGES & OUTFITTERS OUTFIT CAMPING CAMP ING & OUTDOORS

HUNTING

MEGATANK

FIELD DOG DEMOS Friday Feb. 18

SENIORS DAY DAY

FREE FISHING PRO PR O PANELS PANELS POND FOR KIDS

Monday Feb. 21

FAMILY DA FAMILY DAYY

P FREE PAR ALL THE TKIMING E

Fall smallmouth fishing can be spectacular as Wayne Izumi would certainly agree. This smallmouth tipped the scales at over seven-pounds (including the weigh bag) and was caught on Lake St. Clair during a friendly, tournament-style fishing trip with the folks from BoaterExam.com. Wayne credits his success, in part; to the new Columbia OmniHeat jacket and bibs he’s wearing. “You can’t fish properly in the late part of the season if you’re damp or cold. This new Omni-Tech gear from Columbia lets you forget about the weather and concentrate on fishing.” Omni-Heat’s thermal technology features thousands of reflective silver dots that help regulate your temperature by reflecting and retaining the warmth your body generates. It boosts heat retention by 20% on average while maintaining a high level of breathability to reduce excess heat and moisture. “This jacket keeps me warm and dry when the weather is cold or damp and it releases extra heat when I need it to like when I’m driving or stopping in for lunch. I don’t need to add or remove a bunch of big bulky layers every time the temperature changes. I can fish longer and more comfortably and that means more time to catch big fish like this one!”

28 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

OMNI-HEAT. THE BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGH IN FABRIC

SINCE CAMOUFLAGE. Omni-Heat™ makes our Wader Widgeon™ 20% warmer than other jackets, even though it’s less bulky. A patent-pending silver dot pattern reflects heat back to you, but it’s breathable so you won’t overheat. To fi nd out more about Omni-Heat and the dozens of features on the outside of the Wader Widgeon, go to columbia.com/omni-heat.

JANUARY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

9:30 9:54 3:27 3:51

am pm am pm

3:06 am 1:54 - 3:54 3:30 pm 2:18 - 4:18 9:03 am 8:21 - 9:51 9:27 pm 8:45 - 10:15

am pm am pm

7:30 7:54 1:57 2:21 -

Good Time

8:18 - 10:18 8:42 - 10:42 2:45 - 4:15 3:09 - 4:39

am pm am pm

16 8:18 - 10:18 8:42 - 10:42 2:45 - 4:15 3:09 - 4:39

1:06 1:30 7:33 7:57 -

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

11:30 - 1:30 11:54 - 1:54 5:57 - 7:27 6:21 - 7:51

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

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

5:06 - 7:06 5:30 - 7:30 11:33 - 1:03 11:57 - 1:27

am pm am pm

9:06 - 11:06 9:30 - 11:30 3:33 - 5:03 3:57 - 5:27

am pm am pm

2:42 - 4:42 3:06 - 5:06 9:09 - 10:39 9:33 - 11:03

9:30 9:54 3:27 3:51

am pm am pm

3:06 3:30 9:03 9:27

am pm am pm

NA 12:42 - 2:42 6:45 - 8:15 7:09 - 8:39

am pm am pm

NA 12:42 - 2:42 6:45 - 8:15 7:09 - 8:39

20 12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54 6:57 - 8:27 7:21 - 8:51

5:54 - 7:54 6:18 - 8:18 NA 12:45 - 2:15

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

11:30 - 1:30 11:54 - 1:54 5:57 - 7:27 6:21 - 7:51

1:54 - 3:54 am pm 2:18 - 4:18 2:42 8:21 - 9:51 am 8:45 - 10:15 pm

- 4:42 3:06 - 5:06 9:09 - 10:39 9:33 - 11:03

1:06 1:30 7:33 7:57 -

3:06 3:30 9:03 9:27

am pm am pm

1:54 - 3:54 2:18 - 4:18 8:21 - 9:51 8:45 - 10:15

8:42 9:06 2:39 3:03

am pm am pm

7:30 7:54 1:57 2:21 -

am pm am pm

NA 12:42 - 2:42 6:45 - 8:15 7:09 - 8:39

am pm am pm

5:54 - 7:54 6:18 - 8:18 NA 12:45 - 2:15 11:30 - 1:30 11:54 - 1:54 5:57 - 7:27 6:21 - 7:51

am pm am pm

3:30 - 5:30 am 4:18 - 6:18 am 3:54 - 5:54 pm 4:42 - 6:42 pm 9:57 - 11:27 am 10:45 - 12:15 am 10:21 - 11:51 pm 11:09 - 12:39 pm

9:30 9:54 3:27 3:51

am pm am pm

8:18 - 10:18 8:42 - 10:42 2:45 - 4:15 3:09 - 4:39

am pm am pm

2:42 - 4:42 3:06 - 5:06 9:09 - 10:39 9:33 - 11:03

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

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

3:06 3:30 9:03 9:27

am pm am pm

1:54 - 3:54 2:18 - 4:18 8:21 - 9:51 8:45 - 10:15

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

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

am 6:54 - 8:54 am pm 7:18 - 9:18 pm am 1:21 - 2:51 am pm 1:45 - 3:15 pm

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

am pm am pm

6:42 7:06 1:09 1:33 -

am pm am pm

NA 12:42 - 2:42 6:45 - 8:15 7:09 - 8:39

am pm am pm

5:54 - 7:54 6:18 - 8:18 12:21 - 1:51 12:45 - 2:15

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

11:30 - 1:30 11:54 - 1:54 5:57 - 7:27 6:21 - 7:51

5:06 - 7:06 5:30 - 7:30 11:33 - 1:03 11:57 - 1:27

3:06 3:30 9:03 9:27

am pm am pm

8:42 9:06 2:39 3:03

am pm am pm

9:06 - 11:06 9:30 - 11:30 3:33 - 5:03 3:57 - 5:27

am pm am pm

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

11:30 - 1:30 11:54 - 1:54 5:57 - 7:27 6:21 - 7:51

am pm am pm

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

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

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

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

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

am pm am pm

1:06 1:30 7:33 7:57 -

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

9:30 9:54 3:27 3:51

am pm am pm

1:06 1:30 7:33 7:57 -

7:30 7:54 1:57 2:21 -

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

2:42 - 4:42 3:06 - 5:06 9:09 - 10:39 9:33 - 11:03

15 am pm am pm

8:42 9:06 2:39 3:03

9:54 - 11:54 am 10:18 - 12:18 pm 4:21 - 5:51 am 4:45 - 6:15 pm

am pm am pm

6:42 7:06 1:09 1:33 -

am pm am pm

am 1:18 - 3:18 pm 1:42 - 3:42 am 7:45 - 9:15 pm 8:09 - 9:39

am pm am pm

am 8:18 - 10:18 am 9:06 - 11:06 am 9:54 - 11:54 am pm 8:42 - 10:42 pm 9:30 - 11:30 pm 10:18 - 12:18 pm am 2:45 - 4:15 am 3:33 - 5:03 am 4:21 - 5:51 am pm 3:09 - 4:39 pm 3:57 - 5:27 pm 4:45 - 6:15 pm

6:42 7:06 1:09 1:33 -

5:06 - 7:06 5:30 - 7:30 11:33 - 1:03 11:57 - 1:27

1:06 1:30 7:33 7:57 -

9:06 - 11:06 9:30 - 11:30 3:33 - 5:03 3:57 - 5:27

8:18 - 10:18 8:42 - 10:42 2:45 - 4:15 3:09 - 4:39

7 am pm am pm

am pm am pm

14 8:54 9:18 2:51 3:15

am pm am pm

NA 12:42 - 2:42 6:45 - 8:15 7:09 - 8:39

3:30 - 5:30 am 4:18 - 6:18 am 3:54 - 5:54 pm 4:42 - 6:42 pm 9:57 - 11:27 am 10:45 - 12:15 am 10:21 - 11:51 pm 11:09 - 12:39 pm

5:54 - 7:54 6:18 - 8:18 NA 12:45 - 2:15

6 am pm am pm

am pm am pm

6:42 - 8:42 am 7:30 - 9:30 7:06 - 9:06 pm 7:54 - 9:54 am 1:57 - 3:27 NA 1:33 - 3:03 pm 2:21 - 3:51

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

am 9:54 - 11:54 am pm 10:18 - 12:18 pm am 4:21 - 5:51 am pm 4:45 - 6:15 pm

1:54 - 3:54 2:18 - 4:18 8:21 - 9:51 8:45 - 10:15 7:30 7:54 1:57 2:21 -

4 am pm am pm

am 9:06 - 11:06 pm 9:30 - 11:30 am 3:33 - 5:03 pm 3:57 - 5:27

FEBRUARY

TUESDAY

6:06 - 8:06 6:30 - 8:30 12:33 - 2:03 12:57 - 2:27

30 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

MONDAY

Excellent Time

2:42 - 4:42 3:06 - 5:06 9:09 - 10:39 9:33 - 11:03

MARCH

Best Fishing Times 2011

DOUG HANNON’S

To order your copy of Doug Hannon’s 2011 Moon Clock Calculator please visit www.moontimes.com or send $9.95 (USD) plus $3.75 (USD) for shipping & handling to: Moon Clock, Department RE, PO Box 724255, Atlanta, GA 31139

SUNDAY

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

am pm am pm

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

5:06 - 7:06 5:30 - 7:30 11:33 - 1:03 11:57 - 1:27

am pm am pm

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

am pm am pm

26 5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42 NA 12:09 - 1:39

am pm am pm

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON. Peace of mind everyday. Emergency assistance when you need it. · Advanced GPS Performance · 5.2 oz · Actual Size

Notify the emergency rescue coordination center of your GPS location.

Ask family and friends for help – or request SPOT Assist.

Send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress in real time using Google Maps™ .

Let contacts know where you are and that you’re OK.

Send a custom message to family and friends!

SPOT SATELLITE GPS MESSENGER 5 communication and emergency functions powered by 100% satellite technology to work even where cell phones are unreliable.

www.findmeSPOT.com Subscription required. Coverage may vary. SPOT LLC reserves the right to make changes to pricing, price plans and coverage anytime without notice. Please see complete details of SPOT service in the terms and conditions on our website at www.findmespot.com. © 2010 SPOT LLC. All rights reserved.

5 DECADES OF TOURNAMENT SUCCESS

By Bob Izumi as told to Jerry Hughes

Bob Izumi is unquestionably Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-known and most popular professional angler. Although most people associate him with his Real Fishing Show, which has entertained and educated legions of anglers for almost 30-years, his real passion lies in competitive tournament fishing.

32 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Winter 2011

Bob has racked up at least one major bass tournament win in each of the five decades since winning his first event on Lake Erie in 1977; a feat no other Canadian angler has accomplished. He has more tournament wins and more Angler of the Year titles than anyone else in Canadian angling history. He is the only angler to ever win the Triple Crown of Canadian fishing, capturing the Canadian Open, the Pro Bass Classic Championship and the Angler of the Year titles in a single season. Bob is also the only angler to ever win three consecutive Canadian Open fishing titles. Most people might consider putting their feet up taking it easy after five successful decades, but not Bob. His competitive drive is as strong as ever and he is still competing – and winning - at the highest level of the sport. From his first win as a 19-year old kid to his latest championship at a Renegade Bass tournament in Cornwall where he and his son, Darren, weighed in a new one-day Renegade Bass tournament record weight, Bob has never let up. His story is an amazing tale of hard work, dedication and, ultimately, the success that comes from a lifelong devotion to doing what he loves best. Without further ado, here are some of Bob’s most memorable moments from the more than 70 tournament victories he has earned through five decades of competitive fishing.

IN THE BEGINNING Back in the ’70s my late father, Joe Izumi, started talking to a fellow coworker at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham about bass tournaments. Murray King was an orderly at the time and my Dad was the head chef.

Bay. The largemouth were schooled around this particular spot and we used medium running crankbaits to catch them. 1978 RONDEAU BASS CHAMPS

THE 1980s They worked together and often talked fishing during their breaks. In the late ’60s or early ’70s, when the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) was still in its infancy, Murray had been going down into the United States to fish some of the other bass tournaments and circuits that were available there. My Dad had become intrigued by these tournaments and so, in the early ’70s, he started the first bass tournament in Canada – the Rondeau Bay Bass Tournament that initially started as a draw-for-partner format. When it evolved into a team-tournament format I partnered with longtime friend, George McTavish, and we ended up winning it in 1977. That was the first fishing tournament that I won and man, has it been a fun roller coaster ride ever since! At 19-years of age there was no question (even though I didn’t know it at the time) that I was hooked for life. The next year my brother, Wayne, and I teamed up together and won the Rondeau Bay Bass Tournament again. It was such a learning curve fishing those tournaments in Rondeau Bay (as it still is in tournaments today). In the one that George McTavish and I won, our pattern was to go into the muddy areas of Rondeau Bay, in and around the canals, in search of isolated wood and rocks. We’d fish around these pieces of cover with a single-spin spinnerbait that was made by a guy in Ohio. We would throw past the obstructions, reel the bait up to the cover and then stop it and let it helicopter down on the shady side. We ended up catching enough fish to take first place that way. The next year, when my brother and I won, we were fishing an offshore rockpile with some isolated weeds and sand at the foot of Rondeau

In 1981 my brother and I went up to Buckhorn Lake in the Kawarthas to fish the first annual Emerald Isle Bass Tournament. We were not familiar with this lake but after spending a couple of days running around and fishing it we soon discovered that there were a lot of fish in a lot of different areas. I’ll never forget that event because I had a commitment to be in Mississauga for a kids fishing derby on the afternoon of the tournament. My dad, who had passed away a year earlier, had always said to me, “If it’s for kids, do it,” so, tournament or not, I was going to be in Mississauga that afternoon. We made an arrangement with Brian Mayberry, the tournament organizer, that I would be able to leave and Wayne would fish by himself for the rest of the day as long as someone followed him to make sure everything was on the “up and up.” So, on the morning of the tournament Wayne and I started flipping the reed islands on Buckhorn Lake with some of the early flipping jigs. At that time nobody else was flipping. We had the fish all to ourselves and I ended up catching three big largemouth before I had to leave. Wayne dropped me at the dock at 11 o’clock and I took off for Mississauga while he went back to work with a scrutineer boat following him. During the afternoon Wayne caught fish by using 1/8-ounce finesse jigs on windblown points with rock/weed transitions. He ended up filling out our limit with Bob and Wayne hard at work in 1979.

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 33

smallmouth and largemouth and, lo and behold, we won the first ever Emerald Isle Bass Tournament. We didn’t have cell phones back then and I didn’t find out that we had won until late that evening.

In 1982 and 1983 Wayne and I won three different walleye tournaments on Lake Scugog. We fished a few walleye tournaments in those early years but between doing promotional work and competing in bass tournaments I really didn’t have a lot of time to concentrate on the walleye events. In 1982 I had a real windfall when I won the Molson award for the Lakeshore Shopper Bass Derby in the largemouth division. My brother and I didn’t enter many derbies – we were more focused on tournaments so this was a very interesting event for us. The derby was on Lake Erie, at Long Point, on opening day. Wayne and I had decided to go largemouth fishing and about midway through the day I caught one that weighed just under four-pounds. We put it in the livewell, not really thinking that it would be worth weighing in. We fished the rest of the day and got back Marina Shores with five-minutes to spare before the weigh-in. When it was all said and done we ended up beating a guy by .02 of a pound to win the $1,000 first prize. Believe me, $1,000 to me back then would be like winning a lottery

THE REAL FISHING SHOW In 1979 I decided to try fishing for a living. I had to survive off my promotional work in the fishing industry as well as my tournament winnings. After having a great time, but starving to death and living the life of a tournament bum, I decided that maybe the TV business might be the way to go, so in 1983 we started the Real Fishing Show. To this day I can honestly say that I did not start the TV series to become famous. I started it because I had to pay for my tournament addiction. I needed to supplement my income to pay entry fees and other expenses associated with tournament fishing. I had no idea that the TV show would take me in another direction and bring the notoriety that comes with being on the “tube” for almost three decades. To this day though, what I want to do most is fish in tournaments. It’s what I think about 24/7 but a guy’s got to make a living. Even today, where there are some pretty large purses, it would be a pretty tough living if you had to just rely on tournament winnings. The Real Fishing Show helps support my tournament habit and that’s the main reason I’ve done it for so many years.

34 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

today. I didn’t have any money and that amount of cash went a long way towards paying for gas and groceries. Although I didn’t know him at the time, the fellow we beat, Mark Alford, would come into my life many years later. When I

moved to Milton 15-years ago my new neighbour turned out to be the same Mark Alford. We ended up becoming very good friends and fishing and hunting buddies. It’s funny how it really is a small world when it comes to fishing. My brother, Wayne, and I won the Phillips Marine Bass Tournament out of Kingston in 1982 with a mixed bag of largemouth and smallmouth bass. We caught our largemouth on weedless spoons and plastic worms and our smallmouth were caught by making long casts with white spinnerbaits in the clear waters around Wolfe Island. We also got the biggest fish of the event, a 6.34-pound largemouth. I caught it from under a willow tree on a weedless spoon that I’m not sure is even made today, a PT Spoon. Funny thing is, the locals really favoured smallmouth bass and the tournament rules were changed the next year to make it a smallmouth-only tournament. Wayne and I had weighed some pretty big largemouth along with some big smallies in that first tournament and I often wonder if that had something to do with the rule change. Back in the late ‘70s my biggest boat motor was an 85-horsepower. Then, in 1979 or ’80, I moved up to a 150-horsepower, which is what I ran in the 1982 Orillia Bass Championship on lakes Couchiching and Simcoe. Back then nobody would have ever run from Orillia all the way to the Holland River at the south end of Cook’s Bay, but my brother and I decided that we would have a chance to win if we went flipping the undercut banks in the Holland River so we gambled and made the run. It turned out to be a good decision because we weighed a big limit and were leading after day one. On day two the lake was rough but we managed to get back down to the river. We caught a number of big fish but when it came time to head back to the weigh-in we didn’t feel it was safe to run through the six-foot waves that were blowing down Lake Simcoe. Denny Leeson and his son, Bruce, were also in the river on day two and we talked to each other about the conditions. We agreed that, rather than risking a long boat ride in rough water, we could share a taxi ride back to Orillia with our fish. Now, back in those early years most tournament rules weren’t written very clearly and

CANADA’S BEST ANGLERS TRUST SHIMANO [ PRO TIP FROM BOB IZUMI

DROPPIN’ IN FOR BASS The trend has been finesse the last few years with zebra mussels making our lakes kess ke very clear. The hottest technique for catching clear water smallmouth is the drop shot technique. Light line, a sensitive rod and d a good, smooth drag will help get the job b done. Look for rocky shoals or breaks an and nd work the bait nice and slow. From 10 to o 40 feet you will feel even the lightest bites es with the Crucial rod. The Crucial dropshot rod paired with the e Stradic CI4 is without a doubt the ultimate atte combination for these monster brown fish! sh!

• • • • •

IM-9 Graphite Blank Lightweight and Sensitive Convenient hook keeper Fuji® Exposed blank reel seat Fuji® Alconite Guides

• • • • •

LIGHTWEIGHT CARBON FRAME PROPULSION SPOOL LIP PALADIN GEARS AEROWRAP® II SUPER STOPPER®II

FIND THE BEST GEAR FOR THE WAY YOU FISH AT SHIMANOFISHING.COM

there was nothing in them about how you could get back to the weigh-in. There also weren’t any rules or penalties when it came to bringing dead fish to the scales so we put our fish in garbage bags and took them back to Orillia in a taxi. It ended up with Wayne and I getting first place with 48-pounds for 12 fish over two days (as well as the big fish of the tournament) while the Leeson’s finished the tournament in second.

In the ’70s and early ’80s, catch and release was optional at tournaments. After you weighed your fish it was up to you what you did with them – you could keep them or could release them. Back then we had no idea how important catch and release would become as tournament fishing progressed. Needless to say, there were a lot of unhappy anglers at the weigh-in after they found out that we came back in a taxi! But, the tournament director went through the rules carefully and there was no rule about how you had to return to the weigh-in. Nowadays you have to return either in your own boat or in another competitor’s boat and, if you use another competitor’s boat to get back, you have to clear it with the tournament director beforehand or you’ll be disqualified.

36 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

There’s no doubt that our adventure had something to do with the change in rules. We ended 1982 by winning the last tournament of the year up on Canal Lake. Wayne and I had a tough day and I caught the only fish of the day – a largemouth that was just shy of three-pounds – on a jig and pork chunk I was fishing along a weedline. It turned out to be good enough because we won big fish and first place with that single bass. It was below freezing the night before, the water temperature had dropped and the fishing was brutal. If I’m not mistaken, Dan Fontana had three very small smallmouth that didn’t weigh as much as my one largemouth and he ended up in second place. Bass in Canada was a tournament circuit run by an American fellow who wanted to

Bob and Wayne got $1,000 for winning the 1983 Bass in Canada Lake Scugog tournament.

be the next Ray Scott. The series didn’t last long, but in 1983 Wayne and I won Team of the Year and I won the Angler of the Year in that series. Along the way we won two tournaments – a one-day tournament on Lake Scugog with 20.46-pounds and a two-day tournament on Pigeon Lake with 35pounds, 13-ounces. Back in those early years I often wondered where people fished. You could have a hundred boats in a tournament but nobody was fishing in the water we were. It was almost like we had the lakes to ourselves. I don’t know if I was fishing with blinders on, if I was more focused or if I wasn’t paying attention, but it seemed like the best water was overlooked by most of the other boats. In fact, at the Pigeon Lake tournament we caught big fish in lily pads, on stumps and on

Bob and Wayne finished fourth in the 1984 Labatt Loyalist Smallmouth Tournament.

undercut banks. We caught fish everywhere. The best place was the undercut banks where there was some matted weed blown into the corners. Those little, high-percentage spots are where we caught our biggest fish by flipping jigs - and we were the only ones doing it. It seemed like those kinds of spots were overlooked by the majority of the field. The same thing worked on Lake Scugog. In 1984 Wayne and I won Team of the Year in the OV Pro Bass series. I’m not sure which tournaments we won in that series but it must have been a good year because we ended up with the Team of the Year award! 1985 turned out to be a very good year for us, starting when Wayne and I won the Long Point Bay Pro Bass Tournament. We decided that we would get away from the crowds so we ran out towards the tip of Long Point to fish. The buzzbait bite was really good during this tournament and Wayne and I were making long casts over patchy weeds in the middle of some of the bigger bays with white ones. It seemed like these weed patches were holding a lot of emerald shiners and the big largemouth were right there with them. These patches of weeds were untouched – no other anglers fished them in the tournament – and we ended up catching a lot of very large largemouth bass. It was pretty cool to walk away with that tournament on a pattern that I don’t believe anyone else was fishing. In those early years there weren’t a lot of big largemouth bass over five-pounds but we ended up weighing in some five-pound fish to also take the big bass award. In 1985 we also won the RedMan Pro Bass Long Point tournament on Lake Erie and the Fall Final on Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe. In that tournament we went up to

LACE UP YOUR RECHARGEABLE MOBILE DEVICES. The Bugathermo ™ Techlite ™ unleashes up to five hours of warmth at the touch of a button. Patented heating units are powered by a rechargeable, removable battery so that Omni-Heat™ Thermal Electric technology keeps feet enveloped in warmth. And the silver dots of Omni-Heat™ Reflective retain 20% more body heat than other linings so that your feet are warm even when The Greater Outdoors is not. To find out more go to columbia.com/omni-heat.

the north end of Lake Couchiching to fish the scattered limestones, boulders and weeds rather than going out onto Simcoe to fish the big lake or Cook’s Bay. We caught a mixed bag of largemouth and smallmouth by using spinnerbaits, jigs and worms. In 1989 I teamed up with the late John Vandivier to fish the Southwestern Ontario Bass Association (S.W.O.B.A.) tournament series and it was a year I’ll never forget. John 1988 OV Pro Bass Team of the Year.

THE LEARNING CURVE During the early years of tournament fishing many anglers were learning, but we seemed to be one step ahead of the curve. A big part of that is because we were fishing tournaments down in the U.S. I subscribed to all the U.S. bass fishing magazines; I fished in some of the U.S. tournaments and I was fishing with a lot of Americans back then. So I think we were always one step ahead of most guys when it came to learning the new techniques that were brought into Canada from the U.S. We were one or two years ahead on techniques like flipping, finesse fishing tactics from California and crankbait techniques to name a few. Today, it’s different. The knowledge is out there. There’s nothing untapped now, nothing. If there is, your odds of finding it are probably one-percent. In the early years it may have been as high as ninety-percent. Today’s “middle of the pack” tournament angler, with the knowledge he has, would likely be a top-ten angler back in the late ’70s or early ’80s. It’s so much more competitive today because there are very few secrets out there anymore.

38 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

and I fished the three qualifying tournaments leading up to the Classic and we had some of the most fun you could ever have fishing tournaments. I didn’t have time to practice for the first tournament of the season because I was busy filming the Real Fishing Show, so John spent some time practicing and found some very good smallmouth bass out on a sandbar in Lake St. Clair. But, when the tournament rolled around the wind came up and muddied the water which killed the smallmouth fishing. At the end of the day we ended up in, I think it was 48th place. I’ll still never forget the weigh-in that day. A friend of mine was in the crowd watching the weigh-in and he heard this lady say, “Looks good on Izumi, big TV star can’t even catch fish down here in his old stomping grounds!” As much as I laugh about it today, her comment actually fueled the fire in me for the next three tournaments. I must have taken it personally because John and I won the next three in a row. The second tournament was out of Long Point on Lake Erie. In that one, we caught most of our fish from submerged, isolated weed patches, isolated pencil reed clumps and isolated wood on flats. I also caught the big fish of the day - a black, blind largemouth. We watched this fish swimming over a sand bottom in one or two-feet of water and it was so black it looked like a sea bass. We followed it around for about 15-minutes before I stuffed an Alka Seltzer tablet up the rear end of a tube, threw it out there about five-feet ahead of the fish and deadsticked the bait. The bass slowly nosed towards it and sucked it in. That fish weighed just a hair under five-pounds but it had the frame of about a seven-pounder. Because it was blind, it obviously had no way of foraging by sight. The next tournament was back on Lake St. Clair and we thought a good starting point would be the sandbar where John had found fish while practicing for the first tournament. This time the water was clear and the fish were there! We caught lots of bass through the day and in the last minutes of the tournament I hooked a small smallmouth. When I got it to the boat I could see a bunch of other fish following. I said, “John, John! Throw in there!” John got hyper, his rods were tangled up and he was flustered. I used to do that to John

all the time – I’d get him way too worked up and excited because I was so full of adrenaline. Sometimes I think he wanted to wring my neck because I was probably a real pain in the rear! Anyway, John told me to give my rod to him so that I could grab one that wasn’t tangled. I passed it over and he pressed the freespool button to let the small fish swim around while the other three followed. I Bob and John Vandivier were on top of their game in 1989.

ended up catching two of the bigger bass. The third one, which happened to be the biggest of the bunch, hit at the very end. I was using a little Reaper on a spinning rod with light line that I hadn’t retied. I threw the bait out and was dragging it in (by now this fish had backed away from the boat and we couldn’t see it) when the fish hit. It was close to four-pounds and when it jumped it broke my line. I looked at my watch and saw that we had about seven-minutes to get back to the weigh-in. We packed up, got back in time and ended up winning the tournament by about a pound. The next tournament was the Classic and there was a Javelin bass boat for first prize. The tournament was on Rondeau Bay, where I learned how to fish, but I hadn’t been there for a lot of years so I really didn’t know what to expect. We got down there for about a day of practice and a lot of things had changed, so it became an intuition type of tournament. We basically had to go and fish the bay on the fly because some of the old areas I knew had changed a lot. John and I decided that our best bet would be to fish close to the blastoff site for the first morning. Since we were leading the Team of the Year race we were the first boat out and we headed straight across the channel to fish the rocks at the entrance to Rondeau Bay. We were using vibrating, lipless crankbaits, I believe they were Rattle Spots, and caught a mixed limit of largemouth and smallmouth

Oek h[ Wj W :_iWZlWdjW][ m_j^ 7doj^_d] B[ii j^[d :_]_jWb$ Â&#x161; Â&#x161; Â&#x161; Â&#x161; Â&#x161; Â&#x161;

:_]_jWb =kWhZ_Wd _i W i[Wb[Z ceZkb[ j^Wj _i fhej[Yj[Z \hec ^[Wj" ce_ijkh[" Yehhei_ed WdZ i^eYa$ :_]_jWb lWh_WXb[ if[[Z [\\_Y_[dYo h[ikbji _d bed][h XWjj[ho b_\[ WdZ ceh[ j_c[ ed j^[ mWj[h$ Gk_[j" iceej^ lWh_WXb[ if[[Z ef[hWj_ed b[ji oek ][j Ybei[h je j^[ \_i^$ :_]_jWb =kWhZ_Wd _i \kbbo fhej[Yj[Z m_j^_d W YecfWYj" b_]^jm[_]^j bem[h kd_j$ I[hl_Y[WX_b_jo _i ]h[Wjbo _cfhel[Z j^hek]^ _ji ceZkbWh Z[i_]d$ C_Yhe im_jY^ ed :_]_jWb cejehi ef[hWj[i Wj '&"&&& j_c[i b[ii Wcf[hW][ m^_Y^ c[Wdi _j _i Z[i_]d[Z je m_j^ijWdZ j^[ Z[cWdZi e\ ^Whi^" m[j jekhdWc[dj YedZ_j_edi$ Â&#x161; Cejeh=k_Z[ Jekh" =h[Wj M^_j[" M_h[b[ii WdZ <h[i^mWj[h :_]_jWb cejehi Wh[ XWYa[Z Xo W )#o[Wh B_c_j[Z MWhhWdjo WdZ i[hl_Y[ ikffehj \hec C[hYkho CWh_d[$ Â&#x161; 9b[Wd" Yh_if Z_]_jWb Yecckd_YWj_ed efj_c_p[i iedWh f[h\ehcWdY[$ Â&#x161; FWj[dj[Z Z_]_jWb j[Y^debe]o _i W Cejeh=k_Z[ [nYbki_l[$

D[l[h" ;l[h Ijef <_i^_d] JWa[ YeccWdZ e\ j^[ XeWj" \hec Wdom^[h[ _d _j$ M_j^ ekh d[m :_]_jWb M_h[b[ii I[h_[i" oekĂ&#x160;h[ \h[[ je cel[ WXekj j^[ Z[Ya" WdZ W fhekZ emd[h e\ j^[ ceij h[b_WXb[ WdZ l[hiWj_b[ jhebb_d] cejeh ed j^[ cWha[j jeZWo$ >_j j^[ mWj[h m_j^ fh[Y_i[ ij[[h_d]" W )) ijhed][h i^W\j XWYa[Z Xo W B_\[j_c[ =kWhWdj[[" W hk]][Z 9hWZb[ cekdj" WdZ el[hi_p[Z Xhki^[i j^Wj Z[b_l[h i_b[dj" kbjhW# [\\_Y_[dj ef[hWj_ed m_j^ b[ii XWjj[ho ZhW_d$ M[ YekbZ ]e ed" Xkj m[ ik]][ij oek \_i^ _j" WdZ \_dZ ekj \eh oekhi[b\ m^Wj _jĂ&#x160;i b_a[ je hkd j^[ X[ij$

Cejeh=k_Z[Ă&#x160;i [nYbki_l[ ^_]^#\h[gk[dYo M_h[b[ii F[ZWb _i j^[ [Wi_[ij#je#ki[" ceij \kdYj_edWb \eej#Yedjheb Z[l_Y[ [l[h Z[i_]d[Z \eh W jhebb_d] cejeh$ Oek dem ^Wl[ fh[Y_i[ m_h[b[ii XeWj fei_j_ed_d] Wdom^[h[ ed j^[ Z[Ya" m[Wj^[h oekh i_jj_d] eh ijWdZ_d]$

Ekh M_h[b[ii >WdZ#>[bZ H[cej[ ]_l[i oek kbjhW#fh[Y_i[ YeccWdZ e\ oekh :_]_jWb M_h[b[ii cejeh$ 9^Wi[ W XWii Xem je ij[hd" ifej \_i^ \hec j^[ feb_d] fbWj\ehc" [Wj bkdY^ Wj j^[ Yedieb[ # _j i jhkbo W Yedjheb \h[Wa i Zh[Wc$

IC7HJ9H7<J Â&#x161; ?D<B7J78B;I Â&#x161; C;H9HK?I;H Â&#x161; FHEF;BB;HI Â&#x161; F7HJI 799;IIEH?;I Â&#x161; EKJ8E7H:I Â&#x161; CEJEH=K?:; ;B;9JH?9 CEJEHI

within sight of the other competitors. It was definitely fast and furious as we had our limit before the last boat had blasted off. Then we ran around the bay, caught a few more fish here and there and ended up leading the tournament after day one. On the second day, the field was reversed so we were the last boat out. We headed straight for the rocks we had fished on day one but when we got there, there were 16 other boats sitting on what really was a oneboat spot. I guess they all figured that we had found the honey hole of the century on the first day! I was a little upset that so many boats had converged on our spot so I weaved in and out of them and caught the only fish that I saw caught there. We left the crowd and ran the whole bay, jumping around to a number of spots. Some were places I’d fished 25-years earlier, some were completely new to me. At the end of the day we were down at the foot of the bay at Rondeau Park. I’d never fished the docks down there but over the years I’d learned that docks were good spots to fish, so we went into the shallow, sandy-bottomed area where they were located. We caught a few fish and as we got to the last dock I flipped a worm under it and missed a fish. John flipped in behind me and, bang, he sets the The 1980s were very good to Bob Izumi.

hook on a good three-pound largemouth and puts it in the boat. This was Labour Day weekend and I’ll never forget the crowd on the shore. These folks were all drinking beer, partying and having fun. They were all cheering and yelling, “Hey Bob, way to go,” and things like that. I looked at my watch and saw that we had about 10-minutes to make the nine-mile run back to the weigh-in so we packed up and took off as fast as we could. We made it back with a minute to spare and ended up win-

40 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

ning the Javelin bass boat. That capped off a truly memorable year because of the laughs, the fun, the fish that we caught; it was one of those years that I’ll never forget.

THE 1990s The ‘90s were probably the best tournament fishing years I ever had and I won a number of team and pro/am events through the decade. At that time we were starting to see tournaments with better paybacks and prizes, and pro/am tournaments were starting to become popular. In the early ‘90s Wayne and I won the first bass tournament ever held in Belleville. In this one we really didn’t know the area so it was an interesting tournament for us. Back in the early years - and even to this day - I have no problem fishing new water during a tournament. Most guys won’t. When the tournament starts most anglers will not go outside of what they have learned in practice or what they feel comfortable with. Not me. If I see something that looks good, I’ll fish it. I think it’s because I’m inquisitive. The intuition factor kicks in and I need to know what’s there. I know it might be a waste of time but then again, it may not be. The Belleville tournament was a two-day event and we got onto catching fish from isolated patches of pencil reeds that were out from the big feeder bays. Everyone else was in the backs of these feeder bays, flipping the undercuts, fishing the lily pads, fishing the trees – which were all good places. By now guys were starting to learn how to flip and use all the other new techniques that were starting to get popular. We thought that the other anglers were all doing the obvious stuff so we backed off and fished these small, isolated, untouched patches of reeds at the mouths of the big bays. Sometimes there would be as few as three pencil reeds sticking out. We would stay back from them and throw plastic worms past them, reel up to the reeds and then let the worm drop. Sometimes you would see one reed just move a little bit and then the line would tighten up and start to move. We’d set the hook and catch the fish. After fishing the few bays that we knew, we started running all over, looking at our map for big bays and then looking for small patches of reeds at the mouths of them. You really had to keep your eyes open because

My brother, Wayne, is one of the most intuitive anglers I have ever fished with. To this day he constantly pulls rabbits out of his hat by thinking outside the box. That approach works for him and he regularly comes in with big fish that many other anglers miss. Fishing by the seat of his pants allowed him take back to back wins at the Canadian Open and the CFT Ontario Place Open. some of these reed patches were incredibly small; everything from two or three reeds to small clumps the size of your boat. We ended up winning the tournament with 45-pounds of bass for 12 fish over two days. We also got the big fish of the tournament, a largemouth that was just under six-pounds. It was pretty cool to fish a pattern that was untouched by the rest of the field.

In the 1994 GM Mariner Pro Bass series, John Vandivier and I won the Orillia Fall Bass Challenge up on lakes Simcoe and Couchiching with one largemouth and nine smallmouth over the two days. We caught them on all different techniques; so many that it would take a full article to write about what we did in that tournament. I’ll never forget the big fish of the day that John caught, which also ended up being big fish overall. We were behind Strawberry Island and we were getting a little hungry so I said to John, “Why don’t you eat first while I fish.” So I’m fishing out of the front of the boat and John’s sitting there eating his lunch while dragging a smoke-coloured grub along behind us. All of a sudden his rod doubles over and he goes, “Oh crap, I’m hung up in the rocks.” Then his rod starts to thump and he’s into a good fish that turned out to be a fivepound smallmouth. We ended up winning the tournament with 39.35-pounds for ten fish over two days and John’s bonus fish will always be remembered as being caught on the sandwich pattern! In 1994 my brother, Wayne, and I won the GM Mariner Pro Bass Lindsay Open II on Sturgeon Lake with 20.40-pounds for our five-fish limit. We fished by working a weedless spoon called a Moss Boss over the lily pads. We’d “pop” the bait so it looked like a little mini boat going over the pads. As soon as it got to the edge of the pads we’d “kill” it and that’s when the big largemouth would take it. In 1994 I won my first GM Mariner Pro Bass Canadian Open out of Kingston on Lake Ontario. Wayne had won the Open back-to-back in 1992 and ’93 by fishing primarily for largemouth in the St. Lawrence River. In ’95 I decided that I would go out to the Main Duck Islands, which are 16 or 17miles straight out from Kingston in Lake Ontario, to fish for smallmouth. My main baits were a 1/8-ounce tubes that I threw into the shallow water for post-spawn fish. 1995 was an incredible year. The GM Mariner tournament circuit was alive and well and Wayne and I won the Team of the Year title. In that year I also won the Angler of the Year title, the Canadian Open Championship out of Kingston and the GM Mariner Classic, also out of Kingston. It was

Bob won his first of three consecutive GM Mariner Pro Bass Canadian Open tournament titles in 1994.

as good as it gets and you couldn’t win anything bigger in Canada. To my knowledge, to this day nobody has ever won those four titles in the same year. My goal in the Open and the Classic tournaments was very similar. I fished for smallmouth to start the day and get my limit, then I ran to fish for largemouth on the New York side of the St. Lawrence. I started each day by fishing with a tube jig along breaklines in 20 to 30-feet of water for smallmouth. Then I would head into one to three-feet of water to flip a Texas rigged black/blue plastic crawfish with a 5/16 –ounce screw-in weight into heavy reeds and matted weeds. The cool thing is that I was able to fish two completely different species and patterns, put them together each day and win the tournaments. The following year, in 1996, I won the GM Mariner Canadian Open for the third time in a row. In that tournament I decided not to do the smallmouth thing and ended up fishing exclusively for largemouth in heavy cover. Rather than go for numbers of smallmouth, I felt I had a better chance with the largemouth. They weren’t as plentiful, but they were heavier on average. That’s one of the things that make successful tournament fishing like a poker game - you’ve got to make the right choices. 1994 to 1996 were certainly three of the best years for me in terms of winnings on the Canadian tournament scene. Between the Classic Championship, Angler and Team of the Year titles and back-to-back-to-back Canadian Open wins, I can’t imagine it being any better than that! In 1998 Wayne and I fished the Chevy Mariner Bass Tour Lake Scugog/Sturgeon Open. It was two day team tournament with

one day held on each lake. We won it with 35.55-pounds for our 10 fish over the two days and, once again, it was like we had the lakes to ourselves. We caught fish everywhere by flipping, casting weedless spoons and on a variety of other techniques. In August of ‘98 there was a Chevy Mariner two day pro/am held in Belleville and I ran all over 100-miles each way with my amateur partners; through the Bay of Quinte, down through Adolphous Reach and clear across Lake Ontario to flip largemouth in the reeds and matted weeds. I had to run through six-foot waves and had to fuel up when I got there to be sure I had enough gas to get back. After the big run, I had about two-hours to fish each day. People thought I was nuts making a 200-mile-plus round trip each day. They all thought that there were enough fish in the Bay of Quinte to win but I didn’t think so at the time. Since then, the bass have grown up and the largemouth fishing is very good in the Belleville area but at that time I thought I needed to run in order get the fish I needed to win. I weighed in over 34-pounds of largemouth (that I caught in less than five hours of actual fishing over the two days) and won the $10,000 first prize. It was a bonejarring ride to and from my fishing area but it was certainly worth it. That was over a dozen years ago and I’m not sure that I could perform at that level today. Physically it was incredibly demanding. Not only did the boat ride beat me up, once I got to my spot I had to really put the hammer down and get fishing because I only had a couple of hours to catch a big limit of fish. It was an endurance test to say the least.

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 41

In 2004 Bob won the CFT Triton Angler of the Year award and the Team of the Year award with his brother, Wayne.

THE 2000s Fast forward to the 2000s and the competition out there is getting tougher. What I noticed during the decade is that many Canadian tournament anglers had become as good as many of the U.S. guys. There weren’t and secrets anymore and the lures, patterns, fishing spots and overall knowledge of the sport was more equal among most of the competitors. New tackle was becoming more readily available in the tackle shops, there were a ton of seminars, TV fishing shows flourished, magazines were talking more about the latest techniques and the internet made everything so accessible. The information and equipment was there for the taking. Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s you really had to learn it on your own or have someone show you. The whole attitude was more lackadaisical back then. Guys didn’t practice much. They’d show up a day or two before the tournament and just go fishing. As the prize money got bigger and the knowledge became available to anyone who wanted it, people started taking tournament fishing more seriously.

In the year 2000, Wayne and I won the Chevy Mercury Team of the Year. In 2004 I won the CFT Triton Angler of the Year award and Wayne and I were Team of the Year again. Winning back to back Quinte Series Classics in 2007 and 2008 was as good as it gets for Derek Strub and me. We had been competing against each other since the late ’80s but we teamed up for a handful of tournaments in recent years and have done well in most of them. The Quinte Series Classics are held out of Belleville every year. In 2007 our winning weight was 46.20-pounds and in 2008 it was 46.35-pounds. We also got big fish on three of the four days. We fished smallmouth exclusively in both events but in completely

THE ANGLER’S CHOICE in NAPANEE • Complimentary Hot Breakfast

• High Speed Internet Service

• “Cloud Nine” Beds

• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

“If you’re not completely satisfied, we don’t expect you to pay.” Hampton Inn by Hilton, 40 McPherson Drive, Napanee ON K7R 3L1 Tel: 613-354-5554 or Toll Free: 1-866-780-0999

42 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

different areas, about 40-miles apart from each other. A few key fish were taken on tubes but the majority, including the 6.15-pound big fish we weighed on day one in 2007, were caught on Berkley Gulp! Baits rigged on a dropshot. The Gulp! 3" minnow and 3" fry have been my go-to baits for deepwater smallmouth since they were introduced. I can think of at least four wins and countless top tens where these soft baits have caught fish for us! Wayne and I won a CSFL Bob teamed up with Derek Strub to capture Bassmania tournament out the first of two consecutive Quinte Classic tournaments the pair won in 2007 and 2008. of Trenton in 2008. In 2009 my son, Darren, and I won our first tournament together as a team; a CSFL Bassmania event held out of Trenton. Darren and I had fished a few tournaments together but this was our first win as a team and it was very gratifying for me.

Call fish in and make them strike with Lindy’s amazing Darter. Its holographic baitfish finishes and wicked rattles draw gamefish in to investigate, then its unique darting action seals the deal by provoking savage strikes. Darters are available in four sizes and 17 holographic colors designed to catch nearly every gamefish that swims below the ice. Learn more at LindyFishingTackle.com

2 3/4” NEW SIZE

11/3”

2” 1 3/4”

The Lindy Darter’s intense rattles, erratic darting action and holographic finish provokes savage strikes from walleye, pike and other predators.

NEW COLOR

(( Q]ddgo H]j[`

(- H]j[`

)( ;`Yjlj]mk] ?dgo

() :dm]_ad

(. K`Y\

)) J]\ ?dgo

(* J]\lYad

(/ K`af]j

(+ >Yl`]Y\

(0 JYafZgo Ke]dl

(, ?gd\]f K`af]j

(1 LmdaZ]]

NEW COLOR

)* FYlmjYd H]j[`

NEW COLOR

)+ 9d]oa^]

NEW COLOR

), Hmjhd] Ke]dl

NEW COLOR

)- ;`Yjlj]mk] H]j[`

NEW COLOR

). <Y[]

The 2010s When my son and I won the Renegade Bass tournament on Lake St. Francis out of Cornwall in 2010, with the biggest one day weight in the history of the Renegade series, it was a personal milestone. What could be bet-

44 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

ter than spending quality time with my son competing as a team, catching giant fish, and winning a tournament with a record weight? In that tournament we had two main spots. One had some big fish and the other had the odd big one but a few other fish around. We were catching fish on Berkley Gulp! Sinking Minnows and a few other baits in the crystal clear water. At one point Darren says to me, “Dad, there’s a bass.” I looked and, about 20-feet from the boat there’s a big, round boulder and there’s a big bass beside it. I said, “Darren, don’t move. Hand me that light tube rod and give the tube a shot of Gulp! spray.” Darren sprayed the tube and handed me the rod. I flicked the bait about 10-feet past the boulder, let it sink and then dragged it towards the fish. The fish sucked in the tube and I got it into the boat in a matter of sec-

onds. Now, I was only using six-pound Trilene fluorocarbon line and there’s no way that fish should have come in so easily. I don’t think it even realized it was hooked. It swam straight towards the boat and Darren netted it. That fish turned out to be over sixpounds and ended up being the big fish of the day. We won the tournament with 24.76pounds which was a new one-day record for a Renegade Bass tournament. It was amazing to win that tournament as it gave me wins in each of the five decades I’d been tournament fishing. As we were driving out of the parking lot we were already talking about the next tournament. So to say that I’m throwing in the towel would be completely untrue. If anything that latest win has fueled the fire in me to fish as hard as I can until the day I die. To all of my fellow tournament competitors; I haven’t thrown in the towel yet. I love it way too much. ?

Non-inflatable, foam design

Designed for children weighing 30-50 pounds

Soft nylon for added comfort and less chafing

Adjustable rear strap

No confining between-the-leg straps

Free range of motion and great stability in water

Outfit them with confidence. The Stearns® Puddle Jumper™ Swim Aid, with its unique and comfortable design, gives your kids freedom, free range of motion and stability in the water. So they won’t be the only ones feeling confident. For details, visit stearnscanada.ca.

CAP

46 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Winter 2011

PITALIZING ON

EARLY ICE By Lindy Fishing Tackle

The walleye’s fall feeding spree doesn’t end when the ice first sets up. They continue chasing baitfish under the ice and in the same places they did before you could walk on water. Since the early-ice bonanza lasts only a few weeks, now’s your chance to make hay before the walleyes scatter and slide into deeper water for the remainder of the winter.

Pro angler and fishing guide Jon Thelen starts drilling holes as soon as the ice is thick enough for safe angling. Rather than chance driving on new ice with a snow machine, Thelen goes afoot. He carries a five-gallon bucket that doubles as a seat and as a means for carrying his catch. He also brings a small rod bag that holds six short ice fishing rods. A few small utility boxes stuffed with ice fishing lures fits in his pocket. Early-ice walleyes typically prowl weed edges, flats and points in less than 10-feet of water. Many of these places are a short

walk from the bank. If you marked sweet spots with a GPS while fishing from a boat before ice-up, you can use the same waypoints as starting places for drilling holes. “Sometimes you can see walleyes through the ice moving around in the last dying weeds,” Thelen says. Given the shallow water, lack of snow pack and the clarity of the ice, you must take precautions to avoid spooking the walleyes. When fishing, move slowly and tread lightly. Of course, there’s no getting around the commotion of drilling holes with an auger. Thelen drills about 20 holes

over a given structure or weed bed before he breaks out his rods. Then he shuts the auger off so the walleyes can settle down while he’s fishing. Thin, early ice also allows greater light penetration than the thick, snow-covered ice that forms later in the winter. This means that the peak fishing happens during low-light periods early and late in the day, the same as when the water is open. However, you can still catch walleyes throughout the day if you turn them on with a selection of Lindy Darters, as Thelen does. This small, lipless crankbait

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 47

Peak walleye fishing often occurs during low-light periods.

The swimming, gliding and rattling Lindy Darter is a great choice for hardwater walleyes.

has two treble hooks and loud rattles that call walleyes in from a distance. “The great thing about the rattles is that you don’t have to drill as many holes,” Thelen says. “The Darter brings the walleyes to you.” The action of the bait is the key. The Darter rolls on its side at the top of a high jigging action. Then it glides briefly and then swims back down. Walleyes usually engulf the bait at the top of the lift or as it drops. Thelen favors the 1 3/4-inch Lindy Darter when fishing through the early ice. The

48 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

strong light penetration allows walleyes to see the bait from greater distances. The high visibility also makes natural baitfish colors, such as the holographic Perch, Tullibee, Golden Shiner and Fathead patterns, more effective. When fishing deeper, darker water later in the ice fishing season, Thelen steps up to the two-inch size in brighter colors. These include Chartreuse Glow and Chartreuse Perch. “I try different actions throughout the day,” Thelen says. “You miss out if you always fish any lure the same way all day long.”

His basic presentation is to jig the minnow imitator with long, high snaps. This makes the rattles sound off and forces the lure to turn on its side before swimming down. Thelen also stirs up the walleyes by standing up and lifting the rod as high as he can over his head. This jumps his lure from just above the bottom nearly to the bottom of the ice. Then he lets the bait swim back down on a slack line. The strikes often come halfway down. These aggressive jigging strokes attract walleyes, but they don’t always trigger bites. That’s why Thelen alternates with a short jigging action--just enough to make the rattles sound off--between pauses. “The lure looks like a struggling, dying minnow that suddenly stops moving,” Thelen says. “A walleye strikes then because it thinks the minnow is vulnerable.”

The small wings on the Rattl’N Flyer make it flutter and flash while the rattles create a sound and vibration that triggers the walleyes’ curiosity.

Thelen switches to 1/8 and 3/16-ounce spoons during the prime early morning and late evening hours. Since the walleyes move in and feed at these times, they’re not far from Thelen’s lure. The Rattl’N Flyer Spoon has rattles to attract walleyes, but Thelen doesn’t jig it as aggressively as the Darter. He dresses the red Bleeding Bait treble hook with the head of a minnow to add the allure of scent and taste. There are infinite ways to work a spoon. A steady, short jigging action often does the trick for Thelen. The small wings on the spoon make it flutter and flash while creating a vibration that triggers the curiosity of walleyes in the vicinity of his hole. Natural colors fare best for Thelen when using spoons for early ice walleyes. The Tullibee and Purple Smelt patterns

are deadly on lakes that support a natural tullibee population. Whether he is fishing the Rattl’N Flyer Spoon or the Darter, Thelen opts for 6pound test line. He always rigs a swivel two-feet above the lure to prevent line twist. Thelen's first ice arsenal is pretty simple with a selection of aggressive swimming baits and spoons in natural colors. Rigged similarly, you'll find the same success on most sheets of early ice this winter. ?

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 49

Explosions fr By Joel Duncan

While planning our trip to Costa Rica, a nation universally known for its natural beauty and abundance of tropical flora and fauna, my friend, Chris Young, and I huddled around a computer and did a quick internet search for places to fish. The phrase, “fishing Costa Rica,” returned countless websites that sold sport fishing trips for deep-sea monsters like sailfish, marlin, dorado and tuna. Scrolling through the extensive list of links, we came across a site offering “Rainbow Bass” fishing. At first we assumed that rainbow bass were just another deep-sea species but, since we are mildly obsessed bass-anglers, we decided to click on the link – just to satisfy our curiosities. “These cichlids really put up a fight and can destroy bass lures and flies in a heartbeat,” was the line that immediately grabbed our attention. Continuing down the page my heart raced with excitement

50 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

as I read multiple claims that rainbows were fierce predators. They are notorious for smashing lures twice as hard as largemouth bass and fight as if it were the last round in a UFC title bout. Rainbow bass, officially known as guapote, can grow up to about 15-pounds but any fish near the 4-pound mark is considered a good catch. The official IGFA world record is 6.8kg (15-pounds even) and was caught by Hubert Gordillo on Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua in February 1999. That was all we needed to hear – you could say we were officially ‘hooked’. As luck would have it, some of the country’s best rainbow bass fishing was on Lake

Arenal, near the volcano town of La Fortuna. Fortunately, we had already planned on spending a few days exploring La Fortuna so a good bass fishing trip would be a perfect addition. At first I was skeptical about booking a fishing trip over the internet since I didn’t know what to expect. Although several sites sold rainbow bass sportfishing trips, all of the links pointed to only a handful of actual boat captains. After long deliberation we booked a trip with Captain Marc Delvaux, a guide from Belgium who immigrated to Costa Rica 30-years ago and had been fishing on Lake Arenal just about every day since he arrived.

om rom

LAKE ARENAL Arriving in the mountainous town of La Fortuna you can see Costa Rica’s biggest attraction, Arenal Volcano, smoking in the distance. The cone-shaped natural wonder is considered to be one of the world’s most active volcanoes, drawing increasing numbers of tourists from all corners of the globe. In 1968 this fiery pit actually wiped out three small villages and claimed the lives of 87 unfortunate inhabitants. Although I couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of flowing lava, or rising ash and smoke, I was more interested in the eruptions coming from nearby Lake Arenal. There was something quite exhilarating

Arenal

about fishing at the base of an active volcano that made me giddy with excitement. The country’s largest lake, Lake Arenal is a 35-km-long, man-made lake which was created by diverting water from the Arenal River to form a hydroelectric reservoir which now produces a significant portion of Costa Rica’s electricity. Most sport fishing on this lake is for rainbow bass although a few other species, like machaca and mojarra, are frequently caught. There are several smaller lakes and rivers where guapote can be found but Lake Arenal offers some of the best landscape photo opportunities along with the best chance of catching a record-sized guapote.

NEWS FROM THE CAPTIAN As arranged, I phoned Captain Marc as soon as I arrived in La Fortuna. Marc made it clear that we could catch fish but that the fishing in August was slower than in other months. “People arrive here expecting to fish with spinnerbaits and top-water lures but right now that sort of fishing is tough”, he explained. “Just days ago I took a few guys out and they spent most of the day working weed beds close to shore but were unsuccessful.” Naturally, this was not the type of news I wanted to hear on the eve of my longanticipated fishing trip.

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 51

At first glance the guapote looks like a mild mannered creature but a closer look reveals a serious set of teeth that confirm this is no ordinary bass!

“I just want to set your expectations. If you want to catch big guapote we will have to troll,” advised the Captain. I appreciated Marc’s honestly and, since there was absolutely no way that I would return to Canada without at least trying to net one of these colourful fighters, I agreed to meet him at 6 a.m. sharp the next morning.

CHASING RAINBOWS The drive from our hotel in La Fortuna to Lake Arenal began at 5:40 a.m. It was a short 20-minute ride along a narrow winding road, sheltered from the morning sky by the shadow of the lush tropical forest. Up ahead, the trees began to clear and with our first glimpse of the radiant sun we could see the long bridge where the captain had instructed us to meet him.

Treetops jutted out above the clouds into the golden sky.

Daybreak on Lake Arenal with not a single fishing boat in sight.

To the left of the bridge was the mighty Arenal volcano. Treetops jutted out above the clouds into the golden sky as if they were there to pay respects to the volcano. To our right was the pristine lake, without a single fishing boat in sight. We could see the Captain sitting on the bow of his boat, casually puffing on an early morning cigarette. Like every other day, he had already been there for over an hour taking in the crisp Costa Rican morning air as he awaited his eager clients. “You made it. You guys ready to catch some guapote?” he asked while enjoying his last puff.

52 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

Five minutes later we were at our first spot, ready to try our luck. Whether it was our egos or just sheer determination, we still wanted to give the shallow-water fishing a shot – despite the Captain’s warning. Although equipment and lures were included in the cost of trip, I wanted to use my own gear. I went straight to my favourite largemouth bass lure, the faithful spinnerbait. Chris also tied on a spinnerbait with different colours and blade shapes to add variety in testing the unfamiliar waters. An entire hour passed by and the only action we saw was when my lure snagged a fallen tree. Next, we switched to shallow-running crankbaits which we were convinced would draw the guapotes out of their hiding spots, but another hour passed without a solitary bite. “As I told you guys earlier, if you want to catch guapote right now you gotta troll,” Marc reminded us, as he saw the frustration building in our faces. Trolling isn’t how I had imagined catching my first guapote but I also didn’t imagine spending five-hours in the middle of a lake catching nothing. We followed the Captain’s orders and 10-minutes later we were in 25-feet of water, dragging a pair of diving crankbaits, with our eyes firmly fixed on the fishfinder. I could hear Chris repeating his favourite fishing chant, “Come on baby, smash that lure.” Only two-minutes later, down went the tip of his rod and up jumped Chris as he snatched the stuttering rod from its holder. Hooting with excitement, he tucked the rod handle to his side and began reeling furiously to get the fish into the boat. His hands came to a sudden stop and the reel hissed as the fish dive-bombed, trying mount and escape.

The Rainbow Bass The flashy rainbow bass, locally called guapote, is a cousin to the more popular peacock bass. Although guapote are called bass, they are technically not related to the North American largemouth and smallmouth bass. In fact, once you take your first look at the shape and the teeth on these feisty fish you will quickly embrace the fact that they are not bass but aggressive feeding machines. Lipping one of these bad boys is definitely not a good idea! The guapote received its English name, rainbow bass, on account of its iridescent, rainbow-like colours and its feeding style – which is similar to that of the largemouth bass. Many Costa Ricans and foreigners who have eaten fresh guapote claim that they are the tastiest freshwater fish in the world - fighting words to our local walleye! The Captain shouted, “it’s only a small one.” Chris and I looked at each other with puzzled looks. When Chris finally brought the fish to the boat it wasn’t half as big as we had both imagined. Our first guapote was a one and a half-pound female but it fought more like a four-pound largemouth. The females are yellow and black while mature males are more colourful and generally yellow-silver hued with blue, black and purple speckles forming a rainbow-like pattern. Chris Young with the first guapote of the day.

Giant rainbows can be caught yearround in both deep and shallow water but where to fish will depend on the time of the year. Perhaps the biggest factor that will determine the whereabouts of guapote is the water-level. The Arenal area receives

THE LOCAL ANGLE Many locals will fish for guapote from shore. They use thick monofilament line wrapped around a stick in place of a rod and reel. For bait, they use pieces of uncooked chicken thighs. They slowly drag the bait along the bottom and wait for a fish to bite. some of the highest levels of rainfall in Costa Rica and the water level changes significantly throughout the year. More water means more space for the guapote to Author Joel Duncan with one of a dozen guapote caught in a couple of hours of fishing.

spread out in - and less chance of you catching them! In August, guapote fishing tends to slow down and gets tougher by the month until the start of dry season in January. Local guides suggest planning your rainbow bass fishing trip to Costa Rica

from May to July when the bite is best. After two hours of non-stop trolling in 25-feet of water we netted 12 guapote between one and a half and three-pounds, but the bite was slowing as the sun began to make its presence felt. With only onehour left in our half-day fishing trip, we pulled in our lines, switched to larger versions of the same crankbaits and headed for deeper water. More than 30-minutes passed as I kept one eye on the fish-finder and the other on my jittering rod. The sun was now directly over us and I could feel my skin burning with each passing minute. I motioned to get some sunscreen from my bag when the fishfinder started beeping to warn us that we had just passed over a school of fish. As if on timed queue, my rod tip made a sharp dive towards the water. Marc quickly cut the motor and I jumped onto the stern platform, wedging the rod butt into my waist. I felt a sharp tugging on the line and I could tell the fish was about to make a run for the bottom. My rod was fixed in a bent position and would stay that way for the entire fight. As the fish neared the boat and the Captain reached for the net, I could see the rainbow’s silvery-purple body shimmering in the bright sunlight. “That’s the best one I have seen in a few weeks” remarked the Captain as he netted the fish.

Joel Duncan proudly displays the biggest guapote of the trip.

54 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

TIPS FROM THE CAPTAIN Captain Marc Delvaux uses braided line with all of his expensive lures. Guapote have long, sharp teeth that can easily slice through thin monofilament. If you fish with monofilament, opt for something slightly heavier (12 to 20-pound test) and use a 25 to 40-pound shock tippet or a thin metal leader to avoid losing all of your lures to the toothy predators. As I proudly held the guapote I felt a sense of satisfaction. I had achieved what I set out to do – catch a nice Costa Rican guapote and have fun doing it. Surface plugs, top-water baits, and spinnerbaits will catch you a lot of fish in the spring and early summer when active guapote move closer to shore to feed in shallow water. Be prepared to switch your lures and techniques when guapote move into deeper water from August to December. Without a doubt having an arsenal of deep-diving crank baits will help you to catch the big one. ?

TRAVEL TIPS • A valid Costa Rican fishing license is required for freshwater fishing. Most fishing guides or resorts catering to anglers will include the cost of a license in your package. • The dry season in Costa Rica is from January to May, while the rainy season is from June to December. • The average annual temperature in Costa Rica is 21°C to 27°C so be sure to stay hydrated and wear enough sun block. • Do your research - it will pay off. If you are planning a trip down south this winter or spring, remember that deepsea fishing isn’t your only option. The internet is a free tool that can be used to discover often overlooked lakes, rivers and exotic species of fish. • If you are considering booking a vacation to Costa Rica, be sure to seize the opportunity to fish on beautiful Lake Arenal and experience the thrill of catching your first guapote. You can hook up with Captain Mark through his website at fishinglakearenal.com

Introducing the Fishing Forever Mastercard速 Credit Card

Every time you use your card for a qualifying purchase, a financial contribution will be made to Fishing Forever on your behalf!

Plus, you can enjoy the benefits of: s Around the clock fraud protection s Unparalleled 24 hour customer service

To o learn more about this exciting opportunity

simply call

1-877-428-6060

and reference priority co code de C109

Feeling the solid, stout resistance of a true slab can make even the most die-hard winter angler’s heart skip a beat while flakey, white fillets are a sweet reward at day’s end. Yet winter crappies can be challenging to find and catch consistently - and no wonder. They inhabit a wide variety of environments; are prone to wildly cyclic population dynamics; often occupy unique ecological niches; sport a roaming, nomadic nature, an inherent aptitude for suspending and they tend to spook easily. Successful approaches must address each of these variables. Start by contacting a local Ministry of Natural Resources fisheries expert for help choosing lakes supporting healthy crappie numbers, emphasizing the size of fish you’re looking for. Guides or knowledgeable bait shop owners are excellent secondary sources. Crappie populations often undergo dramatic cycles with tremendous year classes occurring every several years and weak ones in-between. Hit it right bounty. Hit it wrong - famine. A few minutes speaking with an expert will help eliminate less productive waters, minimize bad timing and set you on the right track. After identifying waters offering the numbers and size of fish you’re seeking,

Winter Crappie Essentials By Tom Gruenwald

56 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

evaluate the physical attributes of your target water. Is it a river backwater, natural lake or impoundment? How deep? Is the water clear, stained or turbid? What are the primary forms of structure? Bottom content? Cover? What combinations of these features are most likely to attract crappies on your target waters? Next, research the preferred forage base and where it is most likely to be found in concentration. Don’t neglect to consider which other species compete for this for-

A History Of Innovation & Excellence

Innovative Tip-Ups Cutting Edge Shelters Exceptional Ice Rods Trend Setting Lures Lightweight Thermal Outdoor Clothing

The Pioneering Continues ... www.icefish.com HT ENTERPRISES, INC. • PO BOX 909 • CAMPBELLSPORT • WISCONSIN

age and might modify the crappies’ feeding habits. Largemouth bass, competing for baitfish, may push crappies away from shallow cover or off of deep mud flats. Smallmouth may out-compete them on a rock reef; pike may drive them off weed edges on recognized structural features. Such situations (or combinations thereof) may force crappies to suspend and feed primarily on drifting, open water plankton - not necessarily their preferred forage, but the resulting primary one - creating significantly different patterns than on waters where crappies have little competition and easy access to schools of baitfish. Determining the most productive locations requires putting these details together along with an understanding of basic seasonal movements.

MID-WINTER As winter wears on, deeper pockets and holes within mid-depth flats; the edges of productive first ice flats near primary drop-offs; mid-depth saddles between islands and points - especially long, main lake points adjoining deep water and featuring productive forms of cover such as weeds or wood - are often primary forage holding locations that draw schools of mid-season crappies. Mid-depth sunken islands, reefs, rock bars and rock piles may also be productive. Long, main lake points adjoining deep water often draw schools of mid-season crappies.

tions of fish. Just remember, depending on the lake, “suspended” doesn’t necessarily mean schools will be high in the water column. Mid-season crappies often “suspend” within a couple feet of bottom. Watch carefully.

LATE ICE As ice-out nears, crappies begin returning to vegetated or wood strewn shallows prior to spawning. Look for large schools to develop along the deeper, outside edges of these areas. As the melt continues, you’ll notice increasingly larger concentrations of fish moving shallower and becoming more active. Simply look for typical spring spawning areas. Once the ice “pops” and water begins flowing, you may experience the best action of the year in such locations.

EARLY ICE At early ice look for shallow, vegetated channels, bays, backwaters and open pockets within cover laden flats. Crappies are opportunistic and will utilize whatever form of cover is available. Vegetation, downed trees, brush, stumps, cribs and even dock posts can all be productive. If your source reveals certain features as being keys to success, be sure to note them and identify similar locations throughout the lake. You may just uncover your own sleeper hotspot!

Often, however, such areas are occupied by competing, more aggressive species that will cause crappies to suspend off adjoining breaks and in open water over nearby deeper holes or main lake basins. Here’s where electronics become critical. Should your source be on fish and offer to share GPS waypoints, be sure to download the coordinates but also pre-enter potential locations of your own choosing. GPS makes planning your approach efficient! Sonar can reveal the exact depth of suspended crappies.

Once on location, sonar and underwater cameras make classic “spots-on-the-spots” such as weed lines, transitions between differing forms of cover or bottom content easy to identify. If crappies are suspended over adjacent open water areas these units reveal precisely where, allowing you to determine patterns by noting the specific locations holding the largest concentra58 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

As the ice begins melting and water begins flowing, typical spring spawning areas can offer some of the best action of the year. Late ice can be dangerous so always wear a floatation device, never go out alone and use extreme caution and common sense around open water areas.

If the water is clear, try sight fishing. Often you’ll see crappies move in on your bait, sometimes two, three or four at a time. You may be surprised by the number of fish you’ll see approach and inhale - or reject - your lure, enabling you to learn about their feeding habits and responses to various presentations, first-hand. In summary, pay attention to details! Use GPS to guide a well-planned search and sonar to pinpoint the best combinations of features and cover. Use an underwater camera to positively identify the specific depths, bottom content and cover that is holding crappies of your target size. Concentrate your efforts in areas of minimal activity and always approach quietly, especially when fishing clear water. It makes a difference, particularly on heavily pressured waters. As you settle in, note precisely where and how crappies are relating to each feature, and prepare to monitor their activity levels and responses to various presentations. These details help reveal the most

CLASSIC TIP-UPS

HT’s Polar is the timeless stationary underwater tip-up that turns as smoothly as silk - critical when fishing winter crappies and it’s guaranteed against freeze-up.

HT’s Windlass offers the opportunity to create movement as the rocker arm catches the wind. The resulting jigging action helps draw strikes. It’s fully adjustable, so you can set the amount of movement based on the conditions.

unwinds smoothly from a free-spooling reel. The lowered arm and spinning spool reveal strikes. Stagger your sets along migration routes or the edges of the area you intend to jig. If a fish strikes, approach quietly and carefully lift the line until you feel weight. Due to the crappie’s tender mouth structure, simply maintain pressure to keep the line tight (rather than forcefully setting the hook) and gently guide the fish to the hole.

JIGGING While waiting for action on your stationary set, try jigging to increase your effectiveness. Begin with classic tactics, best used when crappies are aggressive and feeding on baitfish. Light to medium-light action ice rods in 26-inch to 36-inch lengths work well. These slightly longer rods provide more sweep, a wider jigging range, improved hook setting power and are much more forgiving when larger fish are hooked. Team your favorite rods with premium spinning reels offering smooth, multi-set-

ting drags. Spool with fresh, clear or green four-pound test monofilament, tie on a premium ball bearing swivel and add 12 to 18-inches of four-pound test mono leader. This system helps prevent line twist. I like to start with an aggressive approach and usually choose swimming minnow baits tipped with a tiny minnow or minnow head on the center treble. If the crappies are running big, I often replace the factory installed trebles with a slightly

productive presentation pattern(s) so you can determine the best approach using either tip-ups and tip-downs, classic “aggressive” jigging approaches or scaleddown “finesse” style presentations.

TIP-UPS/TIP-DOWNS Classic, premium quality tip-ups such as HT’s Windlass or Polar models rigged with long, two to six-foot clear mono leaders of four to six-pound test; small, well-sharpened light wire hooks and a small minnow are effective when placed strategically along the outer edges of high-percentage target locations. Position your bait high because crappies usually move upward to feed. Set your flag on the lightest possible trip setting and check your baits frequently. If the minnow’s not moving, replace it. Lively bait is critical. Tip-downs - essentially units featuring sturdy frames supporting a loosely balanced rocker arm and spool of line - are another option. Like the Windlass, they can be set to create some jigging motion, and offer minimal resistance on the strike. Simply rig them like a tip-up. When a crappie bites, the arm dips down and line Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 59

larger hook, or use chain rig extensions. Both dramatically improve hook setting percentages. Drop the bait down and, while watching your sonar closely, position the lure a couple of feet above the school. Begin working the bait with gentle, four to six-inch lifts before allowing it to fall on a slack line. If the crappies are active, you’ll see them rush up. At this point, slowly raise the bait while quivering it gently to keep pursuing fish interested. Just as a chaser catches up,

THE ICE RIGGER

The Ice Rigger is a unique new ice fishing rig that bridges the gap between tip-up fishing and jigging. It’s similar to a tip-up in that a flag indicates strikes but this unit uses a standard spinning combo to hook and fight your quarry. It does not feature automated hook-setting capabilities so it’s legal in all 50 states and all of the provinces of Canada. Here’s how it works. Using a rod and reel combo of your choice, set your presentation at the depth you want to fish. Place the handle of your combo in the holder, open the bail on the reel, and extend your line from the spool to the trip clip. The line is gently slipped within the clip - the deeper down, the stronger the tension for bigger and harder striking fish; the further up, the lighter the tension, better when targeting smaller or lighter biting fish. The clip is then turned down, and the tip-up flag is set beneath the attached trip bar. When a fish strikes, the clip rises turning the trip bar and releasing the flag. The line then slips free of the clip and free-spools from the reel as the fish moves away. There is no resistance whatsoever to biting fish, regardless of how hard and fast or slight and slow they strike and run. When you see the flag pop, simply remove your combo from the holder, snap the bail shut, take up any slack line, and set the hook. You control the timing and strength of the set, just as you would when jigging, and fight the fish solely with the rod and reel.

60 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

slow your lift speed but keep the quiver going. Charging fish will likely be all over your lure. Smaller, flashy spoons like Jig-AWhopper’s 1/10-ounce Hawgers, 1/16ounce Lazer Rockers and Hot Bite’s Dominator Spoons are also good choices. I like silver, white, pink, blue and purple, but experiment with color. Crappies can be fussy and the most productive colors often vary with lake type and water clarity. For best results, tip with a tiny minnow, minnow head or plastic action tail, and work them much like a swimming minnow, but with more subtle two to four-inch lifts. Other alternatives include larger profile jigs featuring #8 - #6 hooks. My favorites include HT’s Marmooska tipped with a white tube jig and Hot Bites’ Squid Jigs with clear-bodied, metal flake tube tails, although HT’s Soft Eyes are productive, too. Force Lures’ Glow Grub, Hot Bite’s Fish Eye, or Force Lures’ Predator tipped with small minnows are also highly effective. With any of these baits, position your presentation just above the target fish and jig with a gentle rocking motion while slowing raising the lure. Aggressive crappies will charge up in pursuit. As they do, don’t stop your cadence. Keep working the lure and let them chase as this seems to produce the hardest strikes.

ICE FISHING LINES Today’s ice fishing lines are specifically designed to handle the rigors of cold weather fishing and they all outperform regular line when the temperature dips. There are several types, all engineered for specific ice fishing applications. Whether you need a no-stretch line for deep water jigging; a super thin line for microjigging or a tough, flexible and abrasion resistant line for tip-ups, matching the line to your fishing style will definitely help you catch more fish this winter.

to two-pound test lines by absorbing the snap of a hook set or lunge of a large slab. Thinner lines also allow you to tie up super tiny #12 to #14 micro jigs and get the most action out of them. A micro-light ice rod and light touch helps detect subtle strikes.

FINESSE JIGGING When crappies are heavily pressured or lethargic, and classic approaches aren’t bringing results, it’s time for a lightweight, finesse presentation. Fussy crappies bite light. It’s up to you to detect a take. This is where 24-inch to 32-inch premium ultralight or micro-light style rods are key. Teamed with premium spinning reels featuring smooth drags, these super-light tipped rods allow use of lighter, wispy, one

Some of my favorite micro jigs include HT’s Marmooska, Hot Bite’s Slim Rats, HT’s Bloodworm or Daphnia with fins, all in smaller, #12 to #14 sizes. I still prefer silver, white and pink and I usually tip

Flashy spoons like Jig-A-Whopper’s Hawgers (left) and Lazer Rockers (right) are good choices for aggressive crappies.

Micro jigs like the YZ (left) and Froggy (right) offer great action in a small package.

these baits with a small grub - or better yet, two. This creates more wiggling action and if a lethargic fish nips one grub off, the second keeps you baited. Plastics are another extraordinarily productive option. Several commercially produced jigs, such as Jig-A-Whopper’s YZ and Froggy Jigs or Hot Bite’s Mousee, come with plastic tails designed especially for ice fishing.

YZ jigs feature round segmented plastic bodies and unique “ball” tail tips. These create an incredibly tantalizing wiggling motion when gently worked and a quick, flashy ‘flick’ when popped. The resulting profile and action offers a striking resemblance to the movements of freshwater shrimp - a favorite dietary staple of finicky crappies. Froggy Jigs are also a great choice. The Froggy’s segmented, soft plastic body features a flattened split-tail design that undulates in the water, creating an irresistible, wavy, fish attracting movement with just the slightest jigging motion.

Thin sliced micro plastic tails such as those offered on Hot Bites’ Mousee create subtle vibrations that often drive crappies into a frenzy. No live bait needed here just plastic - but experiment with different designs, sizes and colors. Often, one type will produce several fish and then stop working. Changing to another may keep things going. To work micro baits, gradually jig upward, beginning just above your target fish while producing a slight quivering motion. It’s all in the rod tip. Be sure to keep the gentle quivering motion constant and carefully watch your tip and line for any tell-tale interruption in your regular cadence. If the rod tip changes rhythm, stops moving, dips down or rises up on a slack line, set the hook! Often, this will be your only indication of a strike. So there you have it. If you’re looking to ice a few slabs this season, try incorporating a few of these winter crappie strategies into your approach. You might just get hooked. ?

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 61

Tales from the Road By Bob Izumi

For the past number of years we’ve done a contest with the folks from Off! Deep Woods. Winners from across Canada join me, my brother, Wayne, and a number of our fellow professional anglers for a fun, casual, tournament-style fishing day on Bark Lake in the Haliburton Highlands. It’s always a lot of fun and our guests catch a number of smallmouth bass and walleye every year. This year, the fishing was as good as ever and we all had a lot of fun. I returned from Haliburton and the next day I was off to Lake Erie to do a show called Real Life that airs on Crossroads Television System (CTS). Tanya Prokomenko, who is the co-host of Real Life, joined me for a fun afternoon of smallmouth fishing and it didn’t take her long to get the hang of dropshotting in the deep water. We caught a bunch of smallmouth and had a great afternoon out there. John Thelen from Lindy tackle came into town to shoot some product videos for their new crawler harness. When he arrived, we drove straight down to Lake Erie to “jerk some perch.” Then we were off to the Wet weather didn’t dampen the fun at Bark Lake.

Haliburton region to do some walleye fishing before heading down to the Bay of Quinte to do some more walleye fishing. Overall it was a good trip but we sure put on a lot of miles in the two days that John spent with me. It was funny when he remarked, “Aren’t there any closer places to catch fish?” I told him that there were, but I since he was from Minnesota I wanted to let him see 62 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

Lindy’s John Thelen jerks up a couple of Lake Erie Perch

some of what southern Ontario had to offer. He was probably glad to hit the airport after I toured all over the province with him! After John left, my son, Darren, and I fished the CSFL Lake Erie tournament out of Chippewa on the Niagara River. The first day was cancelled so we only fished on Sunday and we didn’t fare too well. We gambled and ran all the way down towards Tecumseh Reef to fish on the Canadian side before running straight across to Dunkirk, New York. When it was all said and done, we had definitely put some miles on. If there was an award for who covered the most miles I think we would have won it! And that’s all I’ve got to say about that tournament. The next day I was off to Lake St. Francis to get ready for the Berkley B1 tournament. I had the most phenomenal practice…..and then the rains came. By time the tournament rolled around, the rivers that dump into the lake were flooding. About 80% of the good water was muddy and it completely blew things out. To top it off, I came down with an incredible flu the night before the tourna-

ment. I woke up shivering, my nose was like a tap and my head was pounding. It was not a fun day for me to be on the water. Darren and I ended up catching one largemouth that was just under five-pounds and we lost three or four others. Because of the conditions the weights were down substantially. There was nothing close to the 30pound limit a lot of folks were anticipating; in fact, it only took six-pounds and change to make the cut to fish the final day. Although the fishing wasn’t what we had hoped it would be, this was a very well run tournament and I can’t wait to fish it again next fall. After the B1 I spent a day at home before heading to Lake St. Clair for the BoaterExam.com challenge. It was a casual, three-boat tournament where myself, my brother, Wayne, and tournament angler, Derek Strub each fished with one of the guys from BoaterExam.com. In this tournament I did pretty well – I got a top three finish and ended up third out of the three boat field! Derek ended up winning, but we all caught some good fish and it was fun day for all of us. It’s funny how things happen throughout your life. The following week one of my dear friends lost his wife to cancer and another lost his sister to cancer. In between the two funerals was my nephew’s wedding. It was a very emotional week to say the least. As you get older these things happen more often. Somehow during that week I managed to slide up to the north end of Georgian Bay to fish with Big Jim McLaughlin, Captain Mike and guide-in-training, Jeremy. Captain Mike

Photo by Jonathan LePera

has been at it for a long time and he really knows his stuff. Jeremy has just been taken under his wing and is now starting to guide full time for Mike. Between the two of them they certainly know where the fish are and we caught a ton of walleyes. My biggest walleye that was caught on video weighed around seven-pounds. Of course Big Jim had to show us all up by catching a crankbait walleye that weighed more than 12-pounds. It was a great couple of days visiting with Big Jim and all of his friends. Next up was the Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open. My son, Darren, and I didn’t get a chance to practice except for a couple of hours on a windy day, two days before the tournament. We didn’t catch any fish although we did run around and graphed some interesting looking shoals. Darren and I weighed in a total of zero fish and ended up in a tie for last place with about 40% to 45% of the field. The lesson to be learned is that it’s so important to get in some quality practice time. Late fall fishing can be feast or famine. The smallmouth are in very specific,

small areas. Confidence in fishing them is key during this tournament. I guess I’m going to have to spend more time out there! As always, during the first part of November I took a few days to relax and unwind by doing some local deer hunting during our five-day shotgun hunt. I managed to get out for three of the days and had a very successful hunt. Chris Gatley, the Canadian and northeastern United States sales manager for

Navionics, put together a really cool deal with Chris Hockley, the Canadian Marketing Manager for Pure Fishing down on the Bay of Quinte. Jeff Brodeur from Navionics, walleye pro, Sheldon Hatch, my brother Wayne, friend Frank Guida and a number of outdoor writers joined us at Westlake Willows Resort for a couple of days of fishing with some local guides. The fishing was slow but we did get enough walleyes for a show, including a 13-pound, 5-ounce monster. Our guides spend countless hours perfecting their walleye tactics on the Bay of Quinte and I really enjoyed spending time fishing and learning from them. I returned home and got to sleep in my own bed for the evening. The next day I got up early and headed straight down to Lake Erie to take out Don Scott and Mark Sceeles from CRC, manufacturers of Phase Guard4 fuel treatment. The boys like their fishing and I wanted to do a “meat” trip, so we headed down to catch some perch with my neighbour, Mark Alford. Mark has been out there all summer, pounding the perch in the deep waters off of Long Point on Lake Erie. We went to one of his honey holes and within a few hours we caught our limit of 200 perch; 50 per angler, up to 14-inches in size. Needless to say it was a very successful outing. I came home for the weekend and then was off to Cornwall to fish with Jack Levert. Jack is a Renegade Bass tournament angler who won the Renegade Classic a few years back with his partner, Steve Barnett. Steve, my buddy, Rick McCrory, Jack and I headed out in two boats in search of some deep water walleyes on Lake St. Francis and the fishing was spectacular. On the first day we got out for an hour of fishing just before dark and caught about a dozen fish. The next day we ended up catching about 160 walleyes between our two boats. We also got a 20-pound musky, a steelhead of about 6pounds, a 25-pound sturgeon and a bonus smallmouth bass during our day! After my incredible walleye trip it was

Bob and Kristin at Royal Roads University.

back to the city for some meetings with the folks from the CNSS to talk about next year’s Toronto Sportsmen’s Show before packing up for a flight to Victoria, British Columbia. My daughter, Kristin, is taking a one-year business communications course to get her BA at Royal Roads University in Victoria. We toured the grounds and then Kristin showed us around Victoria. It was a whirlwind tour before heading off to Port Alberni for a couple of days of steelhead fishing on the Stamp River with Murphy Sport Fishing. David Murphy has been a guide in the area for a long time and I will say that he really knows his stuff.

FISHING TRIPS OF A LIFETIME! Hassle-Free, All-Inclusive Fishing Trips

PEACOCK BASS VENEZUELA & BRAZIL

Arley McMillon (405) 354-0358 Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 63

I joined David and our guide, Rollie, for two days of B.C. steelheading but we really hit some rough weather. Upon arriving in Victoria the snow started. It really came down hard on our first day in Port Alberni and during three or four-hours of fishing we got six-inches of snow. It was even hard to see our floats as we drifted single our bead down the river! Scented baits like Gulp! and Powerbait are not allowed for steelhead fishing in the area we were fishing and it was quite a challenge to catch these fish on a small, hard, single bead. We ended up catching a couple of steelies before it became impossible to film due to the snow and the camera getting fogged up. We packed up to leave and then found out there were accidents everywhere around town. I’m not sure, but it might have been the worst storm they’ve had up there in the last couple of decades. When we got back out the next morning the snow had stopped but the wind chill was cold. We ended up 64 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

catching a couple of beautiful steelhead and finishing our show before we called it quits. Then I did some more sightseeing with my family before paying a visit to our friends; my former neighbour, Kate Crosby, and her companion, Perry Schmunk, who manages Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino. This might surprise you, but Tofino has one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Canada and one of the most popular activities over there is surfing. In fact, as a part of its 2010 Editors’ Choice Awards, Outside Magazine called Tofino, “the best surf town in North America.” After a great time in B.C. it was back to Toronto where I attended the Great Outdoors and DIY Weekend on behalf of BoaterExam.com. Before I went to their booth, I was invited to take part in a fundraising quiz show that the folks from Outdoor Canada were running. There were a number of TV fishing celebrities involved and I ended up on a team with Dave Mercer and Roland Martin. We placed in the top three (out of three teams) and earned $500 for Queen’s University’s Freshwater Fisheries Conservation Fund. I must have been suffering from a bit of jet lag because I couldn’t get a word in edgewise when all of these fishing show guys started talking! It was a lot of fun just sitting up there and smiling as everyone tried to get their time with the microphone. After the Great Outdoors and DIY Weekend I did a radio program called the Big Wild Radio Program, which airs in the Midwestern United States. The hosts,

“Gundy” and “The Greek,” are real pros when it comes to outdoor radio programming and it’s always fun to get on their show and talk fishing. Next was a weekend in Ottawa for the grand opening of Sail, a 70,000 square foot store that is full of fishing, hunting, camping and clothing. On Friday I was there on behalf of Pure Fishing and I did the Saturday with Columbia Sportswear and there was a non-stop line for autographs at both appearances. The store was jammed and it was good to see people out shopping despite the tough economic times we’ve all gone through lately. Judging by the crowds and the spending, there was certainly no sign of a recession in Ottawa. On Saturday evening I went to BoaterExam.com’s 10th Anniversary party. It was a fun event held at a restaurant in downtown Ottawa. I want to congratulate the folks at BoaterExam.com for all of their growth and success in helping boaters obtain their Pleasure Craft Operator cards. These guys do everything in a very professional and first-rate manner.

I got a few hours of sleep that night and then headed straight down to Cornwall in the morning to meet Jack Levert and Rick McCrory for about four-hours of walleye fishing. We caught 20 fish up to about fivepounds and I kept my limit of four to take home. As I finish off this column there are eight beautiful fillets sitting in my refrigerator that are ready to be turned into a nice, fresh fish dinner. I can hardly wait! ?

What’s COOKING

Bacon-Wrapped Rainbow Trout with Horseradish and Lemon Cream Sauce Any dish that starts with bacon has got to be good and this one is no exception. The tartness of lemon adds a nice balance to the spicy horseradish while the smoky flavour of bacon brings everything together in this delicious change from fried fish. INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1 1⁄2 lbs 8 strips 250 ml 2 tbs 1 To taste

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Lay bacon on baking sheet, place in oven for 10 minutes. You only want to par-cook the bacon. Remove and place on plate with paper towel.

rainbow trout bacon 35 % cream horseradish lemon salt and pepper

Cut trout into 3-ounce pieces. Lay the bacon on a flat surface. Lay the trout across the bacon. Wrap the trout in the bacon. Skewer the bacon to hold in place. Pre-heat oven to 400°F with a baking sheet in it. Place the trout on the sheet and bake for approximately 7-minutes, skin side down. Put the 35% cream and horseradish into a small pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Reduce by half, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Choose your sides, place trout on plate and top with sauce. Special thanks to Jason Mohring of Tecvana Corporation for providing this recipe.

Winter 2011 – Real Fishing 65

A MOMENT OF ACTION – CHINOOK SALMON This painting by renowned Canadian artist, Curtis Atwater, was selected to appear on the federal Pacific salmon fishing license by the Vancouver-based Pacific Salmon Foundation. The license is required by west coast anglers who intend to keep saltwatercaught Pacific salmon.

“I have found inspiration for my painting during fishing trips all across Canada, but fishing for salmon in British Columbia has always been an especially inspiring experience. Salmon are iconic on the west coast of Canada, so I feel privileged to have my work appear on the Salmon Conservation Stamp, and proud to know my work will help support salmon conservation.” – Curtis Atwater

66 Real Fishing – Winter 2011

Contact: Curtis Atwater Atwater Fine Arts 6 Cranston Dr. Caledon East, ON L7C 1P8 Tel: 905-584-0185 Email: atwaterfinearts@sympatico.ca Website: www.natureartists.com/ curtis_atwater.asp

Built for generations. Enjoyed by generations. Built by fishermen for fishermen. Our boats are engineered with marine grade aluminum, treated transoms and unique I-beam construction to ensure maximum strength and durability. Whether backtrolling, snap jigging or pulling boards â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lund Boats are constructed to optimize your time on the water. Lasting generation after generation. Lund is the Ultimate Fishing Experience.