Fall 2013 by Real Fishing

Canada Post Mail Product Agreement No. 40015689

VOLUME 19 • ISSUE 4 Just $3.95

FALL 2013

DISPLAY UNTIL JANUARY 15, 2014

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Contents Features 30 BAIT ALTERNATIVES FOR BIG STEELHEAD Roe isn’t the only bait you can drift under a float. Here’s a look at some others that will entice steelhead when the spawn bite slows down. By Dan Robson

40 GIANT PERCH OF THE GREAT LAKES The experts weigh in with their opinions as to why Great Lakes perch are getting bigger every year. By Scott McGuigan

46 FALL MUSKIE FISHING IN RIVERS 55 SPOON FEEDING FALL SMALLMOUTH Jigging spoons may be one of the best fall smallmouth baits going – and one of the most overlooked. By Jonathan LePera

Ontario’s top muskie anglers share their tips and techniques for fall river muskies. By Charles Weiss

Fall 2013 Volume 19, Issue 4

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

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

Columns 6 OPENING LINES

22 THE VINTAGE TACKLE BOX

By Jerry Hughes

By Patrick Daradick

10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC

24 REAL FISHING FISH FACTS

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

Muskellunge

26 BEST FISHING TIMES 14 WHAT’S NEW

Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar

The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories

16 FISHING By Bob Izumi

18 FLY FISHING By Steve May

20 THE WATER’S EDGE By Dave Taylor

Subscription inquiries Please call: 1-877-474-4141 or visit www.realfishing.com Canada Post Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40015689 Customer Account No. 2723816 GST Registration No. R102546504

28 THE HOT BITE 60 TALES FROM THE ROAD

Postmaster: Please return front cover/label only of undeliverables to: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6 Contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in Canada

On the cover: AUTUMN STEEL! Photo by Izumi Outdoors

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

64 WHAT’S COOKING

66 ART OF ANGLING

opening lines By Jerry Hughes

Big Fish Time Canadian anglers are a hardy bunch. We’ve got to be, living in a country that only offers five months of nice, warm weather each year. Except for the rainy days. Or the windy ones. Or the unseasonably cool ones. You get the point. Prime fishing days are few and far between and perhaps that’s why we continue to fish throughout the fall and winter. Or do we? It’s not uncommon to see hundreds, if not thousands of anglers drilling holes through ice-covered lakes throughout the winter. Shanty towns dot the lakes and large rivers from coast to coast, making ice fishing one of our most popular winter pastimes. But where are the autumn anglers? Have you ever been on a crowded lake in late October? Have you ever seen more than a handful of boats out fishing in November? December? Probably not. It’s odd how, once winter arrives, we will bundle up in layer upon layer of thermal clothing so we can drill through several inches (or feet) of ice, sit over a hole all day and wait for something to happen. But when it comes to bundling up and heading out in a boat or along a stream in the late fall, most of us don’t want any part of it. And that’s odd because your chances of catching fish – and maybe the biggest fish of the year – are much better in the fall. Sure, fish may be a little harder to locate and pattern once the leaves are off the trees, but no more so than when the lakes are frozen solid. And, once you figure it out a fall pattern, you can often catch more and bigger fish than at any other time of the year. This issue of Real Fishing is geared to those who brave the elements and keep fishing as long as there is open water. Dan Robson kicks things off with a look at some alternative baits that can be fished under floats to catch river steelhead any time they ascend the tributaries. While none of these will replace trout or salmon eggs in most steelheaders’ vests, they 6 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

should be part of every “river rat’s” bag of tricks. From flies to beads to jigs and more, Dan shares his insight into baits and presentations that are surprisingly effective in the colder water periods when most anglers fish roe almost exclusively. The late fall is synonymous with big water fishing for big muskies and places like Lake St. Clair, Georgian Bay, Lake Nipissing, Lake of the Woods and several others immediately come to mind, but those aren’t the only places to catch a trophy. Many rivers offer incredible muskie fishing and because they are more sheltered than the open expanses of large lakes they can be fished safely in all but the most extreme weather conditions. Artist and muskie fanatic Charles Weiss interviewed nine noted muskie anglers from all corners of Ontario and he shares their insights on late season muskie fishing in rivers in his article, aptly titled Fall Muskie Fishing in Rivers. Spring and fall are prime times to catch big numbers of perch but Great Lakes anglers have recently been catching big numbers of big perch, giants that regularly stretch the tape to 14-inches and beyond. So what’s going on? Where did so many huge fish come from so suddenly? Southeastern Ontario angler Scott McGuigan wondered that too and set out to find some answers. Scott talked to several fisheries experts as well as a number of anglers about the phenomenon and what he discovered bodes well for perch anglers all around the Great Lakes. Scott’s article, Giant Perch of the Great Lakes, is sure to be an eye-opener to anyone who still thinks a 12-inch perch is a “jumbo”. Smallmouth bass seem to get bigger as

the season nears its end and for years anglers around the Great Lakes have been catching plenty of them on tubes and dropshot rigs. While these are very effective rigs at times, the wind and waves that are so common in the fall can make presenting these finesse baits difficult. That’s where jigging spoons come into play. Smallmouth angler Jonathan LePera spoke to several smallmouth experts and uncovers some of their tips and tactics on spoon feeding big bronze bass in his article, Spoon Feeding Fall Smallmouth. There are many more opportunities for open-water anglers throughout the fall and into the early winter but unfortunately we don’t have room in the magazine to explore all of them. You can bet that we will, however, make time to get out and experience a few of them - and we hope you do too. ?

Always in season.

ÂŠ Tim Hortons, 2012

Shore Lunch They say there’s nothing better than a great Canadian shore lunch but after seeing the setup of this Brazilian version we might beg to differ…

8 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

Fall 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Fishing 9

W E H AV E A W I N N E R ! This past summer the folks at Toro ran a national contest giving away an all-expense paid fishing trip for two to fish with Bob Izumi, along with second and third prizes of Toro lawn maintenance machines. In early September Bob and Wayne Izumi made the grand prize John Sirman, grand draw at Real Fishing’s head prize winner in Toro’s Go with the Pro contest. office in Burlington, Ontario. Congratulations to John Sirman from Barrie, Ontario, whose name was drawn from the thou-

sands of contest entries we received. John’s grand prize includes an all-expenses paid trip for two to fish with Bob and Wayne Izumi and some of their fellow professional anglers this season. The trip will take John and his guest on a once-ina-lifetime adventure to the Haliburton Highlands to tackle the plentiful walleye and smallmouth bass that reside in the area. Watch for a full

GEO-ADVENTURE APP Oxford County’s outdoor adventures will soon be at the fingertips of smartphone users across the country with the launch of TecVana’s new geo-adventuring application. This summer Mariko and Wayne Izumi, who both host shows on the World Fishing Network, unveiled the new application with a demonstration at the Oxford County Administration Building in Woodstock. “There are two main reasons why you would want to use the app - because you are looking for a new adventure or if you know you have a weekend off and you want to plan something,” Mariko Izumi said. “Our generation want to do customizable adventures. We don’t want to just buy a ticket and go to one thing. We want to post on our Facebook and

10 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

our Twitter pages that we have done something very unique and active so this is what it is going to direct you to.” The application, which is populated with information from local businesses and tourism attractions, shows users where to go for new adventures and tracks the adventures using QR codes at each adventure site. Users can collect points for participating in new adventures and can redeem the points for gift cards or merchandise from the online store. The app was researched and tested by Fanshawe College’s Interactive Media Design and Production & Interactive Media Specialist program.TecVana CEO, Doug Matatall, said the application was built by Fanshawe students because he wanted it to be developed and tested by the application’s target demographic - youth. Matatall said that many other communities, including Stratford and Middlesex County, are also interested in getting on board with the application. The application will be widely available in the fall through TecVana’s website at www.tecvana.com.

photo essay on the trip in the next issue of Real Fishing magazine. Congratulations also to Philip Kenny, from West Vancouver, who won a Toro TimeCutter riding mower and to Glenn Carroll from Warren, AB, winner of a Toro TimeMaster powered walk-behind mower.

POND PIKE! One of the greatest things about fishing is what we call the “unknown factor.” That's the part of fishing that surprises you - catching a fish you weren't targeting, catching a trophy fish, hooking a monster on a bad cast and so on. Wayne Izumi and George Hatcher, an Atlantic salmon guide from Newfoundland, had one of those moments while fishing a small pond for stocked bass and trout. The bite was off and the duo had only a few small fish to show for their efforts - until this brute decided it was time for a snack. It seems a small pike had somehow gotten into the pond from a feeder stream and had been gorging itself on the resident fish for years. No wonder the trout bite was off!

TOURNAMENT BENEFITS FISHING FOREVER This past summer Frank Guida, of Tri-Con Concrete Finishing, held his annual fundraising fishing day up on Lake Couchiching to generate funds for fisheries conservation and rehabilitation. This one-day event gave a number of regular anglers the opportunity to fish in a real tournament with a professional angler. Each of the pros fished with two nonboaters in the team-style tournament.

The event raised funds through ticket sales and entry fees along with donations from several of the competitors including Barry Graves, Leo Cappobianco, Jack Summers, Mike Brown and Sam Costa. At the end of the day Joe and Frank Guida presented a cheque for $3400 to Bob and Wayne Izumi, funds that will go towards Fishing Forever’s ongoing fisheries conservation and rehabilitation work.

Joe Guida (in orange shirt) and his brother, Frank, present Bob and Wayne Izumi with a $3400 donation to Fishing Forever.

ICAST 2013 NEW PRODUCT SHOWCASE WINNERS! ICAST’s New Product Showcase provides special visibility for the fishing industry’s latest innovations in gear, apparel and accessories and is one of the most important features of the show for exhibitors and attendees. The New Product Showcase embodies the sportfishing industry’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and rewards that ingenuity through the “Best of Show” new product awards competition. The 2013 New Product Showcase was as competitive as ever with nearly 200 companies entering more than 700 tackle products, accessories and apparel into 22 categories.

This year the JL Marine Systems’ Power-Pole Micro Anchor was voted by buyers and media as the overall “Best of Show” as well as the best product in the Boating Accessory category. Following are the rest of the winners and their respective categories. Columbia’s Henry’s Fork V Vest won Best of Show in the Fly Fishing Accessory category.

Overall Best of Show

JL Marine Systems, Inc.

Lunkerhunt’s Lunker Frog was named Best of Show in the Soft Lure category.

Power-Pole Micro Anchor

Best of Show Category Winners

JL Marine Systems’ Power-Pole Micro Anchor was voted Best of Show at ICAST’s 2013 New Product Showcase.

C AT E G O R Y

C O M PA N Y

PRODUCT

Apparel Boating Accessory Boats Combo Electronics Eyewear Fishing Accessory Fishsmart Tackle Fly Fishing Accessory Fly Fishing Reel Fly Fishing Rod Freshwater Reel Freshwater Rod Giftware Kids’ Tackle Line Hard Lure Soft Lure Saltwater Reel Saltwater Rod Tackle Management Terminal Tackle

Shimano American Corporation JL Marine Systems, Inc. Johnson Outdoors Watercraft, Inc. 13 Fishing Johnson Outdoors Costa American Tackle Company Foreverlast, Inc. Columbia Sportswear Beam Outdoors G. Loomis, Inc. Shimano American Corporation G. Loomis, Inc. Rapala Pure Fishing, Inc. PowerPro Koppers Fishing & Tackle Corporation Lunkerhunt Shimano American Corporation St. Croix Rods Plano Molding Company Mustad

Dryfender Insulated Raingear Power-Pole Micro Anchor Predator 13 White Out Humminbird Bow Mount 360 Imaging Tuna Alley Tidal Wave-Micro Wave System G2 Floating Wading Net Henry’s Fork V Vest Elite 21 Reel PRO4x Chronarch C14+ NRX Umbrella Rig Original Floating Bottle Opener Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Youth Combo PowerPro Zero-Impact Livetarget Baitball Lunker Frog Stella SW 30000 Legend Xtreme Inshore 3700 Guide Series Tackle Bag Grip-Pin Swim

Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 11

EVENTS Calendar TOP BASS FALL COMBO October 20 Rice Lake Bewdley, ON www.top-bass.ca

READER’S PHOTOS Send us a photo of your best catch and you could see your picture in a future issue of Real Fishing Magazine! Send photos to: Real Fishing, 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Rick Strong Pefferlaw ON Walleye

BASS PRO SHOPS LAKE SIMCOE OPEN October 19 Lake Simcoe Couchiching Beach Park Orillia, ON www.simcoeopen.com KIDS AND COPS FISHING DAYS Youth oriented fishing events Various dates and locations www.kidsandcops.ca TORONTO INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW January 11 - 19, 2014 Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto, ON www.torontoboatshow.com

(L to R) Dave Beaudoin, John Duff and Mike Parkinson Burlington ON Pike Shane Jantzi Caledonia ON Largemouth Bass

12 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

Jeff McGee North York ON Lake Trout

Diane Robitaille Toronto ON Pike

Catch BOB on the Tube! BOB IZUMI’S REAL FISHING SHOW SCHEDULE Okeechobee Shiner Fishing The Brothers’ Amazon Adventure Big City Pike Florence Alabama Bassin’ Lord of the Kings Beauchene Fishing with Tim Brent Early Season Cranking on Champlain Quinte Fishing Variety Big Water Walleye Trolling Fall Fishing for Bass St. Clair Musky One Stop Fishing Spot Ice Fishing SnoBear Style

October 5 October 12 October 19 October 26 November 2 November 9 November 16 November 23 November 30 December 7 December 14 December 21 December 28

STATION LISTING & AIRING TIMES* MARKET

PROV./STATE

STATION

DATE & AIR TIMES

Atlantic Canada

Global (CIHF)

Saturday 8:00 am

Calgary

Global (CICT)

Saturday 10:30 am

Edmonton

Global (CITV)

Saturday 10:30 pm

Ontario

Global (CIII)

Saturday 7:30 am

Quebec

Global (CKMI)

Saturday 8:30 am

Regina

Global (CFRE)

Saturday 7:30 am

Saskatoon

Global (CFSK)

Saturday 7:30 am

Vancouver

Global (CHAN)

Saturday 10:30 am

Winnipeg

Global (CKND)

Saturday 7:30 am

Canada/USA

WFN

Check www.wfn.tv for dates and times

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

What’s

NEW

POLAR FIRE ICE AUGERS HT Enterprises’ Polar Fire power augers are simple to use, start easily, run smoothly and drill fast! Super smooth gears deliver full power to the razor sharp, double chipping blade system ensuring efficient, straight cuts, every time. Each Polar Fire power auger features durable, cast aluminum gear housing and all steel flighting, so they’re built to last. Add an ergonomic, comfort grip foam handle, a see-through gas tank, a protective muffler guard and blade protector, and it’s easy to see the Polar Fire auger was built for performance. Polar Fire power augers are available with 33, 43 and 52 cc two cycle engines or the all-new 35 cc 8” Sabre 4 stroke powerhead, and come in 8” or 10” sizes.

www.polarfiregear.com

POWER-POLE MICRO ANCHOR Power-Pole’s new Micro Anchor is a compact, allelectric powerhouse built to stop and hold small crafts on a dime. No matter how much the wind and water move, no matter what sand, rock or mud is beneath you, the 8 ½’ spike will hold firm. A fully adjustable mounting bracket makes it easy to install on any transom or horizontal deck surface. The Micro’s wireless C-Monster remote operating system puts all the speed and directional controls in the palm of your hand. There’s a USB Connector for software updates and downloads, you’re connected through Bluetooth and you can even call the shots through a smart phone app. The electric-drive Micro runs right from your 12-volt battery and, if your vessel does not have a battery on board, there’s a battery pack and charger kit available.

www.power-pole.com

REVO ROCKET Abu Garcia’s new Revo Rocket is the fastest low profile reel in the Revo lineup with a 9.0:1 gear ratio that retrieves 37-inches of line per turn of the handle. 10 stainless steel HPCR™ bearings plus one roller bearing provide smooth performance and increased corrosion protection. The Carbon Matrix™ drag system delivers smooth, consistent drag pressure across the entire drag range while the Infini™ brake system allows almost limitless adjustability for longer casts in any fishing situation. The Revo Rocket holds 145-yards of 12-pound test monofilament line or 140-yards of 30-pound test braid, weighs a mere 6.75-ounces and is available in either left or right-hand models.

www.abugarcia.com 14 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

2013

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

LUNKER FROG Winner of Best of Show in the soft lure category at ICAST 2013, Lunkerhunt’s innovative Lunker Frog is the most life-like frog lure currently available in the industry. This innovative lure sports amazingly accurate, anatomically correct legs that replicate an adult frog with swimming legs that extend during the retrieve and retract on the pause. At rest, the Lunker Frog is 2 ½” long and extends to 4 ½” on the retrieve, behaving just like a live frog would in the water. At rest, the body drops down a little into the water, perfectly mimicking the profile of a live frog. The Lunker Frog features high-quality components, a super-soft hollow body construction, a weedless design and is available in a wide range of colors and patterns.

www.lunkerhunt.com

GRILLING ON THE GO Coleman has introduced the new NXT™ Grill family –the next generation of outdoor grilling with innovative designs and features that make them even closer to your grill at home. With up to 20,000 BTU of cooking power you’ll be happy to take your NXT™ with you for a family barbeque or picnic, a day at the beach, at the cottage or on the boat – and it will be hassle-free because it folds up compactly for quick and easy travel and storage. NXT™ grills are available in a single burner, 15,000 BTU version with 321 square inches of cooking area (NXT™100) and in the larger, 20,000 BTU dual burner NXT™ 300 model. Both grills come with a propane cylinder and offer a 3-year warranty.

www.colemancanada.ca

MEPPS XTRA DEEP The Mepps Xtra Deep spinner series has been expanded for 2014 to include 1/12 and ¼-ounce versions and is now available in a classic black and yellow trout pattern. These baits drop fast, stay deep and feature a shaft-through-blade design that allows the blade to spin effortlessly at any retrieve speed. With strong, ultra-sharp hooks, a durable stainless steel shaft and lead-free components, the Xtra Deep series set the standard in modern spinner design.

www.mepps.ca

Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 15

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

Handling Rough Water Sooner or later all boaters will be faced with a situation where they will have to deal with wind, waves and rough water. That’s especially true in the fall. Experience and good equipment can help you to get through it, but the best piece of advice I can give you is to be prepared before you head out. I always listen to at least one national weather service radio station to get a sense of what I will be facing. If I’m heading out to big water I check a couple of websites like windguru.com and sailflow.com to see what the wind will be doing. Then I can make the decision to go where I had originally planned; go to a different lake or river that won’t be affected by the weather, or I can decide that it’s just not worth the risk going out at all. Another thing that you can do before you get out on the water is to make sure that you keep the weight distributed properly in your boat. I have found that keeping the weight focused toward the middle and back of the boat works best. You sure don’t want

16 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

too much weight in the front when you’re in big waves or you just might end up spearing one, and that’s no fun at all. It can also be very dangerous. I’ve heard stories of windshields being broken, graphs being torn off of boats and even trolling motors being ripped from their mounts when a big wave comes crashing over the bow. Imagine someone dumping a 50-gallon drum of water on you from two or three stories up and you’ll have an idea of what spearing a wave is like. If you do find yourself caught in rough water, the power trim and tilt on your boat can be your best friend if you use it properly. I’m always amazed when I see boats bouncing down the lake with their trim and tilt cranked up as if they are running at 70miles per hour when they’re only running at 40. All this does is pound the daylights out

of their passengers and equipment. In a chop you want to keep your motor trimmed in so the V bottom of the boat can cut cleanly through the waves. You are really trying to keep the boat as level as possible. It’s also easier to keep the boat on plane. In larger waves that have some distance between them, like big swells, you want your motor trimmed up slightly so that the bow stays up as you come off the top of a wave. This can help you to avoid spearing the next wave, or having it break over the bow. There’s no question that running directly into or away from the waves makes boat control difficult. It’s also dangerous. If you are running at 90-degrees into the waves it’s only a matter of time before you take one over the bow. It’s much safer to approach large waves at an angle of about 45-degrees. Quartering into the waves like this may put more distance on your trip, but you will be able to travel more quickly and safely. Moving at right angles away from the waves isn’t much better as you could take one over the transom. In extreme cases, a wave may actually lift the stern of the boat and force the bow down into the preceding wave. With today’s modern V-hulled boats, one of the safest and quickest ways to get through rough water is by running in the troughs between waves. By paying attention to the waves, and adjusting boat speed and trim angle, you can move fairly quickly in all but the most severe conditions. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind if you get caught in rough water is, don’t panic. Stay calm, stay in control of your boat and take it easy. A light touch on both the throttle and the steering will make it much easier to get to safety. Be sure to always I wear an approved personal flotation device when navigating in unfavourable conditions. Of course the best advice is to be aware of the conditions on the water before you set out. Know the limits of your abilities and those of your boat, and don’t exceed them. Fishing should be fun, not a test of survival. ?

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

fly fishing By Stephen May

Kid Stuff Getting children to share your passion is something most people want to experience. Taking the kids along can make a fly fishing trip a family affair but, to ensure these trips create the desire to go on future expeditions, there are a few pitfalls to avoid. Kids are kids and you can’t treat them like adults. Kids do not always have the focus and attention span that adults do. Keeping things quick and fun is the key. Learn to read when youngsters are getting bored. Keeping on them when they are tuned out is a sure way to make them pass on the next fly fishing adventure you invite them on. Things like good snacks, minnow nets, toys and lots of fish to keep them busy are all good things to have ready when getting their feet wet fly fishing. Speaking of getting their feet wet, that will probably happen so December steelhead outings are not a great starting point for youngsters. Out West, pink salmon in late summer are awesome starter fish for kids. In the East, bluegills, brookies and smallmouth bass were made for getting people excited about fly fishing. When building the skills of a new fly angler, keep casting lessons fun and simple. Start on the lawn or in a nearby park with lots of props and fun challenges. Hitting targets under picnic tables or behind trees is more fun than trying for that perfect loop with a great amount of repetition. With smaller kids, try two handed casting with an 8 to 9-foot fly rod. Two hands can really help them work the rod properly. With this method they do not usually drop their back cast as I see so many adult beginners do. Once they are strong enough to handle a rod with a single hand (usually sometime around when they have two numbers in their age) they will have no problem making the switch to single handed fly casting. 18 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

When heading out on the stream, use gear that you will not get too upset over if there is a “learning accident”. There are kid-specific equipment packages out there that feature cool new colours, sized with youth in mind. I have a seven-foot, nine-inch, fiveweight outfit that is tons of fun out on the lawn practicing or reeling in rock bass from the dock on a cottage country retreat. A handfull of generic nymphs, woolly buggers and maybe a few dry flies are usually all you

need to see some action with smaller, more abundant fish. The smiling pride of besting a sunfish with a kid-tied woolly worm will really light up your day. To encourage this, pick fun places to fish. Local ponds with sunfish and small bass are perfect, as are streams that have smaller trout or, even better, healthy populations of chub, shiners and small bass. These fish do not see excessive pressure and are willing confidence builders for young anglers. Experiencing the wonders of finding bugs on the stream or the way the kids’ eyes light up when they experience fish feeding on a hatch for the first time is more special for me than encountering these moments alone. With a little luck, I will have a couple of lifelong fly fishing buddies to explore with for years to come. ?

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

water’s edge By Dave Taylor

American Beaver As North America’s largest rodent, the adult American beaver can weigh between 16 and 35-kilograms. Among the rodent family only the South American capybara exceeds them in weight, ranging from 35 to 70-kilograms. Twelve thousand years ago in North America, the Giant beaver made both of these modern-day rodents look small. It was the size of a black bear and weighted up to 200-kilograms. It died out at the end of the last ice age. American beavers once were estimated to number over 60-million animals. Indeed, without them North America might be a very different place today. English and French fur trappers and traders, followed in the 1800s by American trappers, helped open up the continent as they sought this species for its rich fur. The Hudson’s Bay Company was largely supported by beaver furs until the mid-1800s when the fashion demand for beaver hats finally ended. By then the beaver had been eradicated from most of North America.

20 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

Since then, laws have been enacted to help protect the beaver and bring it back. As the species increased in numbers they were reintroduced into much of their old range and even into locations where they were not historically found. They are now found in every Canadian province and every State except Hawaii. Today, almost 20-million beaver are believed to live on the continent. Beaver are known for their dam building and for creating wetlands. Road builders and land owners often decry the beaver’s efforts as these dams can cause unwanted flooding. They are well known as one of the few species (we are another) that can alter their environment to suit their needs. While the evolution of a watershed due to beaver activity has long been understood, recent studies have encountered new findings

about the beaver’s important effect on the water table. The process seems simple enough. Beavers find a stream to their liking. If it is not deep enough they dam it, creating a pond or small lake. Eventually the lake silts up and beaver moves on. The dam rots and the wetland drains, leaving a meadow which eventually becomes a forest again with a stream flowing through it. Each transition benefits or stresses different types of plants and animals, including fish. What was not known until recently was the positive effect that these dams have on the water table. The effect of the dam is not confined to just the surface area. The water is also stored below ground in an area much larger than the surface water would indicate. Relocated beavers in the southern United States and the Canadian Prairie Provinces are helping to conserve water, especially ground water, in a very effective manner. Although beavers do consume a lot of trees, they also spend a lot of time in the summer feeding on forbs (plants that are not grasses, bushes or shrubs) and water plants. They are monogamous and a lodge might be home to three generations of beaver: the parents, last year’s young and this year’s young. As the young mature they set out to find new watersheds where they set up their own lodges and dams. They are not at all averse to travelling a few kilometers over land. It would be a mistake to assume that beavers always build dams and lodges. Anglers on big lakes and rivers should not be surprised to see a beaver swimming along the shore with no lodge in sight. If the water is deep enough there is no need for a dam and, as for a lodge, beavers are quite happy to dig dens in the bank! ?

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the vintage tackle box

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

By Patrick Daradick

Lucky Strike “Submarine” Bait Lucky Strike is a Canadian tackle company that was started in the late 1920s when Frank E. Edgar began making wooden lures out of broom handles. By the 1940s he had parlayed this into one of the most complete tackle manufacturing companies in Canada. Lucky Strike made every component from start to finish on their lures. The Lucky Strike “Submarine” bait idea actually came to “Rusty” Edgar one night during his sleep. In a 1949 Maclean’s Magazine story, Edgar refers to how he would keep a pad and pencil by his bedside. “I was always waking up with a new lure idea design or the answer to a factory problem.”

For a long time Rusty concerned himself with two types of lures: those that traveled along the surface and those which swam along the bottom. He often wondered how these two could be combined and the answer finally came to him one night. He awoke and jotted down the idea and later patented it. The result is the lure which he is proudest of: a hollow plastic plug, neatly painted, bearing a silver-plated cup under its chin and 22 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

a rubber valve shaped like a tiny propeller under its belly. This valve was designed to be twisted sideways, allowing the plug to fill with water so that it would sink as a deep lure or, if the fish were rising to feed, it could be emptied to give the bait a cork-like buoyancy. Rusty Edgar would name this invention the “Submarine Bait” in 1939. The submarine bait can be found in many styles. These transparent lures were available in a 2 ½-inch, 3400 series straight model; a 3inch, 3500 series straight model; a 3 ½-inch

torpedo style 3600 series with spinners; a 4-inch, 3700 series straight model and a 7000 series, 3 ½-inch jointed model. Submarine baits came in many paint patterns and oddities, which make them attractive to many collectors. They were sold in several styles and lengths of boxes. The original Submarine bait came with instructions. This was the only paperwork Lucky Strike ever place inside a lure box. All boxes were clearly marked, “Lucky Strike Submarine Bait”. Submarine baits have various values determined mostly by uncommon paint patterns or hardware style. Having the original boxes will add about $20 to the value. Common colours sell in the range of $20 and upwards, depending on condition and rarity, while some of the more uncommon Submarine baits can fetch over $100. The original paperwork for these lures is very scarce and hard to find so having it will substantially increase the value. Submarine baits are very affordable Canadian lures that make a great start to any classic lure collection. ?

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real fishing fish facts

Muskellunge Esox masquinongy

The mere mention of the name, Muskellunge, is enough to get most anglers’ blood racing. No other fish is surrounded by as much myth and mystique as the muskie, nor is any other fish as revered in angling circles. It’s no wonder when you consider that, next to the sturgeon, he muskellunge is Canada’s largest freshwater fish. Muskies in excess of six-feet long and weighing over 100-pounds have been reportedly found in nets, washed up on shore etc., but details on these monsters are sketchy at best. Anglers commonly catch muskies between 30 and 45-inches that weigh between 10 and 25-pounds. The current all-tackle world record, as listed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) stands at 67-pounds, 8-ounces and was caught in Wisconsin in 1949. The muskie’s colour varies with its location and individual fish in the same water body can show distinct differences in appearance. In general, muskies have darker brown to black markings on a lighter greenish, green-gold, brown, gray or silvery background. The markings can appear as spots, bars, blotches or a combination of shapes. The belly is cream to milky coloured with small brown to gray blotches.

24 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

The muskie’s range is limited to the freshwater lakes and rivers of eastern North America. In Canada they can be found in the St. John River in New Brunswick, in southern Quebec and the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers. They are common throughout the lower Great Lakes region including the Trent-Severn waterway, the Haliburton Highlands and Lake St. Clair. Their northern range includes the area from Lake Nipissing west to Lake of the Woods and into the extreme southeastern part of Manitoba. Muskellunge spawn in heavily vegetated areas in the spring, when water temperatures reach 49° to 59°F. No nest is built; instead the female pairs with a male and eggs and sperm are deposited randomly through the vegetation. The number of eggs is related to the size of the female muskie and can range from about 6,000 to over 250,000. Hatching takes place between 8 and 14-days after fertilization. The fry remain dormant, feeding from their yolk

DID YOU KNOW? Muskies were fished commercially in Canada until the mid-1930s.

FAST FACTS Colour: Greenish, brown or silvery on the flanks with overlaying darker bars, spots or blotches. Size: The average angler caught muskellunge is between 30 and 45-inches in length and weighs between 10 and 25-pounds. Life Span: Muskies commonly live between 8 and 15-years although they have been known to survive for up to 25-years or more. Habitat: Medium to large rivers and lakes of all sizes. Muskies are most commonly found near vegetation that is close to deep water. Spawning: Spawning takes place in the spring over soft bottomed areas where vegetation is present.

RECORD The official IGFA All-Tackle world record muskellunge stands at 67-pounds, 8-ounces and was caught in Hayward, Wisconsin in July, 1949.

sacs for about 10-days or until the sac is depleted. At that time they start to feed on zooplankton until they reach 1 ½ to 2-inches in length and begin feeding almost exclusively on other fish. Although the flesh of the muskie is white, flaky and flavourful, most anglers follow a strict catch and release ethic, realizing that these top level predators are too precious to kill for food. That was not always the case. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was a thriving commercial fishery in Canada. In 1890 the commercial catch from Ontario alone was over 650,000-pounds. Increased angler interest in muskies as a sport fish, combined with declining commercial catches led to the closing of Ontario’s commercial muskie fishery in 1904. Quebec continued to allow commercial fishing until the mid-1930s before following Ontario’s lead. Today the muskellunge is one of the most highly prized gamefish in Canada and anglers spend countless hours in search of them. It is estimated that anglers spend several million dollars per year on tackle, lodging, guides and other expenses directly related to the pursuit of this exciting fish. ?

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26 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

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NOVEMBER

TUESDAY

1 Excellent Time

DECEMBER

Best Fishing Times 2013

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SUNDAY

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TOM GRUENWALD “Tom Gruenwald Outdoors”

Earlier this fall Shawn Good and his 7-year old son, Aiden, had a couple of hours to spare so they headed out to catch a few bluegills. What happened on that trip is the stuff that fishing dreams are made of, and proof that you never know where or when you might catch the fish of a lifetime. Here’s the story of Aiden’s giant bass as told by his dad. I had a few hours before having to go out for a function in the afternoon so I said to my son, Aiden, “Let’s go to the pond (there’s a small pond behind my house that I keep a rowboat on) and see if we can get some bluegills”. We both had panfish rods rigged with 6pound test line and crappie jigs tipped with 2” Berkley Gulp Alive Fish Fry, under Thill floats. We were getting bluegills, but nothing bigger than 7 ½”. About an hour and a half into it, I got a call from my wife saying it’s getting late, we need to get going. I said that Aiden was snagged in a tree and that I’d get him out and be right home. It’s only a threeminute walk through the woods to the house. I broke off the jig and, while I was putting stuff away in the rowboat, the breeze pushed us down to the end of the pond where the beavers had toppled a couple good sized poplars into the water. As I was about to start rowing back I handed my rod over to Aiden - which I had earlier switched over to a Mepps Agila. 28 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

I said, “Toss it over towards that treetop in the water, but don’t cast too hard or you’ll be in the tree.” I turned my head to grab an oar and looked back to see his rod was bent over and he was leaning back. I said “Ahh, Aiden, I said not to cast too far. Now you’re hung up. Let me get in there, and we’ll get you unsnagged”. As I said that, I saw the line start to move and I started yelling,“Lift up! Lift up! Reel! Reel!” He started doing both and then the rod doubled over. The fish pulled the rod down into the water and I thought Aiden was going to lose the whole rod. “Stop reeling! Lift slowly up, lift up!” He did and the bass took off. I saw the line go several layers down into the treetop and I thought there’s no way it’s coming out. I told Aiden to keep the line tight, and I rowed over to where the line was. Looking down, all I saw was a jungle of branches and limbs, and the line disappearing into the middle of it. Panfish rod. Six-pound test. Remember? “Just hold it steady and lift a little. If you feel it come, reel a little. Keep doing that”. To my amazement, I see the bass slip through the branches and streak under the

rowboat. Up until that point I hadn’t seen the fish, but when I saw it go under the boat I lost all composure. I knew it was big. After a few more frantic instructions to Aiden, which he handled expertly, he lifted and I saw the bass’s head emerge from under the rowboat. I jammed my hand in its mouth and hauled it aboard. Rewind 30-minutes. After landing a bunch of bluegill and measuring them, I said to Aiden. “It would be awesome if you got an 8-incher, you’ll get your Master Angler award!” He says, “I’m not going to get an 8-inch sunfish, I’m going to get a 20-inch bass.” Keep in mind, he’s never seen a 20-inch bass in real life. I honestly think he just pulled that number out of the air. Back to me hauling the bass over the side of the rowboat. As I thumb it and swing it in, two-feet from his face, all I see are saucersized eyes, a white face and his whole body starting to tremble. Now he knows what a 20-inch bass looks like! I put the bass on the tape and it was 21inches long and 18 ¼” around. It was 5ounces shy of 7-pounds. Not bad for a 7 year old! – Shawn Good

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Bait Alternatives There was a time early in my steelheading years when I was strictly a gear head, swinging spinners and spoons or pitching crankbaits. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll admit that these days, perhaps due to some sort of steelheader evolution, 90% or more of my fish are caught under a float, on a centerpin reel. There is a certain allure to watching the float drift lazily downstream, knowing that at any moment it could shoot under and the fight will be on.

30 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fall 2013

for Big Steelhead

Fall 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Fishing 31

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In those early days of transitioning from hardware to float, I fished one thing and one thing only: roe bags. At the time I was content with the fish I was catching only because I did not know how much better it could be. Expanding my arsenal over the years with a multitude of alternative baits I realize now just how many fish I had been passing up. At times it can be hard to beat fresh roe, but what about those times when it just isn’t producing? All too often I see bait fishermen give up, passing it off as nothing more than, “the fish aren’t biting”. If the fish are there they will bite, it’s simply a matter of figuring out what they will bite on. This isn’t simply another generic article on specific techniques of steelheading, it’s about stepping out of your comfort zone when it comes to the bait you use. Take the knowledge you already have of steelheading, apply it to fishing these artificials and watch your steelhead success soar.

BEADS Beads are not simply the passing fad I had once assumed they were going to be. There is no doubt in my mind that beads are the best egg imitation available today and they are my “go-to” option all year. In the last two-years beads have accounted for 80% of my steelhead and not once this past season did I tie a roe bag. If beads didn’t produce, another artificial would. If this trend continues, beads may be the leading factor in the elimination of roe bags from my arsenal all together.

The bead originated in Alaska, designed as a way for fly fishing guides to capitalize on steelhead sitting behind spawning salmon, mimicking the eggs those steelhead were gorging on. Great Lakes float fishermen have taken an incredibly effective technique and made it that much better. When using any egg imitation (or the real thing for that matter) it is imperative that the presentation be as natural as possible. A bead allowed to dead drift under a float does just that. That’s not to say that a bead bottom bounced won’t also do the trick. Bottom bouncing a bead, when done properly, is very similar to swinging that bead on the fly, and it wouldn’t be such a popular technique if it wasn’t so effective. Fishing a bead requires nothing more than what you already have. The gear and setup is no different from what you would use running eggs. Feed the leader through the hole in the bead and tie on your hook. Slide a toothpick into the hole of the bead to secure it onto the leader. There are pegs specifically designed for this purpose, but a toothpick does the same thing and costs much less. You may also notice some anglers using a bead knot, but a knot creates an unnecessary weak point in the leader. The ideal position of the bead is 1½ to 2inches above the hook. Any closer and the bead may interfere with a proper hookset, any further away and you run the risk of foul hooking the fish. Most anglers who are new to the bead scene make the wrong assumption that they

are only effective in clear water conditions. There are times when the water is extremely dirty that the extra enticement of roe’s scent helps steelhead to zone in the bait easier, but that doesn’t mean a bead can’t work just as well. Beads are now made in sizes up to 14mm. If the fish can’t smell it, make sure they can see it by going with bigger, brighter options! When a steelhead is sitting behind a spawning salmon the eggs naturally come towards it individually, not tied in mesh, or in big chunks of skein. Advantage bead.

ARTIFICIAL EGGS Similar to beads, artificial eggs are intended to mimic the look of trout or salmon eggs. Most are made of soft plastic and they come in an almost unlimited number of colours and a few different sizes. Single eggs

are the most popular but some varieties are also available as egg clusters. Rigging is as simple as it can get – hook a single egg onto a #8 to #12 hook and fish it exactly as you would fish roe. In dirty water, try using a cluster or tie a few single eggs into mesh. Experiment with colours by using different coloured eggs and mesh – green mesh and orange eggs for example, or white eggs in pink mesh – the possibilities are endless. Soft plastic eggs are versatile and can be fished under a float or bottom-bounced. A number of versions float, making them ideal 34 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

for bottom bouncing. By adjusting the size of your hook you can make them almost neutrally buoyant so they bounce lightly over the bottom without getting hung up like a jig or bead might. A slightly larger hook will sink them for use under a float.

PLASTIC WORMS Worms are as simple as it gets and are a staple in a young steelhead’s diet. Those early dietary habits remain embedded in a steelhead’s memory throughout its life and when those fish return to the river they

resort back to the same food sources they relied on so early. A three-inch pink worm was the first artificial bait to hang under my float and the immediate results were truly amazing. It was nothing for me to walk up on a “dead”

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Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 35

small bead placed between the worm and the hook will prevent it from sliding down and covering the hook point. Fishing a plastic worm really is as simple as it gets. Do everything you do with eggs, but with a worm.

JIGS

hole that had seen a constant barrage of eggs and pull out a fish. It’s no big secret that pink, for whatever reason, drives steelhead crazy, which is precisely why it is my “go-to” colour when it comes to worms. Pink produces in any water condition, from crystal clear to zero visibility. Don’t make it your only color though, colors like white or orange or even blue will produce just as well. When running the smaller three-inch worms I like to rig them “wacky” style, with a size 10 hook through the middle. With larger worms, in the four to six-inch size, I will thread the leader line though the worm using a thin sewing needle that is roughly the same length as the worm, and let the hook hang free around the tail. A

36 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

Patterns that have been producing for days or even weeks have suddenly shut down. You know the fish are there but for some reason they have no interest in what you’re offering. The culprit? In all honesty it could be anything, but more often than not it’s a hatch. It is common for a steelhead to abandon any feeding pattern it may be on in order to capitalize on a hatch. It makes sense considering the abundance of protein a feed of aquatic insects will offer. By no means are jigs my go-to bait, but they have their place in my vest for times when steelhead are keyed in on an insect hatch. I established early on that I’m a float fisherman, so it may seem a little biased when I say that jigs were designed to be fished under a float. Essentially a simple weighted fly, a jig needs to be suspended up off the bottom to prevent getting hung up. Try bottom bouncing and you are in for a world of frustration!

There are numerous types and styles of jigs but for me the more simple the better. Jigs don’t need to be fancy and a single color marabou or rabbit hair jig will get the job done on any river. The current brings the feather or hair to life, resembling an insect struggling to reach the surface. Marabou and rabbit fur have incredible movement, even in the slightest current. Small tube jigs are another option. These don’t imitate insects as much as they represent something that looks edible to a steelhead. Smaller sizes, one to two-inches, are ideal for clear water conditions or finesse presentations for fish that have seen roe bags all season. Larger three-inch versions are a good option in high or stained water. Color choice can vary depending on the river being fished. I have river specific colors; colors that have worked on one system but nowhere else. As a general rule it is a good idea to carry pink, white and black and experiment from there. Jig size can vary as well, with 1/32-ounce to 1/16-ounce being the norm on the Great Lakes tributaries. Personally, I prefer the bigger 1/8-ounce jigs. Not only do they drop into the strike zone quickly, the bigger jig will appeal to the more aggressive (and often larger) fish resulting in savage strikes

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and incredible battles. A bigger jig also shines in the winter when lethargic fish will not expend much energy for a small meal. A meal must be worth the energy usage and, in the eye of a steelhead, a big bug full of protein is just that. You don’t have to be an aquatic insect expert to fish jigs, just know that when typical feeding patterns die down the fish could be on a hatch so be sure to have a jig ready. 38 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

Steelheaders can be an odd bunch and many think that having a multitude of baits shows a desperate, unskilled angler; one that has a hard time catching fish with the usual arsenal (which more times than not is eggs). What they don’t realize is just how many fish those eggs are drifting right past. The best steelheaders I know are guys who are open to ideas, not stuck on a single method or bait. Don’t discount eggs entire-

ly, they are still one of the top producing steelhead baits there is, but when those eggs don’t produce switch it up instead of assuming the fish just aren’t biting that day. You’ll be amazed at how many fish you’ve been missing out on! ?

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Giant Perch of By Scott McGuigan

40 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fall 2013

The Great Lakes If you haven’t experienced the perch fishing on the Great Lakes recently, or heard the buzz about it, huge yellow perch, in plentiful numbers, are being harvested by anglers. We’re not just talking about your average jumbo perch either. The quality of fish being caught is staggering, with numerous 14-inch-plus fish, and many breaking the two-pound mark. Anglers reported fantastic days on Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron last spring and summer, with plenty of huge fish being caught. Everything sounds great, right? Well it sure would be, except that the prevalence of large fish being caught can be a red flag that a population is aging and not reproducing sufficiently. Commercial fishing quotas for yellow perch were reduced in Lake Erie last year, where some of the best perch fishing took place. So it does beg the question, “Are Great Lakes perch populations struggling?” Beyond that, what is the explanation for so many exceptionally large perch? To answer our questions we turned to the experts and hardcore fishermen to see what they had to say.

I asked Kevin Reid, Assessment Manager, of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association, “Are great lakes perch populations struggling?” He promptly replied, “No, they’re thriving.” Some coffee shop talk had led me to wonder why quotas on Lake Erie had been reduced, but Reid explained that the 20% cut in commercial quotas in the Elgin waters was reduced from the highest quotas in decades. “There has been a population explosion in the whole east half (of Lake Erie) since 2001”, explained Reid. “The mid-to late 1990s and 2003 were excellent year classes with fairly low mortality rates.” Therefore the exceptional number of large perch is most likely a result of excellent year classes; in layman’s terms, a great hatch in a given year. If you’re thinking that would put some of those fish around the 15-year old mark, you’re right! Yellow perch can live a lot longer than people think. Most people would surmise that smallmouth bass would live longer than

perch in the Great Lakes but they’d be wrong. Most biologists put the life expectancy of a smallmouth at six to sevenyears in the Great Lakes but perch, by contrast, can easily live up to 15-years, and a number of sources believe that many of the large perch showing up this year were into their 20s. It seems to defy reason that the yellow perch, sought after by anglers, commercial fisherman, and predators, should live so long. Only years of avoiding predation, commercial nets, and fillet-happy anglers could make this so, but Reid explained that commercial nets are geared towards 10 to 12-inch perch. After that, they’re too big to get into the nets. Moreover, after their first year or two, Great Lakes perch are too big for their predators. And, last but not least, anglers who are finding quality fish typically throw back the smaller ones, enabling them to continue growing. The result, as anglers are seeing, is a tremendous number of big, fat yellow perch. The key to a thriving perch population is ‘recruitment’, a term commonly used by fisheries biologists to describe the number

and survival rate of young fish that grow large enough to join the general population and begin to contribute as spawners. Cool, clear waters with abundant submerged vegetation are optimal conditions for spawning and growth. Young perch are dependent upon benthic food sources - essentially the invertebrate community at the bottom of the lake. While many people are pointing to the abundance of gobies for perch to feast on as the catalyst behind the large perch phenomenon, you can’t overlook the importance of benthic food sources that young fish rely Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 41

one before they have the ‘gape size’ (a large enough mouth) to begin ingesting gobies. The recovery of the burrowing mayfly is probably more important to the general health of the perch population, as they are an excellent and abundant food source on the lake floor. But to properly understand the health of the Great Lake’s perch populations, you need to look at the lakes on an individual basis.

weighing more so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that some Lake Erie yellow perch are living into their 20s. As these fish age, their bodies change and you begin to see girth measurements soar. In the spring, a very large percentage of body weight can be eggs, which in turn leads to incredible reproductive potential. The general consensus is that once the young perch mature, gobies are contributing to a large portion of their diet. Not only is this food source abundant, but gobies don’t have much of a spine to speak of, and thus, they are easily digested by hungry perch. The invasion of gobies in Lake Erie would seem to be one of the key factors in producing football-like perch. These giants, in turn, are a great sign for the population of yellow perch in the near future.

The term ‘oligotrophic’ characterises a body of water with low accumulation and the absence of dissolved nutrients on bottom, resulting in sparse growth of algae, plant life, and other organisms, while having a high oxygen content. It is a stark contrast to Lake Erie. Lake Ontario is so deep beyond the inshore areas that it really isn’t perch territory. It is thought that perch in Lake Ontario have a life expectancy of between six and eight-years, and a much slower growth rate than perch in the eastern basin of Lake Erie. At four-years of age Lake Ontario perch are expected to be around eight-inches in length. As a result, Lake Ontario perch typically don’t get as big as their brethren in other Great Lakes. While numbers may be slightly low at the moment, Hoyle noted that

Lake Erie The Lake Erie perch population is thriving. As a commercial fishery, Lake Erie produced nearly 22-million tonnes of fresh fish in 2011, with perch and walleye making up the lion’s share. As the shallowest of the Great Lakes, in tandem with a moderate climate, Erie is the most biologically diverse and productive fishery. Anglers target Erie for perch more so than any other body of water in Ontario. The eastern half - roughly divided around the harbour of Erieau - has been having a population explosion since 2001. Kevin Reid explained that the eastern basin is a little more conducive to growing larger perch than the western basin because the eastern half is a bit deeper and has cooler water. Although the western basin is still full of perch, the warmer water limits the average growth. Moreover, the majority of the commercial harvest comes out of the western basin. The proof is in the pudding, as anglers fishing out of places like Port Colborne, Port Burwell and Port Rowan found tremendous sized perch in 45 to 48-feet of water. In the western end, the hamlets of Colchester, Wheatley and Leamington do have abundant populations that, as far as I’m concerned, are plenty big enough for the fillet knife! It is believed that perch can live longer in Lake Erie than the other Great Lakes. The Yellow Perch Task Group, spearheaded by the MNR, confirmed the age of an 820gram fish (about 1.8-pounds) at 12-years of age. Undoubtedly many anglers caught fish 42 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

The invasion of gobies in Lake Erie would seem to be one of the key factors in producing football-like perch.

Lake Ontario, Bay of Quinte, St. Lawrence River The MNR includes of the Bay of Quinte and the St. Lawrence River in the Lake Ontario Management Unit. The overall population of yellow perch is currently below the long-term average but has improved in the past couple of years. Although perch make up the majority of the commercial harvest in this region, the region’s fishery doesn’t have the scope of that of Lake Erie. Assessment biologist, Jim Hoyle, with the Lake Ontario Management Unit, MNR, compared Lake Ontario to Lake Erie in regards to perch population and production. “Lake Ontario is more ‘oligotrophic’ and generally less productive than Lake Erie. Virtually all of Lake Erie provides suitable habitat for yellow perch, and that lake produces far more yellow perch overall. Much of Lake Ontario is more conducive to supporting coldwater species such as salmon and trout as well as their prey (alewife). But eastern Lake Ontario, including the Bay of Quinte, and the St. Lawrence River, do support good yellow perch production.”

“perch populations fluctuate and they respond quite quickly to change”, as evidenced by a population explosion in the Bay of Quinte after the introduction of zebra mussels. The zebra mussels cleaned up the traditionally murky water, in turn creating a dramatic increase of submerged aquatic vegetation in which young perch thrived. Recreational anglers should look to the Quinte region and St. Lawrence for optimal perch numbers, particularly in the Lake St. Francis vicinity. For anglers who might live around the GTA, Taro Murata, owner and operator of Fish City Tours (www.fishcity.tv) recommends going to Lake Simcoe. “I used to fish around Whitby Harbour and just off-shore, but it’s not like it used to be”, Murata said. These days Murata takes most of his perch clients to Lake Simcoe, where big perch in healthy numbers are common. The other option for GTA anglers is to hop on the 403 towards Niagara and hit the Erie waters.

Lake Huron The southern basin of Lake Huron is known to hold numbers of perch but it isn’t really regarded as a place where they grow terribly

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large. A few years ago, however, hardcore angler Mike Crawford and his buddy, Dave Martin, caught some dandy perch while fishing on-shore in the Goderich area. It prompted the pair to go out deeper and search for schools of them. They found them. For the past few years the pair secretly hammered large perch until the word finally got out. Hundreds of boats were found in 35to 45-feet of water this spring and for good reason. Crawford and Martin pulled up numerous fish that teased the tape measure to the tune of 15 and 16-inches. Crawford said, “All you had to do was let your pickerel rig hit the bottom.” He also noted that some big males were caught along with various sizes of other perch. That bodes well for the future. David Gonder, Management Biologist with the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit, said “Perch benefitted from the collapse of the alewife in 2003.” He added that “Yellow perch, walleye, and lake trout populations increased after the collapse,” which circumstantially concludes that alewife were a predator of juvenile yellow perch. Commercial quotas jumped slightly this year

as biologists witnessed the uptick in perch numbers. While Lake Huron as a whole is a vastly different watershed than Lake Erie, Gonder made reference to a band of nearshore habitat in the Goderich area that resembles some of the premier spawning and growing areas that exist in much of Lake Erie. It all seems to add up, as evidenced by some fantastic catches in that region.

Parting Thoughts With any research based article you inevitably find yourself talking to a number of different experts, as was the case with this article. Not only would I like to thank those experts for their time and wisdom, but I want to pass on some final food for thought. The spawning potential of the big, football shaped perch is incredible, and they are a very valuable commodity to our fisheries. While they are certainly fun to catch and take pictures of, consider letting the giants go in favour of smaller fish. In all of the conversations I had, the consensus was that smaller (10 to 12-inch) perch taste better than the old 15” jumbos. Fresh fish retailers explained that they prefer

smaller fillets as the older fish take on a mushy texture and noticeable decline in taste. If toxins in our fresh water fish have adverse health risks, those toxins will be more concentrated in the older fish as they slowly accumulate over time. The Ministry of the Environment publishes a bi-annual Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish which analyzes the number of portions per month considered safe for human consumption. While traces of toxins are lower in smaller species such as perch, there are places in which they suggest eating fewer than the maximum number of monthly meals, especially if those perch are over 14-inches. That’s not to say you shouldn’t eat fish from the Great Lakes, it’s simply food for thought and a little bit of encouragement to let the big ones go. Hopefully you’ve learned some interesting things about Great Lakes yellow perch, but if you haven’t got the message, go perch fishing - Now! They are out there and they are getting big, just waiting to chomp down on your bait. Happy fishing. ?

You’ve taught them all you know about fishing, including wearing their lifejackets.

Fishing is a wonderful sport; an activity you and the kids can enjoy. They look up to you for information and guidance on something you can share together. You’ve got them hooked on fishing. The Canadian Safe Boating Council thanks you for getting them ‘Hooked on Lifejackets’.

44 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

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Prime fall fishing for river muskies is one of the main drawing cards across the eastern half of Canada. Anglers flock to rivers from New Brunswick to the Great Lakes and beyond to Northwestern Ontario in search of the big muskies that reside in some of these tributaries; rivers where some of the largest fish of the year are caught. For this article I interviewed some of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top river muskie anglers to find out how they go about targeting trophy fish from region to region in rivers that vary tremendously in size and structure. Their insights and experiences will help you make choices about what makes a good spot to fish for muskies on a river near you this autumn.

FALL MUSKIE By Charles Weiss

46 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fall 2013

FISHING

IN RIVERS Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 47

Jon Bondy DETROIT RIVER/LAKE ST. CLAIR JON’S GUIDE SERVICE, WWW.LAKESTCLAIRFISHING.COM

Jon has guided on the waters of Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River for all of his adult life and spends over 200-days a year guiding for walleye, bass and muskie. He designed the incredibly popular and successful Bondy Bait, a large, soft plastic jig designed specifically for muskies.

What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

The large jigs I use are my own design called the Bondy Bait. They weigh six to seven-ounces and have a blunt head and wide profile that attract muskies to bite. The colours I like include vomit, shad, pearl and black. The bucktail spinners I cast

Depth and a lot of contour changes makes for great muskie spots. Most of the best spots on the Niagara have deep water with numerous humps or points. What depth do you fish?

Traditionally, the biggest fish come from 18 to 27-foot depths. How do you fish this spot?

I troll crankbaits on or near the bottom, making contact with as much of the structure as possible. This will trigger neutral or inactive fish. Another technique that works very well is drifting soft plastics like Red October tubes, Storm swim shads and Bondy baits. Drift these with a drag or lift and drop technique. are large, 1 ½--ounce, single blade designs with brass coloured blades and rusty brown hair for the hook dressing. I jig with a 7 ½ to 8 ½-foot long rod and a baitcasting reel spooled with 80-pound braided line. Terminal tackle is a 16 to 18-inch long, 200-pound test leader made from downrigger cable, with a heavy swivel on each end. Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story? What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

I like the mouth of the Detroit River because it’s usually clearer than the Thames River in the north east. In the fall, the prey fish, including schools of gizzard shad, attract the muskies. At this time I fish the north side of the border crossing bridge and other areas where warm water flows into the river. What depth do you fish?

Ten to eleven-foot depths down to 30-feet. I fish breaklines along the shipping lanes; subtle underwater features like small rises on the bottom, submerged rock piles and points in the channel. How do you fish this spot?

I start by casting bucktails and spinnerbaits and switch to my large jigs in the afternoon. I fish the area very much like walleye jigging. I do my “jigging thing” by raising and lowering the jig about three or four-feet and I usually catch several muskies in a day this way. How does current affect your fishing?

Current brings aggressive fish around constantly. The current is fast and a heavy jig will keep in position as the boat’s motor slowly keeps you on the spot. The rocking of the boat in the wind combined with the water clarity and current speed has me constantly adjusting the speed of my jigging. 48 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

I always tell my clients to “keep the rod up” and “no slack” in the line when landing a muskie. In most situations this is good advice. Well, this one time the client was doing everything right when suddenly the muskie thrashed at the side of the boat, opened its mouth and the jig flew right out towards me! I held up my hands defensively and both treble hooks hit me directly on the hands! I was “handcuffed” by the lure! I now make sure that I’m out of the line of fire and I always watch for a flying lure coming my way!

What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

I use my own hand made Franky baits, Bucher DepthRaiders and Legend Perchbaits for most of my trolling duties. I use heavy action trolling rods with line counter reels rigged with 30-pound test Mason seven strand stainless wire for trolling. This setup gets down fast and transmits everything the bait is doing. When I’m fishing with plastics I like an 8-foot, heavy action rod and a good quality baitcasting reel spooled with 80pound test braid.

Frank DiMarcantonio NIAGARA RIVER NIAGARA SPORTFISHING, WWW.NIAGARASPORTFISHING.CA

Frank has decades of fishing experience and success for many species of fish and is an experienced guide. He hand constructs his own 8 to 14-inch crankbaits - the “Franky Bait” - from cedar.

Frank DiMarcantonio's hand made Franky baits.

Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

I had a client who had never caught a musky before and wanted to catch a trophy. He owned a roofing company and I needed my roof done, so we did some bartering and he booked three trips in November. On the first trip we caught nothing but on the second one he got the biggest fish to ever grace my boat - a 53 ½-inch x 29 ½-inch giant that would have weighed well over 50-pounds. How’s that for a trophy! My roof was done the next day!

Jim Grove MAGNETAWAN AND SAUGEEN RIVERS

Former director of the Kitchener-Waterloo chapter of Muskies Canada, Jim Grove spent several decades fishing and guiding for muskies on Jim Grove with a nice Saugeen River muskie.

Shumway. Jigs made by Jon Bondy are a great last minute bait. I use an 8-foot long, heavy action rod with a line counter reel. I spool up with 100-pound test braided line and use a sixfoot fluorocarbon leader. Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

I was alone, fishing a snag-filled area of the river when suddenly the line counter started screaming. I was starting to panic as I noticed 250-feet of line was gone and I was into the monofilament backing. I finally reeled in most of the line and, just as I was about to scoop up the muskie, the outside mesh of the net caught the hook of the lure. I quickly put the reel into free-spool, put the handle of the net on the seat in the boat, grabbed the fish by the tail and dragged it into the net just as the lure fell out of its mouth! It was an exciting way to land a fish that measured 52-inches in length! Georgian Bay. These days he enjoys catching and releasing muskies on the Saugeen and Magnetawan Rivers. What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

The ideal spot is close to deep water, near underwater weeds and rocks. A weedline along the bank is best, especially if there is extended Canadian shield rock near the shore in multiple layers and in a variety of shapes and sizes, leading to deeper water. The steep landscape at the water’s edge going into deep water has great potential for a muskie.

Andy Pappas FRENCH, PICKEREL AND MAGNETAWAN RIVERS VICIOUS FISHES GUIDE SERVICE, WWW.VICIOUSFISHES.CA

trum, I have also caught them by bouncing jigs along the bottom in deep holes. How do you fish this spot?

The spot dictates the approach. For example, it’s more efficient to troll around suspended bait in a large basin than it is to cast it, while a narrow current area below a rapid might require jigging. Best spots vary from week to week, and for each spot I try to adapt with the most efficient approach and the right tools (lures) for the job. How does current affect your fishing?

In systems like the French and Pickerel Rivers, where dams control their flow, narrows and rapids become bait magnets when water is rising or high so I spend more time in these areas under those conditions. If these same rapids are just trickling I may not bother with them at all and will fish more as if I was on a lake, following the bait out to the first deep basins. In areas of strong flow the muskies usually tend to be lower in the water column where rocks and such deflect the current, so that’s where the trolled or jigged lure has to be.

Andy Pappas is the Vice Chairman of Muskies Canada, Barrie Chapter, and has over 25-years of muskie fishing success across Ontario. For the past 6-years he has been guiding customers to productive spots in the French River area.

What depth do you fish?

I fish water from 4 to 45-feet deep. How do you fish this spot?

Trolling with crankbaits, bucktails and spinnerbaits. When the bite slows down I jig in four-foot lifts and drops. In stained river water, bright colours work well.

What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

Believers, Jakes and Grandmas in their largest sizes. Bucktails in large sizes made by Bruce What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

That varies as fall progresses. A good general rule is to follow the food - muskies will be wherever the largest concentrations of bait are. As you near the end of season you also want to try any deep hole or basin adjacent to where they’ll spawn in the spring. Muskies will winter in those areas and you should check them, as well as any structure facing into them.

A large muskie sizes up a Bondy bait.

I like Plows, Hookers, Jakes and DepthRaiders for fall trolling. For casting I throw a weighted Sledge more than anything else, with a Bulldog coming in a distant second. I believe colour is far less important than location and approach. That being said, I probably go with perch patterns as much as anything else. I use 8 and 8 ½-foot rods with Abu Garcia Ambassadeur and Revo Toro reels spooled with 80 and 100-pound test line. For trolling I use a 4-foot, 100-pound test fluorocarbon leader or an 80-pound test coated steel strand. For casting I go to a 12 to 18-inch, 130pound test fluorocarbon or 80-pound test coated steel strand leader.

What depth do you fish?

Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

Whatever depth I think the fish are at, given the conditions. I’ve caught muskies on topwaters from green weeds during warming trends as late as November and, on the other end of the spec-

Last fall I was guiding two gentlemen who had never fished for muskies and they were having a little trouble getting used to casting with the baitcasting reels. One of them heaved a cast Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 49

without hitting the free-spool button and the momentum of the 9-inch jerkbait pulled the rod right out of his hand and into the water! The client looked at me quickly and then, without saying a word, dove head first into the 50-something degree water! When he surfaced, he had the jerkbait attached to the front of his hat! He had caught the line in his hand to save the rod, but I don’t think he realized that his head had contacted the lure first and that he was wearing it! I offered an arm for him to grab and helped drag him over the transom. While I thought about what to do next, his partner said, “Why didn’t you just let me hook the line with mine?” Priceless! There was a happy ending to the weekend though - they both went on to catch their first muskies!

Rob Cadeau GOULAIS RIVER, LAKE SUPERIOR NORTHERN OUTDOORS GUIDE SERVICE, FISHGURU22@HOTMAIL.COM

Rob Cadeau operates Northern Outdoors Guide Service and has been fishing muskies for 21-years.

“What I like most about muskie fishing is that you never know what’s going to happen next. You could be having a fairly quiet day of casting and all of a sudden have a 50-inch fish launch itself out of the water to crush a topwater, or follow to the boat and savagely strike on the turn! It literally makes my legs shake and my heart palpitate! There’s nothing else in freshwater like it!” What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

Where there is either a fork on the river or another type of current break - be it large rocks, wood or such. The fish, in my experience, tend to spend a lot of time on these areas prowling for baitfish. They will sit behind the structure and ambush prey as it cruises by in the current. Another great spot is along undercut banks. 50 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

What depth do you fish?

Almost all of my river muskie fishing is done in less than 10-feet of water. My favourite river averages about five-feet deep. How do you fish this spot?

I spend probably 95% of my time casting. I find that I can completely cover my spots more efficiently by casting as opposed to trolling through them. I will, however, troll from spot to spot sometimes, to try to pick up “rogue” roaming fish along the way.

lure into the water, and a muskie literally flew straight up like a missile and grabbed the lure out of the tree! Branches breaking, cedar everywhere, and water flying - I wasn’t quite ready for that! I ended up losing the fish and my legs were shaking for quite a while afterwards!

Bill Craig OTTAWA RIVER MISTER MUSKIE CHARTERS

Bill Craig has been muskie fishing for over 40years and has over 36-years of experience on the

How does current affect your fishing?

Current is very important in fishing muskies in rivers. They are, after all, originally a riverine species. I’m not talking about raging rapids, but areas where you have a slow to medium current that has spots with good current breaks and defined weed edges. What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

I tend to fish shallower water so my favourite lures include spinnerbaits, bucktails, topwaters and large soft plastics. I tend to use bigger lures in the fall as these fish are packing on the pounds and prefer a larger meal. I like to use large swimbaits like Shadzillas, Tiger Tubes, and such. I also use Bulldawgs but I bury the bottom treble into the body, so as not to snag bottom as much. Another tactic I like is to use large topwaters, mostly walk the dog style lures like Havana Jacks or giant Super Spooks, and work them slowly in low light conditions. As far as tackle goes, it is dictated by the lures and the places I’m fishing. Rods vary in length from 7-feet to 8’6” in heavy to extra heavy actions. I’m a big fan of Abu Garcia reels, and have some 6500C3 reels that have been in service for 20-years. That being said, we have also started using some heavy spinning gear as well, the same stuff I use for saltwater fishing for barracuda and tarpon. Line weight varies from 50 to 100-pound test braid. Most of my leaders are made of 80-pound test fluorocarbon and range in length from 10 to 24-inches. I will use 125pound test (and sometimes heavier) super-stiff fluorocarbon for use with lures like glide baits and such. Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

Almost 20-years ago I had taken my dad out to try to get him his first muskie. We were casting spinnerbaits under an overhanging cedar tree along an undercut bank, landing the spinnerbait close to shore and allowing it to helicopter down before starting the retrieve. On one cast I hung my bait in the tree and it was dangling about 8 or 10-inches off the water. I gave the rod a couple of snaps to try to free it, which dipped the

Ottawa River. Bill caught his first musky when he was 15 and is a self-taught expert whose only mentoring came from the local bait shop owner who told him to, “Get a boat, get comfortable and fish eight-hours a day.” What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

River banks near the river mouth are good places to start. Submerged weed edges, old rock, rip-rap areas and sandy beaches can also be good spots. What depth do you fish?

I usually fish in 12 to 15-feet, moving shallower to 6-feet towards the evening. How do you fish this spot?

I like casting and trolling. I cast 10-inch long Reef Hawg jerkbaits along the edge of channel flats and retrieve it with snaps of the rod tip, working it to the surface and causing splashes or dropping it down with a slower rod snap. I troll spinnerbaits and crankbaits in a zig-zag pattern, driving the lures into the channel edge. Weedlines should be cast or trolled parallel to their edge. How does current affect your fishing?

Work active current areas - your lures will attract muskies like a dinner bell! Work the baits downriver with the current - this will give you a chance at taking fish behind structure. I like to find a piece of structure and then work my lures in and around it until I’m certain no fish are likely to bite. I then move on to another similar spot. I will troll across the current to make sure I haven’t missed a muskie.

summer, typically around the 3-mile-per-hour range. These same productive areas can also be drifted and jigged with large plastics. When trolling, I will typically run a four rod spread with two down-rods placed at the extreme rear of the boat in a nearly perfectly vertical manner with more than half of the rod buried in the water. This keeps floating weeds off the lines and lures much longer and controls where the baits are running in the spread. The baits on these rods are fished on short lines. The other two rods are out-rods, also fished with the tips in the water, but at not as steep of an angle as the down-rods. This places the lure a little further off to the side of the boat. These lines are fished further back, typically from 50% to as much as double the distance as the down-lines. Large spinnerbaits trolled near weed edges can be muskie magnets.

What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

Reef Hawg jerkbaits and large spinnerbaits made by Fudally Tackle; crankbaits like the Woodie “Thumper” design by George Unis and Grandma Lures in large sizes. I use a 7-foot long, heavy action rod for trolling and a 7 ½- footer for casting. I use baitcasting reels spooled with 75pound braided line and a 12-inch long leader.

three-years he has been involved in tagging muskies for the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources. Mike is a firm believer that catch-andrelease fishing helps to preserve muskies as several fish that he had previously caught, tagged and released have been recaptured and their tag numbers submitted. What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

I was fishing with Dave Weatherall when he suddenly had a fish bite near a rock shoal. I told him to lower his rod because it looked like the fish might jump. I said, “Put the rod down,” and suddenly he drops the rod into the bottom of the boat! We got a quick look at the nearly 40-pound muskie before, needless to say, he lost the fish.

Mike Phillips ST. LAWRENCE RIVER MUSKY MIKE CHARTERS, WWW.MUSKYMIKE.COM

Mike has been fishing the St. Lawrence River in Quebec and Ontario for many years. For the past

I fish large river systems in eastern Canada that have no lack of current and water depths over 60-feet in the main channel areas. My favorite time to troll these rivers is in the fall, from September right up until early December. The key features to look for in a large system are areas with quick access to both shallow and deep water. Concentrate on anything that will break up the current along the main channel edges. This includes bends in the river channel, points and cuts that deflect current, as well as flats created by large reefs or islands. Straight, featureless areas will rarely hold fish and are a waste of time. What depth do you fish?

Typically anywhere from 12 to 30-feet deep, depending on the body of water and clarity. My target areas are mostly main channel areas off large flats. I personally favor quick dropping areas with good current flow, though not all areas are the same and the productive areas are generally quite small. How do you fish this spot?

Most of my trolling runs are only a few hundred yards long and I will typically concentrate on a half dozen spots per day that I know fish are using. Trolling speeds are slower than in 52 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

I will typically run two 7-foot, 1-piece leadcore rods as my down-rods. These rods are modified with a Twilli Tip as I run wire line on them for maximum vibration and control. The line is 50pound test, stainless steel, single strand trolling wire. The 2 out-rods are longer, at 8-feet, and are a graphite/glass composite. I use line counter reels with 100-pound-test braided line on these.

Some favorite baits on the down-rods are jointed and straight Legend Perchbaits, straight Believers, Manns Stretch 30’s and large Cisco Kids. Basically any fairly large, deep diving crank will get the job done. Standards on the long line outrods include Legend Outcasts, Believers, DepthRaiders and straight and jointed Wileys. Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

I had a three-day charter with a two fishermen from the U.S. where we caught and tagged a 48” female on a Tuesday afternoon and recaptured her on Thursday night. She moved only about 50-yards in two days. I know of two other fish of mine that were recaptured by other anglers in 2012 as they contacted me with the tag numbers. One was a 57-inch female that I caught and tagged in November of 2010. She was recaptured in July of 2012 more than 30 km away from the original spot I had caught her!

Dave Curtis ST. LAWRENCE RIVER FISHING FANATIC GUIDE SERVICE, WWW.FISHINGFANATICGUIDESERVICE.COM

Dave is an executive member of Gananoque Chapter of Muskies Canada. Since 2010 he has been guiding full-time for several species and, in 2012, he guided Bill Barber to a 57 ¾-inch long muskie!

and gold hues also work. That said, colour is the last consideration after speed, location, depth, and lure type and action. I like boat rods from 6 to 7-feet and 8 ½-foot board rods for use with in-line planers. I use line counter reels spooled with 80 to 100-pound test braided line. Occasionally I’ll go with wire line. I always use a fluorocarbon leader, usually 150pound test, with good swivels and snaps. In the late fall, when I’m trolling large, premium lures, I will go to 200-pound test leaders that I make myself. Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

When it comes to structure, the more complex the better. A series of humps with weed growth and deep water close by is prime. The downside is, these spots see more pressure so sometimes secondary spots close to complexes will become the spot. If you see a good looking spot, move, but not far. The road less travelled produced my best year in 2012. What depth do you fish?

Depth varies throughout the year, and sometimes throughout the day. Generally I troll from 28 to 35-feet of water. I troll fast, up to five milesper-hour and I make lots of turns. If the fish aren’t biting I always change speeds before I change baits.

On December 2, 2009, I set out fishing with friend, Bill Barber. I left a note to my wife, saying “gone to catch a 58-incher.” I’ve never made such a wild prediction in writing before or since! Well, I did net a 58-inch monster which Bill caught while trolling. The fish was released, although we both wonder how heavy she was. That was the only fish caught that day. This season I’m looking for one over 58-inches… but aren’t we all?

What depth do you fish?

Most of my fall fishing is done in 12 to 40-feet of water. I generally run my baits shallower than most people, in the 6 to 12-foot range. I rarely use deep running baits. How do you fish this spot?

Trolling in the fall, 95% of the time. How does current affect your fishing?

Current is a relative thing. If I’m fishing the headpond, a 1-mph current is substantial and turns the fish on. If I’m fishing in the river, the more current the better - up to a certain point. A 3mph current in the St. John seems to be ideal. In short, when the current picks up, fish activity picks up. What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

Jakes in Holoform Silver, Orange Tiger or Black Perch catch most of my fall muskies. Sucker colored baits and Believers in Holoform Silver and Fire Perch also do well. I use 8 ½-foot trolling rods and line counter reels loaded with 80-pound test superline. I make my own 100-pound test trolling leaders that are about 3-feet long. Do you have an interesting muskie fishing story?

In the middle of December, 2010, I was called by Chad Cernivz, of Nackawic, New Brunswick, and he told me of finding a massive muskie floating in the St. John River. I weighed it at 60 ½-pounds

Steve Eldridge SAINT JOHN RIVER, NEW BRUNSWICK

Steve Eldridge is an enthusiastic muskie fisherman, transplanted from Ontario, who has lived in New Brunswick for several decades. He is a Deputy Conservation Officer and is the Chairman of the St. John River chapter of Muskies Canada.

How do you fish this spot?

I troll exclusively in the fall. How does current affect your fishing?

Current absolutely does affect fishing. Aggressive fish tend to be where the current hits the structure hardest. If you can find wind-driven current after big wind, like between two islands, it will hold fish until the current subsides.

The St. John River produced this 51” giant that weighed over 60-pounds.

What are your favourite lures & usual tackle?

I primarily troll with large crankbaits like Grandmas, Believers or Jakes. As for colour, I like perch and more perch on the St. Lawrence. Bass

What is your ideal muskie fishing spot?

For me, an ideal spot on a river is any place where there is a piece of structure that will hold fish. It could be anything from a mid-river hump to sunken bridge piers to rock outcrops that extend out into the river.

and was slightly over 51-inches in length with a massive girth! It really puts a spotlight on the St. John River as a place with big growth potential for muskie! ?

Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 53

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SPOON FEEDING FALL SMALLMOUTH By Jonathan LePera

There is something about the fall that is different from every other season. The winds blow that much harder, the fish are so much heavier, and the fight can be so much better! Best of all, smallmouth bass school up and feed like a den of wolves! When you’ve got a jigging spoon tied on, 60 to 100 fish days on the Great Lakes are just another day at the office! The jigging spoon is a lure where all the action is imparted by your wrist and, if the cadence isn’t just right, it is just another peace or metal or lead in the water doing nothing.

Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 55

Frank DiMarcantonio uses braided line to catch big fall smallmouth

Joe Balog, noted smallmouth guru who calls Lake St. Clair and the western basin of Erie home, has long studied the transitional patterns of the ever quirky smallmouth bass. He finds that the fall period really allows the angler to come up with a game plan and execute like no other season. “In the late fall, fish move into their wintering zones – just deeper extensions of summer structure leading into the main lake basin. Subtle ridges and humps 25 to 40-feet deep in the western basin and 20-feet deep in Lake St. Clair, where they get on sandy spots in the grass.” Frank DiMarcantonio is an accomplished guide on the eastern basin of Lake Erie who prefers fishing the transition areas from hard to soft bottoms. Transitions that lead to a reef or a point often hold good fish. That said, if the wind blows all bets are off as the smallmouth tend to roam and could locate pretty much anywhere. Landon Wieske, an aspiring tournament angler and quick study of Lake Erie, focuses on finding the bait balls and working through and around them. Normally such findings are coincidental with rock piles, ledges, and deeper rocky flats. “I’ve had great luck fishing raised humps that come up five to ten-feet. I’ll work the deeper side, targeting fish that are schooled up.”

Tackle the Beast! Frank DiMarcantonio is always mindful of what is best for his guided clients when selecting gear for specific tactics. He personally prefers a 7-foot, medium heavy baitcasting rod but makes sure his clients are lined up with spinning rods. In either case the reels will be spooled up with 20 or 30pound test braided line. He defends his use of a medium heavy rod and braid since the big spoons he uses range from ¾ to 2ounces and such gear is needed in order to be successful. Landon Wieske prefers using a 7-foot worming rod paired with a baitcasting reel sporting a 7:1 ratio. “It gives me plenty of backbone to get a solid hook set in deep water and the extra fast tip helps to detect subtle hits when deadsticking a spoon. I like the high gear ratio as it allows me to pick up line quickly when the fish swim straight for the surface. It helps keep tension on the line after a hook set because I find the majority of spoon smallies 56 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

rocket to the surface after you set the hook. Wieske likes spooling up with 20-pound braided line, but with a twist. He’ll tie on a three-foot, 20-pound test fluorocarbon leader and his logic is sound. “Smallmouth typically hit the spoon on the fall and braid has zero stretch, which allows me to detect those strikes even on slack line. The 20-pound fluoro leader is stiff and it causes the spoon to push the line forward when you jig it, which prevents the spoon from fouling up or tangling on the line.” Personally, I prefer a high speed baitcaster with a medium heavy crankbait rod for my jigging spoon set up. I find that I lose fewer fish since the rod is designed to take the load of the fish while still having enough backbone to get the hooks in. A swivel or snap swivel is always a great idea when fishing spoons. It helps to keep the lure from spinning but does not impede their action under water.

Spoon Selection Choosing spoons can be very intimidating as they come in different shapes, sizes, colours, and weights. Like most other lures in your tackle box, it ultimately boils down to confidence. Joe Balog has fished long enough to know that a lot of lures catch more fishermen than fish. He uses a few basic rules to maximize his efficiency. “I use Hopkins Cordell spoons as they make a real nice gold plated spoon. I have a few old Stanleys that are more willow shaped and have caught a few big fish. I use chrome or gold 100% of the time. Chrome excels on sunny days with clear water while gold gets the nod in cloudy or dark water. I use a ½ounce 60% of the time and a ¾-ounce about

40% of the time. I use a ¾ in deep water (over 30-feet) or when the lake is rough. Frank DiMarcantonio has been feeding fake baits to smallies on Lake Erie for 30years. “Monster smallies feed on big bait fish, up to six-inches and bigger, so a big profile works great,” said DiMarcantonio. “I typically use slab spoons like Kastmasters when the water temperature reaches 50-degrees and colder. Narrower spoons, like the Crippled Herring and Hopkins, get the nod when the water is warmer. I keep it simple; I use shiny silvers and golds - either hammered or smooth - most of the time. Sometimes, under low light or in dirty water conditions, I use a spoon that is painted white.”

Landon Wieske’s best lure is something he’s built up over his years of fishing for bass – confidence! “The most important thing when selecting a spoon is confidence! I know people who prefer hammered finishes, others prefer smooth, some say silver and blue is the must -have color, others will only use gold. For me, I use a gold, smooth, Kastmaster spoon, oval in shape for one reason only - it’s worked for me and I’m confident every time I’m throwing it!” Confidence means eliminating all of the variables that you possibly can to put the odds in your favour. For Wieske, that means he’ll add the odd tweak to his spoons so that every time he drops one he knows the smallies won’t need to give their meal a second thought. “The first thing I do with every new spoon is replace the stock hook with a feathered treble hook. The sharpness of an upgraded hook is important, but the feathers add a little flash and, more importantly, give you something to add scent to. I believe having scent on your spoon causes bass to hold on for a little longer. Since 90% of the smallies I hook on the jigging spoon hit on the fall, this means fewer missed bites on slack line.” The following statement is something that I cannot believe Wieske agreed to put in print.

Landon Wieske adds a blade from a chatterbait for extra flash and vibration in stained water.

Upgrading the size of your hooks is another good idea, with number two trebles being the standard for spoons weighing ½-ounce and larger.

Working the Bait

“I may regret sharing this information,” Wieske started, “but the action it adds to the spoon is unbelievable.” Then he dropped the bomb I never expected to hear. “I add a chatter blade from a chatterbait in front of my spoon, especially in dirty or stained water. It puts off an incredible amount of flash and vibration which helps the fish notice the spoon and track it better.” As an avid angler, and having spoken with many pros both sides of the border, few secrets hit me like this one… brilliant! I’m betting the lure companies will reap the benefits of this admission!

Ask any group of anglers and they will all have a different perspective on how a jigging spoon should be worked. I’ve been on jigging spoon bites where I had to point the rod tip at the water and rip it as high as I could in order to be successful. At other times fish will almost make you finesse them. Each presentation has its place with maybe an alteration or two in between. Landon Wieske has experienced both ends of the spectrum and has been forced to adjust his presentation accordingly. “The most common way to fish a jigging spoon is working it with sharp snaps of your rod. Lift your spoon four to five-feet off bottom before letting it fall back down on a semi-slack line. On those days when the fish don’t seem interested in the aggressive flash of metal, I will utilize a drift sock and horizontally dead-stick my spoon, almost like dragging a tube or dropshot, just lightly

ticking the rocks on bottom. The less action you impart to your spoon, the more bites you seem to get! If there is any amount of wind, I prefer to drift over high percentage areas and jig vertically. On calm days I will point my boat toward the piece of structure, hold with my electric motor, make long casts beyond my target and work the spoon back towards myself.” Often times the bite will vary depending on the body of water, as Joe Balog explains. “Lake Erie fish typically like the lure with big up-strokes while St. Clair fish like a subtle lift and drop – most times. I also catch a lot of fish casting a spoon and ripping it up off the bottom, similar to the method used for flutter spoons.” Frank DiMarcantonio has walked in both Wieske and Balog’s shoes but also has a pair of his own. “One really cool technique is what I call “dangling”. This is when you just hold your spoon a foot off bottom and let it gently sway. This can be killer when it’s flat calm.” At other times DiMarcantonio will have his clients fire the spoon out in all directions to cover a lot of water. If you get a nice drift

Hook Selection Very rarely will you purchase a spoon that has a high quality hook affixed to it. Most anglers recognize spoons from salmon fishing and believe that, since single siwash hooks are used there, such must be the case for smallies. Flawed logic in my opinion as three points have a much better chance to hook a swiping fish than one does. All the pros I spoke with agreed that Lazer Trokar, Owner, Gamakatsu, Mustad or VMC hooks are good options. You want a hook with a thinner wire as they penetrate much easier. Be religious in your inspection of your hooks as the points do roll over quite often after becoming snagged. Some of the biggest smallmouth of the fall get hung on spoons so do not be foolish and cheap by not swapping out compromised hooks.

Landon Wieske with the results of a properly worked jigging spoon.

Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 57

you can just lift and drop the spoon vertically as you drift.

Electronics Hitting any body of water these days without your electronics is like heading to a poker table and not being dealt any cards yet hoping to win. Electronics are the underwater eyes that the most successful anglers cannot survive without. “You need electronics to stay on the transition zones, mark fish, and to stay in key areas,” says DiMarcantonio. “You can’t fish effectively without good electronics. My Lowrance Insight 10 is used to locate the transition areas from hard to soft around reefs and points and to mark them with waypoints. I decrease the sensitivity on my graph to find the subtle changes from hard to soft bottom. You usually won’t see a change in depth, just a change in the second echo. I then drift along my waypoints, connecting the dots and usually catching fish the whole way. Today’s graphs are so powerful that a unit left on automatic will not detect this subtle transition. You need to detune them to pick up the composition changes. It’s not uncommon to leave my Lowrance HDS at 50% power in 40-feet of water!” Joe Balog has become one of the greatest proponents of using modern electronics to crack the code on smallmouth bass. “Most times when fishing a spoon, I like fairly calm water. I often follow the bait on the electronics and watch the fish come up and hit. On some real high, severe structures - like shipwrecks - the fish will suspend. Those fish are hard to catch for most anglers but by holding the spoon at their height 58 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

they’re actually quite easy. I use my unit on the bow and by adjusting the surface clutter, noise filters, and some other tweaking, it allows me to really get dialed in to the bait. It takes me a little time each day to get my settings right, but it’s invaluable.” Wieske likens the display on his electronics to that of a video game screen. “The smallmouth I’m targeting with a spoon are feeding on schools of smelt and, if you find balls of bait on your electronics, the bass are nearby. If you have your graphs adjusted correctly you can watch your spoon. You see when you are on bottom and you can reel it up if you spot a suspended fish. Sometimes while burning my bait back up to the boat I’ll see a fish streak after it on my graph. When that happens I’ll open my bail and let the spoon free-fall often prompting a strike.”

All’s Well that Ends Well! It goes without saying that if you are going to fish during the fall, safety is paramount. What many don’t realize is that once that water cools down you have such a small window of survival. If you should ever end up in the water and your internal body temperature begins to drop you can be in a world of trouble very quickly. Fall is the one time of year I avoid fishing alone. Accidents can and do happen so having a fishing partner with you only makes sense. Follow a few of these basic rules and you’ll have a simply awesome day fishing jigging spoons this fall. And be sure to bring your camera so you so you’ll have a lasting memory of those awesome fish! ?

WHY DO JIGGING SPOONS WORK? There are many schools of thought on why smallmouth turn on to jigging spoons late in the season. Joe Balog appreciates the efficiency that comes with fishing a jigging spoon. “When fishing in the fall in really deep, often rough water, it’s tough to get a bait right on top the fish but a spoon drops right down to them, and it gets there fast. It also triggers bites when it’s snapped in front of a bass’s face. A spoon works better vertically, which is key in in cold water.” Landon Wieske believes there is a more behavioral theory behind the success of the spoon. ”Spoons work so well, especially in the fall, because smallmouth key in on big schools of smelt and the spoon emulates a stunned or dying smelt. Often the smaller, more active fish will smash into the schools of bait while the big, old, wise smallmouth conserve their energy and just slurp up all the victims of the massacre as they fall from the school and flutter to the bottom. I believe this is why the majority of my personal best catches have come on the spoon.” Frank DiMarcantonio likens the jigging spoon to “the spinnerbait of open water” and says it is a great search tool when cast out and jigged back. “They are also a great triggering device for negative or neutral fish, however, they also shine when fish are aggressive and feeding. They work well in windy conditions for active fish and they work great in calm conditions when fish are neutral. They really shine in colder water.”

Tales from the Road By Bob Izumi

The summer started with a quick trip to Lake Champlain in Vermont to stay at my buddy, Rick McCrory’s place. It’s always fun to go down there for the early season bass fishing that Vermont offers. We had a quick couple of days of fishing down there and, as always, had a lot of fun with Rick. After getting back I had a fairly busy schedule as Tim Hortons Camp Day and the Canadian Sport Fishing Industry Association’s annual golf tournament were both held on the same day. I visited Tim Hortons stores in the Barrie area and ended

up in the Caledon area so I could be close to where the golf tournament was. Without a doubt Tim Hortons Camp Day has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. This year it raised $11.8 million for the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. Having visited all but one of their camps I can honestly say that these are the most incredible resorts you’ll ever find for kids. It gives them a life changing experience and is a win-win for everybody involved. Me and my son, Darren, along with my brother, Wayne, and his son, Justin, all competed in the golf tournament. We ended up having a pretty good round but not good enough to win this year. After the golf tournament I spent some time in sponsor meetings before heading out to another charity golf tournament held by Boating Business. In this tournament we won the event and I also won the closest to the pin competition. It was pretty funny because I had hit right at the pin and my ball actually bounced off it and almost landed in the hole. It was definitely my shot of 60 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

the year! At my handicap, one shot like that every year is enough to keep me coming back! Then Darren and I fished our first tournament of the year, The Renegade Bass event on the St. Lawrence River, out of Morrisburg. We normally would make a long, 100-mile-plus one-way trip to Lake Ontario but this year, with the water being high on the river, we couldn’t get through the dam because the chutes at the dam west of Morrisburg were closed. We had to fish a 35-mile stretch of the river that I’m really not familiar with but we got in some practice and found a lot of fish in the area. We ended up catching just over 22-pounds in the tournament and finished in 10th place. I thought for sure we would have been higher in the standings so I was really surprised to see 19 bags of fish that weighed over 20-pounds get weighed in. It just shows you how incredibly good the fishing is on the St. Lawrence River. It is absolutely off the charts for smallmouth bass. After talking to Bruce Tufts (and this is something you’ll read about in a future issue of Real Fishing Magazine) between the zebra mussels, the gobies and warmer water, the smallmouth on average are 25% larger than they were 12-years ago. It blows my mind when I see how big they are getting. After the Renegade event we made the long trek home, got about three-hours of sleep, and headed to the CSFL’s Casey Cup on Lake Simcoe.

One of the things I have to admit is, because I still fish so many tournaments and I don’t practice for a lot of them, a lot of the time I just try to save face. You’re probably wondering why. Well, over the years, when I’ve done well I’ve heard people say that I should do well because I fish for a living. When I don’t do well they ask, “What happened, the bigtime fishing show host can’t catch fish?” Because I’m fishing so many different bodies of water and I’m not physically, mentally or fish-wise prepared for many of them, a lot of times I’m just going out there and completely rolling the dice. I should have listened to Darren in this tournament. He wanted to start in one area and I wanted to start in another spot to play it safe. I wanted to save face and get a respectable limit first - which took longer than I thought it would. When I finally went to where Darren wanted to go we caught our two biggest fish. If we would have went there first we probably would have fared better than the 18th place we ended up in. Then I was off to Ottawa for the next Renegade tournament on the Ottawa River. As Darren and I were idling into the area we were fishing, we were following another team, Robert Jackson and Jamie Walker. As they shut their motor off I shut mine off and I yelled to them, “Do you want to go left or right?” They said left, so Darren and I went to the right. As it turns out, they weighed in a monster bag of fish weighing 21.77-pounds and we weighed in a 16.54-pound limit. They ended up winning the tournament while Darren and I finished in ninth place. The moral of this story is, nice guys do finish ninth! Then it was back home to grab another suitcase and head to Las Vegas for the annual ICAST show. If you’ve read this column before you’ve heard me talk about ICAST – it’s where the latest and greatest fishing tackle is unveiled every year. When you travel as much as I do there’s going to be a few bumps on the road, that’s a fact of life, but I don’t get too excited about them. Traffic, problems with aircraft, storms, whatever it is, you can’t control it so you might as well just suck it up. There were

torrential rains in Toronto that day and many areas of the city got flooded. As a result, our flight to Las Vegas that evening got cancelled. You couldn’t get through to the airlines on the phone to re-book so I logged onto the internet and re-booked with another airline. The only regret I have about the delay is that we missed a great round of golf at the TPC Las Vegas with our friends from Columbia Sportswear. We finally made it to the ICAST show for one day and we had a great time. We got to see Columbia win the Best Fly Fishing Accessory for their Henry’s Fork V Vest and we met a lot of old friends and acquaintances. Overall the show was a huge success and I’m glad we made it down there - even though we missed our golf game! After getting home, Darren and I were off to fish the CSFL Wild Card tournament on the Tri-Lakes, outside of Peterborough. Darren and I have not spent any time on the Tri-Lakes and I’ve probably only fished there once or twice in the past 12-years so we were going into this one cold turkey. We fished by the seat of our pants and caught fish here and there around the lake by “junk fishing”. Junk fishing is where you just pick little spots that look good. It could be a boat dock, it could be offshore weeds, it could be a floating weed mat, it could be a small rock shoal. We caught bass on all of these and ended the day in 11th place with 16.95-pounds. The funniest part of the day was when Darren saw a turtle in the slop, sitting on a mat of weeds. He was flipping a Berkley Chigger Craw around the turtle when his line jumped. He set the hook and ended up catching a bass around 4 ½-pounds that turned out to be our biggest fish of the day. We both got a chuckle out of how that bass was using both the weeds and the turtle as shade. After the tournament I was invited to do the Humble and Fred Show on Sirius satellite radio. These guys have been around radio for a long time – since way back when I had hair! As I was going into the studio I

ran into BodyBreak stars, Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod. After a brief introduction I was whisked off to the studio to do a piece with Humble and Fred. If you haven’t checked out their talk show on SiriusXM Canada’s comedy channel, Canada Laughs (channel 168), or on their website at www.humbleandfredradio.com, it’s certainly worth a listen. These guys are a lot of fun. The next day I went up to Glen Haffy Conservation Area to attend one of our Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire fishing days. With all of the rain we had the week prior, the pond was very muddy and the fish catching was off but the kids were still catching a few and having lots of fun. Then I was off to fish two, one-day Renegade Bass tournaments on Big Rideau Lake before heading to Kingston for the Canadian Open Bass Tournament. My friend, Robert Greenburg, who also fishes the Renegade series, invited us to stay at his place on Big Rideau, which made it very convenient. We spent a day checking out the lake and felt pretty comfortable that we could catch some good fish. As it turned out, we had limits weighing 11.76-pounds on the first day and 11.88-pounds on the second and did not fare nearly as well as I thought we would. On a positive note, it gave us much needed points to keep us in the hunt to qualify for the Renegade Classic at the end of the year. Then I was off to the Hampton Inn in Napanee - where I stay quite frequently during the summer when I’m fishing tournaments around Kingston, Belleville or Trenton – to spend some time scouting Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River for the Canadian Open. The Canadian Open is one of the tournaments that I look forward to every year. In the mid-’90s I won it three years in a row, I’ve been second a couple of other times and

have had a lot of top-10 finishes. This tournament is a three-day event that’s held on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I really enjoy three-day tournaments because even if you have a mediocre day you can bounce back and still do well overall. On day one everything lined up perfectly for my non-boater partner, Cal Climpson, and I. Cal is the son of Paul Climpson, who I’ve known since the ‘80s when he started tournament fishing. Cal eats, sleeps and drinks fishing. He’s in his early 20s and he is a great angler. We started off getting a 20pound plus limit fairly early in the morning by fishing deep. Then we went shallow and caught them as well. To tell you how good a day it was, at one point I hooked a good fish, about four-pounds, and Cal set his rod down to grab the net. His rod literally had a foot and a half of line hanging from the tip and his tube bait was hanging over the side of the boat. While he was netting my fish, Cal’s rod jumped. He grabbed it and landed another bass that was over four-pounds. This was in crystal-clear water that was only

Cal Climpson fished with Bob on day one of the Canadian Open and went on to win the non-boater division.

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Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 61

four or five-feet deep! That gives you a good idea of how day one went. Cal and I ended up with 23.65-pounds, which put me in 5th place after day one. I was pretty happy with the way things panned out. After seeing how good the shallow water fishing was, I decided to gamble and go shallow on day two. My non-boater on day two was Fab Marchese, who turned out to be long-time friend of Bruce Leeson, who I’ve also known since the ‘80s. Bruce and his father, Denny, fished tournaments together for many, many years in the early years and Bruce still fishes them. We ended up not faring as well as I thought and only got 17.8pounds on day two. That dropped me back to 11th place. On day three my non-boater partner was Dave Waltner, who is in the Canadian military. We had a great day on the water but unfortunately we didn’t get enough of the bigger fish that put you in the hunt to win. We ended up with 18.25-pounds for the day and I finished the tournament in 14th place. My day one partner, Cal Climpson, went on to take first place on the non-boater side, and my son, Darren, finished in third among the non-boaters. In the last four-years Darren has had a first, two seconds and a third place finish in this tournament. On a sadder note, while I was fishing with Fab on day two, he told me that Denny Leeson wasn’t doing too well. Denny is in his 80s and up until just a few years ago was still actively guiding up at Kesagami Lake Lodge. Within two weeks of the tournament, Fab contacted me and said that Denny’s condition had gotten worse so my

Denny and Bruce Leeson were honoured by Fenwick in the early days of Canadian tournament fishing.

wife, Sandy, and I went to Hamilton to visit him. It was really nice to visit with Denny and talk about the old days and tournament fishing. Only a week after our visit I got the news that Denny had passed away. He was always a gentleman, a sportsman and a keen competitor. My condolences to his wife, Molly, and the rest of the Leeson family. Denny will definitely be missed. On our way back from the Canadian Open, Darren and I decided that we would fish another tournament so on the Sunday we fished a one-day Quinte Fishing Series event out of Belleville. We ended up catching 22.13-pounds of smallmouth bass by fishing three-inch Berkley GULP! Fry on dropshot rigs. We made a 150-mile round trip in the Ranger 620 Fisherman that day and literally got back with seconds to spare. It turns out that our long run paid off and we ended up winning the tournament. This is eightyears in a row that I’ve been fortunate enough to have a first place and it kind of took the monkey off my back. After the tournament I talked to my old friend, Ken Wychopen, from K-Rock 95.3 in Cold Lake, Alberta. He does a weekly show called Outdoor Adventures that I

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62 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

made an appearance on. We had a great talk on his show and then it was back to the Hampton Inn in Napanee for three, one-day Bassmania events. By now you’re probably getting the impression that I like my tournament fishing and you are right. I am 100% addicted to it; it’s what I live to do. The first two days were restricted to the Bay of Quinte and the third day included Lake Ontario. We didn’t do that well in the first or third tournaments but we managed a 7th place finish in the second event with 16.1-pounds of largemouth bass. Then it was off to the Police Association of Ontario’s annual general meeting in Burlington to speak about the Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days programme. It’s always nice to be invited to talk about the benefits of our relationship with the Police Association and all of the events we are involved with. This year alone we have done over 70 kids’ fishing events. My hat is off to the Police Association of Ontario for supporting the programme for as many years as they have.

Dick Knapp and Dave Smith with a big largemouth bass.

There’s a little lake in eastern Ontario called Dog and Cranberry Lake that is spread out like a spider web and it was our next destination on the Renegade Bass tournament series. The last time we were on this lake we had a top-five finish by fishing one weedbed for pretty well the whole day. While I was pre-fishing I had a couple of really good old friends join me. My buddy, Dave Smith, from Oklahoma, spent about five days with me and I invited another old friend from the ‘80s, Dick Knapp, who is 80-years old, to join us as well. The three of had a wonderful day fishing and laughing

out there. It was one of those days that I’ll cherish for a very long time. Upon arriving at the lake, Darren and I found that the weedbed we fished last year was non-existent so we had to make a change of plan and look for a new area. The best place we found had about four boats starting in it – and it could really only fit one or two – so that changed our plans again. We ended up buzzbaiting and flipping weed pockets out on the flats. We scrounged out a small limit but finished down in 37th place. After the tournament we headed up to Glenn Burney Lodge, located in Seguin, Ontario, minutes out of Parry Sound. Brent and Larry McNamee from BoaterExam.com joined me, my son, Darren, and my brother, Wayne, on this Georgian Bay adventure. The owner, Wesley Thuro, has really done a wonderful job with this lodge. The mix of West Coast Native art and vintage guitars decorating the lodge, along with the fine dining they provide, makes it a very interesting place to visit. This lodge is one of those hidden gems that I didn’t even know existed but I’m very glad we found it. We met so many wonderful people up there including TV personality/author and Chef, Marc Thuet. Marc is friends with Wesley and just happened to be staying there with his family on their way to Sudbury to do some bear hunting. It was nice meeting Marc and his family and finding out that they are all avid outdoors people. The dockside patio at Glenn Burney Lodge is the perfect place to unwind after a day on the water.

that maybe the camera would still work. Needless to say, Darren wasn’t too pleased when I told him. Unfortunately the coffee did get into the camera and it is now an official boat anchor. Without a camera to shoot the show, we decided to just fun fish. As it turned out, we caught a lot of fish and could have easily got our show done. The one positive is that now I have a good excuse to get back up there! I finally decided to take Labour Day weekend off, the first weekend I’ve been off in months. It was nice to spend time with family and friends but when the weekend was over it was time to get back on the road for the Renegade Bass Classic out of Cornwall on Lake St. Francis. On day one we weighed in a small, 16.32-pound limit of smallmouth bass. I wasn’t happy with that or with the fact that we didn’t have a single four-pound or better fish. Out of the 40 boats that fished on day one, we were in 35th place. As humbling as day one was, I was still excited to get out there for day two. We decided to change it up and went to some deep fish that we had found in practice. We caught four good ones right off the bat and then decided to move shallow, but the shallow bite was really off. We went to another spot that we had found in practice and Darren hooked into a great fish that weighed 5.79-pounds. If you can believe it, we missed winning the big fish award by .06 of a pound. I’m so glad Darren was on his game. He caught another fish over 4-pounds later in the day that secured our 19.64pound limit and gave us a 25th place finish for the tournament.

It goes to show you, A: how good the tournament anglers are when you’re fishing against the top guys from a particular regional circuit and, B: how much more work we have to do to finish better in these events. Can I afford to spend more time fishing these tournaments? Not really, so I’ll continue to roll the dice. What keeps me coming back are days like the second day of the Renegade Classic where I see my son catch a giant fish. In tournament fishing or any other type of fishing there’s always hope that a monster will show up. You never know what you’re going to catch on your next cast. ?

Our group got out and caught a bunch of smallmouth and largemouth bass on our first day. The next morning I poured myself a coffee and, as I went to grab it, I spilled it all over the video camera my son uses to shoot the Real Fishing Show. I had a sick feeling in my stomach but I had a slight hope Fall 2013 – Real Fishing 63

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s COOKING This recipe combines a bit of heat with a bit of sweet giving a refreshing and delicious new spin to traditional fried perch.

Baked Jerk Yellow Perch with Mango Salsa and Black Beans and Rice INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pounds 1 jar 1 1/4 1/4 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 cup 1/4 cup 1 tsp salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS fresh yellow perch Jerk paste mango red onion red pepper chopped cilantro mango puree basmati rice black beans cumin

64 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fall 2013

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place perch in a bowl and add a tablespoon or two of the jerk paste. Toss until perch is coated. Let marinate for an hour. Peel and dice the mango into small pieces. Very finely dice the red onion and red pepper. Place in a bowl with the mango and mix together. Set aside. In a medium pot, put rice in with 1 3/4 cups water, a pinch of salt, pepper and the cumin. Bring to a boil slowly and drop to a simmer. Cover rice and cook for 15 minutes then turn off the heat and let rest for five minutes.

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Arrange the perch on the sheet, place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes. Once the rice is finished cooking, add the black beans (drain liquid off beans). Place beans and rice on a plate and top with fish. Add mango salsa on top and enjoy! Special thanks to Jason Mohring of Tecvana Corporation for providing this recipe.

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SUMMER SHORE MUSKIE “This is one of a series of moose antler paintings that were created in partnership with Kris Esselink, manager of the Manitou Weather Station fishing lodge on Lower Manitou Lake in Northwestern Ontario. Kris and his hunting friends found several shed moose antlers in the forest around the lodge so Kris invited my wife and me to visit the lodge for a combined fishing trip/painting opportunity. I prepared and primed the moose antlers and Kris offered a wide variety of scenes I might consider painting. This one depicts a hooked Manitou Lake muskie jumping clear of the water. The scene is painted with acrylic paint and a clear varnish was added as a final touch. The series of paintings will be exhibited in the lodge and cabins at the Manitou Weather Station lodge.” – Charles Weiss

Artist: Charles Weiss Medium: Acrylic on moose antlers Contact: Charles Weiss 34 Hughey Cr. Toronto, ON 416-752-4363 www.charlesweissart.com 66 Real Fishing – Fall 2013

l attractant that Gulp! Alive! has a powerfu water fish just leaves a scent trail in the alistic action re can’t resist. And with its Gulp! outfishes e ris rp su and shapes, it’s no , even live bait. an ything and ever ything alive. Gulp! Looks, feels and tastes ®

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