Fishing – Page 3 – The Outdoors Guy

June 26, 2014

Bass fishing, National Fishing Week, deer tags and more!

My June outdoors column in the Pembroke Daily Observer is now out in print, and available online for those who don’t live up the Valley:

http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2014/06/25/valley-anglers-kicking-bass

Valley anglers kicking bass!

Bass may be the last fishing season to open each year but with a growing list of devotees, myself included, it remains one of the most popular sport fish.

Each year, the Valley bass season in Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 15 gets underway the fourth Saturday in June, two weeks later than most other sport fish. From a conservation standpoint, the later season allows for warm water smallmouth and largemouth to complete the spawn, and also for young bass to mature so they may fend for themselves. Other species like walleye and trout play no real role in guarding of the eggs so their seasons always open earlier in the spring. Anyone who fishes the Ottawa River, otherwise known as the Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 12, may begin bass fishing tomorrow – one day before the rest of the Ottawa Valley. If anyone’s looking for me this weekend, I’ll be in Cobden searching for old bucket mouth!

Deer tags up for grabs!

Valley deer enthusiasts are watching the calendar closely as the antlerless deer tag validation draw closes on June 30. There are three application methods available although your chances at a tag remain the same, whether you apply by telephone, Internet or at a Service Ontario outlet. To apply over the phone call 1-800-288-1155, but remember that if you have already purchased your regular deer license, you’ll not be permitted to enter the draw this way, and must apply either online or visit a Service Ontario outlet. For more information: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/OC/2ColumnSubPage/STDU_137147.html.

National Fishing Week on the way

The goal of National Fishing Week (NFW) is to introduce anglers to this special activity we call sport-fishing. Between July 5 and 14, everyone is encouraged to plan a fishing day at your nearest stream, pond, river or lake. To remind folks of the recreational value of our freshwater fishery, the Ontario government is waving the fishing license requirement for that week each summer. Anglers without a license must still abide by the limits set out in the Conservation permit and all other regulations remain enforced; including size limits and protected sanctuaries. For more information: http://www.catchfishing.com/

Testing testing

This spring I had the opportunity to try out a device which added an all new element to my trout fishing endeavours. Magellan’s new eXplorist 310 – Anglers Edition I field-tested in May proves that no matter how good your fish finder is, it will never bring you to where the fish are! Enter the Magellan 310 Anglers Edition. This handy little gem came with a Fishing Hot Spots add-on, which includes a three lake download as well as 4,000 lakes and waterways included in its database. Such features as detailed shorelines and depth contours are included with every water body. A complete look at physical and biological make up of each lake is displayed, where you can build-in your own ‘honey hole’ waypoints; saved as your own personal points of interest. The 310 special colour screen offered support readability even in direct sunlight or when strapped to the gunnel of my canoe. This unit felt compact and rugged and is completely waterproof as one would expect. Next spring when I begin my ‘trout recon’, I’ll be making a beeline to all the best spots! For more information on the eXplorist 310 Anglers Edition by Magellan: http://www.magellangps.com/Store/eXplorist-Special-Editions/Magellan-eXplorist-310-Angler-Edition.

Big bass, big money

The Lefaivre Lions Club is holding its annual Open Bass Tournament on the Ottawa River on Saturday, June 28 from 7 a.m to 3:30 p.m. With thousands in cash and prizes up for grabs, the town’s Open Bass Tournament has garnered the attention of anglers from across the region and beyond. The Lefaivre Lions Club hosted its first Annual Open Bass Tournament back in 1993, and here we are more than two decades later and the event is bigger than ever. Registration is $200 per boat (team of two) plus $20 for the big fish prize.

June 5, 2014

Shootout Series Bass Tour presents CHEO Charity Tournament

Watch out Renegade Bass, here comes the Shootout Series Bass Tour!

CHEO Charity Bass Tournament and Kids Derby

The Shootout Series Bass Tour is proud to announce their season opening event will be held at Hardy Park, in Brockville on June 21^st and 22nd.

Come watch fishing TV legends, Bob and Darren Izumi from the Real Fishing Show, and Reno Viola from In-Depth Radio and former host of the Fish’n Canada Show. Even better, you can take your shot at beating these legends and many more of Canada’s best anglers. For only $160 you can win thousands! Even better than winning money, you have a chance to brag to your friends that you beat Bob Izumi!

Headlining this event, will be a children’s charity fishing derby on Saturday from 10am to 1pm in support of the CHEO foundation. Totally free to all the little anglers, prizes will be awarded to each and every one of them and there will be a BBQ so we can give our little anglers lunch. The BBQ will continue until 6pm for adults to purchase and support CHEO.

If you would like more information on fishing the Bass event, please visit www.shootoutseries.ca for more details. If you wish to fish the kid’s event, just show up anytime from 10-1. Please bring your own rods, tackle and bait can be provided.

The Shootout Series would like to thank the City of Brockville, Brockville tourism office, and all our anglers and sponsors for assisting in making this event possible.

Thanks to Cory Banford for the heads-up on this terrific upcoming event…and stay tuned for more news this summer on the Shootout Series Bass Tour!

Outdoorsguy

May 29, 2014

Annual trout trip a BIG success!

My annual trout fishing trip to Temiscaming, Quebec, is a time I look forward to all year long..regardless whether we catch a lot fish or none at all. This spring marked the 25^th anniversary for my father and brother-in-laws on our annual may trout trip.

Of course with this late spring, water was the coldest we’d seen in years. Mid – Low 50’s I’d estimate on most lakes and the fish were up high and hitting like crazy!! The most big fish actions we’d seen in years!

Here’s a nice photo of my 82-year old father with a decent-sized eater trout, this fish was probably a bit smaller than our average size. Most brookies we caught were in the 17″ – 20″ range or around 2.5 – 3 pounds. Certainly not your average ‘spec’.

We boated a total of 45 trout over the 4.5 days we fished, and released an incredible 30 of those fish. The real joy for me now is catching these monster specs and having a couple of meals of smaller fish. We each took home two trout apiece; far from our limit of 7.

Here’s Steve with nicely-coloured fish from our other ‘eater lake’.

Learning how to quickly and efficiently release brook trout is an art in itself. Smaller trout were actually more difficult to release so we ended up keeping small ones for eating.

The place we’ve been camping for the past 15 years has become like a familiar friend, on the shores of a scenic but non-trout lake.

Here is one of the big brookies I caught slow-trolling a Williams W55 Lite…incidentally, we caught ALL 45 trout on the same exact spoon if you can believe that. Why didn’t we change lures? Well, when you find something that works it only makes sense to stick with it!

Although I’ve tried different tackle over the past few years, I always come back to Williams and Mooselook as my standby spoons!

This big guy Bruce caught in a nearby lake ended-up as part of our meal that evening (for obvious reasons) This was the largest trout we’ve ever caught on the other not-so-secret lake we fish, and a great looking 22″ specimen it was!

This year we really took the time up north to smell the roses. We didn’t need to spend 12 hours a day on the water and ended-up fishing maybe 6 hours per day – followed by a horse-shoe tourney(won by Steve & I), some great musical entertainment by Bruce and euchre inside the tent after the sun went down. Lots of laughs and a few frosties were had by all. (NONE whilst fishing of course..laughes yes, beer no!)

Without a single black fly or mosquito to be had, it truly was the best time to be in the great north woods! We even saw snow in the bush in many spots and along the roads on the way up. I predict ice hadn’t been off these lakes for more than a week; which is terrific timing for brookies if you can plan it that way, or simply luck-out as we did.

Upon closer inspection, this behomoth 24.5″ trout (the largest we’ve ever caught in the region) may have actually been one of our ‘mystery’ or Aurora trout. This was the only photo we snapped before it was released since I wanted this huge spawner back in the water as quickly as possible! I would estimate this girl (a female) to be easily 5 pounds and possibly more. Without any speckles or halos…it does have the appearance of an Aurora trout. I look forward to the chance of catching it again next year!

Well, after 25 years of spring trout fishing I’d say my Dad, brother-in-law’s and I, have things down to a fine science. With some of the best fishing we’ve had in over two decades, it was a fine way to celebrate our silver anniversay!

Hey…25 years together is pretty damn good I’d say, some marriages don’t even last that long!

For more information on trout fishing in La Belle Province, please contact Tourism Quebec: 1 (888) 883-8801 or online at: www.tourisme.gouv.qc.ca

Outdoorsguy

October 2, 2013

Fishing on Atlantic Queen ll in Rye, New Hampshire

A Port-side view of the Atlantic Queen ll docked at Rye Harbour, New Hampshire.

This summer, my family and I had the good fortune of spending the day aboard this marvelous vessel in search of New England torpedoes – otherwise known as the mighty mackerel!

With the prospect of going after the coveted Boston Bluefish, I had brought my muskie rods along just in case, but as it turned out this would be a mackerel-only voyage and heavy equipment wasn’t required.

Oh well, next year for Blues perhaps…

A nice view of Rye Harbour. You may have heard of Rye, New Hampshire if you watch the TV show Wicked Tuna. The new season features a tuna boat out of Rye called the Pin Wheel featuring youg gun Captain Tyler McLaughlin.

Rye NH is just a short distance up the coast from Gloucester, Mass where the show is filmed out of.

A nice shot of the famous lighthouse which sits on the Isle of Shoals – a rock outcrop approximately 6 miles off the coast, and a spot I have fished around several times over the years. Isle of Shoals is very picturesque location that many tourists cruise out to and photograph.

Keep your eyes open when you’re there as you might even spot a seal. We saw several throughout the day! Apparently the warmer water off this coast this year has brought out more seals than ever before, and in turn more sharks!

The torpedo action started…they may not be especially large, but what these fish lack in size they make up for in muscle!

Terrific day to be out on the Atlantic Ocean!

My daughter Grace with a good-sized mackerel, one of 8 she pulled-in that morning, and more than double my catch for the day.

A nice bucketful of colourful macks!

An inside look at Captain Brad’s wheelhouse. Shussh, don’t tell anyone!

I felt privileged to be allowed inside to take a few photographs. Brad and the Atlantic Queen ll staff were more than accommodating to my family and I this summer.

A quick peak at Captain Brad’s electronics. Please disregard those ‘numbers’ folks – fans of Wicked Tuna also understand how secretive captains are about that sort of thing.

A great big thanks to Tony Carnes, the rest of the staff and crew of the Atlantic Queen ll, and to Captain Brad Cook for an incredible day out on the water! Oh, did I mention they also do whale watching?

If you’ve never done a fishing charter off the New England Coast, be sure to stop-by Rye Harbour and check out the Atlantic Queen ll, otherwise known as the Big Blue Boat.

I have been out on more than a dozen fishing charters in New England over the years, and the Atlantic Queen was, by-far, the best operation I’ve seen yet. Sure, we didn’t get any Bluefish, but that’s all in the timing, we had more makerel action than you can shake a stick at! For Bluesfish , I will just plan to vacation a bit later in August next time…

For more information, log onto: http://www.atlanticqueenfishing.com/

Outdoorsguy

June 19, 2013

Bass season is upon us!

Randybass — Avid bass angler Randy Rosenthal poses with his personal best largemouth caught on opening weekend at an ‘undisclosed’ lake. The fish weighed just over 6 pounds and was live released.

Bass enthusiasts of FMZ 18 were, no doubt, out in hordes this past weekend for the coveted bass opener.

And if you don’t think there’s anything special about Micropterus – be they salmoides or dolomieu – just ask one of the local bass fishing organizations.

Ottawa is slowly becoming a largemouth & smallmouth fishing Mecca, thanks to groups like Renegade Bass, Bass Anglers of Ottawa and Petawawa Bassmasters.

And, of course, we cannot forget the coveted Ottawa Valley – otherwise known as FMZ 15 or Pembroke District – which is where I do the bulk of my bass fishing each summer, at our trailer in Cobden. Bass opens in that District this weekend (Note: See this Thurs Pembroke Daily Observer – Outdoors Column – for more bass info.)

Speaking of bass fishing, where is your favourite bass lake or river? Without giving away all your tricks, I invite all the bass nuts out there to tell us where you like to catch old bucket mouth!

As a converted bass guy myself I am slowly being ‘lured’ away from trout, pike and muskie, and towards the elusive bass.

Drop me a line with your bass plans or send me a tip I’m not fussy.

Outdoorsguy

May 27, 2013

Outdoors Guy Annual trout trip solves mystery

(Sr. Outdoors Guy with a nice cold water brook trout we caught, with surface temp ranging from 49 – 54 degrees F)

My annual trout fishing trip to Temiscaming with my Dad and brother-in-law’s is a time I look forward to all year long..regardless if we catch a lot fish, mystery or otherwise.

This year certainly was a great trip fishing-wise, and a very poor one weather-wise, with bitter cold daytime temps and even 3″ of snow on the tent one morning!

Oh well, when you’re catching fishing like this, who cares!!

(Photo of ‘mystery trout’ now beleived to be an Aurora trout)

(Here’s Bruce with a great looking male brookie pulled from ‘Lac Perdu’)

This year we released 12 trout(10 brook, 2 mystery) – the most trout we ever have released; including one fish well over 3 pounds!

(Not a bad looking camping spot!)

(Not a bad tent set-up too!)

(The boys working on breakfast inside the tent)

Mystery solved!!!

Ok, thanks to Maple(& others) for their assitance in finally identifying our mystery trout!

What I had always considered to be ‘Quebec Reds’ appear to be the endangered species called Aurora trout. Although we only caught two this year (both released) we have probably caught more than 20 of these special fish over the years.

In our secret lake we call Lac Perdu, brook trout and Aurora trout appear to live together(& spawn) in harmony. The brookies account for probably 90% of the lakes population with Aurora accounting for maybe 10%.

Now that we know what they are, and after reading up on this rare fish, we will no longer keep any of them from this lake. According to what I read, the Aurora experts are not coming out and labelling the Quebec Aurora’s with that name, as they claim all Auroras’ are found within Ontario waters.

The QC Aurora’s currently found in only 2-3 lakes(I gues 4 now), at the moment, appear to be a mystery. The original Aurora’s were distributed only in lakes around Sudbury, and most of those fell victim to acid rain.

Just one more reason I enjoy my annual trout fishing trips. You never know what you’re going to catch!

Here are some close-up shots of the QC Aurora we caught two years ago. The ones from this year were released safely at boatside and no photos were taken:

You can see how they differ from regular brook trout with a lack of ‘halo’ spots and lack of vermiculation on the fins and upper half of their body.

Outdoorsguy

April 2, 2013

Muskie Day this weekend at Valley Sportsmen and Outdoor Show

Don’t forget the Valley Sportsmen & Outdoor Show this weekend in Carp and, courtesy of my friends at Muskies Canada, here are details on ‘Muskie Day’ which runs all day Saturday:

Muskellunge are the largest freshwater predators in our waters. They are rare, elusive and magnificent to see in the wilds. Some anglers have had close encounters with a big muskie. Catch-and-release has been very effective in producing a world-class, sustainable fishery for muskie in the Ottawa area.

On April 6, Muskies Canada will put on a full day of information, workshops and seminars on muskie fishing at the Valley Fishing and Outdoor Show at the Carp arena. Muskie Day is included with general admission to the show. How-to workshops will cover all aspects of equipment and baits, casting and trolling techniques and how to handle, photograph and safely release these important fish.

There will also be keynote presentations throughout the day about the muskie fishery on the Ottawa, Rideau and St. Lawrence River systems. Several announcements will be made during the day that will benefit the muskellunge fishery in the Ottawa area.

The event is being held by Muskies Canada and will feature six chapters located throughout eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Muskie Day partners include Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and Parks Canada, and Ottawa River Muskie Factory. John Anderson, a well-known Ottawa River guide will be a keynote speaker.

“Muskie Day will help everyone better appreciate the muskies that inhabit our local waters”, says Peter Levick, Chair of the Ottawa chapter. “We need to be able to catch and handle these fish in a way that ensures their long-term success. We also want to help everyone see how healthy watersheds support more dynamic fisheries, ensuring a place for muskies which are at the top of the food chain”. Muskies Canada promotes catch-and-release to ensure a sustainable muskie population and we are also involved in important initiatives that improve habitat and monitor water quality.

	Muskie Day Outline	Saturday April 6 Valley Fishing & Outdoors Show, Ottawa (Carp Fairgrounds)

Timing	Session	Speaker

8.00	Doors Open
8.00 – 8.15	Intro & Welcome	Peter Levick, Chair
8.15 – 9.30	Muskies Canada Workshop 1– Rods for Muskie Fishing- Reels for casting & trolling- Lines, leaders & terminal tackle	Retailers, Pro Staff Experts& Muskies Canada specialists
9.30 – 10.15	Managing for Muskies in the 21^st Century in Ontario	Dan Taillon, OMNR Ministry staff, FMZ 12, FMZ 18 reps
10.15 – 10.30	Break & discussions
10.30 – 11.30	Keynote Presentation: Ottawa – The Greatest Musky City in the World – Resource overview, musky movements in the system (telemetry studies info), proper handling, tactics	John Anderson, Ottawa River Guide & Muskie Expert
11.30 – 12.00	Muskie Hot Stove – Experts in an armchair session	John Anderson, Hedrik Wachelka, Jim Hutchings, MNR staff
12.00 – 12.30	Announcement:Muskies Canada & Ottawa Riverkeeper Partnership	Peter Levick (Muskies Canada) & Alexandra Brett (from Ottawa Riverkeeper)
12.30 – 1.00	Lunch Break
1.00 – 1.45	Workshop 2– Casting – spinners, jerk-baits, gliders, plastics- Precision trolling tactics- Hot baits	Muskies Canada Experts

1.45 – 2.15

Workshop 3– Catch, Photo, Release- Release tools- The advantage of Fishing Barbless

– Photo tips

– Ensuring a good release

Muskies Canada Experts

2.15 – 3.00

The St. Lawrence Muskie Fishery– Resident Muskies- Young of the Year studies- Catching the late season giants

– New 54 inch limit

Jim Hutchings, Muskies Canada Gananoque chapter & Josh Van Wieren, Parks Canada

3.00 – 3.15	Break
3.15 – 4.00	Muskies & the Rideau system– Muskies in the Lower Rideau watershed- Restoring Muskie Habitat – Chapman Mills Project – NEWS – Brewer Pond Project for 2013	Hedrik Wachelka – Muskies CanadaJennifer Lamoureux, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
4.00 – 5.00	Muskies Canada – Making a DifferencePanel discussion about Muskies Canada, our projects and special initiatives to sustain the Muskie fishery and how you can help make a difference.	Chris Purdy (National President); Peter Levick, (Ottawa); Jim Hutchings (Gananoque); Tyler Duncan (Upper Ottawa Valley); Marc Pitre (Sudbury); Denis Gravel (Montreal) Tom McCutcheon (Kawartha Lakes)
5.00	Closing Remarks	Peter Levick, Muskies Canada

March 7, 2013

Fairmont Kenauk up for sale!

When I heard the news of Stompin’ Tom’s passing..I knew it was going to be a bad day.

I am not sure what to think this morning, with the National Post article indicating the my favorite home away from home – Fairmont Kenauk – in Montebello is now up for sale!

What???

Anyone who’s been following my articles over the last decade have, undoubtedly, heard my talk about this little slice of heaven. I have been going to Kenauk regularly since 2000, and have followed the history of this magnificent place since I was a boy.

Kenauk was once an exclusive private hunting and fishing club…for the Quebec Senators and political elites like Pierre Trudeau and Lester B Pearson. It was known as the Seigneurie Club and famous for its moose and deer hunting, as well as top notch trout, pike and bass fishing. Contrary to what some articles are reporting, there is no bear hunting at Kenauk.

The immense 65, 000 acre estate is currently owned by Oxford Properties which acquired Kenauk from Fairmont Hotels back in 2006. There is no word as to why they have decided to put the property on the market.

I was doing some quick math, and if all the regular contributors here at the Outdoors Guy Blog put-in 4 Million apiece we could all be co-owners.

Ahhhh, dare to dream!!!

Outdoorsguy

February 21, 2013

Eric's Key West Charter Adventure

Avid angler Eric Dupuis – Ottawa SUN’s Advertising Guru – just returned from his Honeymoon in Florida, and has kindly shared some details on an amazing fishing charter he and his wife went-on in the Keys.

Wait, fishing on your Honeymoon??

A tip of the hat to Eric – a true angler!

Here are the pics from the first charter that Bridgit and I did on our honeymoon trip to south Florida.

This charter was out of Key West fishing shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean about 7 miles off shore. We booked an 8 hour charter with Captain Paul D’Antoni – his company is called Seize the Day. We generally fished in just over 200ft of water.

We caught a lot of fish as the action was non-stop. We also lost a lot of fish but that is the risk with wreck fishing for fish with sharp teeth. The fish are pretty smart and won’t hit line with leaders.

I ended up catching a 12lbs Barracuda within the first couple of minutes. Bridgit then caught a small Blue Runner which captain Paul then hooked in the back, cast it out and gave me the rod, within seconds 2 huge barracuda grabbed it and I ended up hooking the larger one and it peeled drag out for about 5 minutes. After a long fight I got it up to the boat where captain Paul released it with a long hook-release. He said it was about 30lbs and was one of the biggest barracuda he’d ever seen. Shortly after I caught an 18lbs Amberjack and Bridgit caught one about 10lbs. I also caught a Remora, Mutton Snapper & Silk Shark. Bridgit caught a funky looking grouper and a mangrove snapper. We each caught a silk snapper and about a dozen blue runners.

The fishing wasn’t the only excitement: While driving between wrecks we saw a large Hammerhead shark come up to the surface thrashing it’s head, a sailfish jumped about 5 times and another huge shark come up about 10 feet below the boat on a hunt. He stuck around for a while and was about 300lbs!

It was a great time and the 8 hours flew by!

Eric Dupuis

October 4, 2012

Munro family meet Rideau River lunker!!

(Photo of Don Munro Sr & Jr with their big Rideau River trophy)

Thanks to Don Munro for sending in the big fish story and photos.

By the way, if you look closely at the photos, upon first glance they appear to be that of a muskie, however, I am 99% sure this fish is a Tiger Muskie – a pretty darn rare hybrid of the Northern Pike and Muskie!

You usually don’t see them this big either!!

Without having the fish in my hands and being able to count the number of ‘sub-mandibular’ pores under its jaw, we may never know for sure, but the distinct bar markings and shape of the fins are typical of a Tiger Muskie.

Any way you look at it, though, it’s still a magnificent fish!

Here is the story of how this beast came to be, as told by Don Munro Jr:

My 89yr dad has been waiting all his life to actually hook into one of these……..He use to tell me stories of his dad and uncles hooking into Muskies on the Rideau around James Island in Manotick “So big they wouldn’t fit in the wheelbarrow”

Anyhow, last Friday the 28th of Sept we decided to give it a shot – My Son Adam, Dad and myself – And we finally hooked into one….I figure he was 30+ lbs and 4ft long…I am only guestimating as I didn’t want to injure him weighing him etc….

We got him into the boat and took a few flicks then got him back into the water for another day…So he’s back out there waiting for you…

The guys at work are now at me to “Let’s go fishing”