summer2008

BOB IZUMI’S SUMMER FISHING TIPS

Canada Post Mail Product Agreement No.40015689

VOLUME 14 • ISSUE 3 Just $3.95

DISPLAY UNTIL OCTOBER 15,2008

Summer 2008

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Contents

Features 38 A GUIDE’S PERSPECTIVE ON SUMMER WALLEYE FISHING

52 SMALLMOUTH ON THE FLY Learning to fish with a fly isn’t hard and the technique isn’t just for trout.

Smallmouth bass are easily tempted by fur and feathers too, as novice fly angler Charles Weiss finds out on his inaugural fly fishing adventure.

Forget what worked in the spring, summer walleyes demand a whole new approach. Here’s how Lac Seul guide Ben Beattie keeps his guests on fish throughout the hot weather season.

By Charles Weiss

By Ben Beattie

47 ORGANIZED FISHING Having your fishing gear organized won’t just make your fishing easier; it could be the difference between a great day and a disaster.

By Real Fishing Staff

Summer 2008 Volume 14, Issue 3 Editor Jerry Hughes Art Director Patricia Heeney-Bacon

30

Publisher Fred Delsey National Advertising Izumi Outdoors Tel: (905) 632-8679 President Wayne Izumi

Columns

Contributors Ben Beattie, Derek DeYoung, Bob Izumi,

6 OPENING LINES

Wayne Izumi, Steve May, Dave Taylor,

By Jerry Hughes

Charles Weiss, Lawren Wetzel Real Fishing is published by Izumi Outdoors Inc. 940 Sheldon Court Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Tel: (905) 632-8679 Fax: (905) 632-2833 Privacy Policy: Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our subscribers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list and not receive these mailings, please write to us at the above address.

We welcome manuscripts, but will not be held responsible for loss of manuscripts, photos or other materials.

Published four times each year: January (Winter) April (Spring) July (Summer) October (Fall) One year subscription is $9.95.

For USA add $10 all others add $30.

Subscriptions: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6 Subscription inquiries Please call: 1-877-474-4141 or visit www.realfishing.com Canada Post Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40015689 Customer Account No. 2723816 GST Registration No. R102546504 Postmaster: Please return front cover/label only of undeliverables to: Real Fishing 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington ON L7L 5K6 Contents copyrighted.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any material without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Printed in Canada

On the cover: Summer Walleye Photo by Izumi Outdoors

10 SPORTSMEN’S ALMANAC News, trivia, event listings and more from the world of fishing

16 WHAT’S NEW The latest in fishing tackle, gear and accessories

20 CHEVY TRUCKS FISH FACTS Brook Trout

22 FISHING Bob’s summer fishing secrets.

By Bob Izumi

22

26 FLY FISHING

By Steve May

28 UNDERSTANDING ELECTRONICS

By Lawren Wetzel

30 THE WATER’S EDGE

By Dave Taylor

32 BEST FISHING TIMES Doug Hannon’s moon phase calendar

36 THE HOT BITE 60 TALES FROM THE ROAD The trials and tribulations of life as a professional angler

By Bob Izumi

65 WHAT’S COOKING 66 ART OF ANGLING

opening lines

By Jerry Hughes

Unplugging If you follow the news behind the fishing business you’ve probably seen more than a few reports about the lack of youth recruitment into the sport. Most of the articles attribute this to the fact that today’s young people have an overwhelming array of electronic diversions like internet social groups, on-line gaming and a universe of television and DVD programming to explore, and that their outdoor recreational options tend to lean towards the “extreme.”

While that may be true to some extent, I can’t believe that technology and the need for an adrenaline kick are the sole reasons for kids shying away from fishing.

I think the bigger problem in attracting youngsters to fishing is that we, as adults, don’t seem to be able to find the time to take our kids fishing and instil a love of the sport in them. It’s known that children learn by example and we just don’t seem to be setting the right one. Kids see us with our laptops always at the ready and our cell phones permanently affixed to our ears. They feel our excitement as we hook up the big screen television or install a home theatre system. They see us working longer and longer hours so we can buy more and bigger things. The example we’re setting is that pleasure, enjoyment and self esteem are derived from commodities and the more of them we have the better off our lives will be.

Competition is king. It’s no wonder that today’s youth prefer the plugged in world – it’s what we’ve taught them.

Whatever happened to the old saying, you can’t take it with you? Perhaps it’s time we took a step back and looked at the big picture. While we’re busy working and accumulating things there’s no question that we’re teaching our youth a strong work ethic. But how often do we 6 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

put the same effort into teaching them how to relax, unwind and smell the roses.

All work and no play can make Jack and Jill a pair of burned out wrecks by the time they’re 30 you know.

Taking a youngster fishing doesn’t need to be expensive and it doesn’t need to be experienced in exotic locations. To a child, it isn’t really about catching fish anyway; it’s about the experience of going fishing. It’s about spending time with a parent, friend or mentor. It’s about learning the differences between toads and frogs, sunfish and rock bass. It’s about the sense of accomplishment derived from tying a strong knot or making a perfect cast. It’s about unplugging and realizing there’s a great big world out there that’s better to be touched and smelled and tasted rather than simply viewed on a screen.

Most of all, taking a child fishing can teach them that you care about them and are willing to put your busy life on hold for a few hours to spend time with them.

I can’t think of a better reason to unplug, can you? ?

Available Online at www.realfishing.com

Š Tim Hortons, 2006

Big mouth, small stomach Lake Baccarac largemouth just can’t resist fresh tilapia but it seems this one bit off a little more than he could chew…

8 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 9

Muskies Canada Raffle for “Big” Jim McLaughlin Everybody knows “Big” Jim McLaughlin and what he has done as an ambassador for fishing. As a seminar speaker, tournament competitor, fishing guide and magazine publisher,“Big”Jim has dedicated countless hours to educating the public and promoting the positive aspects of fishing. What you may not know is that “Big” Jim was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and is currently undergoing treatment. Unfortunately the treatment is costly and “Big” Jim could use some help. In the spirit of camaraderie that he so tirelessly fosters among anglers, Muskies Canada is holding a raffle in order

to raise funds that will be used to help “Big” Jim with his treatments. Tickets are only $5.00 each and Muskies Canada will be holding a draw on August 13, 2008 where four fantastic prize packages will be available to be won. If supporting a fellow angler in need isn’t enough incentive to buy a ticket or two, the chance to win a musky fishing charter and a boatload of fishing gear should be. For tickets or information please contact Matt Clay at mattclay@rogers.com or Jim Hutchings at jim.hutchings@sympatico.ca or visit the Muskies Canada website at www.muskiescanada.ca.

Sarnia to host inaugural Canadian Open of fishing Insight Sports and WFN: World Fishing Network have announced a major change to the 2008 WFN Tour Bass Championships tournament schedule. On May 27 the organizers stated that Sarnia, Ontario will now host the inaugural Canadian Open of Fishing from July 25-27, 2008.

In addition, the Canadian Open of Fishing will now be the exclusive event of WFN’s summer tournament schedule.The focus on one major competitive fishing event will provide the industry with a marquee weekend to showcase the sport in 2008.

The Canadian Open of Fishing will include top professional anglers including Bob Izumi, Wayne Izumi and J.P. DeRose, as well as many international competitors from the United States and Japan.

The Canadian Open of Fishing is open to both amateurs and professionals. Amateurs will battle for a variety of fishing related prizes, while professionals will compete exclusively for prize money. Coverage of the event will be broadcast on WFN. A complete overview of the updated event, purse and registration information is available at www.wfn.tv/2008basstour.

10 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

Fringe Benefits For most of the year being a cameraman on the Real Fishing Show is a tough job.

Despite what you might think it isn’t all fun and fishing. Hours are spent setting up camera gear for that one perfect shot; lugging heavy supplies through airports, onto float planes and into boats; and trying to remain focused on work while filming some of the best fishing in the world.

Occasionally though, the job pays off and the camera gets replaced with a fishing rod. When Real Fishing’s Jacob Watters got the chance to make a few casts while shooting on Lake Baccarac in Mexico, he made the most of it.The huge bass weighed 7-pounds, 4-ounces and is one of the biggest bass Jake has caught so far.

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 11

READ ALL ABOUT IT THE FRESHMAN FLY FISHER A Beginner’s Guide for a New Generation

By Rick Passek

Are you considering taking up fly fishing but don’t know where to go for advice on getting started? If so, The Freshman Fly Fisher is the book for you. Author, guide and fly fishing instructor, Rick Passek, offers a wealth of no-nonsense advice for the beginning fly angler in his latest offering on the sport. Everything you need to know about choosing rods, reels, lines and flies is laid out in an straightforward, easy to read format. Also included in Rick’s book are sections on fly fishing accessories, watercraft and basic entomology. There’s even a section on river etiquette. If you’re planning on giving fly fishing a try, The Freshman Fly Fisher is a great place to start.

Hardcover: $19.95 ISBN: 978-0-9783292-1-1 Rp3 Fishing Adventures Surrey, BC V3S 4A1 Tel: 604-722-0491 http://www.rp3fishingadventures.com/

TROUT: THE COMPLETE GUIDE to CATCHING TROUT with FLIES, ARTIFICIAL LURES and LIVE BAIT

By John van Vliet

Featuring over 350 photographs and a wealth of how-to information, Trout: The Complete Guide to Catching Trout with Flies, Artificial Lures and Live Bait can help any angler become more proficient at catching trout of all species.

Author John van Vliet has included chapters on the biology of trout; techniques for spinning, fly-fishing and baitcasting; fishing in various conditions including high and low water and many other tips and tactics that are sure to improve the success of trout anglers anywhere in the country.

Hardcover: $26.95 ISBN: 978-1-58923-372-0 Creative Publishing a member of the Quayside Publishing Group 400 First Ave. N, Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55401 Tel: 612-344-8691 www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com

12 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

EVENTS Calendar ANGLER & YOUNG ANGLER TOURNAMENTS Events throughout July Canadian events scheduled in AB, ON. U.S.A. events scheduled in ND www.angleryoungangler.ca 25TH ANNUAL C.F.P.S. CHANTRY CHINOOK CLASSIC Salmon Derby July 26 - August 9, Lake Huron Tel: 519-832-4060 www.chantrychinook.com CSFL TOURNAMENTS Bass Tournaments Various dates and locations in southern Ontario Tel: 905-640-2277 www.csfl.ca CANADIAN OPEN OF FISHING Bass Tournament July 25 – 27, Lake Huron Sarnia, ON Tel: 416-593-0915 www.wfn.tv/2008basstour FORT FRANCES CANADIAN BASS CHAMPIONSHIP July 20 – 26 Rainy Lake Fort Frances, ON Tel: 807-274-0316 www.canadianbass.com GREAT ONTARIO SALMON DERBY July 5 – August 23 Lake Ontario Tel: 905-361-5247 www.sportsmensshows.com/ SalmonDerby

KENORA BASS INTERNATIONAL August 7, 8, 9 Lake of the Woods Kenora, ON www.kbifishing.com KIDS, COPS & CANADIAN TIRE FISHING DAYS July – September Various dates and locations Tel: 905-632-8679 www.kidsandcops.ca NATIONAL FISHING WEEK July 5 – 13 Events scheduled across Canada http://nationalfishingweekcanada.net NEW BRUNSWICK SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION Bass Tournaments Various dates and locations Tel: 506-459-7125 www.nbsportfishing.ca OWEN SOUND SALMON SPECTACULAR August 22 – 31 Georgian Bay Owen Sound, ON www.sydenhamsportsmen.com/derby PRO BASS CANADA Bass Tournaments July – August Various dates and locations www.probassquebec.com QUINTE FISHING SERIES Bass Tournaments Various dates on the Bay of Quinte Tel: 613-967-1024 www.quintefishing.com/qfs.htm

RENEGADE BASS Bass Tournaments Various dates and locations in eastern Ontario Tel: 613-913-4527 www.renegadebass.com SCOTTY SALMON SERIES Salmon Tournament August 29 – 31 Lake Ontario St. Catharines, ON www.scottytournamentseries.com SCOTTY WALLEYE SERIES Amera-Can Walleye Classic July 12 – 13 Lake Erie Dunkirk, NY www.scottytournamentseries.com SCOTTY WALLEYE SERIES Can-Am Walleye Challenge July 25 – 27 Lake Erie Port Colborne, ON www.scottytournamentseries.com TOP BASS FISHING SERIES Bass Tournaments Various dates and locations in southern Ontario Tel: 905-727-8496 www.topbass.ca SASKATCHEWAN WALLEYE TRAIL July – September Various dates and locations in Saskatchewan www.saskwalleyetrail.ca

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 13

Send us a photo of your best catch!

You could see your picture in a future issue of Real Fishing Magazine!

Send photos to: Real Fishing, 940 Sheldon Court, Burlington, ON L7L 5K6 Glenn Dinwoodie Northern Territory, Austrailia Barramundi

Kaylan Evers Trout Creek, ON Splake

Jayson Smith Barrie ON Pike

Rein and Einar Zenka Caistor Centre ON Steelhead

Jacqueline Hering London ON Smallmouth Bass

NATIONAL FISHING WEEK July 5 – 13, 2008

Shaun Bishop Northern Territory Austrailia Barramundi

14 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

www.catchfishing.com

BOB IZUMI’S REAL FISHING SHOW SCHEDULE Winter Ling and Lakers Redneck Bass Challenge in Mexico Whitefish and Panfish on Ice The Great Yukon Adventure Shark Fishing with Jimmy Flynn Oklahoma Largemouth Milton Lake Pike and Lake Trout Exploring Lake of the Woods All Year Round Deep Water Smallies with Miles Burghoff Dalton Trail Grayling on the Fly Spring Largemouth on Lake Champlain Motor City Walleye Bassin' with Nascar’s Ryan Newman The Magic of Crankbaits

July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26 August 2 August 9 August 16 August 23 August 30 September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27 October 4

STATION LISTING and AIRING TIMES* MARKET

PROV./STATE

STATION

DATE & AIR TIMES

Lloydminster Calgary Edmonton Lethbridge Atlantic Canada Victoria British Columbia Winnipeg Barrie London Pembroke Windsor Wingham Peterborough Thunder Bay Kenora Kingston Ontario Sudbury Quebec Regina Saskatoon USA Canada Canada/USA Marion

AB AB AB AB Atlantic Canada BC BC MB ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON QC SK SK USA (National) Canada (National) Canada/USA IN, USA

CITL Global Calgary (CICT) Global Edmonton (CITV) Global Lethbridge (CISA) Global Atlantic (CIHF) A Channel Victoria Global BC (CHAN) Global Winnipeg (CKND) A Channel Barrie (CHUM) A Channel London (CHUM) A Channel Ottawa/Pembroke (CHUM) A Channel Windsor, ON A Channel Wingham, ON CHEX 18 CHFD/CKPR CJBN 13 (CJTV) CKWS 19 Global Ontario (CIII) MCTV Global Quebec (CKMI) Global Regina (CFRE) Global Saskatoon (CFSK) Versus Men TV WFN WSOT

Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 12:00 pm Saturday 12 pm Saturday 12:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am Sunday 8:30 am Saturday 11:00 pm Saturday 9:00 am, Sunday 6:00 am Sunday 10:30 am Sunday 12:00 pm Sunday 9:00am Sunday 12:00 pm Sunday 12:00 pm Saturday 7:30 am Saturday 12:30 pm Sunday 1:30 pm Saturday 7:30 am Saturday 9:00 am Sunday 5:30 am Saturday 9:00 am, Sunday 7:00 am Saturday 9:00 am, Sunday 7:00 am Saturday 9:00 am, Sunday 7:00 am Tuesday 10:00 am Saturday 9:00 am Check www.wfn.tv for dates and times Sunday 2:00 pm

*Station listings and air times are subject to change.

Please refer to your local television listings for stations and times in your area.

What’s

NEW NEW

2008

RANGER 177TR Ranger’s 40th Anniversary Edition 177TR is an updated version of one of their classic bass boat designs. Built with today’s technology and features, the 177TR measures 17-feet, 7-inches in length and is rated for up to 115 horsepower. The 177TR has every modern fishing convenience including standard Lowrance or other electronics; a 12-volt Minn Kota trolling motor with on-board charger and available recessed foot pedal; center and port rod lockers with space for multiple 7-foot rods; a large starboard-side storage locker on the front deck; two storage lockers under the back deck; easy access to batteries and breakers and 23-gallons of fuel capacity. The 177TR rides on a single-axle, custom-matched trailer outfitted with Ranger's exclusive oil bath COOL Hub® lubrication system; torsion axle suspension; swing-away tongue and a matching spare tire and wheel.

www.rangerboats.com

COLEMAN BACKYARD SELECT™ GRILL Coleman’s innovative new Backyard Select™ Grill lets outdoor chefs do much more than just grill. Thanks to the innovative new Side Solutions™ system, a surprising array of optional auxiliary cooking appliances can be attached to the side of the gas grill to give nearly unlimited cooking flexibility. The main grill features stainless steel burners that deliver 39,000 Btu of cooking power; battery-powered electronic ignition; 525 square inches of primary cooking surface and an additional 165 square inches on a warming rack. Side Solutions™ options include a rotisserie oven, a griddle/skillet and a side burner. Each appliance attaches and detaches quickly and can be stored in the grill’s console.

www.colemancanada.ca

COLUMBIA GRANITE TORS™ SHELL This shell from Columbia Sportswear™ features fully seam-sealed, waterproof/breathable Omni-Tech® fabric, venting chest pockets, a 50 per cent recycled polyester mesh lining, an adjustable storm hood and full compatibility with Columbia’s legendary Interchange System™. From Columbia’s premium Titanium™ line of products, the Granite Tors Shell is as rugged and timeless as the Alaskan trail it is named after.

www.columbia.com

16 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

ZIPLOC® HEAVY DUTY BIG BAGS Storing bulky household items, sporting goods, camping gear or any other large items just got a whole lot easier with the introduction of Heavy Duty Big Bags from Ziploc®. These bags are made of heavy-duty, see-through material and are designed to hold up to 30-pounds. They feature built-in carrying handles; extra-wide pleated bottoms and a secure seal for protection from moisture, dust and insects. Ziploc® Heavy Duty Big Bags are available in large (15” x 18 5/8”), X large (24” x 21 3/8”) and XX large (24” x 33 5/8”) sizes to suit any storage need.

www.ziploc.com

LINDY PRO SERIES SLIP BOBBER RIGS AND SNELLS Here’s a selection of pre-tied mono slip-float rigs with all the right guide-tested components!

Whether its jig time or a plain hook day, there’s a ready-to-fish Greg Bohn-designed Pro Series Bobber Rig to match any fish’s whim! There are four Bobber Rigs featuring an attractive, 1/32 or 1/16-ounce vertical-profile Bobber Bug jig and four Bobber Rigs equipped with a #4 or #6 gold or Bleeding Bait Red Tru-Turn hook. Each Bobber Rig snell comes with a Lindy NO-SNAGG swivel that won’t wedge in float shafts, a faceted ruby-red glass bead, and a petite Indiana attractor blade.

www.lindylittlejoe.com

SWIFT HITCH™ Put an end to dented bumpers and jockeying your tow vehicle when hitching up your trailer. Swift Hitch™ is a portable, wireless camera system that makes fast and easy work out of aligning your tow ball with your trailer coupler. Simply mount the magnetic camera on your tailgate and use the portable, 2.5” colour monitor to view yourself backing up. The Swift Hitch™ camera is equipped with seven infrared lights that provide 15-feet of night vision range making hooking up in the dark a breeze. Both the camera and receiver come with 4-hour rechargeable Li-batteries and the kit includes a charging cable that plugs into any 12-volt accessory outlet.

www.swifthitch.net

OUTDOOR HANDS Outdoor Hands, LLC introduces a new hand cream specifically designed for active people whose hands suffer dryness or cracking as a result of their work or hobbies.

Developed by a clinical pharmacist, Outdoor Hands is a special blend of botanical oils which heal, soothe and moisturize damaged skin. The cream contains no mineral oils, petrolatum, glycerin or lanolin so there is nothing to impede the absorption of moisture and healing ingredients by dry and damaged skin.

www.outdoorhands.com

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 17

What’s

NEW NEW

2008

KEEP FISH ALIVE Unlike standard aeration systems that pump ambient air (at 20.9% oxygen) through a diffuser into the water, the OXYGENATOR™ Pro Livewell Flush Mount by O2 Marine Technologies uses a patented nano technology process to produce pure oxygen which keeps bait and fish not only healthier, but livelier as well. The OXYGENATOR™ will retrofit any boat with a livewell from 15 to 50 gallons and operates off the existing boat battery. Portable and Bait Keeper OXYGENATOR™ systems are also available for smaller livewells and baitwells.

www.keepfishalive.com

5-HOUR ENERGY When you’re feeling groggy and lethargic, a single 2-ounce 5-Hour Energy shot wakes up your brain and helps you regain the alert, focused feeling you need to get through your day. 5-Hour Energy contains no sugar, no herbal stimulants and only as much caffeine as one cup of coffee. Instead, it’s packed with B-vitamins, amino acids and enzymes that can provide hours of “smooth energy” with no jittery feeling and no crash afterwards.

www.5hourenergy.com

TORQEEDO TRAVEL ELECTRIC OUTBOARDS Torqeedo Travel electric outboard motors are the perfect drive units for small boats, dinghies, tenders, canoes and day sailors up to 1.5 tons in displacement. They are portable and foldable and feature integrated lithium-manganese, high-performance batteries that make them more than twice as efficient as conventional motors. The motor and battery together weigh just 26-pounds or less (depending on the model) and the battery recharges in any household socket in 6-9 hours. Available in two models - 401 and 801 - (with 400 and 800 watts of input power respectively) each motor is available in long or short shaft configurations. Torqeedo Travel outboard motors measure just 12” x 12-1/2” x 18” when folded and they come with a waterproof travel backpack for transportability.

www.greenboatsupply.com

18 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

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

COPPERTONE SPF 70+ Schering-Plough, the makers of COPPERTONE®, have introduced two new SPF 70+ continuous spray sunscreen products - family-friendly COPPERTONE® ULTRAGUARD® and COPPERTONE® SPORT®, an ultra-sweatproof and waterproof product designed for active lifestyles.

Both sunscreens offer photostable protection against UVA and UVB rays and will not lose their protective power during exposure to UV light.

The products also contain a special antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, which can be formed in skin that is exposed to harmful UV rays and may lead to both visible and hidden skin damage. The continuous spray application method provides quick and even coverage that sprays at any angle without the need to rub it into your skin.

www.coppertone.com

AQUAPAC WATERPROOF CAMERA CASE Designed to protect small and mini digital cameras with optical zoom lenses, Aquapac’s Hard Lens Case is ideal for zoom photography while fishing, boating, swimming or any other activity where wet conditions are expected.

What makes the case unique is the integrated external clear polycarbonate hard lens that provides enough space for compact zoom lenses to move freely within a protective chamber. The hard lens is impact resistant, lightweight and UV coated. The Hard Lens Case is submersible to 15-feet, it floats, and it will also keep dust and sand out of your camera.

www.aquapacusa.com

READY FREDDY SURVIVAL KIT Ready Freddy is the ultimate survival/emergency supply pack. The backpack-style kit is divided into five sections - light/power/communications; tools/supplies/food/water; protection; first aid and personal. Along with traditional staples such as rope, emergency rations, water, tape, medical kit and so forth, the Ready Freddy kit also includes new-tech gear such as a hand-crank cell phone charger, hand-crank chargeable radio and a shake-to-charge flashlight. This easy to carry kit contains everything you need to wait out any emergency situation and is ideal for anglers, campers, hikers or anyone who wants to be prepared for the worst.

www.readyfreddy.com

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 19

BROOK TROUT Salvelinus fontinalis Brook trout are one of eastern North America’s native fish species.

Their natural range stretches along the Atlantic seaboard from the Ungava region of Quebec south to Cape Cod, west through the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi and Great Lakes drainages and north to the western edge of Hudson Bay. The brook trout has been introduced to many parts of western North America, South America, New Zealand, Asia and parts of Europe.

Despite their name, brook trout are not true trout but members of the char family.

They have a typical trout-like shape with an elongated head, somewhat rounded snout and a long, laterally compressed body. Brook trout have a squarish dorsal fin, small adipose fin and a slightly forked tail. The pectoral, pelvic and anal fins have white leading edges followed by a black line while the rear portions are generally reddish in color.

The brook trout is one of the most striking of all freshwater fish. They range from olive-green to dark brown or black along the back with lighter sides that fade to silver or white on the belly. The top of the head and back are covered in light green, yellow or creamy colored wavy lines or vermiculations that are broken into spots on the sides.

The flanks feature red spots surrounded by pale bluish halos.

Brook trout spawn in late summer or fall, generally over gravel beds in the shallow headwater areas of their home streams.

They may also spawn on gravelly shallows in lakes but there must be a spring upwelling or some form of moderate current for the spawn to be successful in these areas. Brook trout eggs can hatch in as little as 50 days in 50°F water or they may take up to 100 days in water temperatures of 41°F. Brook trout are creatures of cool, clear, well-oxygenated water and prefer water tem-

peratures below 68°F. They will move from the shallows of lakes out to deeper water during the warm months in order to stay within their preferred temperature range. In rivers and streams brook trout may move downstream to deeper holes or they may retreat to cooler areas in the stream such as undercut banks, logjams or other shaded areas. In larger rivers some brook trout will migrate downstream and enter lakes or the ocean during the summer months.

Brook trout can range in size from five or six-inches up to several pounds. Generally the size and nature of their home water reflects the size of the fish in it. Brook trout from small creeks rarely surpass a foot in length while those from larger rivers with access to lakes or the ocean can average two to threepounds and can often surpass five-pounds.

The brook trout is one of Canada’s most popular sport fish. They are voracious feeders and will take a wide assortment of small lures, artificial flies and live baits. Large brook trout in northern waters are known to eat small mammals like mice and lemmings and can be caught by fishing with large surface imitations of these animals.

When hooked, brook trout are dogged fighters that bore down into deeper, faster water where they use the current to their advantage. Rather than jumping, hooked brook trout utilize a twisting, running, rolling fight plan that is similar to that of a lake trout. ?

BROOK TROUT

20 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

DID YOU KNOW? Although they are known primarily as a freshwater species, brook trout are actually anadromous and can survive in both fresh and salt water.

FAST FACTS Colour: Olive green to dark brown or black on the back fading to light brown or yellow on the flanks and cream or white on the belly.The top of the head, back and upper flanks are covered in yellow to greenish vermiculations that break into pale yellow dots and blotches along the flanks.These are interspersed with reddish dots surrounded by blue halos.

Size: The average size of a stream dwelling brook trout is between 5 and 10-inches long while those inhabiting the Great Lakes and large, remote rivers commonly grow to over 20inches and can reach upwards of 5-pounds.

Life Span: Generally 4 to 5-years but some specimens may reach 8 to 10-years of age.

Habitat: Cool, clear, well oxygenated streams, rivers and lakes with water temperatures of 68°F or lower.

Spawning: Brook trout spawn in late summer or fall over gravel beds in headwaters of streams. Lake dwelling specimens will often spawn on near-shore gravel beds.

CURRENT RECORD The current IFGA All-Tackle World Record brook trout is a 14-pound, 8-ounce giant that was caught in Ontario’s Nipigon River in July, 1916.

fishing

Bob Izumi is the host of The Real Fishing Show.

By Bob Izumi

The dog days of summer?

I’m sure that many of you reading this know that the fishing can be tough at times during the “dog days” of summer. Well, as far as I’m concerned the summer is a great time to fish.

In fact, it’s my favourite time. I have to be honest, I love the heat. I like it when the air temperature reaches into the 80° to 90° range because the fish are still very predictable. a dropper line going from a second eye to a heavy sinker (up to 8ounces depending on water depth) and a six-foot piece of monofilament line running from the third eye back to a light spoon, minnowbait or a simple hook and minnow.

The Wolf River Rig lets you bottombounce in deep water, working some of the subtle breaks, humps and dropoffs that lead into the main lake basin. Don’t be afraid of fishing down 70, 80, 100-feet or more with the rig. Keep in mind a stout rod and a miniThe Wolf River Rig lets you work precise structure areas in deep water. mum of 20pound test line is necessary to handle the heavy weight effectively in deep water.

I remember many years ago I was hired by a private fishing club to teach the members some fishing techniques.

They hadn’t

The most important thing to consider is the species that you’re going after and where it will be during those hot summer months. For instance, lake trout are in deep water. Why? Well, because the thermocline pushes their preferred temperature and food into deep water.

The first thing I’d do if I were fishing for lake trout, in most systems, would be to look for the deepest water basin in that particular lake. Then I would work the edges of the basin by trolling with downriggers and lightweight flutter spoons or by using a good old Wolf River Rig. A Wolf River Rig, also called the Poor Man’s Downrigger, is simply a three-way swivel with one eye tied to your mainline,

22 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

caught a lake trout there in the last decade or more. I rigged up a Wolf River Rig and started to cruise over the lake looking for some deep water on my depth finder. When I found it I lowered down the Wolf River Rig and proceeded to catch an 18-pound lake trout – the biggest that they had seen in several decades of fishing at this exclusive fishing club. In an hour I ended up catching two decent fish and losing one. The club members were amazed by what was, for them, a new-found fishing technique.

Timing is another factor that can be critical for summertime fishing. There’s no question that when the sun is going down or the sun is coming up – during those low-light periods – you can get a lot of action, either on the surface or subsurface, for walleyes, smallmouth and largemouth, by targeting fish that are actively feeding in shallow water. Many of these fish are migratory and they’re using the low light periods for feeding on baitfish and panfish, insects, frogs – they’re feeding on a number of different

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fishing creatures that inhabit the shallow water and are easy targets, especially during those low light periods. This is the time when surface lures or sub-surface lures like topwater baits, spinnerbaits and other types of horizontal presentations will catch you a lot of fish.

The low-light bite can be fantastic but it only lasts for maybe 45-minutes to an hour in the morning and the same during the evening hours – with the exception of an overcast or rainy type day. So what do you do during the heat of the day? Well, that’s when I use my electronics to really pinpoint the fish.

It always amazes the folks that I’ve taken out fishing over the years – the ones who don’t use electronics - when I show them how incredible graphs and GPS systems are for finding and deciphering fish and structure in deep water.

That’s especially true when we catch numbers of fish that I have pinpointed with the electronics.

It’s incredible how your electronics can help you to find spots that 99.9% of the other anglers are going to pass up. It could be a cluster of boulders down in 30-feet of water with a few hooks beside it. You lower down a dropshot rig or a jig and next thing you know you catch the two biggest smallmouth bass of your life in short order. Or you put down a Lindy rig with something like a GULP! leech or live bait on it and you end up catching some of those big walleyes that most people think you can’t catch during the heat of the day.

The simple fact is that electronics are the key to summertime fishing. I can’t stress it enough. Without them I would say that my catch ratio would go down probably 80-plus percent during the heat of the summer. If you’re not using your electronics to help find fish in deeper water you’re probably using that excuse about the fish not biting during the “dog days” of summer. ?

24 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

continued from page 22

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fly fishing

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

By Stephen May

Bugging Bass When the trout have mid-summer lockjaw, having a smallmouth annihilate a defenseless topwater fly is a perfect alternative. The great thing is that a fly rod has a couple of advantages over using spinning or baitcasting gear when targeting surface feeding smallmouth.

Fly tackle can cover water more effectively than other gear. With fly tackle you can work a “sweet spot” around good cover and then fire your fly into the next prime location in just a second or two!

You don’t have to retrieve your fly all the way back to the boat through largely unproductive water. This can result in covering over twice as much quality water as someone limited by spinning tackle.

Fly tackle excels at making subtle presentations. A light fly can be landed softly on the surface with barely a ripple or with

26 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

an enticing splat. With a hard bait the potentially fish spooking “big splash” is usually your only option.

A bass bug gets solid hook-ups on a more consistent basis than most topwater lures. The natural feel of a soft hair bug results in the bass hanging on to the bait until you can sink the iron. Two sets of trebles are used on many traditional hard baits because fish quickly realize the bait is fake and hook ups must be immediate.

The major types of flies used for bass are poppers, sliders and diver patterns.

Mice and frogs are also common topwater imitations that a serious bronzeback angler should have available.

Poppers are great at creating a commotion on the surface. Even small poppers can attract fish from considerable distances. Sliders work smoothly through the weeds, making a seductive “V” wake that can be incredibly effective. Divers pop, gurgle and dive below the surface leaving a trail of bubbles that can be just the ticket on pressured waters. This is a unique action that is tough to imitate with any other type of lure. A fly with a good weed guard can be important around cover.

All of these types of flies can be effective depending on the conditions at hand. Flies made with natural materials have a unique action. Soft flowing materials like bucktail, marabou, hackle feathers, rabbit fur and rubber legs come alive in the water.

Even at rest these flies have a subtle action that smallmouth find irresistible.

Fish flies in the same areas you would other topwater baits. Changing your presentation speed and the amount of commotion your fly makes can make a difference.

Keep switching up until the fish let you know what they want. Don’t be afraid to leave a fly in a good location until all of the ripples disappear. Curious bass find this irresistible. In rivers I have found that working the fly faster and more erratically seems to result in more interest in your fly.

Don’t overlook small rivers in the summer time. Many of these waters are filled with untouched bass populations. You won’t catch many fish weighed in pounds, but they are a ton of fun using trout sized tackle with small poppers and dry flies.

These overlooked fisheries can be a real blast and a nice distraction from lousy mid-summer trout fishing.

If you haven’t tried fly rod bassing, do yourself a favor and get out the surface bugs for some hot bronzeback action this summer. ?

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understanding electronics

Lawren Wetzel is a Lowrance Canada service technician and accomplished tournament angler who competes on the Citgo Bassmaster Northern Tour.

By Lawren Wetzel

Customized display screens A great advancement in marine electronics is the ability to fully customize our display screens to our personal preferences. In the past we were limited to a preset group of displays which meant constantly scrolling through pages to find the information you need.

With the ability to fully customize our display screen we have limitless possibilities for displaying data. Let’s take a look at how we can take advantage of some of the new features for the screen setup.

The page that I use 99% of the time is the split screen sonar and GPS. At the driver seat my main concern is the GPS portion, where I set the split screen to show about 70% GPS and 30% sonar.

When at the bow of the boat I tend to use a 50/50 split as the sonar becomes more important at this point. You can set any combination you like by using the Resize Window option in the menu. Once you find the split screen combination you like, the next step is deciding what data you need displayed.

The Overlay Data option in the menu gives access to over 35 different pieces of navigation and sonar information. With so many options it can get overwhelming deciding what is important to display and what is not. I prefer to keep the data on the screen limited to avoid unnecessary clutter, while still having the crucial information I need easily visible. Lowrance units allow the flexibility to move the overlaid data to any position on the screen by using the arrow keys. Keeping the selected data in the corners of the screen is a great way to minimize clutter while still keeping important data displayed and the map visible.

Not only can we move the data, we can also change the size of the data being displayed. When running in rough water or at higher speeds it can be difficult to see the smaller numbers on the display. On 28 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

the sonar side of the screen in the pictured example, the digital depth is displayed in the large size. Right beneath that the water temperature is in medium size.

Every size, from small to enormous, is available to suit any application.

On the bottom right of the map page I keep the Track Heading and Bearing.

When navigating to a waypoint, you want to keep the track heading the same (or as close as possible) to the bearing. This means you are traveling at the correct

heading to your waypoint. On the top right of the map page I have the Distance to Waypoint (DST), which in this case is showing the waypoint 274-feet away.

Below that is the Cross Track Error (XTK), here showing that we are 53-feet off track to the left (L). The Ground Speed (MPH) is always nice to keep track of, as is the clock at the bottom of the page.

One of the most useful features of the LowranceNET system is the fuel flow

monitor. On the lower left of the map page I have my Fuel Rate which monitors how much fuel I am using. Above that I keep track of my Total Fuel Used (FSD). With today’s high gas prices I like to keep track of how efficiently I am running my engine.

On the sonar side of things, one feature that can be overlaid on the screen is the Sonar Chart Cursor. This is the crosshair on the sonar screen that functions just like the crosshair on the map. To activate the Chart Cursor all you need to do is move the arrow keys when in the sonar screen. Let me explain how it is being used in the pictured example. The fish are holding in submerged tree tops on this reservoir and the magic depth is around 34-feet. I set the Chart Cursor to 34-feet by using the down arrow key. As I drive around the lake and the treetops get within that range I can save a waypoint and start fishing. In addition to scrolling vertically, you can also scroll horizontally across the screen, over the history of the sonar, and save waypoints on structure you have already passed over. Rather than turning the boat around and trying to find the structure again, we can just scroll the chart cursor back and hit waypoint. No more guess-work as to where that spot was.

This is an example of a basic setup that allows you to monitor important data from the GPS and Sonar. There are, however, many more options available to you.

This season, take some time to explore the features in the Overlay Data Option and get your Sonar/GPS unit working for you.

There’s no question that it will help to make you a more efficient angler. ?

Expanded choices of 7”, 8.4” and 10.4” SolarMAX™ TFT displays for 2008!

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©2006 Navico

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

water’s edge

By Dave Taylor

White Pelican White pelicans always come as a bit of surprise. If you happen to see them along the southern coast in winter you are surprised by how much bigger they are then the resident brown pelicans. If you see them on a western lake (including Ontario’s Lake of the Woods) you are surprised to see them so far from the ocean. Learning that they routinely migrate inland to nest and raise their young every spring is even more of surprise. Even anglers in southern Manitoba or along Yellowstone’s famous fly fishing rivers are likely to encounter these birds.

They are our second largest flying animals. Only the very rare California condor has a wing span that exceeds the white pelican’s three-foot plus width. Bald eagles, turkey vultures and blue herons all have wing spans a good foot less than the white pelican’s.

The more familiar brown pelican has entertained people along the coasts with its hunting proficiency. It soars above the waves and then dives into the water after

30 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

its prey. The white pelican employs a different hunting method. It hunts along with several other white pelicans to herd the fish into a tight school and then the flock of pelicans dip their bills in unison, scooping up the fish. An adult bird will eat up to four-pounds of fish. Prey species include carp, chubs, shiners, yellow perch, catfish and other bait fish.

Where the brown pelican nests in mangrove trees, the white pelican seeks isolat-

ed islands in inland freshwater lakes. Some of the better know colonies nest on Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods, Great Slave Lake, Great Salt Lake and Yellowstone Lake. The most northerly colony is found on islands in the rapids of the Slave River in the Northwest Territories.

White pelicans do not build nests. The females lay two to three eggs on the ground and both parents take turns incubating them. The hatchlings are safe from predation on their island rookeries from all but the most determined predators.

Should the lake dry up, as happens on rare occasions, the crèche of young birds have little protection from coyotes, foxes and other predators that can then make their way to the island with ease. Such events are rare, however, and the overall population of white pelicans is growing across North America.

By the end of the summer most of these birds have begun their migration southward to the Gulf Coast of the United States, Mexico and Central America. For the winter months they will be familiar sights to anglers fishing the near shore coastal waters of the Gulf. Then one day they will be gone from these areas, returning to the more northern lakes where once again summer anglers will enjoy the primitive spectacle of these pterodactyl-like giants flying overhead. ?

32 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

JULY AUGUST

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

1

2

3

10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

10:54 - 12:54 11:18 - 1:18

9

6

7

8

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18

3:42 - 5:42 4:06 - 6:06

13

14

15

16

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06

8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42

10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

20

21

22

23

1:18 - 3:18 1:42 - 3:42

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18

4:30 - 6:30 4:54 - 6:54

NA 12:06 - 2:06

10 5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42

17 10:54 - 12:54 11:18 - 1:18

24

3:42 - 5:42 4:06 - 6:06

27

28

29

6:54 - 8:54 7:18 - 9:18

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06

8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

30

4:30 - 6:30 4:54 - 6:54

FRIDAY

4 12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54

11 6:06 - 8:06 6:30 - 8:30

18 NA 12:06 - 2:06

25

4

5

1:18 - 3:18 1:42 - 3:42

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18

10

11

12

6:54 - 8:54 7:18 - 9:18

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06

8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54

17

18

19

1:18 - 3:18 1:42 - 3:42

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30

6 3:42 - 5:42 4:06 - 6:06

13 9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42

20 2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18

12 6:54 - 8:54 7:18 - 9:18

19 12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54

26 6:06 - 8:06 6:30 - 8:30

31 10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

7 4:30 - 6:30 4:54 - 6:54

14 10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

21 3:42 - 5:42 4:06 - 6:06

2

8

12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54

9

5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42

15 10:54 - 12:54 11:18 - 1:18

22 4:30 - 6:30 4:54 - 6:54

16 NA 12:06 - 2:06

23 5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42

25

26

6:54 - 8:54 7:18 - 9:18

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06

8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54

9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42

10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

11:42 - 1:42 12:06 - 2:06

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

3

4

1

2

1:18 - 3:18 1:42 - 3:42

2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30

7

8

9

6:06 - 8:06 6:30 - 8:30

6:54 - 8:54 7:18 - 9:18

7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06

14

15

16

11:06 - 1:06 11:30 - 1:30

NA 12:06 - 2:06

12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54

21

22

23

4:30 - 6:30 4:54 - 6:54

5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42

6:06 - 8:06 6:30 - 8:30

28

29

30

10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

11:42 - 1:42 12:06 - 2:06

12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54

2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18

10 8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54

17 1:18 - 3:18 1:42 - 3:42

24 6:54 - 8:54 7:18 - 9:18

3:42 - 5:42 4:06 - 6:06

11 9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42

18 2:06 - 4:06 2:30 - 4:30

25 7:42 - 9:42 8:06 - 10:06

29

6:06 - 8:06 6:30 - 8:30

6:06 6:30 12:30 12:54 -

SUNDAY

28

SATURDAY

24/31 8:06 8:30 2:30 2:54

27

1:18 - 3:18 1:42 - 3:42

5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42

11:42 - 1:42 12:06 - 2:06

3

SATURDAY

5

1

12:30 - 2:30 12:54 - 2:54

SEPTMEBER

Best Fishing Times 2008

DOUG HANNON’S

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SUNDAY

5 4:30 - 6:30 4:54 - 6:54

12 10:06 - 12:06 10:30 - 12:30

19 2:54 - 4:54 3:18 - 5:18

26 8:30 - 10:30 8:54 - 10:54

30

6 5:18 - 7:18 5:42 - 7:42

13 10:54 - 12:54 11:18 - 1:18

20 3:42 - 5:42 4:06 - 6:06

27 9:18 - 11:18 9:42 - 11:42

K?< FECP K?@E> =IP@E>

J?FLC; 9< K?< =@J?% 9fY @qld` ?ffb\[ fe :fcldY`X =`j_`e^ 8ggXi\c% Because every item in Columbia’s PFG line is built from the ground In the early days of Bob Izumi’s professional angling career, a good up by experienced anglers, he also gets to enjoy features like lightweight, tan was one of the attractions and fringe benefits of working and playing and rip-resistant fabrics, convenient tackle and tool pockets, vented cooling outdoors. Today, Izumi sees the sun in an entirely different light. systems and yokes, and panels that distribute There was a time when sun protection ™ was thought of in terms of sunscreen or a broadCOLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR IS THE FIRST weight throughout a garment. Much of the PFG outerwear line also taps into other Columbia rimmed hat. Some people resorted to shielding GLOBAL COMPANY TO RECEIVE THE advances such as windproof, waterproof, everything with clothing on a hot, sunny day.

SKIN CANCER FOUNDATION’S SEAL breathable Omni-Tech® and wicking, quickThey didn’t realize that unless a fabric has been specifically designed to block the sun, simply drying Omni-Dry® fabrics.

OF RECOMMENDATION, WHICH covering up does not always provide protection.

For many of the estimated 3.2 million IS AWARDED TO SAFE AND EFFECTIVE Over the years, Bob has experimented with people who will fish in Canada this year, the SUN-PROTECTIVE CLOTHING a number of products to limit his exposure to the experience is as much about being immersed in WITH A MINIMUM ULTRAVIOLET sun’s damaging rays. Today he wears Columbia the therapeutic beauty of nature as it is about Sportswear’s Performance Fishing Gear™ (PFG) line actually catching fish. Bob Izumi has always PROTECTION FACTOR (UPF) OF 30. been a champion of fishing that is relaxing and of fishing apparel, which incorporates Columbia’s fun. So he not only appreciates Columbia PFG products for their functionality, Omni-Shade™ sun-protective technology. but also for the comfort and assurance of protection they provide.

Omni-Shade products not only provide broad-spectrum protection And as Bob knows from years of experience – when you’re soaking up a (from both UVA and UVB rays), they also use advanced weave and sunrise on the Canadian Shield or doing battle with a monster bass, the last UV reflection and absorption technologies so that protection doesn’t come at thing you want to be thinking about is sun protection. the expense of comfort.

Fde`$J_X[\ `j X i\mfclk`fe `e jle$gifk\Zk`m\ Zcfk_`e^% K_\ @ek\iZfek`e\ekXc J_`ik n`k_ LG= gifk\Zk`fe \]]\Zk`m\cp YcfZbj 0/ f] _Xid]lc lckiXm`fc\k iX[`Xk`fe% Jf pfl ZXe jkXp `e k_\ jle cfe^\i# n`k_flk Xcc k_\ d\jjp ^ff% nnn%ZfcldY`X%Zfd&fde`j_X[\%

LG=

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I N T E R N AT I O N A L CO O P E R AT I O N Q: What do you get when you put one Canadian angler and one American lure together on the same Mexican lake?

A: One unforgettable fishing experience!

The smile on the face of Canadian angler, Nelson Murakami, says it all. On a recent trip to Mexico, Nelson experienced one of anglingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rarest and most memorable moments when he caught these two largemouth bass at the same time on a Strike King Pro Model crankbait!

36 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2008

38 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2008

A Guide’s Perspective on

Summer Walleye Fishing

By Ben Beattie Ben Beattie is a freelance outdoor writer and fishing guide who has been guiding for 4-years at the Silver Water Wheel Lodge on Lac Seul in Northwestern Ontario.

W

hen it comes to walleye fishing

most people have learned the same old strategies and techniques from magazines and television shows. Fishing windblown structure and using the lightest jig possible are both good pieces of advice, but are rather general.

After spending hundreds of days guiding people for walleye on Lac Seul I’ve learned to modify the conventional approaches and have developed several tips and tricks that go beyond common practice.

I guarantee that these will help you put more walleye in your boat this summer.

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 39

New 4" G-Grub A leech/curlytail Hybrid.

Twin dorsal fins Weedless

EQUIPMENT All too often I see people spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a fishing vacation and then using fishing equipment that isn’t any good. The biggest mistake people make is using a rod that lacks the sensitivity to feel hits and that doesn’t have the backbone needed for powerful hooksets when jigging in deep water. In the summer I target walleyes in water as deep as 40-feet and the lighter power rods I use for Lindy rigging in the spring lack the necessary power at these depths. My best advice is to buy a 6 to 7-foot, medium power, fast action graphite spinning rod, which is the ideal jigging stick. If you are using a no-stretch braided line I recommend going to a slightly longer and softer rod to compensate for the lack of stretch in the line. Match the rod with a good quality reel that has a smooth drag system and instant anti-reverse.

For line, I prefer 8-pound test monofilament that is tinted blue so I can easily see it to detect hits. For braided line, 10 to 20pound test is good. I highly suggest using a fluorocarbon leader with braided line and here’s why. Every year I see people with braided line tied directly to their jigs getting badly out-fished by those using straight monofilament or braid with a fluorocarbon leader. Another reason to use fluorocarbon is that its abrasion resistance gives you a slight

40 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

advantage over monofilament if you hook a trophy pike while targeting walleye.

PRESENTATIONS AND TACKLE Jigging, bottom bouncing, Lindy rigging, casting crankbaits and twitching suspending minnow baits are the techniques that take most of the fish in my boat every year. Here are some tips, tricks and variations on these widely used presentations.

Early in the season, crankbaits and suspending minnow baits are great for fishing shallow water in areas that are too snaggy for jigs. If the water is cold and the fish are in a negative feeding mood I often turn to Lindy rigging. I use a long lead and a slow moving presentation to turn negative fish into biters.

Once summer arrives and the walleyes are holding deeper, my favourite presentation is the jig. They are cheap, effective, relatively easy to fish and they account for 80% of the walleye caught in my boat every year. My preferred presentation is a simple bare jig tipped with a minnow. Sometimes I will bulk up my jig by adding a three-inch twister tail along with a minnow.

Great action Hidden hook point Rattle or scent chamber

Exudes a scent trail fish detect and follow.

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5" COMIDA ___________________________

Andrea Martin (left) and Kelly Beattie with a pair of deep water summer walleyes.

A deadly variation with a jig is to use it as part of a modified drop-shot rig. You do this by tying a small hook about 18-inches up the line (using a Palomar knot) and then tying your jig to the end of the line as usual. I like to run a big piece of plastic, like a tube jig or a 5-inch power jerk shad, on the jig and then a small tail-hooked minnow up top. Most fish come on the minnow but the big piece of plastic dragging on bottom often turns the bigger fish.

Bottom bouncing is another great way to catch a lot of walleye, especially in the summer when the fish are scattered in deeper water. Using a heavy bouncer, twoounces or more, allows you to move a lot faster and cover more water then you can with jigs. Bottom bouncers also snag less often than jigs. When I’m fishing huge sand flats I turn to bouncers and spinner rigs and troll the edges where the flat top of the sand drops off into deeper water. In the summer I like structure that that tops out around 15 to 20-feet and drops to 60feet and beyond. I key in on the drop off zone and mark this area with waypoints on the GPS.

FOLLOW THE WIND Because walleyes are constantly on the move, the most important factor in my daily planning as a guide is, by far, what direction the wind is blowing. It is com-

mon knowledge to fish windblown shorelines in the spring, but there is much more to it for catching fish well into the summer months. Wind direction affects walleye feeding and activity levels all season long, which is a concept that a lot of people don’t consider. Prevailing winds create current in the deeper summertime spots on structure like saddles and sunken islands. My strategy is to always fish the windblown side of structure first, even if that structure is 20-feet below the surface.

Wind and waves also create mud lines, which is a key pattern that I look for on a daily basis. Most anglers only fish the edge - where the dirty water meets the normal water - but by doing this they could be missing out on some great fishing. Here’s a guide’s tip - get right in the middle of that dirty, muddy, stirred up water because walleyes love this environment for feeding.

The darker water lets in less light which provides walleyes with additional cover to ambush their prey from.

If there is little to no wind on a given day, try fishing in areas that were getting hit by the last established wind. Off-wind spots can also be good but you need some wrap around effect from the wind. This happens when he wind wraps around a point or island pushing bait past the calm areas where the walleye will sit and wait for an easy meal to blow by.

Fishing a wind-blown point paid off nicely for Chris Fluke

42 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

DEPTH FACTOR After wind direction, the next most important factor I look for is depth. How deep the fish are holding will generally depend on the time of year, but daily variations also occur.

It’s no secret that walleyes will be found in shallow water in the spring, say 10-feet or less. They congregate to spawn in these types of areas where there is warmer water, emergent weed growth and some current.

As the season progresses and the water warms up, however, these fish will slowly make their way deeper on structure that is associated with a main lake basin.

My best spring fishing spots won’t produce much in July and August because the fish have moved out to deeper water.

Small walleyes may stick around the shallow areas longer but the bigger fish will always be the first to head for deeper haunts. Once your spring hot spots stop producing, start fishing deeper water to stay on walleye during the hot summer months.

so don’t get stuck fishing where the fish used to be.

Everybody’s heard the old line, “Well, they were here yesterday!”

If you hear that, or if you start thinking it in the boat, it’s a sure sign to change gears. You have to be ready to change

your strategy during the day and by this I mean changing depths, trolling speed, the size and/or weight of your bait and the types of structure you are fishing.

I am a big fan of run and gun fishing.

When I pull up on a spot I’ll work it from shallow to deep and cover the “spot on the

The One-Knot Wonder!

In the summer, walleyes prefer deep rock and sand structure where they can cruise drop-offs searching for baitfish. I like to fish in areas that have the right bottom structure while offering quick access to deep water - like rock reefs and points that face a main lake basin.

My strategy for working these kinds of spots is to start by fishing shallow and then working deeper while watching for fish on the graph. Once you connect, you can key in on that depth and work the structure more effectively.

When you start catching fish from a certain depth, try to step out another level deeper. This is a proven guide strategy for catching the larger fish from the school.

The big ones are often on the same spots as the large groups of smaller fish, but they’re usually just a little bit deeper.

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CHANGING GEARS Walleyes move around a lot over the course of a day and in order to stay on fish you should too. They regularly pulse in and out of spots multiple times a day,

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Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 43

spot,” but if I’m not catching anything I’m off to a new spot in 15-minutes or less.

Coming back to the concept that walleye pulse in and out of areas, I will often recheck a prime looking spot two or three times during the day before I connect with fish there. You have to be versatile while fishing for walleye and if what you’re doing isn’t working, move on and try something else. If you’re not catching fish off of windblown rocky points, try fishing other types of structure like weeds or the edges of underwater flats until you connect.

FINESSE When the bite is tough there are several techniques that I turn to in order to catch negative fish. If you are marking a lot of fish and can’t pick them up, it’s a good sign that you need to finesse them. I find these situations occur most often in the cold water of spring and on the hot, flat calm days of summer. The two most important things to do are downsize your presentation and slow down your speed.

I’ve used jigs as light as 1/64-ounce on light line while barely moving the boat in order to get hits. It might take your jig longer to get down to the strike zone than it will to catch a fish.

At times big walleyes will turn down medium to large minnows in favour of small ones so the “big baits for big fish” rule doesn’t always apply. Here’s another guide tip for you. When the fish are extremely finicky try tipping your jig with just the head or tail section of a minnow.

This trick can be just the thing to entice a non-feeding fish into biting.

In terms of your baits’ action when you’re finessing, less is often more, especially with neutral to negative fish. I do a lot of deadsticking with my rod resting on the gunnel, simply dragging the jig on the bottom or leaving it sit still. A motionless bait can drive walleyes crazy and convince them to hit. When you’re fishing light and slow you’ve got to watch your line carefully for any sign of movement and be ready to set the hook at the first sign of a pickup.

If you are still marking fish and not catching them, it’s time to try fishing away from the boat. The best way to do this is by pitching a jig or by using a slip bobber setup. When you pitch, let your jig fall to bot44 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

tom on a tight line to detect hits, and then hop it back to the boat. Pitching a jig is one of my favourite ways to catch walleyes.

I use these strategies and tricks on a daily basis to help put more fish in the boat for Ben Beattie proves that his summer walleye tactics work.

my guests and I’m sure they will work for you too. Above all, remember to be a versatile angler. If you do, I’ll guarantee that you’ll boat more walleyes this season. ?

Berkley approaches bait with unmatched scientific understanding of fish and what causes them to strike. Proof of their latest breakthrough is new, patent pending Gulp! Alive! packed in buckets, filled to the brim with their exclusive natural attractant. Each Gulp! Alive! bait is loaded with more scent, more flavor, more action and more value per bait. Making it the most potent bait you can buy! Plus, you can reload Gulp! Alive! by soaking it back in the liquid Gulp! attractant. Beyond the convenience of Gulp! Alive! packed in buckets, you’ll also notice each bait has room to roam. The result?

Perfection in shape, scent, action and color.

So upgrade your choice to the bait that not only outfishes live, it outfishes all bait. You’ll be showing off your intelligence, right along side your trophies.

Bob Izumi

Host of the Real Fishing television show

©2007 Pure Fishing, Inc.

www.berkley-fishing.com

Organized

FISHING In a tournament a few years back, Bob Izumi experienced every angler’s nightmare when he was thrown from his boat and into the frigid waters of Lake Ontario. He had been using his trolling motor to fish through a stump field when an unseen deadhead stopped his Ranger in its tracks. Inertia carried Bob forward, off the bow of the boat and into the drink. Thankfully, he was able to latch on to the stern and pull himself back aboard.

While safe for the moment, Bob wasn’t completely out of trouble.

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 47

T

he tournament had launched out of Belleville, Ontario and Bob was fishing clear across Lake Ontario in the waters of New York State, a distance of over 100 km. Soaking wet, cold, and looking at a two-hour boat ride across open water to get home, the situation was still grim. At this point most anglers would have given up on the day, headed for shore to dry out and called the tournament organizers to let them know the situation. But not Bob. Making his living in the fishing business for close to 30-years, Bob Izumi has experienced just about every possible scenario that could confront an angler, both on and off the water. The years of experience have taught him to be prepared for just about anything and he takes this very seriously. Just take a look into the back of his truck or under the lids of his Ranger’s storage lockers and you’ll see what I mean. An extra trolling motor, spare batteries, propellers for his gas and electric motors, tools, electronics, extra fishing gear… you name it, he carries it. And on this day, on Lake Ontario, Bob’s attention to organization saved the day.

Back on the deck, Bob popped one of the hatches and pulled out a Ziploc® brand Big Bag. He opened the double zipper seal and took out a dry towel. After checking around to be sure he wasn’t being watched, Bob stripped naked and dried off, reached back into his Big Bag, removed his spare clothing and redressed. He packed his wet gear back into the Big Bag, stowed it under the deck and

48 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

Bob is able store and carry more and bulkier items in the same dry, clean and organized manner. The clothing that saved him that day on Lake Ontario is just one example.

continued on with his tournament day.

Unfortunately Bob didn’t win the tournament, but having those dry clothes on board allowed him to win the day.

Ziploc® brand Big Bags have always been one of Bob’s favourite storage solutions and he loves the L, XL and XXL sized versatility they offer. For years Bob has used the various sizes of regular Ziploc® brand bags whenever he has needed to store gear that had to be kept dry and dust-free, both on his boats and at home - things like spare electrical parts; spark plugs, small tools; cellular and satellite phones, map chips, cameras and so on.

He’s also used them to organize his baits by size, style, or species and to carry extra line and terminal gear. With the introduction of the L, XL and XXL sizes

While the rest of us may not spend over 300 days a year on the road like Bob does, we could all take a tip from his strategy of being organized and ready for the trips that we do take. Think about the last time you packed up for a fishing or camping trip. Was everything you needed easy to find? Was your rain gear clean, dry and ready to go or was it lying in a crumpled heap in the corner of your tackle room?

What about the sleeping bags that haven’t seen use since last summer? Did your electric shaver get stuffed into the bottom of a nylon duffel bag at the last minute, along with your toothbrush and sunscreen? Did you even remember to pack toilet paper?

All kidding aside, imagine how much easier the task of packing would be if all your gear was stored away properly after your last trip. One Ziploc® brand Big Bag with all of your fishing clothing, one full of personal items and toiletries, one for spare fishing gear, another with sleeping bags and pillows, and so on. Everything clean, dry, organized and ready to go. And when you get to your destination there’s no fumbling around looking for your things. Whether your plans call for a day

STORAGE SOLUTIONS Ziploc® brand Big Bags are available in large (15” x 18 5/8”), X-large (24” x 21 3/8”) and XX-large (24” x 33 5/8”) sizes.

They are designed to hold up to 30-pounds and all three sizes have convenient, built-in carrying handles. Big Bags are made of fishing, water sports or sunbathing, you can have everything you need prepacked and ready to go.

One of the best things about using Ziploc® brand Big Bags over standard duffel bags, suitcases or other portable storage systems is their versatility. Their flexible material allows them to form around your gear so you can pack everything away tightly and into the smallest space possible. Because the bags are clear you’ll never have to guess which bag holds what equipment. They are strong enough to 50 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

hold up to 30-pounds and their built-in handles make them easy to carry. But the best thing about using Ziploc® brand Big Bags is their exclusive Ziploc® brand seal that makes them virtually impervious to dust and insects. They also keep moisture out – or in – making them suitable for wet or dry items. Not only can you take your swimwear or fishing gear down to the water in one convenient package, you can take your wet things back with you – whether those wet things include a swimsuit or a salmon. ?

of heavy-duty, see-through material so there’s no guessing about what’s stored in them and they all feature the famous Ziploc® brand seal that helps keeps moisture, dust and insects out.

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“Look at the size of those carp down there!” Frank said.

SMALLMOUTH

ON THE FLY First timers try fly fishing for bronze-backed bass Story and Illustrations by Charles Weiss

Jay and Frank of Jay’s Fly Shop were our guides for the day. My wife, Diane, brother George and I were walking over the refurbished railway bridge on the Maitland River, near Goderich. This was our third day of being guided and it was shortly to become our finest day of the week.

52 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

Lund received the NMMA 2006 CSI Award recognizing Excellence in Customer Satisfaction, Aluminum Outboard Boats category

©2007 Lund Boat Company

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The Ultimate Fishing Experience

W

e were all looking over the bridge to the river, over 30 meters below, where dozens of

small and large fish could be clearly seen. Sure enough, wallowing in the muddy water below us was a herd of gigantic carp with large, watermelon-sized girths!

“Those aren’t all carp; the smaller dark ones are smallmouth bass!” Jay explained. Everyone was now looking at a spot down near the river bank where the current was a little faster and the water was clearer.

“If those are bass, this guiding day is over!” Frank jokingly said, visions of jumping bass dancing in his head.

We all shared his fantasy of huge bass rising to the fly as we followed Jay along the trail down to the river’s edge. We were joined by a father with his two daughters. They sat down among the rocks at the bottom of the bridge to watch us, as the father explained the art of flyfishing to his children and snapped photos of the graceful, and sometimes less-than-graceful, casting of the fly line.

We must have been quite the sight, wearing our waders, standing knee deep in the river, waving the strange long rods and brightly colored lines over out heads. They didn’t have to wait very long to see some action though - as soon as we arrived the bite was on the fish were jumping.

The conditions were perfect. The distant horizon was filled with rounded cumulus clouds promising rain and Jay commented on the low water level. Every fish in the river was hungry and waiting for the fly. Schools of marauding smallmouth bass could be seen terrorizing the baitfish that were swimming freely in the shallow riffles, amongst the submerged boulders. Getting too close we risked spooking the bass, but retreating too far resulted in a double haul mess of uncontrolled fly line.

Under the sharp eye and guidance of Jay and Frank, we novices used a crayfish fly pattern—a sinking beadhead clouser crayfish with one or two tiny BB split shot added to the tippet.

My wife, brother, and I were new to catching bass on the fly, but, on that day at least, it turned out to be not as hard as it looks and all about beginner’s luck! Still, I recommend taking a lesson in casting at your local fly shop. Even better, hire a guide service for a few hours or a few days. Most guides offer the use of equipment, including the flies, as well as on-the-water tutorials in everything from casting and the use of dry and wet flies to insect study, the mysteries of which flies work best and the ethics of river fishing.

54 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

That day, with five to seven-weight slow action rods, we entered the bass battle with few problems. From the bridge above, passing hikers offered encouragement and advice.

“There’s a big one just to your left. Behind that rock.”

Several times in the next few hours the connecting knot of the tapered leader got caught behind the top guide and the fish were able to rip the hook out or break off.

Despite these occasional setbacks, we triumphantly shouted out when a bass rose to our fly; we hollered even louder when we actually managed to strip the line successfully and bring one in.

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 55

even need waders - shorts and an old pair of running shoes or water shoes is enough.

As the fishing continued and several bass were caught, Jay noticed Diane had a real flair for fly casting. She also caught the largest bass of the day, about 18-inches of finned fury! It took my brother and

Wading in the river is another skill we found to be challenging. Shortly after my wife caught a big bass she moved her foot unwisely while casting, slipped into a deeper spot than she expected and fell into the river, completely filling both of her waders with water! Laughing, she was determined to keep on fishing and didn’t even take the time to go to the bank to empty her waders. Now that’s dedication!

Generally the guides recommend keeping your feet about shoulder length apart.

After making a few casts you move to the next comfortable spot. I guess Diane missed that part of the lesson.

Smallmouth bass are chow-hounds with big appetites. Their bodies are hard, sculpted, and muscular. Luckily for fly fishers they are also quite happy to show their might during a rod-bending, arm-tiring battle.

After one particular catch Jay let us know that an 18-inch bass living in the river might be 15-years of age. The smallmouth’s regal appearance is often accentuated by tiger-like stripes running the width of its deep body. And Maitland River bass are some of the finest in the area.

The mention of bass fishing can conjure up images of colorful, state-of-the-art boats with sponsor decals and enough horsepower to blast off to the moon. But fly fishing for bronze-backs on a river doesn’t require any of this. In fact, there is plenty of fishing to be found for anglers who don’t own a boat, since wading along the bank is one of the most efficient and effective ways to target bass. By July the water is warm enough that you won’t 56 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

I a while to find our fly fishing form but we finally caught up with some slightly smaller, but still satisfying, bass. ?

FISHING FOREVER UPDATE

Summer Fishing Fun Now that summer has arrived Fishing Forever’s Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days are in full swing with over 60 youth oriented fishing events scheduled across Ontario. There’s no better

way to introduce a youngster to the fun and excitement of fishing than by attending one of these great fishing days. Most events are free to attend and offer complimentary lunches, free bait, prize giveaways and the chance to learn about fish and fishing from local experts. Many events also have loaner rods and reels for those anglers who do not have access to one. Members of the Police Association of Ontario will be on hand at most events to lend a hand and interact with the anglers to promote the values of friendship and mutual respect. A complete listing of Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days is available on-line at www.kidsandcops.ca. ?

Fishing Forever Aids in Salmon Restoration In April of this year Fishing Forever Chairman, Bob Izumi, was on hand to help stock Cobourg Brook with Atlantic salmon as part of Ontario’s ongoing salmon restoration program. Program partners from Fleming College, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and Banrock Station Wines, as well as students from four Cobourg area schools, started the day with a clean up of Cobourg Brook before heading upstream to stock the

salmon. Through the hard work and dedication of the partners and participating student groups, Ontario may soon see a selfsustaining Atlantic salmon population become re-established in their natural habitat. In fulfilling their mandate to help restore, preserve and enhance Ontario’s fisheries, Fishing Forever has already donated $150,000 to the salmon program as part of an ongoing commitment to reintroduce this heritage species. ?

Bob Izumi and some of the Cobourg area students who took part in the Cobourg Brook clean-up and salmon stocking.

58 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

Newly stocked Atlantic salmon in their new surroundings

FISHING FOREVER DINNER TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW The annual Fishing Forever fundraising dinner and auction is set for October 7 at LeDome in Oakville, Ontario. Tickets are just $195 and include a complimentary bar from 5:00 p.m.; a fully catered, sit down dinner and the chance to win a fantastic door prize. Of course there will be dozens of incredible items to bid on including first class fishing trips, outdoor gear, fishing equipment and much more. And, just by attending you’ll be helping to preserve and enhance Ontario’s fisheries because all of the proceeds from the evening will go towards supporting fisheries related projects. For tickets and information please contact Joanne at 905-632-8679 ext. 224 or visit the Fishing Forever website at www.fishingforever.ca and click on the “events” tab. ?

Tales from the Road

By Bob Izumi

Since my last Tales from the Road column I’ve been to Alabama, back to southern Ontario, down to Cuba, up to North Bay, down to Mexico and back to Ontario. I’ve experienced a little bit of everything in the last few months.

In late March I was down at Wheeler Lake in northern Alabama for the second stop on the FLW Eastern Series tournament trail. I

have fished Wheeler Lake a few times over the years but I have never fared well in a tournament there. My travelling partner, Rick McCrory, who fishes as a co-angler, was again with me and we spent our four 60 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

official practice days practicing from about seven or eight in the morning until dark every night. We hit the lake hard in hopes of figuring something out.

On the first day of practice we went out on the Decatur flats, which are a series of ridges with creek beds going through them.

While we were idling around these flats my Lowrance X38C suddenly came up to fivefeet then dropped down to 13-feet. I dropped down a Strike King 1/2-ounce green pumpkin football jig with a Berkley Powerbait Chigger Chunk as a trailer.

“Thunk,” I got a hit. There was a boat about a hundred yards away from me so I slid down behind my console and unhooked the fish at the side of the boat so my fellow competitor didn’t see me. Then Rick threw a cast out with a black GULP! Turtleback worm and immediately had a bass on that he shook off after about a minute. I thought that this isolated hump could be my ace in the hole.

On day two I went upriver, into a large bay with some creeks in it. I got about halfway back when all of a sudden the area shallowed up to about two-feet. We idled for what seemed like about two-miles but could not find any deep water so we came back out and ended up catching some decent fish in another small, isolated creek.

On day three we found a number of keepers up some other small creeks but my concern was whether I would be able to get back into these areas if the water level dropped. It’s very common for the Army Corps of Engineers to raise or lower the water level on these reservoirs depending on the conditions above or below the lake that you’re on.

On day four we decided to go back to the area that I couldn’t get into on day two. It took us a long time and we got stuck a number of times (we had to use push-poles) but we finally got in. On about my fourth flip to the first tree I came to, a big bass ate my black Powerbait Sabretail Tube.

“Rick,” I said, “I think we might be into something here.”

We started to look for slightly deeper water in this creek because the deeper spots seemed to be holding fish. We ended up shaking off about seven bass in that creek before we called it a day. I was excited because I had a lot of options for the tournament.

On day one of the tournament I decided to start in a creek where I had caught some pretty nice bass during practice but as we idled in the boat stopped. It seems the water had dropped about three-inches and I couldn’t get close to the back of the creek. I ended up having to push-pole my way out.

My next spot was the isolated hump I had found on the Decatur flats but I fished it for almost two-hours and only got one little bite.

With my hump proving to be a dud I decided to go to another creek where I had got a four-pound bass and shook off a number of other fish during practice. Well, I didn’t get anything from the log that I caught a four-pounder from in practice and I didn’t catch a fish from any of the other little spots where we had hooked fish. I finally ended up catching three keepers. I left the creek and idled back into another where I managed to fill out a small limit of six-pounds,

Tales from the Road nine ounces, which put me in 159th place. I have to admit that I was very depressed that night. It’s easy to get into a rut and feel like things aren’t going right.

On day two I decided to go to the creek that we had hit on day four of practice. My co-angler and I got into the creek and, on

the about third tree that we fished, he set the hook on a three-pound class fish that came rolling to the surface before getting off. After seeing that big bass I got serious, slowed right down and started catching some really big fish. At the day two weighin I had 18-pounds, 14-ounces and moved from 159th to 20th place. I was absolutely on cloud nine. Like I’ve said for many years now, tournament fishing has got a lot of highs and lows and now I was on a high.

I was very concerned on day three because the water level was dropping but I decided to go back to the shallow creek that produced the big weight for me on day two.

By using a push-pole I managed to get in and I started catching some fish. Not a lot of fish, just five keepers in total, but after the smoke had settled I was sitting in ninth place. I had made the top-ten cut! I believe I’m the first Canadian ever to make an FLW Series top-ten cut. In FLW Series tournaments the top ten pros from the first three days get to fish on the fourth and final day.

On day four I went back into my creek.

The first fish of the day bit and I set the hook but the fish didn’t have the bait in its 62 Real Fishing – Summer 2008

mouth. I flipped about five more times to the tip of the same tree and another fish hit, but I lost it too. My third fish came from under an overhanging branch. This one started to swim so I tightened up, set, rolled the fish and lost it. By now, frustration was setting in.

I finally got a decent hit but the fish was barely a keeper. I decided to go further back into the creek but ended up getting stuck and had to jump into the 60-degree water and push my Ranger, about six- inches at a time, by lifting and pushing. Lift and push, lift and push. I did this for several hundred yards and I’m telling you I was beat. When I finally got out to where the boat would float I jumped back in, covered in mud and completely exhausted. I got one more keeper on my way out of the creek to end my day. I dropped down to tenth place but, in hindsight, would I have done anything different? Not a bit. Looking back at all the fish that I lost, I definitely had a shot at winning the tournament.

After getting home from Alabama I was off to Cuba with a few fishing buddies for a three day trip. We have fished many of the lakes down there over the years so this trip was a bit of a scouting mission. We ended up finding a pretty good saltwater area that we’re going to explore further on our next trip.

After returning from Cuba I had Real Fishing Radio co-host, Gord Pyzer, come

down to our offices to tape our shows for the upcoming year. It’s always good to see Gord and it’s funny to think that we’ve been doing the radio show for more than two decades. Boy, time sure flies when you’re having fun!

Then I had a chance to join up with some of the folks from Fleming College, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Banrock Station Wines and four local school groups for a clean up of Cobourg Brook before heading upstream to stock some Atlantic salmon. It was amazing to see the Atlantic salmon going into the creek.

Even more amazing is that within a halfhour of being stocked these salmon had positioned themselves on a bend in a pool and were actually feeding on some sort of bugs from the surface of the stream. I can’t wait to see what the future of the Atlantic salmon project will hold.

Next up was a trip to “ding-a-ling” south of North Bay. We went to a small lake near South River to join up with Kalan Evers and his friend, Kyle, for an evening of ling fishing. We set up as the sun was going down and ended up catching nine or ten ling before we decided to call it a night.

Then it was home for some steelhead fishing before heading to Lake Baccarac in Mexico. Arley McMillon from Oklahoma put this trip together for us and he did not disappoint us. Over 2 1/2 days we caught hundreds, if not thousands, of largemouth bass. The nearest calculation we could get was that we caught between 3,500 and 4,000 fish between 28 of us. The largest was just over 12-pounds and was caught by Lee Branscombe, Ontario Sales Representative for Shimano Canada and owner of Integrity Outdoors. There were numerous fish over 10-pounds caught and it was just an incredible adventure.

Jim Weatherall, Mark Alford and Bob Izumi enjoy a day of Calabogie walleye fishing.

Lake Baccarac could very well be the best bass fishing lake in the world right now.

There were times when we’d stop and catch 30 or 40 fish from one spot, without moving the boat. On the last morning I was with Steve Sherman, the National Sales Manager for Shimano, and I decided it was time to let my cameraman, Jacob Watters, throw a few casts since he had worked hard for 2 1/2 days. Within minutes he caught a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass on a swimbait. While we were weighing that fish, Steve Sherman set the hook on a bass that ended up weighing 10pounds, 4-ounces. A few minutes later I got an 8-pound largemouth. All of this happened in 5-minutes of fishing on our last day. I can’t wait to get back down to Mexico – that place is just incredible!

I got back home just in time to take off on another trip, this time down to Vermont to get in on the early spring catch and release bass season on Lake Champlain with Shawn Good from Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife department. This is the second year in a row that we’ve gone down there and what a fishery Lake Champlain is. My son, Darren, caught his personal best bass on this trip, a largemouth weighing 5-pounds, 14-ounces. We had a riot catching numbers of both smallmouth and largemouth bass in our two days of fishing down there.

Shimano’s Steve Sherman with a Baccarac beauty.

Have you ever fished in Calabogie? In my entire career I have never fished there but after I got back from Vermont I had a chance to go up with my neighbour, Mark

Alford, to fish Calabogie Lake with angler and owner of Jim’s Bait & Tackle, Jim Weatherall. Having never fished this area I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Well, the numbers of fish we caught were absolutely incredible and Mark, Jim and I caught over 100 walleyes in a short day of fishing. I don’t remember how many double and triple-headers we had but it was absolutely great fishing.

While I was visiting Jim’s Bait & Tackle I ran into a lady who showed me a picture of a 15-inch crappie and a 26-inch walleye that she had caught the night before while fishing from shore. I also heard that there are pretty decent pike and bass populations in the lake. For being an accessible, drive-to lake with friendly people and some good eateries – including Polly’s Li’l Shanty Restaurant and The Duck Restaurant at Calabogie Lodge - you can’t beat it.

Calabogie has got great fishing, friendly people and fantastic accommodations.

What more could you ask for? The only complaint I have is that we were only up there for one day of fishing.

Tim Hortons Camp Day was next on the agenda. I look forward to doing this every year because all of the money raised from the sales of Tim Hortons coffee, from all the different locations across the country, are donated to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. Every time a customer buys a coffee at Tim Hortons on Camp Day they are helping to send over 13,000 kids - who

could otherwise not afford it on the camping adventure of a lifetime where they get to participate in a wide range of firstclass programs and activities that are designed to give them self-confidence, self-esteem and leadership opportunities.

Now that summer’s here I have to admit that I love the heat. I complain all winter about how cold it is so I certainly can’t complain all summer about how warm it is. I figure that I better enjoy one or the other so the choice I’ve taken, at least for this issue, is that I love this time of year.

Have a great summer of fishing and maybe I’ll see you out on the water. ?

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 63

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

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

What’s COOKING

INGREDIENTS 1lb.

LEMON-GARLIC

SHRIMP Here’s a quick, easy and delicious way to prepare shrimp as an appetizer, side dish or part of a light main course.

Thanks to Chef Terry Arnason, for providing this recipe.

Shrimp, cleaned and de-veined

1/4 cup Olive oil 1 cup

Lemon butter garlic marinade

1 tbsp

Garlic pepper

1/2 cup Crucero Chardonnay white wine 1 tbsp

Chopped parsley

METHOD Heat frying pan to medium hot Add olive oil and let heat Add shrimp and cook for a few seconds Add lemon butter garlic marinade, garlic pepper and Chardonnay. Sauté until all ingredients are mixed well and shrimp have turned pink.

Sprinkle parsley over shrimp mixture and toss to mix Continue cooking until shrimp are tender.

Serve as an appetizer, side dish or as part of a light main course.

Summer 2008 – Real Fishing 65

DREAM DOUBLE II

Artist: Derek DeYoung Medium: 24â&#x20AC;? x 36" oil on canvas This original painting was inspired by the two distinctly different looking stages of a steelhead. The top image depicts a chrome hen while the lower image is of a buck in darker spawning colors.

Contact: Canvas Fish Studio 408 S 7th Livingston, MT 59047 Tel: 616.308.2230 Email: fishingartist@yahoo.com www.canvasfish.com

66 Real Fishing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2008

Eagle for 2008. ®

For 2008 Eagle continues to deliver the best and most popular values in finding.

Select chartplotters with iGPS space-saving internal GPS+WAAS antenna innovation.

Dual-Search go wider/deeper/better 83/200 kHz sonar technologies. 640x480 Fullsize Colour display choices. Incredible Cuda® Value Choices now with sonar/mapping GPS. Ongoing Eagle® thrust to deliver America’s first, best, and most popular values in finding.

With incredible selections, widest product brand choices, remarkable total performance and versatility, and more. All at a price that makes a great value a wonderful bargain.

Backed by the best people in the business: everyone at Eagle®.

© 2006 Navico

www.eaglefishfinders.com

LET’S BRING EVERYONE UP TO SPEED.

PRO KICKER OUT-TROLLS THE COMPETITION.

9.9 hp PRO KICKER

Mercury® 9.9 hp Pro Kicker can troll 18% slower than Yamaha® 8 hp 9.9 hp BIGFOOT four-stroke and 16% slower than Honda® 9.9 hp four-stroke.

9.9 hp MERCURY 9.9 hp PRO KICKER 8 hp

Mercury Verado 250 hp is 8% faster than Suzuki® 250 hp and 5% faster than Yamaha 250 hp.

MERCURY VERADO

6 hp

YAMAHA

5 hp MERCURY 9.9 hp PRO KICKER

2.5 hp

300 hp 275 hp 250 hp 225 hp 200 hp

YAMAHA

175 hp

4 hp 3.5 hp

HONDA

NO OTHER ENGINE CAN COMPETE WITH VERADO.®

150 hp

SUZUKI

135 hp

SEE MORE TESTS AT MercuryMarine.com

With Mercury Verado and Mercury Pro Kicker, you can experience the ultimate in power and precision. If you want to be first to the fish, hit the throttle on Verado and take advantage of unsurpassed top-end speed. If it’s slow, precise trolling you’re after, put Pro Kicker to work and hover over the fish with slow, pinpoint control. Get up to speed on the optimum walleye fishing engines by looking deeper at MercuryMarine.com.

Pro Kicker FourStroke

Source: Mercury Marine Engineering Department – December 2003. Test conducted on a Mercury 9.9 hp FourStroke Pro Kicker, a Yamaha 8 and 9.9 hp four-stroke and a Honda 9.9 hp four-stroke. © 2008 MERCURY MARINE. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Honda is a registered trademark of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. Suzuki is a registered trademark of Suzuki Motor Corporation. Yamaha is a registered trademark of the Yamaha Corporation. All other trademarks belong to the Brunswick Corporation.