walleye – The Outdoors Guy

May 22, 2015

Northern pike and walleye flurry begins!

My Outdoors Guy column for May is now out in the Pembroke Daily Observer.

Shout-out to my pals Anthony Dixon and Tina Peplinkie who bring the daily news to folks in the upper Ottawa Valley!

Check it out online: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/

Valley anglers in search of northern pike and walleye have been out in full force with both species now fair game in Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 15. Be sure to check the rules and regulations before hitting the water this weekend! Where length limits apply, anglers should measure their catch carefully, and any fish caught must also be kept whole so it can be measured by a CO. If you should accidentally catch another species for which the season is still closed, it must be immediately (and safely) returned to the water.

FMZ 15 is a very large zone covering much of Northeastern Ontario; extending eastward to the Ottawa River, south to Arnprior, north to Deux Rivieres and west across all of Algonquin Park to Parry Sound. Best of luck in all your northern pike and walleye endeavours. I am hoping to land a few myself this weekend in Cobden. Early season northerns offer great table fare too with 4-5 pounders being the best eating size.

Blind Anglers International Tournament

I had the good fortune of touring Westmeath-area this past weekend; checking out the location for the 27th annual Blind Angler’s International Tournament. (B.A.I.T.) This region is a fitting location for such an event in a most beautiful part of the province. In two weeks’ time, legally blind men and women along with professional anglers will converge on Nangor Resort, for a fun filled weekend of angling! This year’s event kicks-off as usual with a dinner at the Westmeath Community Centre and runs from May 29th – May 31th. The opportunity to learn a new skill or to re-kindle an old passion, serves as a mechanism of rehabilitation for participants in this well-respected event. The Arnprior Lions Club will be hosting the tournament under the Lions’ B.A.I.T. project, and are justifiably proud of the benefits offered by this special program. For more information, please contact the Bait Hotline at: (613) 699-8412. Check out beautiful Nangor resort: http://nangorresort.com/?cfid=14694&cftoken=94689391

Conserving trout

When it came to brook trout, in my younger days it was always felt that ‘a fish caught was a fish kept’, but it doesn’t need to be that way anymore. On my recent trout trip to Temiscaming, we live-released 70 per cent of the trout we landed. To safely release a brook trout requires patience and a soft touch at canoe or boat-side. Barbless hooks and a good set of long-nosed pliers are a must. To witness a beautiful brook trout swimming away after a nice battle is an incredible feeling. Sure, you can catch enough smaller fish to bring home but doing your part for conservation will surely pay-off in the end. If you had asked me 15 years ago about letting a 2-3 pound brook trout go, I probably would have laughed. Practicing conservation of the species requires self-control but offers great long-term reward.

Quebec bear hunt

With all the hubbub around pike and pickerel, don’t forgot about the spring bear hunt across the river which also got under way this past weekend. Hunters need ‘bear ‘in mind that in certain sectors of the Outaouais the season closes on June 15th, two weeks earlier than for rest of the province which allows bear hunting until June 30th. With the month of June fast approaching, the once cautious animals will have become accustomed to feeding regularly at bait sites, and with the onset of mating season adult males’ travel extensively in search of a mate. Both of these factors will have a positive effect on hunter’s success rate. For more information on the Québec bear hunting, contact Tourism Quebec: 1 877 BONJOUR (266-5687).

Next time at Outdoors Guy

Be sure to check-out my next Outdoors Guy column where I’ll be launching the coveted Outdoor Trivia Contest with terrific prizes. Also on tap is another informative field-test as well as a huge announcement the hunting and fishing world will surely want to hear!

September 10, 2014

Fishing the Mighty St. Lawrence with Eric

My buddy Eric Dupuis, Adverting Guru with the Ottawa SUN, and his wife Bridgit headed out on the Mighty St Lawrence River recently for some late summer angling action, and here’s the result:

We launched out of Prescott on the St. Lawrence yesterday and caught a couple nice small-mouth and Bridgit caught a nice walleye.

Had to go deep to get them. Caught the first bass in 25′ on a tube and the 2nd one in 50′ on a drop shot.

Bridgit caught the walleye in about 40′ on a worm harness.

Caught them all around the marina and fort area. Caught a bunch of Gobies too.

Hoping to make it out again in 2 weeks.

Eric Dupuis

March 2, 2012

Bay of Quinte ice fishing adventure

Our friend ‘Maple’ went fishing recently to North America‘s walleye Mecca and has kindly sent-in the details of his “Battle on the Bay”

One day I must take Quinte walleye off my bucket list!

Bay of Quinte ice-fishing – By Maple

After finishing the Bay of Quinte “Battle on the Bay” fishing event at 3:00 on Saturday, I moved a little closer to shore, to about where the winners were caught and fished until dark. Nothing nibbled, but the thick fog that moved in made for some interesting photos. Not really satisfying though.

Sunday morning found me on Belleville Bay over 16′ of water. The fishing was much better there and I caught 3 perch before 10:00. A better showing than the three guys beside me who had just driven 200 kms to fish and caught nothing. By noon I’d had enough.

This was not what I’d hoped for. My fourth day of fishing the BOQ this ice season and not a single fish to show for it. I feared my wife thought I was behaving irrationally.

So I packed up and headed back to the Park Lane Motel where I was staying. In talking to the nice lady behind the desk, she suggested she call a friend of hers to inquire about fish. She did, and it happened to be Jeff Chisholm, a guide with the Quinte Ice Fishing Team, who kindly offered to take me out for the PM. He had clients who were looking exclusively for a big fish. How could I say no!!! I didn’t.

Isn’t is strange how you can give a dejected man hope and his spirits are immediately lifted? In my motel room I re-arranged my stuff and watched the clock tick towards the appointed time. Hopeful.

Once we met at the shore, Jeff motored me out on the quad until I was less than a speck in the distance. Way farther than I’d care to walk on my own that’s for sure. No landmarks, just a dot on his GPS. I got my holes drilled and started fishing while he went back for the two others.

By 3:30ish we were all busy jigging and I struck a good fish, and it stuck. I might be rusty but my hooks are sharp. By the massive headshakes and singing drag I knew it was a good one. Thanks to my 14″ diameter hole and Jeff’s grab, the long awaited prize soon lay on the ice. She was 7 lbs 12 ozs of shining fins and belly. Pickerel, dore, walleye, call it what you want it was huge! After a quick pic she went back down the hole. Man that felt good!!! Real Good!!!

Dan, Bruce and Jeff caught a bunch of nice fish (6?). Some eaters and some over eight pounds, way too big. The big girls go back, for the future. Rather that running over to them to admire their every fish, I spent the evening prime-time jigging 30 yards away, and smiling. I could hear their laughing and see their wiggling fish just fine from where I was sitting anyhow. How grown men can giggle.

Well after dark, I continued fishing as Jeff ferried the other guys in to shore, and lo and behold I hooked another beaut! This one a 3 to 4 pound treasure that I envisioned as a mound of golden fish and fries, so I bonked her on the head.

Man that felt good!!!! Real good!!

So, thanks to a helping hand from a great guy, my life has changed, in my wife’s eyes as well, I hope.

You made my year Jeff.

Maple

January 6, 2011

Trophy Eyes – A wonderful day on the Bay

A note of appreciation goes out to our friend ‘Maple’ for sharing the details (& photos) of what surely was an incredible day of ice-fishing on the Bay of Quinte – North America’s walleye Mecca!

The only sad part was, he was kind enough to invite me on this trip and I honestly did not have the time…doooh!!

“I went to the Bay of Quinte yesterday with 3 other guys. I got up at 1:30 AM to pick them up on the way. Back home at 11:00 PM.

We arrived at 6:00 to meet the guide. We all had our own gear (shelter, flasher, rods and tackle). The guide supplied the minnows and direction. He set us up on contour just some 200 yards from where I’ve fished on my own!! (So much for the guide-cost you might think but we’re talking pin-point structure fishing here).

Before dawn we started fishing and catching. My first fish was a 10 pound beauty, pic attached. She went back down the hole. I didn’t catch another eye until dusk, although we (they) caught fish sporadically throughout the day. The perch were keeping me busy though, and I lost a couple good fish.

The second pic(below) is a 12 pounder easy. 30.5″ long and 18″ girth. Back down the hole for her too. Unless you want to mount one, which is common for BOQ walleye, they’re usually released. Your choice. The 2 to 4 pound ‘eaters’ are what you keep.

The best bite, as usual, was in the evening, but by then the newbies had used up all the minnows and we were reduced to using dead bits and pieces on the treble jig hooks. With the flashers you can detect the presence of a fish when it approached the jig, but that’s only half the game. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes to entice them to bite, with you watching their reaction to your lure’s teasing wiggles. Sometimes they just move off. Sometimes you just don’t have what they want.

By the end of the day we landed and released 5 fish over 10 pounds, kept 9 or so between 1 1/2 and 3 pounds, and lost lots more at the hole. Exciting even that was!! To see a big fish just under the clear ice, twisting and shaking, and you trying to get it’s head up the hole, and then it breaks free and there’s nothing you can do about it but watch it swim back down…..and curse….. I need a video of that.

I’d call it a “good” day for me on the BOQ. Sometimes I catch nothing. This was much better than that. To catch, or even see caught, a single fish of the calibre is a real treat, and keeps me coming back. There seems to be a couple more trips in the planning stages with some hardcore fishers. I’ll keep you posted.”

Thanks again to Maple for sharing his great story and for the invite. Next time I plan to take him up on his offer!

Outdoorsguy