SUMMER SPECIAL - Smallmouth, Largemouth and Walleyes!
PLUS - Understanding Electronics, Fishing News, Bob Izumi’s Tips....
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Summer 2006
Based on 2005 competitive information for F-150 SuperCrew and Ram Quad Cab 2005 Energuide ratings. www.fueleconomy.gov General Motors of Canada Limited.
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Summer 2006 Volume 12, Issue 3
16
6 Opening Lines
Editor Jerry Hughes Art Director Patricia Heeney-Bacon
11 Sportsmen’s Almanac
Publisher Fred Delsey
News, trivia, event listings and more from the world of fishing
16 What’s New
National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679
The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories
21 Fishing
President Wayne Izumi Contributors
23 Chevy Fish Facts
25 Best Fishing Times
Real Fishing is published by Izumi Outdoors Inc. 940 Sheldon Court Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Tel: (905) 632-8679 Fax: (905) 632-2833
34 SMALLMOUTH SECRETS FROM THE PROS
By Jerry Hughes
Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Derek Strub, Al Patton, and Simon Frost share their tips for bagging big bronzebacks this summer.
41 STRESS FREE TOWING
By Daniel Howard
Make sure your rig is road ready before heading out on the highway.
45 WORK THE WIND FOR WALLEYES
By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
Proper boat control means more walleyes in your boat.
49 REMEMBERING MYLES
By Jason Edwards
In Latin, the name Myles means “Warrior” or “Soldier.” Myles McLellan was all that and more.
53 CRANKING UP DEEPWATER LARGEMOUTH
By Wil Wegman
When the summer sun scorches the shallows, head offshore for an untapped largemouth bonanza.
53
49 45
By Bob Izumi
Learning About Fishing
Curtis Atwater, Jason Edwards, Simon Frost, Daniel Howard, Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi, Steve May, Al Patton, Scott Richardson, Derek Strub, Ted Takasaki, Dave Taylor, Wil Wegman
34
By Jerry Hughes
Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar
27 The Water’s Edge
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By Dave Taylor
Raccoon
29 Fly Fishing
By Steve May
Getting to the bottom of things
31 Understanding Electronics
We welcome manuscripts, but will not be held responsible for loss of manuscripts, photos or other materials.
33 The Hot Bite
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
Spotlight on the Flipping Jig
61 Tales From The Road 63 Fishing Forever Update Conservation in Action
65 What’s Cooking
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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: Sweet Georgia Bass! Photo by Wayne Izumi
By Bob Izumi
The trials and tribulations of life as a professional angler
Subscription inquiries Please call: 1-877-474-4141 or visit www.realfishing.com
Postmaster: Please return front cover/label only of undeliverables to: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6
By Lawren Wetzel
Sweet Teriyaki Back Ribs Mesquite
66
66 Art Of Angling
By Bob Izumi
by Jerry Hughes
SAFETY first Fishing isn’t generally considered a dangerous pursuit, yet each year untold numbers of people get injured on or around the water. Most of these injuries are slight – small cuts, hook jabs, abrasions and so forth – but worse things can and do happen. While some accidents are unavoidable, too many are caused by carelessness or neglecting to follow the basic rules of water safety. Just this past May, three people drowned on Rice Lake, one of Ontario’s most popular recreational waterways, when their boat was swamped in rough water. Of the seven people on board, four were wearing PFDs, the other three were not. Guess who made it safely back to land? As the days lengthen and the temperatures rise, people in general, and anglers in particular, look forward to spending time on, in and around the
water. In the rush to trade our 9 to 5 lives for a few days of solitude at the lake, however, we sometimes throw caution aside, trusting in our good fortune to ensure that nothing bad will happen to us. Unfortunately it can be a misguided trust that may jump up and bite us. According to the Canadian Red Cross, the total number of drowning deaths in Canada is estimated to be an average of 500 per year and most of those (roughly 70%) involve boats, jet skis, canoes or other watercraft. I’d be willing to wager that none of those people saw it coming. It only takes a couple of seconds to slip on a PFD before setting out on the water and today’s new styles and designs are more comfortable than ever before. Inflatable models are so lightweight that it’s easy to forget you’re wearing one, so there’s really no reason not to. Now that our all too short Canadian summer is here it’s understandable that we are all dying to go fishing. Let’s just make sure that we don’t die from it. ?
In early May, Bernard Herbert (Red) Fisher, the father of Canadian fishing shows and angling icon to tens of thousands of fishermen and women, passed away at his home in Chatham, Ontario. Anyone who enjoys watching fishing shows can thank Red Fisher for paving the way for today’s television fishing stars. In 1968, Red launched the Red Fisher Show and for the next 21 years he reigned as the patriarch of the genre. Bob Izumi, who got his start in the television world shortly before Fisher’s program ended in the late 1980s, said Fisher was his inspiration. “I used to sit in front of the TV every Saturday afternoon and watch Red,” said Bob. Anyone who enjoys fishing today owes Red Fisher a debt of gratitude for bringing the sport out of the wilderness and into our living rooms. He was an inspiration to many of us and the fishing world will be poorer without him.
6 Summer 2006 Real Fishing
Available Online at www.realfishing.com
It’s about time…
Let’s go fishing Canada!
www.catchfishing.com
Wayne Izumi tries to keep his sandals dry while surf fishing on a recent trip to southwestern Mexico. Why is there an airplane on the beach, you ask? It’s an incredible story to be sure, but you’ll have to wait for the next issue of Real Fishing when Eric Weissman, who was Wayne’s host and guide on this trip, provides full details on the airplane and the fishing in Mexico. For a preview of what awaits anglers in Mexico, check Eric’s website at www.mexicofishing.ca
8 Real Fishing Summer 2006
Real Fishing Summer 2006 9
gets makeover
Realfishing.com In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve recently overhauled the Real Fishing website by giving it a fresh new look and adding tons of exciting new features. The most popular addition to the site is undoubtedly the Television section where you can watch full length versions of your favourite Real Fishing episodes right on your computer. Now, whenever the mood strikes you, you can be off on a dream fishing adventure with Bob Izumi by simply clicking your mouse. Along with our shows, we’ve added a number of video tips that will help you get more out of your time on the water. From back trolling for walleyes to burning spinnerbaits for smallmouth bass; from towing a trailer to launching your boat, we don’t just talk about it, we show you exactly how it’s done. Along with all the informative video, the television section has a complete show schedule, a listing of Bob’s favourite fishing destinations and a whole lot more. Another area of the site that’s getting a lot of attention is the Magazine section. You can read, download and save entire back issues of Real Fishing Magazine; you can subscribe to the paper version of the magazine, you can ask Bob Izumi your fishing questions, post pictures of your trophy catches and check out some tasty recipes from Bob’s cookbook. The new Real Fishing website also has a classified ad section where you can buy and sell fishing gear; a regular column from Bob Izumi and current fishing news. There isn’t enough space here to go over all of the features on our new site, but you can explore it all at your leisure by clicking on www.realfishing.com. We think you’ll be glad you did.
Hwy. 400 & Rutherford Rd., One Bass Pro Mills Drive Vaughan, ON (905) 761-4000 Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–10pm, Sun 10am–7pm
ONTARIO’S CHINOOK STOCKING IS SAFE
BP316966
In mid-April, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay officially set the record straight on his government's commitment to continue stocking Chinook salmon and rainbow trout into Lake Ontario when he said that there were no plans to eliminate stocking of either species. The Ministry of Natural Resources is preparing an Atlantic Salmon program and there were concerns that the Chinook and/or rainbow stocking programs could be adversely affected in
favor of the Atlantics. "The ministry has no plans to eliminate Chinook or rainbow trout stocking in Lake Ontario," said Minister Ramsay. "We recognize that stocked Chinook salmon are currently the mainstay of the offshore fishery and naturalized rainbow trout are highly valued by lake and tributary anglers. The Ministry remains committed to sustaining diverse salmon and trout fisheries in Lake Ontario that provide a broad range of benefits."
Real Fishing Summer 2006 11
FISHY MP3 PLAYER
Under the category of “what will they think of next,” Toshiba has come out with a fish shaped MP3 player that will be bundled with their Dynabook CX notebook for the Japanese market. The fishy MP3 player doubles as a USB Flash drive for storing files, it has 512MB of Flash memory and supports MP3 and WMA files.
Tibetan women save fish at sacred Nepal pond
FISHERMEN BLOW UP TRAIN Three Russian fishermen accidentally blew up a rail car when TNT they planned to use to help them catch fish exploded aboard a Vladivostok-toUssurisk train. The blast destroyed part of the carriage, but no passengers were hurt. Although fishing with dynamite is illegal in Russia, it is still a very popular fishing method to catch fish there. The blast stuns the fish, causing them to float to the surface where they can be easily scooped from the water. The incident put an end to the trio’s fishing trip when they were apprehended by police after the explosion.
A group of Tibetan women has saved hundreds of fish from perishing in a drying 17th century pond. The Rani Pokhari or Queen's Pond, was built in 1670 by King Pratap Malla to ease the grief of his wife, who had just lost her beloved son.
CATCH BOB ON THE TUBE! Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing Show Schedule July 1 July 8
International Peacock Tournament from Venezuela Lac Seul Walleye at Anderson’s Lodge
July 15 July 22
Ontario Heli-fishing for Steelhead Port Dover Fishing Opportunities/Next Generation Fishing
July 29 August 5 August 12
Northwestern Ontario Walleye with Bob and Wayne Comedy on Ice with Jimmy Flynn/Ice Fishing Guru Dave Genz Sunset Cove Variety
August 19 August 26
Guardian Eagle Resort Contest Action with Lloyd Lasher Largemouth Action Around Ontario
September 2 September 9
Thornley on Ice/Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing Lake Ontario Charter Salmon
September 16 September 23
Aldridge Bass from Old Spring Hill Elliot Lake – Remembering Red
September 30 October 7
Slip-bobber Smallies from Sioux Lookout New Orleans Tuna
Check your local television listings for stations and times.
Officials had failed to fill up the pond, due to a water shortage in the capital, Katmandu, where many citizens have to buy water from tankers operated by private contractors. After realizing the fish were going to die, the women raised money to buy water to fill the pond, the Himalayan Times newspaper reported. "It was heart-wrenching to see the pond getting so dry. We come here to feed the fish here everyday and we realized that there was hardly any water, only a layer of mud," Chhorten Lama, one of the women, was quoted as saying. "We did it because we thought that our one small effort could save hundreds of fish living in this unfortunate pond," she said.
Mercury ranked hightest in customer satisfaction At this year’s Miami International Boat Show, Mercury Marine was presented with a pair of customer satisfaction awards from J.D. Power and Associates for its direct-fuel-injected and sterndrive engines. MerCruiser, Mercury’s sterndrive company, was recognized as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Sterndrive Engines” while Mercury OptiMax was recognized as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Two-Stroke Outboard Engines.” The awards were presented at the J.D. Power and Associates awards ceremony in conjunction with the Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Real Fishing Summer 2006 13
ANGLER & YOUNG ANGLER WALLEYE CHAMPIONSHIP WALLEYE TOURNAMENTS July 8 Dryden, ON and Lac La Biche, MB Tel: 807-223-7733 (Dryden) Tel: 204-367-8442 (Lac La Biche) www.angleryoungangler.ca COMPETITIVE SPORT FISHING LEAGUE (CSFL) BASS TOURNAMENTS July - August Various Locations Tel: (905) 640 – 2277 www.csfl.ca. CRK CANADIAN FISHING TOUR BASS TOURNAMENTS July - August Various Locations Tel: (705) 687-4440 www.canadianfishingtour.com FORT FRANCIS CANADIAN BASS CHAMPIONSHIP BASS TOURNAMENT July 27 - 29 Rainy Lake Tel: 807-274-0316 www.canadianbass.com GREAT ONTARIO SALMON DERBY SALMON DERBY July 8 - August 26 Lake Ontario Tel: 905-361-5247 www.greatontariosalmonderby.com KENORA BASS INTERNATIONAL BASS TOURNAMENT August 4 - 6 Lake of the Woods Tel: 807-468-5555 www.kbifishing.com
PRO BASS QUEBEC BASS TOURNAMENTS July - August Various Locations www.probassquebec.com QUINTE FISHING SERIES BASS TOURNAMENTS July - August Bay of Quinte Tel: 613-967-1024 www.quintefishing.com/qfs.htm
At participating stores. Selection may vary. © The TDL Marks Corporation, 2006
SEND PHOTOS TO: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court Burlington Ontario L7L 5K6.
Mitchell Kostecki Thunder Bay ON Walleye
SASKATCHEWAN WALLEYE TRAIL WALLEYE TOURNAMENTS July and September Various Locations Tel: 306-569-5712 www.saskwalleyetrail.ca
Bailey Murray Bracebridge ON Walleye
SOUTHERN ALBERTA WALLEYE TRAIL WALLEYE TOURNAMENT July 8 - 9 Milk River Ridge Reservoir Tel: 403-502-2909 www.sportfisherman.net/sawt/ TOP BASS FISHING SERIES BASS TOURNAMENTS July - August Various Locations Tel: (905) 727-8496 www.topbass.ca
Tony Lucciola St. Catharines ON Steelhead
NATIONAL FISHING WEEK July 1 - 9 Local Events, Canada-Wide Tel: 705-745-8433 www.catchfishing.com
Contains artificial flavours.
And you could see your picture in a future issue of Real Fishing Magazine!
RENEGADE BASS TOUR BASS TOURNAMENTS July - September Various Locations Tel: 613-740-2027 www.renegadebass.com
LANGARA FISHING ADVENTURES SALMON TOURNAMENTS July - September Langara Fishing Lodge, BC Tel: 604-232-5532 www.langara.com/site/?id=23
NEW BRUNSWICK SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATIONBASS TOURNAMENTS July – September Various Locations Tel: 506-459-7125 www.nbsportfishing.ca
SEND US A PHOTO OF YOUR BEST CATCH!
Mike Labiak LaSalle ON Freshwater Drum
Ted Willis St. Catharines ON Smallmouth Bass
Todd Iffe St. Catharines ON Brown Trout
Real Fishing Summer 2006 15
XCALIBUR HI-TEK SERIES HARDBAITS
2006 NO-SNAGG® CENT'R SLIP SINKER
XCalibur’s new Hi-Tek Series baits were designed with the help of some of the USA’s top pro anglers including Zell Rowland, Tim Horton, Jimmy Houston and Alton Jones. The baits feature high-sheen, intricately detailed etched finishes, 3D red eyes and raised gill plates. Each bait is equipped with premium hardware including XCalibur Tx3 treble hooks featuring forged tips and three razor-sharp edges on each point. The XCalibur series includes 6 new baits to cover every imaginable fishing situation. XCALIBUR 3601 Jenny Lind Rd., Fort Smith AR 72901 • www.lurenet.com
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Xs4 Stick Bait Engineered to dance with every rod-tip twitch and suspend perfectly level when left motionless, the Xs4 Stick Bait is the perfect tool for tempting big bass. The Xs4 weighs 1/2 an ounce, is 4 1/2” long and is available in eight colour patterns.
New for 2006, Lindy’s No-Snagg Cent'r Slip Sinker allows through-the-center line feed for tighter-to-the-bottom rig fishing while offering vegetation-resistance and reduced line wear. Available in 5 sizes from 1/4 to 1-ounce and 2 colour combinations - orange/chartreuse and black/blue. LINDY FISHING TACKLE P.O. Box 973 1110 Wright Street, Brainerd, MN 56401 • www.lindyfishingtackle.com
Xr50 Rattle Bait The Xr50 sends out a tremendous "thump" with every crank of the reel, it swims even as it falls on a slack line and it wiggles tight and hard when cranked. Ultra-loud Hi-Tek rattles call fish from afar, and eight meticulously detailed finishes seal the deal. The Xr50 Rattle Bait is 2 1/2inches long and weighs 5/8 ounce.
HIGH SPEED CURADO D SERIES REELS Shimano’s popular Curado baitcasting reels have been souped up for 2006 with the new D series that feature a blazing fast 7.0:1 gear ratio. No more cranking your arm off to fish buzzbaits or burn spinnerbaits, these new reels pull in up to 30-inches of line per crank making speed fishing a cinch. SHIMANO CANADA LIMITED 685 The Queensway, Peterborough ON K9J 7J6 • www.shimano.com
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QUICK CLEAT The portable, heavy duty, nickel chrome plated steel Quick Cleat is the answer to temporarily tying up your boat when there are no permanent docking cleats available. The Quick Cleat slips between the planks on a dock and, with a simple 90° twist, provides a secure tie-up for your fishing boat, canoe or personal watercraft. RDL GROUP 4215 Longmoor Dr. Burlington ON L7L 5C7 • 905-632-7882
BOB IZUMI RED and WHITE WINES Coyote’s Run Estate Winery and Bob Izumi have teamed up to introduce an exclusive set of premium wines, Bob Izumi Red and Bob Izumi White. Both are VQA certified and made with 100% Niagara grown fruit. The white is dry and refreshing with tropical fruit and flinty notes. The red has a raspberry/blackberry tone accompanied with hints of spice, vanilla and toast. The wines are available individually or in a gift box set featuring one bottle of Bob Izumi Red and one bottle of Bob Izumi White. The wines are available directly from Coyote’s Run Estate Winery, selected restaurants or online at www.winerytohome.ca COYOTE’S RUN ESTATE WINERY 485 Concession Rd. 5, St. David’s, ON L0S 1P0 • www.coyotesrunwinery.com
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Xz2 Zell Pop Zell Rowland, the world’s most renowned topwater angler, hand carved the prototype for the Zell Pop. This bait rests tail down and creates an ideal spitting/walking action with every twitch of the rod tip. The Zell Pop is 2 5/16 inches long and weighs 1/4 ounce. It’s feather-dressed, contains internal rattles and comes in eight incredible colors.
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16 Real Fishing Summer 2006
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Xj4 Jimmy A topwater favorite of Jimmy Houston, the XCalibur Jimmy has been carefully engineered for effortless walk-the-dog performance. Tx3 trebles with VMC InLine technology, ensure the fish get hooked and stay hooked. The Jimmy comes in eight colors, is 4” long and weighs 1/2 ounce.
Xt3 Twitch Bait The Xt3 Twitch Bait offers a tight wiggle when reeled steadily and darts erratically when twitched. Stop the retrieve and the Xt3 suspends perfectly. The Xt3 Twitch Bait is 3 1/8 inches long, weighs 3/8 ounce and comes in 8 colors.
XCalibur Xw6 Wake Bait The XCalibur Xw6 Wake Bait is an ultra-shallow running crankbait that has been engineered to wobble widely with part of the lure always at the surface – even when reeled at high speeds. Intricately detailed etched finishes, three-dimensional red eyes and raised red gill plates bring this Hi-Tek lure to life.
6 Real Fishing Summer 2006 17
2006
COLEMAN FOLD ’N GO STOVE
The new Coleman®‚ InstaStart™ Fold ’N Go™ TwoBurner Stove is approximately 25 percent more compact than traditional two burner stoves while providing 10,000 BTU of cooking power from each fully adjustable burner. Features include Coleman’s InstaStart™ Electronic Ignition system, smooth, aluminized steel cooking surfaces and chrome-plated, heavy-gauge wire grates. SUNBEAM CORPORATION (CANADA) LIMITED (COLEMAN DIVISION) 5975 Falbourne Street, Mississauga ON L5R 3V8 www.colemancanada.ca
WIRELESS TROLLING MOTORS MotorGuide Wireless trolling motors provide simple, fast and precise boat positioning with a low-profile, wireless foot pedal. There are three variable speed models in the Wireless Series offering between 45 and 75-pounds of thrust. MotorGuide Wireless Series motors are backed by a 3-year motor warranty and a lifetime shaft warranty. MOTORGUIDE MARINE/PINPOINT 835 West 41st Street ,Tulsa, Oklahoma 74107 www.motorguide.com
OUTBOARD TILLER EXTENSION The Handi-Mate outboard extension handle from Davis Instruments extends from 30" to 47” and locks into six different lengths. Made of durable anodized aluminum, it is available in two models - model 1440 which is a straight steering unit and model 1441 featuring a swivel lock that maintains full steering and throttle capabilities. L.F. BURGESS & ASSOCIATES P.O. Box 55, 177 Lynden Rd., Lynden ON L0R 1T0 • www.lfburgess.com
A BRIGHT IDEA Off Shore Tackle introduces the Night Light 3, a lighted flag system for their line of in-line planer boards that replaces the standard flags with light emitting diodes. The lighted flags can be installed on any Off Shore in-line board in minutes. The Night Light 3 is available in red or green (for port or starboard), comes 2 to a package and includes 4 batteries. OFF SHORE TACKLE P.O. Box 88 Port Austin MI 48467-0088 www.offshoretackle.com
We welcome submissions from manufactures 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
Real Fishing Summer 2006 19
Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.
By Bob Izumi
LEARNING about fishing One of my favourite sayings is, “You’re never done learning when it comes to successful fishing.” The day you think that you know everything is the day that I guess fishing is way too easy and you might as well take up another sport - or you should be fishing every tournament you can get in to so you can make millions! The bottom line is, there’s so much to learn when it comes to fishing, and we never know as much as we think we do.
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Over my 33-years of competing in tournaments, whether I’ve done well or not, I always try to come away with at least one new idea. One way I do this is to stay for the whole weigh-in show. When the competitors are doing their speeches up on stage, there might be that one little thing that someone says that will flick on the light and I’ll think, “Boy, I never thought of that,” or “Wow, they caught fish that way?” Those little tidbits of knowledge get stored away in my mind and I can try them when I’m faced with a similar fishing situation in the future. Another thing I do, whether I’ve had a good outing or not, is analyze my day. I think about the techniques I used, the areas I fished, the baits I threw and so on. I often find myself asking, “What if I had tried something different?” By questioning my approach, I often see a number of other things I could have done. The next time I’m out there, I’ll try some of my “what ifs” and, as often as not, at least one of them will work.
Another thing I always do when I’m fishing is to think about why I’m catching fish in the places I am. Is there a good of supply food, is it a migratory spot, is it a spot where the fish are holding when they’re inactive or is it a spot they’re using when they are actively feeding? When I get onto a good area I try to figure these things out because they will dictate my presentation and bait choices. I also like to try and expand on areas that are productive to see if there are any more spots in the immediate vicinity that may be holding fish as well. A good example of this happened to me when I won my first Canadian Open title on Lake Ontario back in 1994. I was fishing for smallmouth bass out on Main Duck Island. This area has a lot of smooth limestone rock and crystal clear water with visibility down to 25 or 30-feet. The smooth limestone has no cracks or crevices, nothing to hold fish. What the area does have are these bands or troughs of mixed sand and rock amongst the smooth limestone. These troughs are what the fish use as highways to move from deep water to shallow. I was fishing shallow and a couple of other tournament anglers were working the mid-depths. The fishing had slowed down, there was only about an hour or hour and a half to go in the tournament and I only had a mediocre limit, so I decided to move out deeper along the trough I was fishing. My theory was that the fish were coming out of the deep water up into the mid-depths and then finally into the shallows. I figured that by moving outside of the other teams, into deeper water, I could get some of those fish before they made it to the other anglers. To make a long story short, in the last 1/2 hour I caught my 3 biggest fish of the day and ended up winning the tournament. That’s a good case scenario. Now let me give you another case. Last summer I was fishing a bass tour-
nament on Rice Lake, a place I haven’t fished for two years. I had just gotten back from a tournament in Wisconsin so I hadn’t had any time to pre-fish before the tournament. The big question was, where would I start? I’m didn’t want to go to places I’d never fished before but I didn’t want to rely on old memories either, so I decided to run the lake on the first day and hit any bassy looking spots along the shorelines and see what happened. As it turned out, I ended up with 18-plus pounds and was sitting in second place after the first day. Day two didn’t go quite as planned. I only caught around 13-pounds and dropped down to fifth place. A friend of mine, Mike Jackson, ended up winning the tournament with smallmouth bass. As I drove home I asked myself what I would I have done differently. Well, if I had time to practice or pre-fish I would have practiced smallmouth bass because that’s what won the tournament. I remember listening to Mike on stage. He said that when the wind came up he decided to go to this one spot and throw a crankbait. He caught two, 5-pound smallmouth back to back which really propped up his weight and helped him to win the tournament. So, years of experience on that lake gave him the win. By the same token I walked away from it learning something about the smallmouth fishing on that lake. Personally I don’t care where he was fishing, that’s not the point. The point is, even though I didn’t win, I managed to glean a little bit of information that might help me out on another day. It just goes to show that even when you do things wrong and your fishing doesn’t go the way you may have planned, there are always opportunities to get something positive out of it. And as long as you keep learning, your fishing will continue to improve. ?
Real Fishing Summer 2006 21
Changes are coming to recreational fisheries management in Ontario Acipenser fulvescens
Background photo: Phil Kor; Foreground photo: Doug Hamilton
LAKE STURGEON The lake sturgeon has a heavy, torpedo-shaped body that is olive-brown to grey along the back and flanks. The belly is generally white and the fins are dark brown or grey. The body is covered in a tough, leathery skin with rows of bony plates running along its back, sides and near the vent.
Starting in 2007, Ontario will have new recreational Fisheries Management Zones with some new seasons, limits and other regulations. The goal of these changes is to make fishing regulations easier to understand while maintaining healthy fish communities.
Along with these changes will be •
increased opportunities for public involvement
•
regular reports on the state of Ontario’s fisheries
For more information and maps of the new recreational Fisheries Management Zones, please visit www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/fishing Paid for by the Government of Ontario.
The head is large and broad, and features an extended, somewhat shovelshaped snout. The mouth is located rearward of the fish’s eyes and is similar in appearance to the mouth of a common carp. It has the ability to be protruded outwards from the head to allow the sturgeon to suck food items from the bottom. The diet of the lake sturgeon seems more suited to small stream trout than to the largest freshwater fish in Canada. They are adaptable and will take advantage of a variety of food sources including insect larvae, nymphs, nematodes, amphipods, mollusks, crustaceans and
d e e p , although they have Colour: Olive-brown to grey been capSize: 10 to 80-pounds on average but often exceeds tured as deep 100-pounds as 140-feet. Life Span: 60 to 80-years They prefer Habitat: Gravel or mud shoal areas of large lakes and rivers areas of gravSpawning: Early May to late June in water temperatures of el, mud or a 55°F - 65°F mix of the two as this bottom type is ideally suited to their feeding method. Although lake sturgeon are a freshwater fish, they are In the early to mid 1800s, lake known to occur in brackish water in the sturgeon were considered to be a lower St. Lawrence River as well as in nuisance fish and were burned, fed to Hudson and James Bays. The general pigs or used as fertilizer. In distribution of the lake sturgeon is from Amherstburg, Ontario, they were the lower St. Lawrence River in the east to the North Saskatchewan River in stacked on the docks like cordwood
FAST Facts
Did you know?
and used to fire steamboat boilers! other items found on the bottom. Occasionally they will eat fish eggs and other small fishes, but this is thought to be due to their manner of feeding rather than to specifically targeting these food sources. Lake sturgeon do not have teeth and will work food items around in their mouths until they become softened, pulpy and able to be consumed. Lake sturgeon are most commonly found in large lakes and rivers where they prefer productive shoal areas in water between 15 and 30-feet
RECORD Lake Sturgeon The IFGA lists the current All-Tackle World Record lake sturgeon at 168pounds. The fish was caught in Georgian Bay on May 29, 1982.
Alberta; and from Hudson Bay in the north to Alabama in the south. While not an important game fish through most of its range, lake sturgeon are targeted by some anglers. Live or cut baitfish are the preferred baits and these are always fished on the bottom. Lake sturgeon often jump clear of the water when hooked and they fight with a dogged power that puts anglers and their gear to the most serious of tests. ?
Real Fishing Summer 2006 23
SUNDAY
TUESDAY
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
WEDESDAY
Ju ly
MONDAY
4:30 - 6:30 AM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
2
3
4
5
5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
6:54 - 8:54 AM 7:18- 9:18 PM
7:42 - 9:42 AM 8:06 - 10:06 PM
8:30 - 10:30 AM 8:54 - 10:54 PM
9:18- 11:18 AM 10:06 - 12:06 AM 9:42- 11:42 PM 10:30 - 12:30 PM
12
13
14
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
2:06 - 4:06 AM 2:30 - 4:30 PM
20
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9
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10:54 - 12:54 AM 11:06 - 1:06 AM 11:42 - 1:42 AM 12:30 - 2:30 AM 11:18 - 1:18 PM 11:30 - 1:30 PM 12:06 - 2:06 PM 12:54 - 2:54 PM
18
Au gu st
7
8
15 2:54 - 4:54 AM 3:18 - 5:18 PM
17
3:42 - 5:42 AM 4:06 - 6:06 PM
4:30 - 6:30 AM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
6:54 - 8:54 AM 7:18 - 9:18 PM
7:42 - 9:42 AM 8:30 - 10:30 AM 8:06 - 10:06 PM 8:54 - 10:54 PM
23/30
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25
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12:30 - 2:30 AM 12:54 - 2:54 PM
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
2:06 - 4:06 AM 2:30 - 4:30 PM
2:54 - 4:54 AM 3:18 - 5:18 PM
WEDESDAY
THURSDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
1 5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
6
7
8
19
6
16
9:18 - 11:18 AM 10:06 - 12:06 AM 9:42 - 11:18 PM 10:30 - 12:30 PM 11:42 - 1:42 AM 3:42- 5:42 AM 4:30- 6:30 AM 12:06 - 2:06 PM 4:06 - 6:42 PM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
2 6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
9
3
13
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2:54 - 4:54 AM 3:18 - 5:18 PM
3:42 - 5:42 AM 4:06 - 6:06 PM
20
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15 4:30 - 6:30 AM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
22
16 5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
23
8:30 - 10:30 AM 9:18 - 11:18 AM 10:06 - 12:06 AM 11:42 - 1:42AM 8:54 - 10:54 PM 9:42 - 11:42 PM 10:30 - 12:30 PM 12:06- 2:06 PM
6:54 - 8:54 AM 7:18 - 9:18 PM
10
7:42 - 9:42 AM 8:30 - 10:30 AM 8:06 - 10:06 PM 8:54 - 10:54 PM
11
12
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
19 7:42 - 9:42 AM 8:06 - 10:06 PM
24
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12:30 - 2:30AM 12:54 - 2:54 PM
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
4:30 - 6:30 AM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDESDAY
THURSDAY
6
5
6:54 - 8:54 AM 7:18 - 9:18 PM
3:42 - 5:42 AM 4:06 - 6:06 PM
5
11
2:06 - 4:06 AM 2:30 - 4:30 PM
2:54 - 4:54 AM 3:18 - 5:18 PM
17
18
12 3:42 - 5:42 AM 4:06 - 6:06 PM
19
13 4:30 - 6:30 AM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
20
2:06 - 4:06 AM 2:30 - 4:30 PM
31
7
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
2
6:54 - 8:54 AM 7:18 - 9:18 PM
7:42 - 9:42 AM 8:06 - 10:06 PM
8
9
8:30 - 10:30 AM 9:18 - 11:18 AM 10:06 - 12:06 AM 10:54 - 12:54 AM 11:42 - 1:42 AM 12:30 - 2:30 AM 8:54 - 10:54 PM 9:42 - 11:42 PM 10:30 - 12:30 PM 11:18 - 1:18 PM 12:06 - 2:06 PM 12:54 - 2:54 PM
10
SATURDAY
6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
2:54 - 4:54 AM 3:18 - 5:18 PM
4
FRIDAY
18
28
3
30
17
27
SUNDAY
29
22
4
9:18 - 11:18 AM 10:06 - 12:06 AM 10:54 - 12:54 AM 11:42 - 1:42 AM 12:30 - 2:30 AM 9:42 - 11:42 PM 10:30 - 12:30 PM 11:18 - 1:18 PM 12:06 - 2:06 PM 12:54 - 2:54 PM
Se ptem be r
SATURDAY
1
14
15
5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
21
22
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
16 6:54 - 8:54 AM 7:18 - 9:18 PM
23
7:42 - 9:42 AM 8:30 - 10:30 AM 9:18 - 11:18 AM 10:06 - 12:06 AM 10:54 - 12:54 AM 11:42 - 1:42 AM 12:30 - 2:30 AM 8:06 - 10:06 PM 8:54 - 10:54 PM 9:42 - 11:42 PM 10:30 - 12:30 PM 11:18 - 1:18 PM 12:06 - 2:06 PM 12:54 - 2:54 PM
24
25
1:18 - 3:18 AM 1:42 - 3:42 PM
2:06 - 4:06 AM 2:30 - 4:06 PM
26 2:54 - 5:54 AM 3:18 - 5:18 PM
27 3:42 - 5:42 AM 4:06 - 6:06 PM
28 4:30 - 6:30 AM 4:54 - 6:54 PM
29
30
5:18 - 7:18 AM 5:42 - 7:42 PM
6:06 - 8:06 AM 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Real Fishing Summer 2006 25
Dave Taylor is a well known photographer and naturalist from Mississauga, Ontario
By Dave Taylor
RACCOON Probably the most frequently seen tracks along a creek, lakeside or river are those of raccoons. The back paws resemble a small bear’s and the front paw marks remind us of our own handprints. Both give clues to the nature of this beast.
Raccoons are plantigrade walkers, a trait they share with bears and humans. Simply put, all three families walk on the flat of their feet as opposed to their toes (horses, deer) or their knuckles (apes). The reason their tracks are common along waterways has to do with their food preferences. Raccoons are carnivores and spend much of their time hunting for crayfish, frogs, insects, turtle eggs, fish and birds’ eggs and hatchlings, all of which may be found along the water’s edge. Raccoons are also fond of acorns, fresh fruit, seeds,
berries and other plants. This makes them true omnivores (another trait they share with bears and humans). We assume that any animal classed as a carnivore is strictly a meat eater. In fact the term carnivore refers to animals (mammals only) possessing carnassial teeth. If you have a dog, these are the scissor-like molars about midway back in the dog’s upper and lower jaw. They are designed to shear meat from the bone. Living carnivores include bears, raccoons, hyenas and mongooses, dogs, cats and weasels. They are grouped into two major divisions: cat-like (cats, hyenas and mongooses) and dog-like (the rest). Only one group, the cats, feeds almost exclusively on meat. All the rest consume at least some plant material and one bear, the giant panda, feeds almost entirely on plants (bamboo). The raccoon’s scientific name, (Genus) Procyonis, comes from the Greek words “pro” (before) and “kyon” (dog). Raccoons are believed to be representative of the primitive carnivores that would later give rise to dogs and bears. Other members of the raccoon family are the crab eater raccoon, the coati and the red panda. The other half of the species name is “lotor” which is from the Latin word meaning “washer”. Raccoons are commonly believed to wash their food but some scientists believe that the raccoon is merely feeling its food and arranging it before dining. Raccoons possess great dexterity with
their front hand-like paws. They can unscrew a jar, open a door and lift a garbage can lid with no problem. This often leads them into conflict with humans. In Toronto alone it is estimated that there are well over 60,000 raccoons living in the city. They are adept at climbing trees as well as brick walls, and most houses in the area where I live have chimney guards to keep raccoons and squirrels from using our chimneys as homes. Raccoons can be found living with people just about anywhere in their range. The belief that raccoons live only in tree dens is wrong. They will also den up in roofs, chimneys and sheds. Another misconception is that raccoon dens are always located high off the ground. In fact, raccoons will often den under porches, school portables and even in unused groundhog dens. Raccoons are solitary, except for females with young. Males usually den alone while females often den with last year’s babies. In one case, 64 raccoons shared the same den. The young are born in April and May and soon join their mothers on their nightly foraging trips. Raccoons in Ontario are, for the most part, rabies-free, thanks to a successful rabies vaccine program. However, a new strain of rabies coming from the United States is a threat. A greater threat is raccoon droppings, which often contain a nematode called Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm. If ingested, it can cause sickness and even death. For this reason it is wise to avoid raccoon feces and take steps to discourage raccoons from taking up residence around your house. ? Real Fishing Summer 2006 27
Steve May is the Project Coordinator for the Grand River Fisheries Management Plan. When not working to improve local fisheries he is fly casting over local rivers or teaching people about fly fishing.
By Stephen May
Getting to the BOTTOM of things In the heat of the summer, fly anglers often complain about sparse insect hatches and challenging fishing. There just are not as many opportunities to catch fish on the surface during the summer as there are earlier in the season. The heat of a summer day can certainly have the fish lying low and that is the time to go down and get them.
like night and day Getting away to the outdoors is like a breath of fresh air, an escape from it all. It’s a time to connect with what’s important, yourself, family, nature. It’s an experience that’s like night and day from the day to day. For the reliable outdoor gear to make it happen, choose Coleman.
INSPIRED BY NATURE ™
Fly tackle is not all about fishing tiny insect imitating flies on the surface. There are ways to get your fly down to the fish’s level. Subsurface fishing can be incredibly productive for trout, bass and a wide variety of other species, especially during the dog days of summer. The first way to get your fly deep is the most obvious one - attach an anchor to it! Applying weight to your rig can be done through a variety of methods. A weighted fly is the easiest way to plunge your fly below the surface. Older fly patterns used metal tinsels and double hooks to make flies heavier. Many nymphs and streamers hide metal wire under their fly tying materials for added weight and modern patterns incorporate things like metal beads and weighted, hourglass-shaped eyes to add a jigging action to a fly. All on their own, weighted flies can often get you down to the fish. Weighted fly lines are another way to get your presentation deeper. Full sinking lines can be great for probing deep water in lakes or river pools. Sink tip lines, where the tip of the line is sinking and the remaining line floats, allow you
(Right) Deb Morrow of Elmira, Ontario, with a nice summertime smallmouth bass caught on a deeply fished fly. to control the line better. These lines can be invaluable in river fishing. A cheaper, yet very efficient alternative is the sinking leader. Through using loopto-loop connections you can add a leader to the end of your floating line that will instantly turn it into a sink tip! These leaders are affordable, easy to stick in a pocket and come in a variety of densities and lengths. The other way to add weight is to simply crimp a split shot to your leader. It isn’t classic fly fishing, but it is effective and accepted in most of the country. However, on the East Coast and on some “fly fishing only” waters this is not legal, so check your local regulations. There is more that you can to do to your rig to help sink your fly than simply attaching a weight to it. How you cast and how your control your fly line can also affect the depth of your presentation. Casting further upstream in a river allows your rig more time to sink. However, there is often a balancing act
here. If you cast too far upstream your rig may settle into the bottom too early and cost you a few flies. It is best to weight your rig so that you are casting perpendicular to the current or slightly downstream. Another way that your presentation can affect depth is through mending the line. Mending is basically placing controlled slack in your line. This is done by simply flipping a bit of line upstream while it is on the water. Softly moving your rod tip in a “C” shape upstream usually accomplishes this. Your rig will be able to sink on a slack line while its ability to sink will be reduced if the line is tight Learning how to get your fly down to the level of the fish and animate it in a fish enticing way is a key to becoming a better fly angler. It can also get you into some of the best fishing of the season. ?
www.colemancanada.ca
Real Fishing Summer 2006 29
By Lawren Wetzel
BASIC SONAR Set-up
Carbon Black
Over the past five years, when I haven't been competing on the Citgo Bassmaster Northern Tour or any number of other tournaments, I have been employed by Lowrance Canada as a service technician. My position at Lowrance has allowed me to gain a great deal of knowledge relating to sonar and GPS technology. Through my tournament and recreational fishing, I have been able to apply that knowledge in practical ways to dozens of "on the water" situations. When Bob Izumi asked me to share some of my insights on sonar and GPS systems with the readers of Real Fishing Magazine, I was more than happy to get involved. I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you in each issue of Real Fishing and I will do my best to help you get the most from your electronics so you can become a better angler. I quickly learned the importance of having a high quality sonar unit on my boat this past tournament season. In the first two events of the year, over 80% of the bass that I weighed in were fish that I saw on the screen of my Lowrance unit. I was able to lower my lure down and watch the fish eat it on the screen. Equipping your boat with a high quality unit is all well and good, however, if you do not have it set up properly it won’t make a difference in what you see. The most important adjustment to make
is to turn off the Automatic mode and run the unit in Manual mode. Manual mode allows you to control several different features based on the conditions at hand. You may argue that Automatic mode does that for you, but it really doesn’t give you the greatest amount of detail on your screen. Leaving a unit in Automatic will give you a clean picture that is easy to look at but you sacrifice the detail. I set the sensitivity as high as it can go without cluttering the screen with interference. This will give me the highest amount of detail to see fish and determine the bottom composition. Sensitivity is usually the only feature associated with screen detail. The higher it is set the more detail you will see on the screen. There are two other features that most people never consider but which directly affect the amount of screen detail. Surface Clarity and Noise Rejection (also known as ASP) are filters that, when turned on, clear the screen of electrical interference and other clutter. However, in addition to filtering out clutter, they also filter out fish and other important information. Set these two filters to the off position for the highest level of detail. In addition to properly setting up your unit, the biggest tip I can give you is to constantly pay attention to it. Most anglers occasionally look down to check the depth and to see if there are any fish below them. I do the opposite. I stare at my screen constantly, only looking up to cast. By constantly keeping my eyes on the screen I will pick up subtle differences in the bottom that will hold fish. A prime example of this was on Lake Erie this spring during the bass season
Lawren Wetzel is a Lowrance Canada service technician and accomplished tournament angler who competes on the Citgo Bassmaster Northern Tour.
opener. The fish were pre-spawn and relating to rough spots on the rocky bottom. I was making drifts over a large point, dragging a tube jig. When I would get to a certain point in the drift I noticed the bottom started to get a jagged, rough look to it on the screen. Like clockwork, when I reached that point in the drift I got a hit. Once I located the type of structure the fish were holding on, I was able to shorten the length of my drift and key in on that small, rough patch of rock. Without keeping a close eye on my sonar I never would have know what was holding those fish. This season, get your graph set up properly and pay attention to it while you’re out there fishing. There’s no doubt in my mind that doing so will help you catch more fish. ?
Real Fishing Summer 2006 31
THE FLIPPIN’ JIG A hunk of lead, a rubber or silicone skirt and a big, nasty hook. Toss on a soft plastic chunk or pork trailer and you’ve got one of the best big bass baits there is. Sure, other baits may catch more fish, and sometimes they’ll even catch big ones. Day in and day out though, when the money’s on the line and one kicker fish is what you need to cash a cheque, the flippin’ jig and chunk consistently gets the job done. And you can take that to the bank.
StrikeKing Denny Brauer Jig with YUM Chunk! Real Fishing Summer 2006 33
WAYNE IZUMI IS SPONSORED BY: Chevy Trucks, Ranger Boats, Lund Boats, Mercury Marine, Tim Horton’s, S.C. Johnson, Canadian Tire, Exie, Shimano, Strike King, Lindy Little Joe, Coleman, Pradco, Lowrance, Columbia, BoaterExam.com, Coyote’s Run Estate Winery, Bradley Smokers, Globalstar, Navionics, Ziplock Here’s a tip but I know it’s a very difficult one to execute. It’s throwing on a big, heavy tube and having the patience to let it sit on the bottom like some immobile blob of plastic and lead. If you have the confidence that your spot is on a route where the smallmouth are going to come foraging by, the bass will pick it up, particularly the big ones. If you move it, they won’t hit. I remember I won a fall tournament on Lake Simcoe once with a really big weight by fishing in 3-feet of water. I’d throw out my 1/2-ounce tube and just let it sit on the bottom. If I moved it at all I wouldn’t get a hit. I’d just wait and wait and wait until the line started moving sideways, then I’d set the hook. I remember a couple of guys from London, older fellows who used to always win Rice Lake tournaments with humungous smallmouth. I’d see them out there and they’d have an
anchor at each end of the boat and they’d be sitting there smoking a cigarette or having a drink with their lines in the water. At that time they were using, I believe, Berkely Power Tubes and they just let them sit on the bottom and the smallmouth would come along and pick them up. This is the ultimate deadstick approach and, in my experience, it definitely works better on big fish than it does on smaller ones. The average size of bass is much larger on this deadstick approach. Of course you need to have extreme confidence in your fishing spot to use this type of approach. You absolutely need to be on either a prime feeding area or along a migration route if you hope to catch fish with this do-nothing technique.
By Jerry Hughes Smallmouth bass are one of Canada’s most exciting game fish and they receive a lot of attention from anglers throughout the season. They have been called, “pound for pound the strongest fighting freshwater game fish,” and anyone who has hooked one will likely agree. Smallmouth bass jump repeatedly when hooked from all but the deepest water, they pull with a strength that is out of proportion to their size and they will take an incredible range of both live and artificial baits. Best of all, smallmouth travel in loose packs so, when you catch one, there’s a good chance that you will get more from the same general area. The biggest drawback to smallmouth fishing is that they can be incredibly stubborn. It seems as if they only bite when they’re good and ready, which can make fishing for them frustrating at times. We asked several of Canada’s top professional anglers for their insights into consistently catching smallies, even when the bite if off and they were happy to oblige. We hope that their answers will help you boat more bronzebacks this season.
BOB IZUMI Milton, Ontario Vital Statistics • 33 years of competitive experience • Favorite lure: 1/2-ounce Strike King Premiere Elite Spinnerbait • Favorite Lake: Lake St. Clair • Least Favorite Lake: When asked for a least favourite lake, Bob said, “None. We’re spoiled here in Ontario.”
• Biggest Smallmouth Bass: 6-pounds, 15-ounces • Biggest 5 fish tournament limit: 21-pounds, 12-ounces (smallmouth bass)
WAYNE IZUMI Ancaster, Ontario
Career Highlights Vital Statistics • 51 years of competitive experience • Favorite lure: Flipping Jig • Favorite Lake: “I like every lake I’ve ever been on. They all offer their own unique challenges” • Least Favorite Lake: “Same as my favourite lake.” • Biggest Smallmouth Bass: 6-pounds, 15-ounces 34 Real Fishing Summer 2006
• Biggest 5 fish tournament limit: 23.60-pounds
Career Highlights
Bob Izumi is Canada’s most successful tournament angler. He has won more individual and team tournaments than any other Canadian bass pro. Bob is the only angler to three-peat at the Canadian Open Championship, winning it in 1994, ‘95 and ‘96. He is also the only angler since 1995 to win the Triple Crown of bass fishing, capturing the Pro Bass Angler of the Year title, the Canadian Open Championship and the Pro Bass Classic Championship in a single season.
• Joe Izumi bass tournament championship winner at age 18 • 1992 Pro Bass Angler of the Year • 1992 Canadian Open Champion • 1993 Canadian Open Champion • 2004 CFT Ontario Place Open Champion
• First bass tournament win on Rondeau Bay in 1977 • 1994 Canadian Open Champion • 1995 Triple Crown Winner - Pro Bass Angler of the Year, Canadian Open Champion and Pro Bass Classic Champion • 2006 Canadian Open Champion • 2004 Canadian Fishing Tour Angler of the Year Real Fishing Summer 2006 35
AL PATTON London, Ontario
BOB IZUMI IS SPONSORED BY: Chevy Trucks, Ranger Boats, Lund Boats, Mercury Marine, Tim Horton’s, S.C. Johnson, Canadian Tire, Exide, Shimano, Strike King, Lindy Little Joe, Coleman, Pradco, Lowrance, Columbia, BoaterExam.com, Coyote’s Run Estate Winery, Bradley Smokers, Globalstar, Navionics, Ziplock
When it comes to summer smallmouth fishing, timing is everything. Smallmouth tend to do a lot of moving around during different times of the day, depending on the lake you’re fishing. On some deep, clear lakes, we find that smallmouth bass actually move shallow as the sun gets up. On other, shallower lakes, we find that the smallmouth are in shallow water early in the morning, where you can get them with topwater
lures, and as the sun comes they go into slightly deeper water. What I’m getting at is, if you’ve got an area that’s known for producing smallmouth bass, try it during different times of the day. Smallmouth are just like cows in a pasture – they tend to graze and move around in different areas at different times. An area that seemed barren at 10 o’clock in the morning might turn on like crazy at 2 in the after-
noon. If you keep re-visiting areas that you know hold fish, eventually you’re going to catch them. You should also try changing your tactics regularly throughout the day. A dropoff that was producing fish on crankbaits might seem to dry up, but by switching to a different presentation – a tube or grub for example – you can often coax a few more fish into biting.
Vital Statistics
Career Highlights
• 17 years of competitive experience • Favorite lure: Tube Jig • Favorite Lake: Lake St. Clair • Least Favorite Lake: Lake Scugog • Biggest Smallmouth Bass: 6-pounds,
• Over 50 Top Ten Finishes • 22 Top 3 finishes • 2004 CFT Lake Ontario(Kingston) Champion • Past SWOBA Classic Champion • 15 tour-championship (Classic) appearances on three different circuits
5-ounces
DEREK STRUB IS SPONSORED BY: Shimano, Bass Pro Shops, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Rapala, Gamakatsu, Storm, Gamma-Frog Hair, Evinrude, Bay City Marine, Bushnell, Mustang, Realtree, BoaterExam.com, Redhead
Fishing the Tube Jig Without a doubt the tube jig has quickly become the number one lure of choice for smallmouth bass among Canadian tournament anglers. Whether you’re casting to shallow cruising fish on Lake Simcoe or dragging in 45-feet of water on Lake Erie, the bait is equally effective. Looking at the bait, one would wonder what the attraction to fish is. Basically a tube bait is a 3 to 4-inch hollow piece of rubber or soft plastic with cut strands dangling off the back. One thing is certain; there is an attraction, and a big one at that. In most situations smallies just eat these baits up and they will usually out-fish other techniques. Where to begin? Start with tubes in the 3 to 4-inch range in a variety of subtle colors such as green pumpkin, watermelon or smoke. Throw in a few white and pearl colors to use when the fish are 36 Real Fishing Summer 2006
on a minnow bite. I generally use a tube that is loaded with salt, which I believe will result in more strikes and ensure the fish holds the bait longer, allowing for a good hook set. As for the question of jig weight, a basic rule of thumb would be to use 1/8ounce jigheads in water from 1 to 6-feet deep; go to a 1/4-ounce head in 6 to 20feet’ and use a 3/8 to 1/2- ounce jig in water from 20 to 50-feet deep. Always use a jig with a high quality 2/0 to 4/0, super sharp hook. In most situations when fishing a tube jig, I try to imitate a crayfish (or a goby in the Great Lakes) which means I get the bait to the bottom and very slowly crawl the tube along while maintaining contact with the bottom. Having said that, there are situations when smallmouth will be on an aggressive minnow bite and you will have to switch to a white or smoke tube and fish the tube very quickly. I do this by letting the bait sink and then ripping it off the
Career Highlights
• 11 years of competitive experience • Favorite lure: Rapala X-Rap
• 1997 SWOBA Classic Champion/Team
(suspending stick bait) • Favorite Lake: Lake Erie • Least Favorite Lake: Rice Lake • Biggest Smallmouth Bass: 6-pounds, 15-ounces • Biggest 5 fish tournament limit: Lake Ontario (Kingston) - 22.34 lbs
• 2002 Chevy/Mercury Classic Champion • 2003 Canadian Open Champion • 2004 CFT Lake Ontario(Kingston)
of Year
Champion
AL PATTON IS SPONSORED BY: Shimano, Bass Pro Shops, Triton Boats, Evinrude, MinnKota, Humminbird, Rapala, Storm, Gamkatsu Hooks, Gamma Lines, E.L. Fordham Motors, Bay City Marine, Blue Water Optics, Lawrence Carstar, Crosslands General Insurance.
DEREK STRUB Elora, Ontario
• Biggest 5 fish tournament limit: 22.34 lbs
Vital Statistics
bottom in pairs of very quick rod jerks. I then let it sink back to the bottom and repeat the process. When fish are cranked, the strikes will be bone jarring. I do all of my tube fishing with spinning gear and I prefer Shimano’s new Crucial series 7’ 2” dropshot rods and Stradic 2500 reels. I also use nothing but braided line so I can feel those gentle pick ups in the deeper water that we fish. At the end of the braid I tie on a 3 to 6-foot fluorocarbon leader to ensure all the fish sees is the tube crawling along and not the line attached to it. One last tip is to “mix it up” and I cannot stress this enough. If you’re in an area where you know there are fish, and you’re not getting bit, change the color of bait you’re using. If that doesn’t work, change your retrieve speed or cadence. A quick change like this can be the difference between a tough day on the water and a fantastic one.
On the Great Lakes, during the heat of the summer, I go looking deep for the biggest smallmouth; deeper is where the big fish will consistently be. To cover water quickly and effectively, I find fishing 'fish off the graph' to be deadly. The use of a good quality colour graph is indispensable and one of the most important tools I have to put big smallmouth in my boat. Besides showing bottom compositions and structure that smallmouth will relate to, a good graph will show fish and, with practice, you can get a good idea on the species and approximate size by the shape shown on the graph. I tend to spend considerable time idling around, scanning the bottom and watching my graphs, looking for the telltale "smallmouth blobs" to show on the screen. I always keep a marker buoy within easy reach, and will throw one out the back where I have just driven over and marked the fish. I will turn the boat, kill the big motor and put my electric down and start fishing around the buoy, which should be in reasonably close proximity to the fish. As I am motoring towards the marker, or around it, I will have my eyes glued on the front graph, looking for those marks again. More often than not, when I mark them under the bow, I can catch these fish. I keep a bait handy and rigged as a quick drop bait. A tube or grub will work fine, but they tend to drop a bit slowly. Instead, I prefer to use a heavier football jig rigged with soft plastic stick bait in the 5 1/4" size. Big fish eat big baits! The heavy football jig will sink fast, like a rock, right to the fish in no time. Crashing the heavy jig against the
bottom will draw attention to itself and get bit. A heavy action, 7' spinning rod
matched with a larger sized (4000) spinning reel coupled with 20-pound test braided line and a 12 to 14-pound test fluorocarbon leader will get you the hook set and allow you to muscle that fish up in a hurry. A bit of advice though, big fish hooked this way will tend to try and jump, often throwing the heavy jig. I like to get the fish up and into the net instantly, no playing around.
SIMON FROST St. Catharines, Ontario Vital Statistics
Career Highlights
• 6 years of competitive experience • Favorite lure: Deep Diving Crank Bait • Favorite Lake: Lake Simcoe and Rice Lake
• 2000 Canadian Open Champion • 20+ top ten finishes on the Canadian
are tied for first
• Least Favorite Lake: Tri-Lakes Chain, especially Pigeon Lake
• Biggest Smallmouth Bass: 6.6 pounds • Biggest 5 fish tournament limit: 27.4 pounds
Pro Tour • Top ten placing overall in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 • 2004 CFT Rice Lake Champion • Qualified 1st overall for 2005 National Classic • Multiple tournament wins in Western New York
SIMON FROST IS SPONSORED BY: Bass Pro Shops, Mercury Marine, New Ark Marine, Schubert’s Pro Lures, Minn Kota, Hummingbird, Set the Hook, Fishing World.
Drop Shot Techniques One of the most successful techniques to hit the tournament trail over the past couple of years would, in my opinion, be the drop shot rig. This is a very simple technique to rig and even simpler to fish. What this technique consists of is a hook that is tied directly to your line using a palomar knot and, instead of cutting the tag line at the knot, you attach a sinker to it, anywhere from 6-inches to 2-feet below
the hook. The space between the hook and the sinker will, of course, depend on the mood and location of the fish. When choosing your baits for this rig there are two different kinds: salted (low floatation) and un-salted (high flotation). Due to the heavy salt content, low flotation baits are best for rougher water. In calm water these baits will just sit against the line. High flotation baits will give the perception of a swimming baitfish with little or no movement of your line. These
types of baits are best for calm water using vertical presentations. When choosing your rod and reel, make sure you choose a balanced system. If the pole is front heavy your arm will become fatigued quickly. The rod should have a very sensitive tip with a good backbone because, more often than not, when the fish picks up the bait it is a very light hit and if the tip is too heavy you will miss many of them. When selecting your line for this rig you need to go as light as possible due to the fact that the line is part of the presentation. The heaviest line I will use is 10-pound test but on the average 8-pound works the best. I have had a lot of success with a 100% fluorocarbon line. This line has the same light refraction as water, making it virtually invisible to fish. . When selecting your sinker I have found the cylinder type work the best for walking through weeds rocks etc. Also, try to keep your sinker weight as light as possible. When the fish picks up the bait, the less tension on it the better. Most people are under the impression that drop-shotting is strictly a vertical presentation and this is simply not the case. When the moss is up I will use this rig to search a flat or rock pile by casting it out and slowly retrieving it back to the boat with the bait ridding up and out of the moss. I consider the most important thing to remember is when you detect a hit, set the hook. Many people drop the rod tip to allow the fish to take the bait but with this presentation I have found that most of the time the fish will drop the bait instead. A simple up swing of the rod is all that is required to set the hook.
?
By Daniel Howard Every year hundreds of boaters are left stranded at the side of the road when something goes wrong with their trailers. Sadly, in most cases the problem could have been avoided with a little pre-trip maintenance. It only takes a few minutes to do and it can help you avoid costly towing bills or worse – having to replace a ruined rig. These simple tips won’t guarantee that you’ll never have a problem, but they can sure reduce the risk while you’re pulling on down the road.
To ensure a good, solid hookup, make sure that your hitch ball and coupler are the same size. A 1 7/8” ball will fit inside a 2” coupler – but it won’t hold. Using too large a coupler (or too small of a hitch ball) can result in a quick disconnect on the highway. The sizes are stamped on the top of the hitch ball and on the top of the coupler.
Once everything is properly connected, slip a small lock through the top of the coupler. The cotter pin that probably came with your trailer will work, but it may jostle loose. Besides, a lock is cheap insurance to prevent someone from unhooking your trailer from your vehicle and driving off with it while you’re on the water. It’s not a bad idea to replace the cotter pin on your hitch drawbar with a lock too. Again, it eliminates the possibility of anything working loose while you’re on the road and it will deter most drawbar thieves from walking away with your hitch ball and bar.
2
Most couplers can be adjusted to ensure a proper fit with the hitch ball by means of an adjustment nut on the underside of the coupler. You’ll know you’ve got it right when the coupler lock requires a firm push to get it to snap into place. When everything’s hooked up properly, you should be able to see the coupler completely around the ball.
Contrary to what you might think, the hooks on your safety chains are not meant to be clipped to your trailer hitch. The chains should be passed through the chain holes on the receiver and hooked back into the chain links. Be sure to leave enough slack in the chains to Real Fishing Summer 2006 41
Ontario. The ultimate hot spot.
accommodate turning when you’re underway, but not so much that the chains drag on the ground. If your chains don’t have closed hooks, use electrical tape or cut a piece of rubber to close the hook so that the chains can’t come unhooked while you’re underway.
Safety chains should be crossed under the coupler with the left chain from the trailer going to the right side of the hitch and the right chain from the trailer to the left side of the hitch. In case your trailer should come loose from your hitch, the chains will support it and prevent the trailer tongue from digging into the road and possibly flipping the trailer.
This may sound obvious but, before you put your truck in drive, make sure that you’ve removed your wheel chocks, disconnected wheel or axle locks and cleared your trailer tongue stand out of the way. Forgetting to do so isn’t just embarrassing, you could damage your rig if you drive over something or try to take off with your trailer’s wheels locked.
400,000 rivers,lakesand st reams in Ontario. One angler’s paradise. The waitingis over.Your floatplane has landed. Your outpostcamp is snug and comfortable. The lake – chilly, deep and clear as crystal –is yours. This morning, you’ll jig for walleye. That takes care of your shore lunch. Later you’ll cast for northern pike, in the reeds of a bay up the lake a mile or so. Fly-in fishing in Ontario. Beautiful. Rugged. Unspoiled. 4 billionfish, 165 species and over 2,000 inns, lodges and resorts. So it’s no w onder th at Ont ario enj oys an international reputation as the world’s ultimate f reshwater hot spot. To plan your next Ontario fishing experience goto
ONTARIOTRAVEL.NET/GOFISH or call1-800-ONTARIO.
I t sCatching
Always, always, always check your trailer’s lighting before heading out on the road. Test running lights, turn signals and brake lights and if anything isn’t working properly, take a few minutes to get it fixed before setting out. It’s never fun to have a following vehicle slam into your trailer because your brake lights were burned out.
The wheel bearings on your trailer are what keep it rolling down the road. When they fail your wheels can lock up, you can damage your trailer’s axles or worse. Inspect your bearings at the start of every season and keep them well packed with a proper wheel bearing grease. A set of bearing buddies is a great investment that lets you add grease to the bearings without having to pull the wheels off your trailer. If you don’t have buddies on your trailer you can install a set in about an hour.
Tires can and do lose air pressure over time and an under inflated trailer tire is a recipe for disaster. Low tire pressure can contribute to trailer sway, reduced gas mileage and can put additional strain on your tow vehicle. Keep them inflated to the recommended pressure indicated on the tire’s sidewall. Check tires for cracks, bulges or uneven wear as these are signs that could indicate a potential failure in the making.
Before you roll out of the driveway, be sure your boat is properly tied or strapped to the trailer. This eliminates having your boat bounce up and down on the trailer which can dent aluminum hulls and potentially crack fiberglass ones. It can also help keep your boat on the trailer should you ever get into an accident. A couple of belt straps running from the transom to the trailer will take care of things astern. Make sure your winch strap is tight and locked at the bow and that your bow safety chain is connected. If you use an engine support, be sure that it is properly in place and that it is strapped to the engine to prevent bouncing.
The last thing to do before hitting the highway is to take a walk around and visually inspect everything. After a final check under your trailer and tow vehicle you’ll be ready to roll, safely and securely.
Real Fishing Summer 2006 43
I
f you spend any amount of time on the water, you’re going to run into some windy days. Rather than staying on shore, you should learn to use the wind to your advantage. Don’t bother trying to fight it because you’ll only lose. It’s sad to say, but many anglers view the wind in the same light as would-be Lance Armstrongs do. Cyclists hate headwinds because they force them to pedal faster to get anywhere. By the same token, anglers must work harder in a breeze to control their boats. But, the wind is a fisherman’s friend. Active fish concentrate on the windy side of a lake or reservoir where the food chain goes wild and walleyes (and other gamefish) can use their sight and lateral lines to their advantage. The wind breaks up light penetration as well – another factor in the angler’s favor. We’ve all seen days when the wind is blowing onto a structure and we hammer fish. Then the wind stops and so does the bite. If the wind changes direc-
tion, the action often picks up on a new piece of structure where the wind is blowing. We must be prepared to take advantage of these situations. Years on the water have proven to me that walleyes are selective and finicky. They tend to avoid chasing lures or bait because, like all predators, they’d rather have their food come to them. That allows them to save energy for growing and reproducing. As a result, more walleyes are caught under 1.5 mph than above. That explains why the most productive tactics are often ones that put baits right in their faces. Vertical presentations include jigs, Lindy rigs and slip bobbers. Horizontal presentations include trolling, bottom bouncers and drifting with jigs or rigs. But sometimes the wind moves a boat faster than the desired speed and you need to slow down to get bit. The following are a few tips, tools and tactics that you can use to control your speed when the wind kicks up.
TROLLING MOTORS In a slight breeze, turn the bow of the boat into the wind to work contours of structures. When buying a boat, equip it with the most powerful trolling motor and the longest shaft you can for your purpose. Autopilot trolling motors, like those from MinnKota, are great aids to set the direction which you want to move the boat in.
Real Fishing Summer 2006 45
TROLLING MOTORS continued
ANCHORING For console boats, utilizing a gasoline-powered kicker motor gives you additional power in order to neutralize the wind speed. A bow-mounted trolling motor can then be used to steer side-to-side.
Back trolling with a gas tiller motor offers even more control in stronger breezes. Be subtle. Make minor adjustments in speed, not major ones.
DRIFT SOCKS
Anchoring your boat in one spot is the ultimate form of boat control. Drop the hook when you find the “spot on a spot” or on places where you have a high-degree of confidence that walleyes are there or will show up soon. For example, anchor over that rock pile on a point or where coontail meets cabbage. That could signal a fish-attracting change in the bottom content. Or, how about that washed out area in a wing dam? We’ve all got our favourite honey holes and anchoring will ensure that you’re right on top of the spot regardless of the wind. When you’re anchored, you can move the boat to new areas simply by moving the rope from one cleat to another or to the bow. You can lengthen or shorten the rope as well, which will
Never leave the dock without one or two Drift Control or Wave Tamer socks in the boat. They can slow you down to a crawl, even in stiff breezes.
increase or decrease the amount of area you cover as the boat swings with the wind. Use a heavy Navy style anchor and have plenty of rope - as much as 100 to 150 feet. Too little rope and the anchor won’t hold. If you want to park on an exact spot and you don’t want the boat to swing, it’s best to use two anchors - one from the bow and one off the stern. This will hold your boat exactly where you want with no side to side drift. Even sitting still, the wind can give your bait motion. Cast weighted slip bobbers like the Lindy Pro Series into the wind and let the breeze blow them around to cover a larger area.
SPEED CONTROL GPS is a great tool. Speed measurements are far more precise using satellite technology. Check how fast the boat is moving as soon as you catch a fish so you can replicate the speed.
TROLLING WITH WIND
To precisely drift along a depth contour or weedline, tie a sock from the stern, turn the bow into the wind and use the trolling motor to stay right on the edge. When the bow tries to swing downwind, a short burst from the electric motor will pull the front end around putting you back in the ideal “90° to the wind” position. A drift sock attached to the stern while drifting also slows the boat to allow more casts to productive spots. 46 Real Fishing Summer 2006
HARNESS BUOY
Get the right size of drift sock for your boat. Too small is no good and won’t slow you down enough. In fact, it’s a good idea to get two sizes. Drift socks are used the most when you’re drifting the flats and, to insure a straight drift, the larger drift sock should be attached to the front portion of the boat with the smaller one on the stern. If you try to drift the flats without a drift sock, the bow will often catch the wind and be pushed downwind when you really want to be drifting sideways, at a 90° angle to the wind.
If the boat is moving too fast, tie two identical drift socks off the forward cleats so they are open at mid-ship. This tactic can cut boat speed 30 to 50 percent.
A harness buoy is a great accessory - just release it to get the drift sock out of the way when you are fighting a big fish. Return for the drift sock when the fish is safely in your net. Another advantage – the buoy has marked the place where the fish took your bait and where there’s one, there could be more!
Don’t be a “Steady Eddy” when casting jigs or crankbaits. Any musky angler will tell you that. Vary your retrieve speed and direction. Rip a crankbait and let it stop. Pop a jig - pop, pop, pop then let it fall, then drag it. Move bottom-bouncers up the edges of structure and down while reaching back to tap the bottom. ?
You can vary the speed and direction of your baits in other ways, too. When searching for suspended fish, troll with the wind and make S-turns to vary the speed. Outside lures travel faster, inside lures go slower. Stall your baits once in a while, too. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed to trigger a bite.
MYLES
REMEMBERING By Jason Edwards
Myles McLellan. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it should! Myles loved fishing as much as anyone and he made it one of his life’s ambitions to one day spend some time on the water with his fishing hero, Bob Izumi. His dream came true on a fall day in 2003 when he, his father Wayne, mother, Susan and Bob Izumi set out for Lake St. Clair for a musky fishing charter aboard Captain Jim Fleming’s Drifter II charter boat. The fish were biting and young Myles managed to catch his first musky. Beyond the fishing the group experienced, there was something about Myles and his endless enthusiasm that struck a chord with Bob and the two became good fishing buddies. So good, in fact, that Myles appeared on two episodes of
the Real Fishing Show as Bob’s special guest and the pair shared several fishing trips together away from the camera’s eye. What started as a young man’s dream to meet his hero had become a strong and true friendship that should have continued to strengthen as Myles grew into adulthood. But that was not to be. Myles, from Chatham, Ontario, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor on his ninth birthday - definitely not the sort of gift he was hoping for. Testing revealed that the tumor was malignant and Myles was immediately scheduled for surgery. Twelve days later, he underwent a 20-hour operation to have the tumor removed. While the operation was successful in removing the intrusive growth, doctors saw signs that the cancer had spread and Myles began a series of radiation and chemotherapy sessions in an attempt to stop it. The treatments helped keep his cancer in check, but Myles suffered hair loss and gained weight due to the heavy doses of steroids he had to take as part of his treatments. For four years Myles endured treatment after treatment and things were starting to look up. Unfortunately the tumor re-emerged earlier this year and, on February 16, Myles McLellan lost his 4-year battle with the “monster.” The mere mention of the word, “cancer,” is enough to send most adults into bouts of anger, depression, hysteria or worse. Imagine the devastating effect it must have on a nine-year old boy whose whole life lies ahead of him. He could certainly be forgiven if he became moody, resentful or enraged. But Myles didn’t fall victim to those emotions. Instead, he remained upbeat and positive throughout his ordeal. That alone is reason enough to marvel at the strength of his character, but his positive attitude is only the tip of the iceberg. What set Myles McLellan apart is the fact that he wasn’t concerned with his own condition as much as he was for others who shared the curse of cancer. He desperately wanted to find a cure, not for himself, but so that no other child would have to endure the misery of the demon disease. With the help of his mother, Susan, Myles embarked on a crusade against Real Fishing Summer 2006 49
Myles' Miracle Mission Myles' Miracle Mission-CANcer ASSIST is a volunteer community based organization with a commitment to helping cancer patients and their families through their cancer journey. This broad mandate includes providing financial assistance to patients and their families, developing services which reflect the real needs and wishes people with cancer as well as acting as an information resource and raising awareness of cancer and its causes through the school systems. For information, or to get involved, visit Myles' Miracle Mission website at ...
www.mylesmiraclemission.ca Those are a m a z i n g accomplishments for anyone to achieve, they are even more remarkable when the recipient is a pre-teenaged boy burdened with cancer. In Latin, the name “Myles” means soldier or warrior, and M y l e s McLellan was certainly that.
He was fierce in facing his enemy head-on and he championed the fight on behalf of those who could not. At the same time Myles was sensitive and sincere, caring and compassionate. He spoke through his deeds, and his deeds spoke volumes. There was no pretention, no hint of superiority about Myles, despite all the recognition he received. He was just a boy doing what he thought was the right thing to do. In the words of his fishing hero, Bob Izumi, “Myles was genuine, he was the real deal.” Although Myles may be gone, his legacy will live on through the thousands of similarly stricken children he worked so tirelessly to help. This young man truly did make a difference. ?
cancer. It started with the formation of Myles' Miracle Mission, a volunteer community based organization with a commitment to helping cancer patients and their families through their difficult journey. In four short years, and with no government funding, Myles' Miracle Mission has, to date, raised some $150,000 for the fight. Myles was also deeply involved with the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraising program and received awards in 2003 and 2004 as the top Canadian fundraiser, personally garnering over $70,000 for the cause. Myles worked tirelessly with a number of organizations to help raise awareness of cancer and of the special needs of those people afflicted by it. For that work, Myles received many awards including an Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year award, an Ontario Youth award, an Unsung Hero award and, in 2005, he was named one of nine Young Miracle Makers by the CIBC World Markets Children’s Miracle Foundation.
Real Fishing Summer 2006 51
By Wil Wegman
“Fish on again… this one is bigger,” I said as I battled a true heavyweight at the end of the line. “Hey there’s one following it,” my partner said. “Yah, that often happens with deep largemouth,” I replied. “But this one is really close,” he exclaimed. Before I knew it he, screaming like a madman, netted not one, but two big bass hooked on the same deep diving crankbait! A 3-pounder was on the front treble and a 4 1/2, that ended up as big bass of the tournament, was on the rear. “Wow … you are good,” my partner said in amazement. I laughed and quickly pointed out that catching two bass on one crank is just plain old luck … probably the good luck he had anticipated before we made our first cast. The next few hours of fishing were truly remarkable and we caught over 25 bass on deep cranks to win the three hour tourney.
Use the Right Tackle
A
s soon as I heard that the bass had already gone deep last summer, I knew I had to find an excuse to get out there. As if by fate, almost immediately afterwards I was invited to fish a tournament on a lake I knew would fit my favorite style of fishing – casting big, fat, deep diving crankbaits for big, fat, chunky largemouths. As I met my non-boater for that event, he told me this would be his first ever tournament but that he had a feeling he would “bring me lots of luck.” Not having the chance to pre-fish, I elected to hit a spot first where the largies were rockin’ last year when they first showed up in deep water. My Eagle iFinder brought me to within a couple of feet of the exact spot so I asked my partner to toss the marker; it was in 16-feet of water. By the time I grabbed a rod,
lowered the electric and made my first cast though, we had already slipped off into the 25-foot mark. Too deep I knew. As I reeled in I was somewhat dubious the bass were already deep at all. Given the very hot and dry summer though, with record breaking temperatures throughout southern Ontario and more extreme heat warnings than ever before, who knew how the bass would react? I recalled how I began catching bass deep on August 12th the year before but today was only July 28th. Could they really have gone deep this early in the season? My next cast was to 18-feet coming into 15. Wham! “Ooh – they are here!” I flipped the 2 1/2-pounder into the boat, quickly unhooked it, tossed her in the well and ran to the front deck to fire off the next cast.
Forget about using spinning rods if you want to work the deepest diving crankbaits. The big, deep divers call for a beefier stick. I prefer a medium/heavy, 7 1/2 foot graphite baitcasting rod. The long rod helps with your ability to cast further and gives you a perfect tool for those sideways sweeping hook sets required when you get bit with a deep diving crank. It also provides maximum shock absorption, allowing you to land bass that may be only lightly hooked. The rod is matched with a smooth, high quality baitcasting reel possessing a fairly slow but powerful gear ratio of 5:1. Spool up with 12, 14 or sometimes 17-pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line. For the most part, 14pound test is just about perfect for the vast majority of deep diving scenarios.
Real Fishing Summer 2006 53
Fish the Weeds
In Canada, deep water largemouth will usually be relating to some type of aquatic plant cover. However, contrary to what many shallow water bass anglers know to be true, the heaviest weeds do not necessarily hold the most or biggest largemouth. In fact, fewer weeds can actually be better! Be aware that, although largemouth love weeds, they are not always right in them and they can be caught on the edges or sometimes even a good cast away from any decent weed growth.
Fish the Edges
Whether it is a drop off, weed line break or the edge of a hump, that ‘spot on a spot’ often consists of some type of edge. Weed points can be outstanding edges particularly if the point drops off from say 12-feet to over 15. Trough edges, those hollowed out deep sections with adjacent weed lines on either side, can also yield plenty of bass
Make Long Casts
It may sound simple enough, but long casts not only help you cover more water more quickly, without them you simply won’t be getting down deep enough for long enough to reach the fish’s strike zone. Keeping your rod tip pointed down towards the water will not only reduce fatigue, it can help your bait run deeper.
Pick the Right Crankbait
One of the keys to deep cranking is to keep your bait in contact with the bottom or with any cover that’s down there. When your lure bumps a rock, stump or weed patch, it will deflect and momentarily change its action. This often triggers bass to hit. Always use a bait that runs a few feet deeper than the water depth to be sure that you’re getting down to where the bass are.
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When putting this article together I tried to recall how long I have been fishing deep cranks, so I called my buddy, Big Jim McLaughlin, for the answer. Why you ask? Because when he won the 1990 Pro Bass Classic on Lake Couchiching in Orillia, he did it by deep cranking for largemouth. This remarkable feat rocked the whole Canadian bass tournament scene at the time but it especially left this aspiring tournament angler so impressed that I was determined to learn the technique for myself.
This determination was reinforced the following summer when I covered my first Bassmasters Classic for Angler & Hunter Magazine and spent a day in the boat as a press angler with three time Classic winner, Rick Clunn. Rick moved from one deepwater spot to the next throwing nothing but deep cranks - filling the boat with big fish and filling my head with all the little things he did to be successful. My love affair with deep diving crankbaits for largemouth bass has intensified ever since, thanks to Big Jim’s
1990 Classic victory and Rick Clunn’s first-hand tutorial. Ever since covering my first Classic, I’ve been fortunate enough to continue as a BASS press observer and have spent time in boats with many renowned crankbait anglers. Although I can be as daft as they come, you’d have to be really out to lunch if you didn’t pick up a thing or two from guys like Mark Davis, Paul Ellias, Kevin Van Dam and Roland Martin while you sat there and watched them throw a deep crank for the better part of a day. When I spoke to Jim about that big win back in 1990, I asked him if he could recall any details about how he caught those fish. “Well, first of all, those largemouth came from Cooch (Lake Couchiching) and this was in the days before everyone ran to Simcoe for smallies. I wanted to try and find bass that weren’t as hammered by other competitors during prefish and came across largemouth offshore in water 12 to 18-feet deep. The area had great weeds and the fish came from edges along the drops. On the first day of the tournament I guess I was onto something because, and I’ll never forget this, I caught about 100 bass that day and actually had to tape up my wrists with black electrical tape because they were so sore from pulling that big fat ol’ crankbait through the water all day.” One of the major reasons anglers like Big Jim continue to use big cranks is because of the locations where they are most effective - deep water, normally well away from the shorelines, often subtle, hard to detect spots on spots and, perhaps most importantly, areas not pounded by every bass angler and his uncle. I love to get away from what others are doing and I become especially turned on, sick puppy that I am, by the thought of fishing un-pressured fish. For Canadian largemouth occupying those 12 to 25-foot offshore areas it is quite a realistic scenario to have an area all to yourself - and all the un-pressured bass that go along with it. Ooh baby, does that sound hot or what! Real Fishing Summer 2006 55
I am convinced deep diving crankbaits can catch not only more, but bigger bass for anglers who take the time to learn how work them properly. One explanation for this, Big Jim theorized, is because a crankbait can stay right down in the fish’s line of view. “Unlike spinnerbaits, topwaters and jerk baits, deep diving crankbaits are worked right near bottom where the bass are and they don’t have to come up to get the bait.” If you consider that big largemouth often become that way by eating bigger forage with the least amount of exertion, you will soon begin to see the logic behind Jim’s statement and possibly begin casting more deep cranks yourself. In the United States, pro anglers see this logic more so than us north of the border. “One of the reasons for this is because we usually see or hear of those guys
Take Advantage of Feeding Frenzies Those who deep crank a lot soon realize how beneficial it is to immediately cast to the same spot you just got bit in order to keep the school or group of bass going. That’s one of the beautiful wonders of deep cranking – once you have found one largemouth, there are normally more. That group of bass is often roaming around feeding on unsuspecting prey and I am convinced they try to out-compete each other for food. Playing on this aggressive behavior with a crankbait is the ultimate thrill in deep cranking – a time when you can literally get a bass on every cast if you play your cards right! using those deep baits just on offshore brushpiles in deep water. Our anglers up here can look for that type of structure until they’re blue in the face without finding any, so they come to believe that deep diving crankbaits are not effective tools for catching bass up here. If only they would realize that all we have to do is substitute their isolated deep brushpiles with our isolated deep weedlines or patches, then maybe they would be con-
verted. But in the mean time I’m just gonna continue to throw my Rapala DT 16’s and catch all those big beautiful largies,” concluded the 1990 Canadian Pro Bass Classic Champion. Don’t expect largemouth to be deep all season long. I normally begin to look as early as the 3rd week in July in southern Ontario, but typical weather patterns here usually don’t move bass deep until a month or so later. I keep a GPS log of
BONUS PRO TIPS
Become One with the Lure
You have to learn to feel your lure as it works its way along bottom and try to bump it into any structure there is. If there are rocks, logs or brush down there, you want the bill of that crank to connect with it to trigger a strike. Even if there’s nothing but weeds, don’t be afraid to allow your crank to work through those weeds and rip it through when you have to. Basically, becoming one with a crankbait simply means you know exactly how the bait should feel as its working its way towards you. Any variation in this feeling of resistance might be weeds - or it might be a fish. When in doubt, SET THE HOOK!
Marker Buoys and GPS When you find a productive spot, toss a marker and/or save the spot on your GPS. The GPS can take you right to your spot but I also use a marker buoy to allow me to keep track of exactly where I am getting bit. I keep looking at it in order to determine where, in relation to the marker, I am getting bit. The marker buoy does not have to be on the exact spot where you are getting fish, as long as you know where ‘in relation’ to that marker you are getting bit.
Timing is Everything
What else is new eh? All fishermen have heard the old adage “oh you should have been here yesterday, were the fish ever going then!” Deep water largemouth action is no exception. Just because you have tried a few potential deep water haunts without success once or twice, don’t give up on the spot. If it has all the elements to hold bass (weed growth nearby, shallower water not too far off and baitfish) save the spot on your GPS and try it throughout the season.
Vary your Retrieve
Tim Horton
Frank Scalish
Brian Snowden
• 2000 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year • 7-time B.A.S.S. Classic Qualifier • “Look for baitfish on your graph. The depth that holds the most baitfish generally dictates the depth where you'll find big concentrations of bass. Once I identify the right depth, I begin looking for structure within that range. I don’t need to see bass on the graph. If the structure and bait are at the right depth, I search for fish with a Bomber Fat Free Shad”
• Qualified for B.A.S.S. Pro Tour in his 1st full season in Open Trail • Rookie of the Year in B.A.S.S. Pro Tour • Qualified for Bassmasters Classic in his rookie season • 2002 Bassfan.com Rookie of the Year • “To fish offshore structure effectively you need to have a good mental picture of what’s down there. I’ll spend a lot of time looking at an area with my graph and often will put out numerous marker buoys. Angle also can be critical. Once I identify the ‘sweet spot’ I’ll work it from every angle.”
• Citgo Bassmasters Classic Qualifier 2004, 2005, & 2006 • Citgo Bassmasters Elite 50 Qualifier 2004 & 2005 • “The key to drawing strikes with a crankbait, whether you are cranking deep or shallow, is bumping as many things as possible. Whether you’re kicking the top of a point, hitting stumps or bouncing the lure off rocks, you always want to be hitting cover.”
56 Real Fishing Summer 2006
When looking for bass, I normally begin with a moderately quick and steady retrieve. You can cover a lot of water this way while searching for active fish. Once you catch one or two though, your original retrieve may stop working and that’s when you need to change things up. Begin by slowing down. Make a super long cast (don’t just cast to where the fish hit – cast beyond it to bring your lure by the spot) and slowly reel it in. Nothing? Try a stop and go retrieve that will allow your bait to float up a foot or so, before digging down again as you resume reeling. Other retrieve methods you can experiment with include twitching your rod tip from left to right, jerking it downwards in short jerks, or bringing your rod from a downwards position to a higher one.
deepwater spots that, over the years, have shown patterns which dictate whether they are most productive early in the season, midseason or later on in October. Although largemouth can be caught on cranks through November, I
normally spend far less time chasing largemouth then – preferring the more active smallmouth instead. Regardless of whether you are fishing in late summer or early fall, begin your approach by casting from deep water to
shallow. About 70% of the deep bass I get on cranks are taken when the boat is in deep water and I am casting shallower. Don’t leave a spot though without doing the reverse because oftentimes the angle of your cast can make all the difference. Over time you will learn that if the bass are there it normally doesn’t take long after you arrive to get bit. If you don’t get anything within a few minutes, explore other areas close by with the electric or just pick up and move. However, if you do move, be sure to revisit that original spot later in the day. I often have a milk-run of spots that can be hit two or three times in day’s fishing, because you never know if your return trip will mark the time when those bass just happen to turn on, big time. With deep cranking, timing can be everything and when everything comes together you’ll be sure to fall in love with this great technique. And who knows, perhaps this is the last frontier in Canadian largemouth fishing. You may just have those far offshore spots all to yourself - just you and your big old deep diving crankbait. ?
Real Fishing Summer 2006 57
M
My big adventure this past spring was a trip I took to Griffin, Georgia, which is just south of Atlanta. A friend of mine, Steve Crouch, and his family own a beautiful property on the outskirts of
Griffin that has a number of man made lakes on it, including one that is 28-acres in size. The largemouth fishing down there is absolutely phenomenal so, when I got an invitation from Steve to go down and try for a few bass, I jumped at the chance. On the first night we fished for less than 2-hours but caught a number of big largemouth bass. Paul Lee-Chin, from Burlington, was fishing with my brother Wayne, and he caught one that weighed over 11-pounds!
By Bob Izumi
The next day we went out and caught a bunch of big bass that weighed from four to nine-pounds. The hot lure was a Strike King Denny Brauer Pro Model Jig in brown and purple tipped with a YUM chunk. We ended up shooting plenty of video while we were fishing in Griffin, including some of a little fun tournament between with my brother, Wayne, and I. For years
now the big topic has been who’s the best fisherman, me or my brother. I’ll let you folks be the judge once you see the show later this year. Oh, did I say that I really liked the outcome of our little tournament? Overall, I experienced some of the best largemouth bass fishing, if not the best largemouth fishing I’ve ever had in the United States while I was down in Griffin. All of the bass we caught were fat and healthy and there’s no question that Steve Crouch really knows how to take care of his fish and fishery. I have to mention the true southern hospitality these folks showed us. Every morning we would meet at Murphy’s Restaurant and let me tell you, the breakfasts were unreal. A breakfast for one down there would feed four people up here. Grits, several types of sausages and all the fixings truly made a great fisherman’s breakfast. Out at the lake, our hosts cooked us fried quail, fish, hush puppies and a number of other southern delights. It’s a good thing I love my wife and kids or I would have thought about moving in with these people. It was one of those trips where everything went just right. On the final day of fishing it was only fitting that our host, Steve Crouch, caught an 11-pound plus bass on a new XCalibur XR50 lipless vibrating crankbait. I’d loaned him one of my rods that had this bait on it and, just as we were about to quit fishing on our final day, he nailed the monster. After returning from Alabama I did a little cleaning up in the garage. Actually my son, Darren, and my wife, Sandy, also helped out in a big way. While I was fishing down in the sunny south, my wife was slaving away in my garage - which is where I rig a lot of my boats and work on my tournament tackle and gear. I’m very proud of how it turned out and I’m especially happy with the new Lista cabinets that were installed. There’s a company called Arbell that sells these absolutely incredible industrial grade, steel shelves and cabinets Canada. They should be just the thing to store all of my spare parts, gear and fishing supplies. Back in the office we’ve been doing a lot of studio work recently, getting voiceovers done and getting our final
Real Fishing Summer 2006 59
shows for this year’s season put to bed. My office duties took up a fair bit of time, but I did travel to the 25th annual Orillia Perch Festival where I was the honorary Chairman for that great family event. My neighbor, Mark Alford, his son, Bradley, and daughter, Katie, came up with me and we shot some video for a future show. Unfortunately the first day of the festival was windy and it poured rain but we still managed to catch 70 or 80 perch in the morning. We called it quits early because the kids were getting a little bit cold but hey, we had lots of fun and that’s what really counts. While I was writing this I received a phone call from my brother, Wayne, on his Globalstar satellite phone. He was up some river in Argentina in search of freshwater dorado and the group kept getting stuck in the shallow water as they were heading upstream. The report is that they had already caught a 50pound catfish and a 10-pound dorado.
At least he’s having fun right now, while I’m stuck here doing other types of work. I would have liked to have gone on that trip but I just couldn’t because my schedule was too tight with too many things happening. Well its time for me to get back to some of my other work now. Stay safe on the water this summer and enjoy the fishing. ?
Fishing Forever Update FUNDING APPROVALS At the last meeting of the Fishing Forever Board of Directors, three projects were awarded funding assistance totaling over $13,000. • The Grand River Conservation Authority received $5,000 towards their work creating fishing opportunities in the Belwood Lake Conservation Area. A small pond will be enlarged to make it suitable for trout, bass and panfish; a boardwalk with a wheelchair accessible fishing platform will be installed and the habitat in and around the pond will be improved for fish and wildlife. • The Thames River Angler’s Association was awarded $4,444 which will be used to purchase roofing supplies in order to upgrade their existing hatchery building. Funds will also be directed towards upgrading an upwelling box for fish fry. The Thames River Angler’s Association has stocked over 250,000 trout fry into local London area waters since the 1990s. • The North Shore Steelhead Association has been approved for funding of $4,000 to continue their research work on the Portage Creek steelhead population. This project is designed to capture scientific data on wild steelhead populations including population size and age, growth rates of wild steelhead, juvenile recruitment and other indicators of the health of the fishery. This information is then used as a model for other rivers and streams in the area to help predict the future health of steelhead populations and to assist in developing fishing and conservation strategies in the region.
KIDS, COPS AND CANADIAN TIRE FISHING DAYS Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days are being held all across Ontario this summer. The events are designed to let young anglers experience the thrill of fishing in a safe and controlled environment where the emphasis is on having fun. Most Kids and Cops events are open to the public and admission is either free or carries a nominal charge. Bait is provided at no charge and loaner rods and reels are available at most events. Local police officers, along with members of local conservation groups, are on hand to provide fishing tips and assistance to the young anglers. For a complete listing of events, visit the Fishing Forever website at www.fishingforever.ca and follow the Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire link.
FISHING FOREVER FUNDING AVAILABLE Fishing Forever is a non-profit foundation that provides funding assistance to community-based organizations to help with their fisheries related conservation projects. To date Fishing Forever has donated some $250,000 to over 50 organizations to assist in projects ranging from stocking to stream rehabilitation, from tree planting to educational programs. If your group is embarking on a project that will benefit Ontario’s fisheries, you may be eligible for assistance from Fishing Forever. For information, visit the Fishing Forever website at www.fishingforever.ca and click on the “funding” link. ? For information on how your organization may be able to receive funding from Fishing Forever, visit
Real Fishing Summer 2006 63
These ribs have just the right mix of sweet and smoky essences to give them a fabulous barbecued taste without all the fuss of grilling. Don’t skimp on the seasonings or marinade – you want to be sure that these ribs soak up all the great flavors.
Method Ingredients 4 racks of pork back ribs 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper
Salt and pepper the ribs, then place in a pan and marinate overnight in Teriyaki marinade. Remove ribs from marinade and parboil for 1-hour and 15-minutes. Reserve remaining marinade. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
Teriyaki marinade Mesquite seasoning
Place ribs on a baking sheet and season with Mesquite seasoning. Brush ribs with reserved marinade and bake for 1-hour, basting occasionally.
To celebrate our mutual passion for good food and great wine, Coyote’s Run has teamed up with Bob Izumi, the great Canadian Outdoorsman, to produce a set of signature Bob Izumi wines. With the sale of each bottle of Bob Izumi wine $1 will be donated to the Fishing Forever Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to providing fishermen with a vehicle to renew and preserve Ontario's fishing resource for the continued enjoyment of the sport today and for future generations. The wines are produced by Coyote’s Run Estate Winery, a small craft winery located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This award-winning winery has been producing wine since 2003 and focuses on hand-crafted, small batch VQA wines. Coyote’s Run produces a variety of other wines include Pinot Noir, Meritage, Chardonnay and Riesling and are available at the winery retail store located on the vineyard property.
2004 Bob Izumi Red
Bob Izumi Wines
2005 Bob Izumi White
Introducing
SWEET TERIYAKI BACK RIBS MESQUITE
To purchase your Bob Izumi wines please go to www.izumiwines.com and for more information about the Fishing Forever Foundation can be found at www.fishingforever.ca.
485 Concession 5 Rd, St. David’s, ON, L0S 1P0 • P: 905.682.8310 or 1.877.COYOTE.3 • www.coyotesrunwinery.com
This recipe can be found in Bob Izumi’s new cookbook, Real Cooking with Bob Izumi. To order your copy, call 1-877-474-4141. Real Fishing Summer 2006 65
Atwater Fine Arts 6 Cranston Drive, Caledon East ON L7C 1P8 905-584-0185 Email: atwaterfinearts@sympatico.ca Website: www.natureartists.com/atwaterc.htm
Artist: Curtis Atwater • Subject: Muskellunge and Largemouth Bass • Dimensions (inches): 13 x 32 • Medium: Acrylic on masonite
Curtis Atwater specializes in underwater action scenes and wildlife, gaining valuable reference from on-water fishing experience and regular underwater viewing excursions. Confrontation matches two top predators who unexpectedly meet face-to-face.
Confrontation
EVERYTHING YOU’RE FISHING FOR.
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