Displaying items by tag: Wil Wegman https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:52:45 -0400 Joomla! - Open Source Content Management en-gb Quest for Ontario’s Rarest Trout – The Aurora Trout https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/quest-for-ontarios-rarest-trout-–-the-aurora-trout.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/quest-for-ontarios-rarest-trout-–-the-aurora-trout.html Quest for Ontario’s Rarest Trout – The Aurora Trout

September 21-25 2017- Somewhere south of Gogama Ontario in the wilds of beautiful Northern Ontario

About Aurora Trout:
Named after the aurora borealis because of their unique color patterns, the Aurora Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis timagamiensis) is a unique variant of the Brook Trout. It is a member of the Trout and Salmon family and looks similar to Brook Trout, yet adult fish lack the yellow marks throughout the dorsal region and exhibit few to no red spots along with those blue halos that brook trout are famous for. Adult’s average about 1 to 3 lbs, and the Ontario record is 6.44 lbs.

Aurora Trout

The aurora trout originally occupied a very restricted range, probably originally occurring in only two lakes, Whitepine and Whirligig, as well as their inflowing streams near Temagami. The subspecies was extirpated from the original lakes by the ravages of acid rain in the late 1950s, but was saved from extinction by Paul Graf, a hatchery manager at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. He had brought a brood stock of the fish into the hatchery at Hill's Lake near Charlton, Ontario. He sometimes feared the fish might have been taking up valuable space in the hatchery and, on several occasions, thought about getting rid of them, until they were found to have been extirpated from the wild.

A stocking program began and since naturalised populations of aurora trout have been introduced into about a dozen lakes in northeastern Ontario as refugia, including the one we were fishing south of Gogama. In the late 1980s, the original Aurora Trout lakes were treated with lime to raise the pH to neutralize conditions, and aurora trout were reintroduced. Natural reproduction of aurora trout has been documented in the original lakes since the reintroduction, but the pH in the lakes has since begun to decline again, presumably because of reservoirs of acidic particulate depositions in the watershed.

At the lake we fished, natural reproduction is not likely so stocking occurs regularly. A one fish limit per Sport Licenced angler is in effect but like other Aurora Trout lakes this one only opens once every three years from Aug 1-Oct 15. No live baitfish are permitted and the recommendation by the local MNRF office was to harvest your one fish (especially in the heat) and then stop fishing.
When my good friend Gerry Heels asked me to accompany him up to his remote camp to try and catch ourselves an Aurora Trout, I actually had to think it over for a bit. I did have another tentative fishing related commitment during my month long vacation already filled with all sorts of angling related excursions. Looking back I’m happy I didn’t think too long … and am so glad that I jumped at this opportunity after my other buddy Greg Lunn gave me his blessing.  Why did that matter? Cause I was possibly going to fish with him during the same period near Bancroft. But, when he said, “Man you gotta go after an Aurora Trout … it could be once in a lifetime and if you get one you’d likely be the first staff person from your outfit’s Aurora District to catch one too! If I was in your shoes it would be no contest – Aurora’s all the way!”

The Quest Begins:
And a long way’s away it was from the town of Aurora too.  We began with a quick 3 ½ hour evening drive to Sudbury where, along with another friend Paul Kindy we spent the night. Paul would be focusing on bear hunting while Gerry and I fished on the Saturday.  We headed out early the next morning and drove north another 3 ½ hours towards Gogama. From there it was another solid hour by the same logging road we use in winter with ski-doo’s for our legendary ice fishing trips to get to Gerry’s camp. (Many of those winter articles can be viewed on this site.)

That same arrival day we checked the bait piles at the bear sites, did some grouse hunting (got one with my new 20 gauge) and in record temperatures in the 30C range … even went for a swim in one of the secluded lakes we ATV’d to.  Although we rarely if ever see anyone at these lakes … while I was swimming in this incredible aqua marine colored lake back from an island I swam out to, a small motorboat appeared out of nowhere in the wide open lake … I couldn’t help but wonder who was more surprised - myself or the young couple in the boat, at the encounter of seeing each other out there.

Grouse

It’s been a long time since Wil has hunted grouse in shorts and short sleeve shirt but there was just no other way to handle the record setting heat during their September adventure

Bait Barrel

One of the bait barrels was torn apart by a big hungry bruin … but during our three days at camp … no bears would be seen … until of course on our way out on one of the logging roads!

The next morning Gerry and I grabbed the two ATV’s, rigged the trailer and strapped down all our fishing gear, Lowrance Unit, the electric motor, full battery and his 10 foot jon boat on top. We chose the latter over a canoe because we are fully aware how uncomfortable a canoe can be to fish in for a long day. The boat would be much heavier to portage but we figured it would be well worth it once in the water. We took off from the main camp and after a good solid hour by ATV we finally arrived at the lake … but we weren’t at our real destination just yet. This larger lake was one we had to cross before reaching our portage landing spot on the other side. We unloaded, piled our stuff in the boat and half hour later we were there … greeted as if on cue by a beautiful bald eagle hovering within easy eyeshot. “That has to be a good omen,” I pronounced as we began to unload the small boat and prepare for the steep 80 metre incline it had to be hauled up.

Boat

We knew portaging this 10 foot Jon Boat would be more work than a canoe but are glad we made the effort

In the 28C heat, manhandling that lil boat up the cliff-like incline was no easy task but we managed. Another ½ k trek to our special little Aurora Trout lake and we finally arrived.  It was gorgeous! And there wasn’t another soul around.

Lake

The tree box there with the angler survey sheets were a real eye opener as angler after visiting angler had indicated very tough fishing since the season opened this summer. The vast majority had caught zero fish – one dude even having fished it for a dozen years already without handling an Aurora Trout. We knew right away that with a water temp at 70 F (71.8 by end of day) and air temp near 30C that our odds were really stacked against us. “Man, if these things behave like brook trout and we don’t even bother fishing for them in this heat … then this is gonna be a tough day,” quipped Gerry.

Jon Boat

The 10’ Jon Boat was a pleasure to fish from – especially for two bass crazed tournament anglers who with all their tackle, and desire to stand up every once in awhile.

And so it was! For over four hours we fished the entire lake; every nook and cranny we could think of that might hold this oh-so-rare trout. I was casting most of the time a variety of lures in my tackle box, Gerry long line trolling different baits behind the boat. We didn’t mark a fish, nor even have a fish sniff at our lures. With zero wind though, we did see several jump which surely did get the adrenalin pumping.  

Finally in late afternoon we decided to switch tactics completely. ”Let’s long line jigs in deep water like we do for lethargic finicky bass – with the electric motor barely keeping us moving,” I suggested. We were doing just that for awhile when Gerry noticed on the screen of his Lowrance HDS 7 that the bottom 2/3’ds of the screen was covered in what I thought were tiny baitfish … but Gerry suggested they could be grass shrimp. “We have a few lakes up here where it seems the brook trout feed almost entirely on these little shrimp things … not the same as the scuds attached to aquatic plants that perch feed on in Simcoe but actually free floating small freshwater shrimp.”
Well! As if it was almost destined to happen in that shrimp filled area we marked our first fish of the day! Even the best sonar in the world can’t make them bite but knowing there was a fish around sure was a confidence booster. Just as we rounded a 34’ deep edge and were thinking it was a no-show, the tip of my Rapala rod twitched ever so slightly. “Oh man I have a hit! I set the hook hard!

With lots of line out for my brown colored tube jig to mimic a scurrying crayfish right on bottom (I know brookies like them and presumed Aurora’s would too) there was a fairly lengthy fight as I battled my first ever Aurora trout closer and closer to the boat.  I can’t recall the last time I was that nervous reeling in a fish of any size … even in a tournament! I tried not to let her jump by keeping my rod down but she managed an attempt closer to the boat to shake the hook … but to no avail, as Gerry reached out and scooped up this wonderful fish!

Aurora Trout Ontario

Aurora Trout

High fives and big whoops followed … and despite our efforts to try and keep the fish alive in the net while unhooking it … it clearly did could not swim back down – so became my one fish legal limit and I stopped fishing, hopped in the back to handle the electric motor and gave Gerry my tube!

Wil Wegman Aurora Trout

Despite continued efforts to duplicate the same productive pattern … and even more marks on the Lowrance indicating both shrimp and fish … none were willing to sacrifice themselves for my buddy.  Knowing that he would be back just before the season closes (Oct 15) for another visit though … he was finally content to call it a day, fish for a few walleye in the main lake and ride back to camp in total darkness for a late but well deserved supper. The Aurora trout’s stomach BTW was loaded with grass shrimp and its flesh was beet red and very mild – simply delicious!

Wil with trout

We sure had a great adventure in our quest to catch an Aurora Trout and have already made plans to return in three years to try it again.  Next time though we can do without the incredible heat – we had a thermometer outside the cabin that read 40C! A couple of years ago we were there on an ice fishing trip when it read -40 … both C and F where the two meet.  Either kind of extremes are just a little much!

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Open water Sat, 14 Oct 2017 12:13:00 -0400
Wil’s Five Tip’s For a More Productive and Safe Late Season Perch Bite https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/wils-five-tips-for-a-more-productive-and-safe-late-season-perch-bite.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/wils-five-tips-for-a-more-productive-and-safe-late-season-perch-bite.html Wil’s Five Tip’s For a More Productive and Safe Late Season Perch Bite

1) Accept Climate Change! It’s taken me awhile to accept that in my neck-of-the-woods (Lake Simcoe 40 minutes north of Toronto ON) late season ice is nothing like it used to be and there are no signs this will change anytime soon. It seems like just a few short years ago that I would be writing about that glorious perch bite that really doesn’t begin until early April – long after all the huts had to be off and lake trout and whitefish season was closed. That bite often lasted until mid-April and would consistently see perch moving in shallow right next to adjacent spawning sites.  Days of 100 or more jumbos were not uncommon and we’d take great pride in breaking the magic two pound barrier time and again. Unfortunately – those magical days and that typical late ice period has changed dramatically – but the perch fishing can still be absolutely incredible if you adapt to the changing conditions and accept climate change!

2) Late Ice Comes Early! That’s the new normal and we’d better get used to it. Today on March 8 for instance we have been in the midst of what surely appears to be the last ice period- for the past week or more.  Heavy rains, mid-teen temperatures (Celsius), open rivers, thinner main lake ice and open water nearshore are all telltale signs that break up might not be too far off. Planning your time accordingly to capitalize on what little late ice activity you may have, is the only way to still enjoy the top notch perch and black crappie fishing available. For some this could involve booking the odd vacation day but for others (myself included) it means I don’t waste my wknd time doing ‘other non- fishing stuff’  - and almost as good … I take advantage of longer daylight hours and boot up to the lake for even an hour or two of magical dusk perch action, or later into the night for an extended cornucopia of crappie goodness.

Perch

3) Fast Paced Mobility=Key to Biggest and Most Perch! There might be a time and place to wait them out early in the season, but late ice certainly isn’t one of them. Those who sit and wait after a couple of good fish get them all excited, are often the ones who suffer thru an array of dinks or long periods of inactivity or even more frustrating- plenty of good fish below the hole- but none willing to cooperate! Late ice after late ice period over the years, this lesson is re-enforced and this was definitely the case just a couple nights ago on Lake Simcoe. My son began the 5pm bite with a couple of really nice 12 inchers but for the next 1 ½ hours he was transfixed by all the nice perch below his hole and stubbornly stayed put.  He tried a variety of baits and down sized to some of the smallest HT Tungsten marmooska’s going but only managed to then coax the smaller fish.  Admittedly just before we left, he switched back to the larger marmooska tipped with a micro craw and he caught  another big jumbo – but that was it. Meanwhile I had about a dozen holes pre drilled within a 30 yard radius in water 24-31 feet deep. Parts had soft bottoms and sparse bottom weed while others had a hard rocky substrate.  There were decent fish in almost every single hole – but only  1-3 good biters… and the rest were dinks. My big marmooska and soft micro goby plastic were just the ticket for a couple of fish from each hole and with so little time till dark (when the perch typically shut down for the night) I certainly didn’t have the time nor patience to wait them out.

Wil Wegman with Simcoe Perch

4) Carry the Proper Safety Equipment: Floater suits are not dry suits and if you ever do go in you’ll still feel the icy cold water … but they do keep you buoyant and help you get out quicker. I always tell my seminar guests that I look at my HT retractable ice pics like I do my seat belt in my truck. You don’t want to HAVE to rely on either to save your life but both can and will if needed. Never leave shore without them.  HT’s new on-ice throw bags come in a compact waterproof bag with high quality rope that won’t retain water. These are easily stored in your sled and again are an item you hope you’ll never have to use to save a friend or loved one … but should you need to, that rope is exactly what you should use instead of approaching a victim within their danger zone.  My recommendation is not only ‘to be the one who owns and carries the throw bag’ … but practice using it too. Toss it at various distances to your fishing buddy- aka victim and have it try and go overtop his/her right shoulder so that he or she can wrap the rope around their chest area under the arm pits and back out front so bot hands can grab the main line again. Here’s hoping you never have to use this easy to  master on ice safety drill in a real life situation.

Wil Wegman 2017

5) Stay Safe- Even the Biggest Perch isn’t Worth the Risk: Late ice- regardless of when it comes where you live, deserves a higher level of scrutiny than say mid –winter when conditions are more stable. For a lake the size of Simcoe (740 sq km)  many of the places I’d love to access for big perch are simply not safe enough to warrant the risk. Other places may have decent ice further from shore, but will require planks to get out there. Keep in mind that much of the clear blue ice (which is strongest) has now deteriorated into weaker white ice (1/2 the strength)  and hopefully not yet the extremely week honeycombed or candled ice… stay away from the latter with a ten foot pole – or plank.  Test ice frequently as you go. Usually late ice means nothing but walking or cross sledding for me, but that’s ok because perch are typically not too far from shore now anyway. Always let someone know exactly where you are accessing and when you’ll be back. Carry your cell phone in a waterproof container and slide your HT headlamp on your cap before you leave shore if you’re fishing at dusk. Stay clear of pressure cracks, springs, and any open water this late in the season  and always remember …when in doubt stay off!

Wil Wegman is an award winning outdoor writer who was inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame in February 2017.  He has been on the HT Pro staff since the mid 1980’s and his HT Ice Fishing Seminars see him travel all over Southern and Central Ontario every winter. Wil was a member of Team Canada at the World Ice Fishing Championships and has won the Perch Attack and the Perchin For MS event on Lake Simcoe.

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Ice Fishing Sat, 11 Mar 2017 17:13:26 -0500
Wil Wegman inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame for 2017 https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/wil-wegman-inducted-into-the-canadian-angler-hall-of-fame-for-2017.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/wil-wegman-inducted-into-the-canadian-angler-hall-of-fame-for-2017.html Photo: Patrick Walsh

Many of the who’s who of the Canadian sportfishing industry gathered at the International Centre in Mississauga this morning for the induction of the latest member in the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame. As well, the Rick Amsbury Award of Excellence and the Conservation Project of the Year honour were presented. All three awards are presented annually in conjunction with the popular Spring Fishing and Boat Show.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductee was 57-year-old Wil Wegman, a tireless champion of fisheries conservation and recreational angling. “Wil literally lives fishing, from dawn till dusk, practically every day of the year,” said Outdoor Canada’s Patrick Walsh, who had the honour of introducing Wegman during the annual Industry and Conservation Breakfast. (For more on Wegman, see the full transcript of Walsh’s remarks, below. Also, please visit www.wilwegman.com.)

Fishing Boat Show 2017

Story and photo courtesy of Patrick Walsh - editor of Outdoor Canada Magazine

For more visit Outdoor Canada: http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/HOF2017

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Press Release Fri, 03 Mar 2017 08:58:21 -0500
Pike Season Opener in Southern Ontario https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/pike-season-opener-in-southern-ontario.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/pike-season-opener-in-southern-ontario.html

The Greater Toronto Area is home to many species of sought after gamefish. Within the Lake Ontario waterfront portion of Canada's most populated region, trout and salmon reign supreme among elite anglers - thanks in no small part to the influx of over one million of these salmonids that are stocked annually by MNR. Rivers from the Ganaraska in the east to the Credit and Bronte in the west offer these anglers remarkable fishing opportunities. Further north well outside of the GTA ... rivers such as the Nottawasaga, Saugeen and Syndenham also produce. This spring has been no exception ... especially with delayed rainbow runs that provided remarkable fishing opportunities even on the regular trout opener (last Saturday in April) for fishing enthusiasts.

Ah ... but what about all the waterbodies in-between like the lakes that don't have those adipose finned fish ... what big, hard fighting fish can us everyday anglers fish for now that the trout opener is behind us?

Wil Wegman

Wil with a typical Lake Simcoe pike caught on one of his favorite pike lures - The Rapala X Rap

Well just like throughout most of northern Ontario, the southern parts of our vast province hold some remarkable pike waters. Lakes such as Canal, Balsam, Simcoe, Couchiching, Sparrow, St John, Gloucester, Island and Belwood are just some examples of where great pike fishing is available within easy reach of GTA anglers. In fact, they are all within a couple of hours of Toronto Outdoors Store.* Even more exciting is that the traditional opener ... the 2nd Saturday in May, marks the start of the spring pike season - one of the most exciting times of the whole year to chase these toothy waterwolves and the store not only has the bait and tackle to hook you up, but the expertise and latest scoop to offer you invaluable one-on-one advice when you visit the store.

Our 2nd Saturday in May Opener for many anglers marks the first time in six months that their boats have hit the water or their lines have been cast. SPRING IS HERE! So let's go pike fishing and here are some tips that will help you catch more of these top gamefish this spring.

Where to Go? Consider the spawn!

Northern Pike are one of the hardest-fighting fish that roam all of these waters. Whether it's the largest of these lakes (Simcoe) or the smallest (Island in Orangeville) these lakes all have something in common. Once the ice leaves the main lake, mature pike head for shallow back bays that have channels, rivers or even just ditches for them to swim up and spawn. By early May they are usually finished and although they may not have eaten much while busy reproducing - they sure are hungry by the time they get back to the lake or river mouth come opening day and on into the rest of the open water season.

Once pike leave their spawning haunts, they take up temporary residence at adjacent 'open-lake' areas. This is a transition period - one when they don't really eat - to one where they feed voraciously to compensate for energy reserves depleted during the rigorous spawn. This special shallow water bite can last for week's on-end depending on how rapidly the spring progresses. In 2014, the prolonged winter and ... to date, slow cold spring, seems to have delayed this process ... meaning that most pike should still be quite shallow on the opener and likely for several weeks thereafter.

Anglers should look for those shallow back bays with channels ... and pay special attention to those bays on northern shores facing south that have dark muck bottoms that can absorb the suns heat. These warm quicker and can out-produce other sites during late springs 10 to 1. Additionally- if you can locate any potential pike forage ... such as large minnows, perch, sunfish or suckers ... then consider that area as a potential primo spring pike territory.

Toronto Outdoors Store is located at 11B Gordon Mackey Rd in North York. When you exit Black Creek at Jane St, turn left. Go north on Jane, pass the KFC and when you get to the car wash, turn left again. We will be on your left hand side before you get to Leons. Anglers can easily stop in to pick up fresh bait or the hottest lure on their way fishing ... bright and early as store hours cater to the keen angler. Mondays are the only day they open 'late' - at 8 am. But Tuesday-Thursday its a 6am opener and Friday-Sunday its 5am. Once you're done, you can conveniently jump on the 400 as soon as you make a right from Gordon Mackay Rd.

Pike

Wil's buddy Bob Kendal when they fished a pike tournament in Cooks Bay; Lake Simcoe

When to Go? Consider the Weather!

Spring pike are like a lot of patrons to the Toronto Outdoor Store! Both pike and people are happy an incredibly long, cold winter is behind us and spring is here but when a cold front returns it reminds us of winter and we become downright miserable. We both begin to sulk - slow to move and downright ornery. Cold, wet, windy spring weather typically results in tough pike fishing especially if warmer weather preceded it. Warm, stable weather patterns on the other hand can force these water wolves into a feeding frenzy. Even if we just get two or three days of nice warm weather following days of cool and miserable weather - it can do the trick. And, you don't really need sunny blue skies with that warm weather either. Some of my best spring pike days have been during a light, warm drizzle! All things considered however, I still contend that the best time to go fishing ... is any time you can make the time!

What to Look For? Consider the Weeds!

Although cooler than normal water temps because of less sunny warm bright days this spring will undoubtedly slow new weedgrowth production - still look for that crisp newly emerging aquatic plant growth. Many plants that pike love - especially cabbage are just starting to develop in the spring and can be pike magnets. New green weeds provide oxygen for a host of microorganisms that attract forage fish, which in turn solicit interest from hungry northerns. Brown/dead weeds from last year on the other hand can still be around but they consume oxygen.

With that in mind- if I'm in an area with lots of brown leftover weeds from last year ... I skedaddle outta there in a hurry. Finding an area that has a mixture of weed types - like green coontail, native hydrilla and cabbage is a real bonus for the spring pike hunter.

As mentioned, pike search out warmer water and so too should anglers seeking them. We can't always assume those northern shores are the warmest though - so having a water temperature reading is key. Most high quality sonar units like the Lowrance HD unit I use have temperature displays that constantly monitor surface temp. My eyes are fixed on that display continually as I anticipate even a couple of degrees of warmer water during my travels.

How To Catch Them: Consider their Activity Level!

As a general guideline when pike are active in the spring they can be caught with hard baits worked with erratic movements that simulate injured or dying baitfish. For me, nothing beats throwing Rapala X Raps or Husky Jerks for these hungry northerns as they roam shallow waters on the prowl for an easy meal. The biggest mistake however that I see anglers make in the spring ... is that they work the bait just like they would in summer. During those warm water periods, snapping that bait back to the boat vigorously is not only warranted- but often required to trigger a strike. During the spring however pulling that suspending jerkbait down and then letting it slowly rise or hang in a neutral semi-buoyant position is the ticket.

Another very effective lure that is far more popular in the north than in the southern part of Ontario ... is the lowly in-line spinner. I learned this lesson the hard way when I first began to fish many of the popular pike tournaments in the north. Here local sticks would never consider anything less than a couple of rods rigged with their favorite in line spinner. This is where I first learned how productive Blue Fox Spinners really are up there and I soon discovered firsthand just how productive they can be down here in certain situations. Today ... many southern tournament pros are secretly covering up their Blue Fox spinners - hoping other competitors don't catch on that this simple 'northern lure' is their ticket to success down here as well.

Now, when pike are not active ... they need to be coaxed into striking and this means your presentations should slow down. For artificials think soft baits - whether you opt for the reel thing and use a live minnow, chub or sucker - or elect instead to toss a soft plastic Storm Pro Paddle Tail or their Wild Eye Pro Curly Tail bait. Both of these artificials come with a unique jig head that maximizes the real-life action of the baits that pike can find irresistible. The five inch Trigger X Minnows are especially productive in clear, shallow water when pike are finicky as they can perfectly imitate a dying minnow.

Of course there are still traditionalists who swear by live bait for spring northerns and it's no surprise many good anglers have so much confidence in using the 'real thing'. Unfortunately, finding 'the right' real thing can be almost as challenging as finding those larger toothy northerns we are hunting down. Well - fret no longer my angling friends ... because thanks to the Toronto Outdoor Store there is now a steady supply of pike minnows in the 4-6, 6-8 and 8-10 inch size categories available.
Regardless of the pike's activity level or what you are casting to catch them, many southern Ontario lakes have the added challenge of coping with ultra clear water conditions thanks to zebra mussels. Clear water makes sight oriented predators like pike very weary of poor presentations. Fishing with your line too close to the boat can spook them; using a big wire leader can make them turn away and throwing your shadow overtop the spot you are casting to sends them scurrying away like big teething babies.

To adjust to these challenges ... make ultra-long casts or if you prefer to troll keep your baits well back from the boat. Instead of the wire leaders that may be fine in 'off-colored' waterbodies - use fluorocarbon leaders. I prefer 30 lb Suffix Wind-On Leaders which are invisible underwater yet strong and tough enough to keep most pike from cutting through.

Wil Pike

Wil with a typical Lake Simcoe pike caught on one of his favorite pike lures - The Rapala X Rap

Why Fish Spring Northerns? Consider the Fun Factor!

Yah ... spring pike fishing here in southern Ontario is just plain downright fun! After a long winter of staring down an ice hole it's a welcome relief to be able to get the boat out again and begin casting. Pike action isn't always fast and furious but when they do strike - there is no mistaking it. Their strength and power is remarkable - not just when you're battling them on the end of your line, but also when you get them near the boat! Be ready - for that last minute burst of energy; many big pike are lost at this very moment! Use a good sized landing net such as the Frabil crankbait net (that won't tangle your lures) and have long nosed pliers or hook extractors handy as well as jaw spreaders to make hook removal easy on you and the fish.

Pike have a limit of six with a Sport Licence and two with a Conservation Licence throughout southern Ontario. Although I release the vast majority I catch throughout the year, pike caught from fresh, clean and still-cold waters in springtime can be exceptionally fine eating if properly prepared. They do have a series of Y bones - that need to be removed, but the white flesh is firm and flaky and some actually prefer it to walleye. Of course those extra large pike are so much more fun to catch than they are good to eat- so releasing those can be an important personal contribution to sustain the future of our great pike fisheries.

Who Fishes Spring Northerns? Consider Yourself Invited!

The lakes mentioned within easy driving distance of Toronto Outdoor Store have some great spring pike fishing. Monster northerns in the 25-30 pound class may be few and far between but these lakes do have good populations of 4-10 pound fish and in some, a good shot at one over 15 pounds. Anyone who appreciates a strong fighting fish will enjoy fishing pike ... so consider this your invitation to visit the Toronto Outdoor Store, pick up some great pike tackle or bait and give pike a try this spring!

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Wil Wegman is a multi-award winning outdoor writer and tournament angler from southern Ontario. He first began fishing pike tournaments shortly after he became hooked on bass tournaments ... and that was back in 1986! His fishing articles have been published in magazines like Outdoor Canada, Ontario Out of Doors, Real Fishing, Just Fishing, Bassmaster and BASS TIMES. He is the Hooked on Fishing columnist for Lake Simcoe Living Magazine and freelances for many other newspaper and media publications. He's the former editor of BassMan Magazine and volunteered as Conservation Director for the Ontario BASS Nation from 1995-2010. In 2013 he was Angler of the Year for his Aurora Bassmasters Club. Wil can be reached thru his Focus on Fishing site at www.wilwegman.com.

SPECIAL SIDEBAR:

The TORONTO OUTDOOR STORE is providing its valued customers with some outstanding specials on Saturday May 3rd and Sunday May 4th 2014. Rapala lures ... like those Rapala X Raps that Wil mentions in his pike article. We got em at a blow out price of just $20 for 4! At that price you'll want to stock up not only for pike lures but bass and walleye as well. Interested in fishing a pike or bass tournament? You'll want a digital weigh scale and culling system and the blowout price of $9.99 (reg $39.99) will be impossible to beat. SPECIAL - GRAB BAGS FREE TO THE FIRST 50 CUSTOMERS ON BOTH DAYS! FREE WORMS TO THE FIRST THOUSAND CUSTOMERS! LINE WINDING CLINIC, PENNY A YARD - THIS WEEKEND ONLY. For these and other great deals be sure to check out our spring flyer here

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Open water Sat, 03 May 2014 13:13:59 -0400
More Jumbo Perch Thru The Ice https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/more-jumbo-perch-thru-the-ice.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/more-jumbo-perch-thru-the-ice.html

Well yesterday, we enjoyed another fine day on the hardwater chasing yellow perch on Lake Simcoe … undoubtedly one of the finest perch fisheries in all of North America. Today was remarkably similar to last weekend when my son Izaak and I took home about 15 jumbos for about three hours of fishing. Unlike last time though these perch were a little deeper (33-34') and way more finicky.  In fact, if it wasn't for the addition of a bunch of puny little items we brought this time- that we didn't before … we may have walked off the ice empty handed!

Similar Tackle:
Our most productive lures ended up being identical to last time; an HT Glow Grub Jig and Storm minnow for Izaak and an HT Football Head and Trigger X Nymph for his dad. I had the same 36"HT Polar Light rod and HT Accucast reel matched with braid and a 4 lb test mono leader. Izaak had his trusty 30" HT Ice Blue rod, reel and 4lb mono. He relied on his Lowrance Ice Machine to determine where the fish and his bait was, while I watched my Lowrance Elite 5 unit.

We started the day fishing the same area as a week prior - in 28' off a long tapering point. Admittedly, I began by using a variety of other proven perch lures all pre-rigged on various HT rods.  I could see the perch react to the baits on my screen but they didn't provide any of the desired hook ups. Izaak stuck to the same lure and was having some success but the fish were small. "I'm gonna move deeper Izaak," and when I did I too began catching a couple small ones. I could see Izaak packing up, ask how deep I was (30') and trot past me on his way a little deeper still. It didn't take long before I noticed my son start setting the hook with significant rod bending results.  A quick whistle indicated I should get my butt over to where he was … so like any obedient father- I did as I was told!

Izaak Wegman

Izaak Wegman with a couple jumbo yellow perch

Different Results:
"Whatcha using," I ask? "Same as last week," came the reply. I quickly punch a hole and drop my football head and nymph combo down and then slide the transducer in as well.  As the jig nears bottom the screen lights up with fish - but none inhale my bait. Meanwhile that dastardly son of mine is slamming them- one 11-12 incher after another.  "What are you doing different than me?" I inquire.
"I dunno- you are using those maggots we brought this time aren't you?" "Ah- no!" "Well you might wanna, cause I wasn't getting them until I put them on!"

Wil Wegman Jumbo Perch

Wil Wegman with a nice perch of his

Needless to say I quickly reel in, open my HT bait container and hook a couple of juicy pink maggots onto my jig.  As I watch it sink towards bottom, I see a nice sized mark come up from bottom and then the two become one.  I love when that happens!  A quick snap of the wrist and the hook was set ... and finally Izaak wasn't the only one catching nice sized jumbo's.

For the next couple of hours we enjoyed steady action - releasing several nice perch and the occasional small one.  When it was all over though, Izaak still outfished his dad thanks in large part because of those puny little items we didn't bring with us last week. Of course the results were just fine by me as we enjoyed another great outing together- catching, releasing and yes keeping enough nice perch for a great lunch afterwards.

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Ice Fishing Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:18:33 -0500
2013 Aurora Bassmaster Club Tournaments - A Season in Review https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/2013-aurora-bassmaster-club-tournaments-a-season-in-review.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/2013-aurora-bassmaster-club-tournaments-a-season-in-review.html

A detailed look at each tournament Wil fished in an exciting Angler of the Year race that went right down to the wire until the final tournament of the season.

The Aurora Bassmasters pride themselves in “Being more than just another fishing club”, and have become well known for their conservation and research projects, their community involvement and their dedication to engage today’s youth on a path that includes the outdoors and fishing. However as a member of this club since it formed in 1995, I can tell you- that we definitely like to fish and love to compete in our club tournaments!

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to capture the Angler of the Year (AOY) title on occasion and at the start of the year I had my sights set on the title as one of my main goals.  I find it quite interesting that even though I have been a tournament junkie ever since I competed in my first tournament on Canal Lake in 1986, I am still so pumped every time I fish one regardless of whether it’s a big championship event or just a fun clubby. What has me kind of intrigued though is that instead of the club tournaments becoming less important to me as years go on, they are increasingly more so. In fact I find this to be the case with so many club tournament anglers I speak with – who like me, thoroughly enjoy competing in these smaller events and also place them high on their priority list. 

In 2013 the Aurora Bassmasters would fish some lakes I liked and a couple not so much ... but I knew it would be another fun and challenging season fishing with a great group of friends and anglers. This multi-paged article takes a detailed look at nine out of 10 club tournaments I was able to fish this year. I try and hold nothing back – so the tips, techniques and tackle used are all revealed for the reader.  Whether you fish clubbies or not, I hope you can sit back, read this piece at your leisure and then possibly even catch and release a few more bass next time you’re out on the water.

Club Tournament Details:

Each tournament is worth 100 points if you win, 95 for 2nd, 94 for 3rd and so on down the line. Out of 10 tournaments, your top six count towards the AOY race and the angler with the most points at the end of season wins the title. The title comes with a nice trophy for the year, a plaque and free entries into all 10 tournaments the following year. We fish all events as individuals- boater vs non boater ... except for one team event, called the day-of by the tournament director. Each month during tournament season we have draws during our club meeting to determine who you will be fishing with at each event. Cost to enter is $40 each. Payouts are 1st- $150, 2nd-$100, 3rd- $50 for up to 10 boats. If we have 11 or more boats we pay out to 4th at $209, $125, $75, $50. Big fish is included in the entry fee at $5 per angler and we have an optional $10 greedy bucks pot where all those entered have a shot at winning that pot on top of their regular prize money. In addition to shooting for AOY title during the year, the Aurora Bassmasters are somewhat unique in that they also pay the $200 entry fee to the top 12 placed anglers who will be fishing the following year’s OBN Hank Gibson Provincial Qualifier Tournament. So the incentive to fish as many of our events as possible each season and to do well in them is definitely not just about taking home a bit of a paycheck at each tournament – it’s so much more.

2013 Aurora Bassmaster Club Tournament Season

Lake Eugenia: For our first tournament of the year on June 25th - I would do something I have never done before… prefish Lake Eugenia! For many years now … off and on we would make this lake our first stop. A few of our members also made a routine of pre-fishing the day before; grabbing a hotel room in nearby Flesherton that night and then fishing the clubby the next day. This year I was able to get the time off work- so thought I would give it a try… and I’m really glad I did. I drove up and pre-fished with long time friend, former Aurora Bassmaster president and OBN Youth director, Herb Quan. I’ve know Herb for more than 25 years; he actually was one of my first students in the bass fishing courses I used to teach at Seneca College. He’s won my amBASSadors Cup before as well- a bi-annual tourney I used to hold for the students and is still one of the finest non-boaters I know.

We covered a lot of water on Eugenia that day, including intentionally exploring plenty of the lake neither of us had ever fished before. We had seven other Aurora Bassmasters attend this little pre-fishing event, so we decided to have a little fun tourney in the afternoon … no fishing docks … just one bass per boat limit … $10 bucks per head ... Biggest bass wins the pot!
I used part of the time to visually check out some new shorelines – where some potentially productive docks could possibly be for the next day … but for the most part we fished the main lake.

Thanks to a stiff breeze, the conditions were ideal for spinnerbaits and my trusty ½ ounce Terminator whacked a pile of 1 ½ pounders. We enjoyed our best success on the edges of shale to sparse weed. Here a defined edge could be seen from a distance and working that spinnerbait along the edge often produced a smallmouth or largemouth bass. Although this was clearly an identifiable pattern the problem was that these edge-oriented bass weren’t of the winning caliber I was after. As we weighed in- my biggest bass was 1.99 lbs – surprisingly bigger than all the others … except for one. Des Barnes had a whopper tipping the scales at an even 2.00 lbs … so I was foiled by buddy Des! Of real importance however was that pre fish made me more and more convinced I should concentrate my efforts on docks the next day when the real tournament began.

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a great supper thanks to Rick Lewis who had a bunch of Pork Loin Roasts all marinated that he cooked-up on the club’s BBQ.  Sitting around our plugged-in boats and having a couple of cold beers afterwards was great but we still hit the hay early enough to be in top shape for the tournament early the next morning. Before we launched, Des had a pleasant surprise for us. Right near the launch he arrived early to make everyone (22 anglers) fresh and warm Mexican Breakfast Burritos! Holy Moly what a treat that was Senor Desmond! A great way to start off another exceptional day on the water!

My non boater for the day was Len Graves- father of one of Ontario’s top tournament anglers – Barry Graves. Both father and son joined our club last year. It was the first time Len and I had been paired together but we hit it off right away. At the point where we started, two other competitor boats all converged at once but after awhile I went down the shore and began to fish docks. It took about ½ an hour before my first bite … but it was a swing and a miss! My second fish picked it up and I set hard … and although it was on for a couple of seconds - it too came off. Finally on my third fish, I allowed it to hold on a touch longer before setting hook – and that was the ticket to land that plum largie in the four pound range.

I continued down the shoreline skipping my unweighted Trigger X Flutter Worm rigged wacky style on a G-Lock Gamakatsu Worm Hook. That bait was rigged on a medium heavy Rapala Shift spinning rod and reel, with 10 lb test Suffix 832 braid and an 8 lb Suffix Floro leader. The color of the Flutter Worm was green pumpkin with purple flake and I would cast it into every nook and cranny I could get it into below docks, boathouses and around boats. A bass would come here and there and by 9:30 I was fortunate enough to have my limit. I kept on plugging away and it became quite clear that docks with pontoon boats and especially those big pontoons themselves … were magical. At one point Len was actually calling me out with each new pontoon boat and ready with the net before I even made my cast back in to the bass’ lair!

Wil Wegman

Throughout the course of the day we fished docks about 80 % of the time and I was able to cull here and there fairly regularly. I tried a couple of other colored Trigger X baits and got bit on them as well. I even picked up another very well known brand and made an attempt to skip it under a dock- but the bait just didn’t have the weight of the Trigger X to skip as far back under the dock. When not dock fishing, we did the open water deal with spinnerbaits and got fish that way as well.

Perhaps the highlight of the day came near the end when I skipped my bait under a pontoon boat. Only problem was the bait skipped overtop the gas line of the outboard first so the bait was left dangling less than an inch below the water’s surface on the other side. Almost in slow motion I could see a nice 3lb largie come up and grab the bait … so I dropped it just a touch then gingerly set the hook. The thrashing began but I couldn’t get the bass under or over the obstacle- so I quickly moved in with my electric, reached down and grabbed the bass. This made up for the ones I lost first thing in the morning!

At weigh-in there weren’t too many outstanding sacks but Paul Godino had a decent one at 12.15 lbs. His big fish came in at an even 4.00 lbs. Then it was my turn and my weight of 15.56 gave me the win. I was hoping for Big Bass as well… but alas the same result as yesterday was my destiny – a 3.99 pound largie – just shy of Paul’s four pounder … foiled yet again! Still, a win was a great way to start the season and I definitely had no complaints.

Wil Wegman Bass

Severn River: On Tuesday July 9th our Aurora Bassmasters had an afternoon tournament (2pm-8pm) out of the Severn River. Our club tournaments have 8-14 boats and every angler fishes as an individual boater or non-boater... each person retaining his own 5 fish limit.  I wasn’t able to pre-fish this event and the last and only time I was ever there before was 4 or 5 years ago. That was for our club Classic, which I just happened to win. I fished a section off the river then that only one other boat fished all day – and that was Des Barnes, who came 2nd.

Anyway, this year’s tournament started off kind of harry, because I discovered upon arrival that my drain plug was missing and all the spares that others had didn’t fit. Even the marina had trouble finding one; but we got one close enough after I wrapped some electrical tape around it. So, with fingers crossed that the plug would do its job, we were good to go, just in time for the 2pm blastoff.  This year, I guess word had spread about where I caught my fish before and in front of me about 8 or 9 boats were headed to the same large section off the river to fish. Two other boats stayed in the main river and both of their boaters had pre-fished the same area we were headed a few days ago! What did they know – that we didn’t? Were there no big fish left there? Hmm- maybe fishing memories was gonna bite me in the butt once again– wouldn’t be the first time.

The main boat house where we had culled our limit of fish from a few years ago- just happened to be where one of our club members started. In fact the entire section where we caught fish before was pre-occupied by fellow Aurora Bassmasters this time… So my non boater and president of the club, David Meadows and I headed south, picked a shoreline and just began fishing! Before I knew it I had a limit of small smallmouth and one good largemouth that came from a very non-descript dock. “Of all the great looking docks along this shore, I can’t believe that bass came from the crappiest looking dock!” Dave commented rather correctly.

Fishing completely new water, I soon realized that I was absolutely falling in love with these shorelines! Their outstanding mix of rock, weed clumps, pads, docks, boat houses … and in some special areas even current and deep water nearby; where enough to turn my crank- even though I don’t think I threw one all day!.   When I saw that current pushing up against a wall of coontail, I would get that Trigger X Fluttering Worm in there and just know I’d get bit. I soon began culling … getting rid of my smallmouth and replacing them with the bigger and heavier largemouth. I even went way back into some hard to get at shallow back-bays to fish docks and weeds- something I usually refrain from doing … but it paid off nicely. David was having a little tougher time connecting … and when a big 5 lb plus largie came up and spat the hook- my heart sank for the guy. It came from beneath a blue boat – so naturally he joked we’ve got to be on a blue boat pattern.

Throughout the evening we stuck to fishing shorelines- from one great looking shore to the other … some that had already been fished by others … but I convinced myself there were still fish to be had so I didn’t let it bother me. I was culling 2 ½ lb fish all night and loving every second of it.

Huge Bass

Trigger X Flutter Worm

Above: Wil uses the Trigger X Flutter Worm Wacky style but instead of hooking thru the centre of the worm itself, he slides a piece of shrink wrap tubing overtop first. This results in far less worms being torn off and fewer littering the lake’s bottom

At weigh-in, I saw some decent catches come in and even the odd report of amazing numbers of bass that were caught by my fellow members. I was really impressed by Gary Janes and his sack of bass – all caught on topwater with Storm Chug Bugs! Yet, I was pleasantly surprised that no real sacks appeared to top what I had in the well and when it was my turn- those scales settled on over 14 lbs. Driving home after a win is a great feeling at any time but making that drive twice in a row is especially satisfying.

Balsam Lake: On Saturday July 27th we were scheduled to fish 9 Mile Lake in the Muskoka’s near Bala. Like everyone else in the club I had never fished it before, so it was a great excuse for some fun pre-fishing with my buddy Brian Ogden. Brian is also a long time member of the club but doesn’t fish many tournaments anymore- preferring just to fun or pre-fish with fellow members. I love visiting new lakes and the challenge of trying to figure them out is one of the greatest thrills in life that I know of. After a two hour drive we were astounded by the sheer volume of cars crammed into the tight quarters around the public launch at 9 Mile.  There was seemingly no parking to be had anywhere as no parking signs were everywhere! After a search for the owner of the Nine Mile Lake Marina next to the public launch, we were able to secure parking (@$15) and then we were off. Our first section of the lake produced right away and bass after bass after bass was caught by each of us. All were in the 10-13 inch range though.  We had heard the same story from Carlo- another Aurora Bassmaster who was here prefishing a few days ago for our club tourney.

After a morning of catching lots of largemouth … which appeared to decrease in size as we got away from the cottage-built-up-area of the lake; we ran into another Aurora Bassmaster- Lidio Godino who was also prefishing.  His results were very similar to ours. It sure was a nice looking lake though- much like a river system and pretty well every shoreline had fish on it. Problem was the bass were all stunted – much like you would see in a poorly managed farm pond.  The best thing for this lake would actually be some harvest of those smaller bass by locals and a commitment to be sure to let those precious bigger ones go.

After pre-fishing results and parking were considered, the club decided not to fish 9 Mile and would go to Simcoe out of Beaverton instead. When we got there though, winds were quite strong so, being the flexible club that we are, we headed over to Canal Lake- about 20 minutes away. As we pulled up to the marina- the Port Perry Bassmasters were there ahead of us- so not wanting to rain on their parade, we all decided that Balsam Lake, another 20 minutes further would be best.

As we were about to blast off- it was announced that this would be our one surprise ‘team tournament’ … something we do every year. So, instead of fishing against my non boater, Tom Tsatskas would be my partner for the day and we would try and bring in our five biggest bass. We found the smallmouth far more cooperative than the largemouth and a couple of my usual spots netted us a few fish. Then we tried some of Tom’s and those too produced. We began culling in new water and did enjoy some great action. So, although plenty of fish were boated we just couldn’t land that kicker fish that would shoot us above the others. When all was said and done, it was a really tight tournament, with the winners (Cam Mitchell and Carlo Puiatti) weighing in 11.74 (with a 3.30 pounder for big fish) and Tom and I had 10.24 for fourth place. I was disappointed with that showing at the time yet little did I realize that for the next several tournaments my mid-season slide would become even more pronounced!

Sparrow Lake: This used to be an outstanding bass fishery, but in my mind has declined dramatically in recent years. For ten years, I ran my amBASSadors Cup Tournaments here because I knew most of the students and alumni would come in with a limit so they all had fun.  None the less, this has been a fairly regular stopover for our club and would be again on July 30, 2013. Last year, I placed third and had fun … but this time around it was simply a tournament I would rather forget about. Congratts to Dave Miller however, who does have fond memories of this clubby- with a five fish limit of 13.44 lbs.

Sparrow Lake

Wil did get weigh-in some bass at the Sparrow Lake Tournament but a few were nowhere near the 12 inch minimum!

5.) Bass Lake: Mary Lake was new body of water for us and lies near Huntsville and was our next stop but it conflicted with the 4km Sun City Swim I was signed up for on Lake Couchiching August 10th (for details on that swim please visit www.wilwegman.com ). So on the evening of August 13th the Aurora Bassmasters were at it again on Bass Lake near Orillia. When we were here last year, I managed my first win on this little lake but with the intense wind out there today I knew fishing those same mid-lake spots effectively would be next to impossible.

Long story short, I just couldn’t get it together and caught only a couple bass- placing 8th with 5.71lbs. Carlo Puiatti weighed in just 4 bass but his 11.98 lbs was good enough for the win.

6) Lake Joseph: On September 8th Lake Joe near Mactier became another new lake for our club. Known as a very good winter lake trout lake, Joe also has a reputation in some inner circles as a tremendous smallmouth fishery. I experienced this open water bass action for the first time a couple of years ago for a writing assignment. With several days of 15-18 pounds for 5 fish during that fun family trip, (article and photos available on my website) I had high hopes that at our club tourney anglers would have a blast there. My hopes were tempered however the weekend before when during a prefishing trip with my son Izaak; we found just one spot reminiscent of those great catches a couple years ago.  Still, within a half hour period Izaak and I enjoyed tremendous top water action on our Skitter Pops and Storm Chug Bugs so I still was pumped to fish this gorgeous Muskoka Lake.

Despite a severe cold front and major winds, that hot spot from a week prior was our first stop for non-boater Rick Lewis and I, but try as we might, no keeper fish were present. In fact spot after spot revealed the same sad scenario. I lost one 3 lb plus smallmouth on a spinnerbait and that was it … a Big Goose Egg for both of us was the net result at day’s end. Rick is a very good angler and former AOY for the club who usually fishes as a boater in his Ranger so it was nice to have an opportunity to at least fish with him for a change.  Unfortunately fishing was extremely slow for almost everyone … and even the winner- Cam Mitchell who figured out a deep water pattern, weighed in just 4 fish and 6.42 pounds for the win. This lake is much better than these results though and worthy of a re-try.

7) Go Home Lake (between Mactier and Parry Sound) on Sept 21st was yet another new lake for all of us and therefore another great excuse to visit before our tournament. Prefish a week prior showed that this was a mix between the bordering Georgian Bay type of water and Muskoka type lakes- so it was a very interesting fishery. Smallmouth seemed to dominate and my trusty Storm Chug Bug provided some good action shortly after my arrival.  From there I threw a Terminator spinnerbait across a nondescript weed patch that two pound smallies couldn’t resist. Aquatic plants weren’t overly abundant in this lake, yet I soon found out that wherever I found them, I found bass.  So- much of my prefish was spent driving the lake, looking for weed patches; possibly catching a couple bass there and then marking those spots on my Lowrance HD unit. The problem was that I couldn’t seem to exceed the two pound average-even in a secondary deep-water pattern off shoals that I found later in the day. That was a good bonus back-up pattern despite the fact these drop shot fish were only 1- ½ lbs.

Upon getting set to leave, I noticed on my graph a great looking edge that went from 12’ to 23’. “Hmm, look at all the baitfish here … and some bigger marks too!” I remarked. With the wind now picking up, I chose to drag a tube- long lining it like I would do in Simcoe or Erie.  “I really hope there are bigger bass out here” … I said, and just then my rod doubled over. The big bronzeback made a half decent attempt at a jump about ¼ km away which brought a big smile to my face as I hit Enter-Enter on my Lowrance HD Unit.  Landing the 4 ¾ pounder and seeing other good marks on the graph was enough to convince me I had at least one spot and technique to cull those two pounders come tournament day. I tried duplicating the pattern elsewhere- but no luck. 

For this tournament my non boater was Sid Haynes who had never been on the lake before so we ran to an offshore hump, then a couple of weed patches that helped me round out a small limit before I reached that deep water - offshore edge. It took awhile but I finally hooked into a decent fish in the low four’s, but just as it was nearing the boat, one spectacular jump was all she needed to break free. We kept trying though and Sid got a decent 2 ½ pounder- but that was it; other spots provided fish, but just no size. With just 6.38 pounds for five bass I was quite disappointed and I knew 6th place was not good enough for this year’s tight Angler of the Year race… especially when last year’s AOY Dean Hornick put it all together here for 11.33 pounds and his first win of the season. He was able to catch largemouth in some of the back bays adjacent to the main lake. Ironically enough I tried many of those bays in pre-fish but each time my baits came back empty- so my must tip my fishin’ cap to Dean for putting that pattern together.

8) Lake Couchiching: On Sept 29th was our 2nd last tournament of the year. The AOY race was heating up with no less than 5 or 6 of us still having a shot at the title.  I had some vacation time in September so was fortunate enough to have a couple of days worth of pre-fishing to devote to this fish factory in between lots of fun fishing in many other lakes.  Even though I have over 25 years of experience fishing here, I knew Cooch can be one of those lakes where I’m just as likely to crash and burn as to fill the boat - so it wouldn’t be easy. In pre fish I had a tough time with the smallmouth- catching a few good ones on a Rapala X Rap but not really establishing much of a pattern. So, I began to focus more on deep weedline largemouth and slowly but surely things started to come together.

When I fish deep weeds in late summer and fall, I love throwing deep diving crankbaits and for me the Rapala DT 16 and DT 20 are tops.  These became not only key searching tools, but also key big fish lures during my pre-fish there.

One thing I learned early in prefish was how critical the angle of my cast was in relation to that weedbed. I love fishing weedlines as efficiently as possible – covering as much of the open face of the weedline as possible. This means bass hidden anywhere within it can dart out and grab that crank if I cast parallel to that edge with my DT 16’s or 20’s. Typically then, those parallel casts are in my mind, the most efficient and it would stand to reason- most productive. But- sometimes those darned bass just don’t see things the same way us humans do.  So- it likely wasn’t a conscious decision at the time but I found myself casting from deep water directly to key spots at the edge of the weedline.  After catching a couple of largemouth that way I refined it a little more and was able to pick out key features within the weedline that seemed to hold those ambush oriented bass. Interestingly enough- not all the bass were up tight against the weed edge, but were holding in the deep water well in front of it as well.

When I found one particular weedline in Cooch that had over 20 feet of water a long cast away from the outside edge of those underwater water plants, I was hoping the same pattern as elsewhere would prevail … and much to my delight it did. Within a 200 metre stretch I landed 3 or 4 bass in the 3-4 pound range on deep cranks. Then I came up to a point where the weeds had significant wind pushing up against the side of them.  I made a super long cast with that deep crank and brought it out about 10 feet from the weeds when suddenly the bait just stopped dead.  

At first I had no idea the fish was as big as it was until it made a half-hearted leap for the surface and both Brian and I gasped in amazement. The vivid memory of that big beautiful largemouth swimming with the crank in crystal clear water 30-40 feet from the boat was one I won’t soon forget. As it got a little closer Brian remarked,”Oh my … I think that will go over 6!” I carefully lipped the bass at it came alongside my boat and promptly put her on my Rapala Lock N Grip Digital scale.  It jumped between 6.9 and 6.10 pounds and easily became my Personal Best largemouth from Cooch and the biggest one I had caught in several years.  I was ready for the tournament two weeks later; confident that the deep weedline bass pattern would hold until tournament time!

Rapala Scale

For tournament day Kevin Gittens our club treasurer was my non boater. Although I had a little wind to contend with in pre-fish, it was nothing like what Cooch had for us on September 29th.  Some of it was barely fishable but some of my open water spots were a non-starter. We tried at the top end of the lake for smallmouth and Kevin did get a couple … and later, despite trying I simply couldn’t hold on my largemouth spots. A move to more fishable waters was in order and that trusty weedline where the 6+pounder came from.  Fortunately I soon found out that the fish were still here. Although the average size of the bass I was catching where nowhere near those from prefish … I was still beginning to fill my limit with 2 pounders- thanks to my Rapala DT 20 and a big 5” brown tube jig.  That brown tube was matched inside a ¼ oz darter jig head with an ultra-sharp Gamakatsu hook. The same pattern prevailed as in prefish whereby I had to cast directly at the weed edge instead of parallel. Kevin too was getting close to his limit- so all was good with the world.

Once my limit was filled and the weedline was fished in its entirety, we tried for a kicker fish in much shallower- smallmouth water. Kevin caught a nice three pounder to round out a decent limit.  Back to the start of the weedline and I upgraded slightly several times to finally weigh-in with 11.47 lbs.  That weight was good enough for 2nd and Kevin had his best tournament of the year with 9.54 lbs for 3rd. Dean Hornick … who also struggled at the start of the day found an even more productive weed patch in the afternoon however that enabled him to come in with 13.75 pounds of largemouth for the win. He had clearly made a statement with his 2nd win in a row that he too was vying hard for the A O Y title.

Two Bass

Lake Simcoe, Oct 5: Our last tournament of the year and it would determine the AOY race once and for all.  After winning Cooch, Dean had a fairly comfortable lead with 571 points total. Cam Mitchell in 3rd place, with 566 was only two points behind that Wegman character in 2nd with 568. Coming down to the wire for the very last tournament with three anglers in close contention has happened before but having a fourth wild card with Carlo Puiatti in 4th and 565 points made this AOY race about as close and exciting as we have ever had. Even in 2nd place however, most of the scenarios showed that to truly secure an Angler of the Year title, I had to win Simcoe.  That’s exactly what I convinced myself I had to do … but so did all the others, including Dean himself. Being fortunate to each live so close to Lake Simcoe, both Dean and I were each able to spend some valuable prefishing time out on the big lake prior to our last event. Although Dean was focussing strictly on what he is best at- catching big sacks of largemouth, I was spending at least some time trying to find the big smallmouth this lake is world renowned for. Trouble was that I learned they were very hard to come by- so I found myself chasing largemouth more and more instead.

I love deep crankin’ largemouth and often use the DT 20 in depths where the DT 16 may seem more at home. I like that bill kicking bottom and stirring things up. What some anglers may not realize either is that the DT 20 has a metal weight in its bill, which enables the angler to stop cranking to allow the bait to just hover - and only very slowly begin to float up.  Some days, this pause makes all the difference in the world and that’s when bass engulf the bait! Other times the DT 16 in the same areas works wonders and bass actually are turned on when the bait is stopped and begins to quickly rise up. That’s why I have both baits always tied on.  I use medium heavy 7’ Rapala rods, Shift baitcasting reels and 12 pound straight Suffix Floro for deep crankin’.

Bass

Bass

Once largemouth go deep, Wil relies on his Rapala DT 16’s and 20’s to help him locate and find tournament winning bass

Way back in early September while fun fishing, I was having a very difficult time locating any decent largemouth in the traditional areas of Cooks Bay. I have about 20-30 waypoints of ‘what used to be’ deep water largemouth honey holes – but they were all proving to be very disappointing in 2013. So, one day, I decided to forget all about those electronically saved, sweet-bliss memories and create some new ones.  It took hours and hours of searching until I finally hit pay dirt ... Lush green weedgrowth in an area of varying depths ranging from 10 feet to 24 feet- with good edges that seemed to hold good bass. Subsequent visits right through September convinced me these bass were here to stay for the fall season. I just needed a couple of other back-up spots for security and found one just days before our tournament while pre-fishing with Brian. It was one of those infamous spot on the spot type of deals that I really didn’t fully understand until tournament day- I just knew in prefish it showed great potential.

Tournament day was supposed to be filled with high winds and although it was kind of windy at the start, it was nowhere near as bad as they had predicted.  In fact through the course of the day the wind even kept dying down instead of gaining speed- to the point where, by mid day it was so flat and calm that an eerie fog had begun to roll in across much of the lake. 

I was paired with Mike Otani and began the day casting my trusty Rapala DT 16’s and 20’s.  Although I caught some on these … the big brown tube jig came through in spades and I had a decent limit of largemouth within an hour or so off of my number one spot. I credit the 20 pound test white colored Suffix 832 braid to helping me land those largemouth that were hitting just like small perch would. Not only could I see that white line very clearly on this dark, dreary, rainy day to detect the lightest of bites, but the no-stretch qualities of the braid helped me feel those hits as well. Unlike many anglers though that use short floro leaders with braid, I prefer long ones and used an 8 foot leader of 10 lb Suffix floro.

At about 11 am I was in the process of culling two 2 ¼ lb clones on my balance beam and asked Mike which he thought was heaviest. We agreed the one on the left was smaller- so I tossed it into the lake. I kept fishing and when action stopped I thought I should weigh all my fish and put cull tags on all before I left for the next area. As I grabbed my fifth fish, I was aghast when it apparently had shrunk to the size of a 1 ½ pound peanut! OMG- I had culled the wrong fish! I instantly recalled last year’s AOY race at Lake Dalrymple when Rick Lewis was culling and threw his fifth bass right in the lake instead of the livewell. He lost that tournament and the AOY race because of that one fish and now I may have done the same thing. I was determined not to think of that though and knew I had plenty of time left. Still I felt like a real bone-head making such a rookie mistake!

As I drove to the next spot, I was convinced there were bigger bass waiting for me – so I raced north for one of my two smallmouth spots that produced in pre-fish. We spent half an hour I allotted myself on each but no fish. “Ok let’s hit another largemouth area I found the other day – but we’ll have to go slow in this fog,” I remarked to Mike. Once we got there the fog was like pea soup and if it wasn’t for the GPS on my Lowrance HD I would have never found that small offshore area. My second cast produced a decent 2 ½ pounder that was my biggest ‘relief fish’ of the day. I quickly tossed the peanut back into the lake and replaced her with the new fish … “Whew- what relief!”I said.  

Wil Wegman with Bass

Despite rainy, foggy conditions they were much better than the high winds that were forecast for the last club tournament of the year. This plump largemouth and four others like it provided Wil with a good limit.

More fish came from the same area and once again it was key to not cast parallel but directly at the edge that was holding these fish.  The difference between here and Cooch and even my first spot today though, was that bass were very concentrated in a small area.  I did want to return to that first productive section to help my non-boater out … but by this time, that fog was so thick that I knew travelling down there would be very risky with all those boats dotting the waterscape.  We tried other spots along the edge without anything so returned to see if any new bass reclaimed that spot on the spot. To cap the day I was able to cull twice with moments to spare.  In the end ... having caught about 30 bass that day, and culling many that were just a tad over three pounds – I had no complaints with the limit of largemouth I had – but I knew if those big smallies were - on I’d be toast!

For a club tournament ... this was the most tension filled weigh-in I can ever recall being a part of.  Cam Mitchell had a good sack, backed up by a gorgeous 5.43 lb largemouth for a 13.88 lb total. Bob Kendall also had a good sack anchored by a smallie weighing 4.94 lbs. Carlo’s 8.44 pound bag set him back – and much to my surprise Dean had a tough day as well with just 8.56 lbs.

I thought about my fish as I was carrying them up to be weighed and knew there was no kicker fish amongst them.  I just hoped the average weight of each would be enough. Then my bass were put in the basket and on the scales ... 15.84 Pounds! Yelled the weigh master – Wegman wins and takes Angler of the Year!

Top three standings in 2013 Aurora Bassmaster AOY Race

Wil Wegman ...579 points with a total of 73.56 pounds (based on top 6 tournaments)

Cameron Mitchell...572 points with a total of 56.51 pounds(based on top 6 tournaments)

Dean Hornick ...571 points with a total of 61.19 pounds (based on top 6 tournaments)

For complete standings and more information on the Aurora Bassmasters please visit www.aurorabass.com

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Open water Mon, 25 Nov 2013 23:02:14 -0500
Opening Bass Season 2013 https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/opening-bass-season-2013.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/opening-bass-season-2013.html

Well bass season in 2013 began the 3rd week in June for many anglers who fish in Eastern Ontario but the traditional 4th Saturday opener held firm for Lake Simcoe and the rest of FMZ 16. Still it was an early start thanks to five Saturdays in June. It would not be surprising then to still find smallmouth bass on nests in Southern Ontario's largest inland lake. My pre fish on opening day however didn't point out any nesting bass pattern. Why? Because, the windy conditions and rough waters reduced visibility beneath the surface so I didn't know if the 7-9 foot pattern with drop shot included catching bedding bass or if they were just cruisers.  What pre fish did teach me however was that drop shot ruled and 7-9 feet was key for most bass.

The Casey Cup is held out of Orillia on opening weekend every year and attracts some of the finest anglers in Ontario. Almost all of the 84 teams who fished it headed for the trophy smallmouth waters of Lake Simcoe but last year partner Gerry Heels and I caught our 22 pounds in Couchiching … a personal best for both of us from that lake. This year however the spot that provided us those big bronzebacks was void of fish … so we headed to Simcoe early.  Our first couple of spots here didn't produce so thanks to the beautifully flat calm conditions we sped down to the south end of the lake where I had found the big smallmouth the day before.

As we arrive, we see one boat in the same general area … and it's none other than friend and fellow Aurora Bassmaster Barry Graves. Barry is one of the top winning tournament anglers in the province and I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw that he was already culling! We still didn't have a fish in the boat! It was obvious that the fish I caught yesterday were bedding bass as we could now begin to see the odd one that Barry hadn't got to yet.  Although I couldn't shake a fish off yesterday … today they just wouldn't stay hooked and I lost three in a row before I finally got one in the boat!

Our method didn't really involve casting to fish on beds but simulating the technique I used yesterday … slowly dragging a drop shot. I switched between an X Zone Slammer and a small 4 inch Trigger X Flutter Worm.  Thanks to the continuing calm conditions, we were fortunate to make another long move; this time to the far east side of the lake.  With just one bass in the well and more than half the day shot, we had to get our act together and fast!  Fortunately this new spot paid off and we were able to fill our limit.  Drop shotting was the way to go for all but one of our fish.  That last one- a nice five pounder came from a 5 inch Trigger X Flutter Worm that I had cast out and just left to soak. 

That spot was rather unique in that it had ridges of low lying stone that were no more than 10 feet wide but about 50 feet long. With the calm, clear conditions it was easy to see those subtle rocky ridges but that's where the bass were cruising so I knew sooner or later a bass would see that Flutter Worm and wouldn‘t be able to resist.  We weighed in 18 pounds and change which we knew would cut the mustard in this tournament. An incredible 58 teams weighed in more than 20 pound sacks, Barry had 27 and change for 5th and Joe Muszynski and Scott Murison won it with an awesome 29.55 lbs sack!

The next day I had planned off and was back pre fishing for our small club tournament on Lake Eugenia with Herb Quan. I've know Herb for more than 25 years; he actually was one of my first students in the bass fishing courses I used to teach at Seneca College. He's won my amBASSadors Cup before as well- a bi-annual tourney I used to hold for the students and is still one of the finest non-boaters I know. Anyway, we covered a lot of water on Eugenia that day, including plenty of the lake that neither of us had ever fished before. We had seven other Aurora Bassmasters attend this little pre-fishing event, so we decided to have a little fun tourney in the afternoon … no fishing docks …. one bass per boat limit … $10 bucks per head …. Biggest bass wins the pot!

I used part of the time to check out some new shorelines - where some potentially productive docks would be for the next day … but for the most part we fished the main lake.  Thanks to a stiff breeze, the conditions were ideal for spinnerbaits and my trusty ½ ounce Terminator whacked a pile of 1 ½ pounders. We enjoyed our best success on the edges of shale to sparse weed. Here a defined edge could be seen from a distance and working a spinnerbait along the edge often produced a smallmouth or largemouth bass.  The only real problem was that the bass weren't of the winning caliber - so I became more and more convinced I should concentrate my efforts on docks the next day when the real tournament began. As we weighed in- my biggest bass was 1.99 lbs and that of Des Barnes was an even 2.00 lbs … foiled by buddy Des!

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a great supper thanks to Rick Lewis who had a bunch of Pork Loin Roasts all marinated that he cooked on the club's BBQ. Combined with a great Cesar Salad and couple of cold beers and we were ready for the tournament early the next morning. Before we launched Des had a pleasant surprise for us and right near the launch he arrived early to make everyone (22 anglers) fresh Mexican Breakfast Burritos! Holy Moly what a treat that was Senor Desmond! A great way to start off another great day on the water!

My non boater for the day was Len Graves - father of Barry who both joined our club last year. It was the first time we had been paired together but we hit it off right away. At the point where we started- two other competitor boats all converged at once but after awhile I went down the shore and began to fish docks.  It took about ½ an hour before my first bite … but it was a swing and a miss! My second fish picked it up and I set hard … and although it was on for a couple of seconds it too came off. Finally on my third fish, I allowed it to swim a touch longer before setting hook - and that was the ticket to land one nice plum largie in the four pound range.

I continued down the shoreline skipping my unweighted Trigger X Flutter Worm rigged wacky style on a G-Lock Gamakatsu Worm Hook. That bait was rigged on a medium heavy Rapala Shift spinning rod and reel, with 10 lb test Suffix 832 braid and an 8 lb Suffix Floro leader. The color of the Flutter Worm was    green pumpkin with purple flake and I would cast it into every nook and cranny I could get it into below docks, boathouses and around boats.  A bass would come here and there and by 9:30 I was fortunate enough to have my limit. I kept on plugging and it became quite clear that docks with pontoon boats and especially those big pontoons themselves … were magical.  At one point Len was actually calling me out with each new pontoon boat and ready with the net before I even made my cast back to the bass' lair!

 Throughout the course of the day we fished docks about 80 % of the time and I was able to cull here and there fairly regularly. I tried a couple of other colored Trigger X baits and got bit on them as well. I even picked up another very well known brand and made an attempt to skip it under a dock- but the bait just didn't have the weight of the Trigger X to skip as far back under the dock.  When not dock fishing, we did the open water deal with spinnerbaits and got fish that way as well.

Perhaps the highlight of the day came near the end when I skipped my bait under a pontoon boat. Only problem was the bait skipped overtop the gas line of the outboard first so the bait was left dangling just below the water's surface on the other side. Almost in slow motion I could see a nice 3lb largie come up and grab the bait … so I dropped it just a touch then gingerly set the hook. The thrashing began but try as I might I couldn't get the bass under or over the obstacle- so I quickly moved in with my electric, reached down and grabbed the nice bass. This made up for the ones I lost first thing in the morning!

At weigh-in there weren't too many good sacks but Paul Godino had a decent one at 12.15 lbs. His big fish came in at an even 4.00.  Then it was my turn and my weight of 15.56 gave me the win and I was hoping for Big Bass as well… but alas the same result as yesterday was my destiny - a 3.99 pound largie - just shy of Paul's 4 pounder … foiled yet again!

Wil Wegman Bass 2013
Wil with two of his five bass limit

Bass Baits
This is what the bass wanted for breakfast,
lunch and dinner at Wil’s first club tournament of the season

 

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Open water Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:01:19 -0400
Wil Wegman's Attempt To Swim Across Lake Couchiching! https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/wil-wegman-attempt-to-swim-across-lake-couchiching.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/wil-wegman-attempt-to-swim-across-lake-couchiching.html

For Immediate Release:  June 27th ,2013
Orillia Ontario:
 Although Wil Wegman of Bradford Ontario, might be more well known for catching fish than swimming with them ... it's exactly the latter that he will be doing on Saturday August 10th in the fish-filled waters of Lake Couchiching. “I'll be swimming in my first long-distance lake-swim event and I'm really excited about it,” said Wegman.  The annual charity event is called the Sun City Swim and is a fundraiser by the local hospital.  All proceeds from the Sun City Swim 2013 will benefit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital ... supporting the tiniest and most vulnerable patients. To provide a small donation in to this great cause in Wil's name, please click on the link below.

 “I have always loved fishing Couchiching and have competed in many bass tournaments there over the years.  In recent tournaments, I saw swimmers crossing the lake during this event – and thought how I would love to try that some day. The only challenge was not really being much of a long distance swimmer!” said Wegman.  That all changed around April of 2012 when Wegman's home town of Bradford opened up a beautiful new indoor Pool, and Wil began swimming laps. Soon he was swimming 3, 4 and sometimes even 5 mornings a week. “Unlike so many other forms of exercise that just seem like so much work and not a lot of fun, swimming has always been enjoyable and relatively easy for me, so adopting a new routine hasn't been that big of a deal,” he said.

Wil Wegman with bass

 Wil with a Couchiching Smallmouth Bass

Swimming the four kilometres on August 10th from Fern Resort to Couchiching Beach Park, with 60 or 70 other swimmers however, might very well be a big deal. “Lake swimming is so much different than swimming in a pool ... and Couchiching is notorious for rough waters with big waves – so I'm praying for a calm day!” The 2013 Sun City Swim will attract swimmers of all skill levels including one very accomplished long distance swimmer.  Annaleise Carr, who at 14 last year, became the youngest person ever to cross Lake Ontario, will be joining all the other swimmers for the Sun City Swim.

Since 2010, the event has raised over $30,000 that has gone towards equipment and programs for Orillia's hospital. Wil is hoping his friends and colleagues will log onto his “Giving Page” and contribute a few dollars for this worthy cause. “I don't know for sure that I'll be able to swim the four kilometres, but I'm sure going to give it all that I have. I just hope that I won't be too distracted by all the nice bass I may see swimming below me along the way ... but I'll try to stay focussed on swimming and reaching the other side of Cooch” - he concluded.

To support Wil's attempt to swim across Lake Couchiching, please log onto the link below and follow the easy instructions provided.

Thank you very much!

http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=24800

 Wil Wegman
"Focus On Fishing"
www.wilwegman.com

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Press Release Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:15:15 -0400
2013 Ice Fishing Season Begins With Trip To Ontario’s North Country https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/2013-ice-fishing-season-begins-with-trip-to-ontarios-north-country.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/2013-ice-fishing-season-begins-with-trip-to-ontarios-north-country.html During the winter months, Gerry’s (above) camp is only accessible by Via Rail

With no signs of winter weather producing safe ice in southern Ontario anytime soon, my friend Gerry Heels and I were happy we had made plans to walk on hard water long in advance. It seems these late winters have now become the norm, so we booked our train tickets to northern Ontario and planned to spend six days ice fishing a couple of hours north of Sudbury over New Years.

Fox

After an all-nighter on the busy Via Rail, we un-boarded and pulled all our gear with a small sled into the bush and over to Gerry’s cabin. Gerry has been coming up here since childhood and I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed several winter trips over the last few years. This was the first time though to spend New Year’s here. After saying hello to the resident camp fox we got settled into the cabin and worked on the ski-doo’s for a bit before heading off to our first lake of the trip. Here brook (speckled) trout were the main target and we brought a couple 14 inchers home for dinner that night

Near camp, there are no less than a dozen lakes to pick and choose from.... the furthest of which is an hour and a bit away by ski-doo. Trails are not groomed by any stretch, but they are used and maintained by the occasional snowmobiler, so are in pretty good shape. Several times we choose trails that had not been travelled yet this season, so we had the thrill of breaking thru a foot of fresh virgin powder on route to our next lake.
Each night our routine would be the same ... pull out the maps and decide where we would fish the next day and what species we would target. One lake has only splake and we have done well there before, so that was our next stop on day two.

Wil Wegman 2013
A small HT chartreuse football head and Trigger X minnow fooled this splake for Wil.
He used a Polar Lite HT Rod and 4lb test to land this hard fighting fish.
Below Gerry shows one of his two rainbows caught in another nearby lake.

Rainbow TroutOn the third day we fished a smaller lake that had both speckled trout and a few rainbows but during my visits here have never seen any of the latter.  I set up in front of my favorite beaver house where I had done well before, but alas that beaver had been so busy recently, that there really wasn’t anywhere I could fish without getting hung up in one of his submerged branches. When I went to check out how Gerry was doing, I was pleasantly surprised to see two gorgeous rainbow trout on ice that smashed his More-silda spoon.
On our fourth day we made a long trip and had to cross over large Meteor Lake to reach a smaller one for brook trout. We weren’t sure if the ice was ready yet here so if not then we couldn’t access the other lake. This Meteor has a short winter season from Feb 15 to March 15th for lake trout- so we couldn’t fish it on this trip. We have in the past though and I wrote about the fishing here in the recent winter issue of Ontario Out of Doors Magazine. After we saw a snowmobile track across the lake, we were somewhat re-assured but we still choose to drill a couple of test holes ourselves just to be safe.  Here the standard 8 inches was present so we continued on.
After cutting thru the bush towards the small speck lake, we were somewhat dismayed to see the snowmobile tracks continue and sure enough, there were already two anglers there fishing before we arrived.  Even more disheartening- they had set up exactly where we were planning on fishing- in front of a beaver house and the adjacent main point. Seeing as how there really weren’t too many other prominent features to fish, we decided to let the two guys enjoy the rest of the day without us and to move on to another lake instead. These two anglers would be the only ones we would encounter on our entire trip ... and having the lake entirely to yourself is the rule not the exception.
Ah- but our plans to fish elsewhere changed suddenly when on our trek back thru the cut in the bush, Gerry’s track broke off from his ski-doo. One machine was down.  We had no choice but to pull it off the trail and leave it for the night- knowing that my small Tundra Ski-doo couldn’t pull it all the way back to camp. We unhooked Gerry’s sled and he sat in it behind mine, pulling it back to camp.  It was a tricky deal but we made it and secured another more powerful ski-doo for the next day from a friend and his wife who are the only full time residents in the area.

The next day was more or less devoted to hauling the broken ski-doo back to camp, but we did manage a few hours of brook trout fishing. Fortunately the sled was just large enough to fit the ski-doo and although the angle was rather top heavy, it was stable and secured well with straps.  The drive back to camp was longer than usual, but all went without a hitch and we were ready for more fishing the following day. 

Brook trout were our choice once again and the fish did not disappoint ... at least not for Gerry as his hot More-silda spoon once again produced some gorgeous specks.

Brook Trout
The same More-silda spoon also provided plenty of splake action.


Without our reliable Lowrance Elite Ice Machines (shown above) fishing these remote
lakes would not be as productive- or as much fun.

The weather for the duration of our adventure was almost perfect.  We had just one day of bright sun and blue skies that started off at a cool – 32 C that morning. Most days were a very comfortable -10 or so with a little snow here and there to keep the trails fresh. For the rest of the trip we explored different lakes and enjoyed the ride into each one of them. As mentioned, the trails on several were seldom used and there were times we would have to clear fallen trees and limbs to see our way thru. 

Wil

The snow and snowmobile conditions were perfect too- even though the freshly fallen snow made it virtually impossible to avoid having snow-dumps (released from overhanging evergreens) fall down on you as you drove along some of the tighter trails.

Gerry

Carrying an axe, extra straps and a host of other safety and survival gear is paramount when travelling by snowmobile in Ontario’s remote north-country. Having two well maintained snowmobiles for travel also allows added security in case one breaks down.

Gerry

Frozen lake

Now that the trip is over, it is good to hear that ice is finally forming on Lake Simcoe and by this time next week I hope to be out walking the frozen waters of Lake Simcoe. Until then though - it will be a busy week- with three ice fishing seminars to host-one on Jan 8th- Tuesday evening in Vaughan, then at Fishing World in Hamilton on Wed evening and across the 401 to Ottawa’s Le Barons on Thursday night.

Wil Wegman - Focus On Fishing

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Ice Fishing Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:01:46 -0500
A Lake Trout On Lake Simcoe https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/a-lake-trout-on-lake-simcoe.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/a-lake-trout-on-lake-simcoe.html Lake trout with the Foxee Minnow and Berkley Power Shiner

Man it was cold! That morning in mid January 2009 we heard it was -35 with the wind chill in Toronto, and we were up along the north shores of Lake Simcoe so it was that much colder. "Perhaps the other guys who decided not to come at the last minute were smarter than we think," my son Izaak said as we headed out into the bitter wind onto the frozen lake. Still, the sunrise was gorgeous … and our hopes were high for yet, another terrific day on the ice.

Back on shore, we had just placed a phone call to John Whyte, an avid angler from Orillia, to let him know where we were ... so he packed up from his spot and within a few minutes drove up to us on his ski-doo. "Any luck?" he asks. We were just starting though so the response was negative. We all began fishing in 73 feet - hoping our Lowrance Ice Machines would soon show us some fish. It seemed to get colder as the morning wore on.

Throughout the course of the morning, the Ice Machine's would reveal streams of cisco (lake herring) high up in the water column . We left them alone - knowing the season in Lake Simcoe is closed as this native species begins its remarkable comeback from near extinction. "It's great to see all those cisco back and it won't be long before those lake trout begin feeding on them again big time", I say aloud to no one in particular. "We've already caught quite a few this winter," says John. "Sometimes you can't drop your tube jig to the bottom for lakers without having one of those herring pick it up ."

Although we see larger marks near bottom that were likely whitefish, we can't convince any to take our offerings. Izaak switches from a tube jig to a chartreuse and white Rapala Foxee Minnow. He has a small Berkley Gulp! Shiner hooked on the lures' single hook for extra enticement.

Lake Simcoe Lake Trout
13.5 lbs Lake Trout

The three of us huddle over our holes. We jig slowly - partially because we know the fish won't be too active with the massive cold front, but perhaps even more because the arctic-like conditions restrict our willingness to move too much. "Hey ... did ya hear that it was colder in Florida yesterday than it was Whitehorse"? Izaak says aloud. "They still have a balmy -1 Degree over there in the Yukon ... and meanwhile its freezing cold in Florida".

"I know how they feel," says John. "It's a bitter, wet cold out here" he adds. No amount of jumping jacks or running around could keep him warm. "That's it, I'm outta here he said after a few hours." It wasn't even noon yet - but Izaak and I said we wouldn't be much longer either.

After a while, we begin to get ready to pack her in. Although our Mustang Floater suits and ample layers of wool and Polar Fleece have kept us comfortable, we still wish we brought the portable ice hut. We can't feel our faces they're so cold. Snot is frozen all over my son's beard ... it's gross, but what can ya do ...? I didn't say a word; just kinda smiled and looked away. I'm just glad he still wants to come out here ice fishin' with his crazy old man. It seems like only a couple of years ago that I was pulling him out on the sled for a morning of ice fishing. "Faster daddy ... faster!" I can still hear him yelling happily. Naturally I obliged.

Today - I made him pull the damn sled though with all of our gear - and felt like jumping in there myself as I tried to keep up.

I reel in the Windlass tip up and quietly hear Izaak moan, "There we go"! I thought he was just happy one line was in and we were that much closer to leaving. I turn around and see a big bend in the rod and an even bigger smile on his face.

"Sweet!" I quickly run over to the hole and scoop out all the frozen ice and slush. I advise him to hold his rod more horizontal. "Let the rod tier the fish out and when she wants to run, let it run - the drag is set just right." That's the only advice I needed to give... or he wanted to hear. The long runs told us this was no whitefish but a decent lake trout. A few more powerful runs and Izaak finally gets it near the hole … a couple careful attempts to steer her from the icy depths and into the hole and finally I have a chance to see the big head. "Up a little higher ... a little higher - there we go!" I say ... and grab the head behind her gill plate to haul her up and out; all in one swift motion.

Yee-ha … Wow! What a fish! Izaak says. We high five. I take a few quick photos as the big trout begins to freeze before our very eyes. My exposed hands are so cold I can barely feel my fingers... but now we're pumped and excited for more so we try a little longer.

Before long though we admit, it was just too damn cold out there though so off we went … a little frigid but none-the-less happy we came out.

As we cleaned the fish for dinner later that afternoon, we looked carefully in the stomach to see what the big brute had been eating - four shiner minnows in good condition, and one 12 inch cisco that was beginning to decompose.

That trout had a fin clipped indicating it was a stocked fish. Keeping track of this year's fishing excursions in my Angler Diary (a joint MNR and Fisheries of Lake Simcoe Stakeholder Committee initiative.) we looked at the chart in the back to see when the fish was stocked. With the right pectoral fin clipped (that's the one by the belly near the head), we found out that the fish was stocked in 1999.)

Lake Trout Stomach
What's left of the cisco the lake trout ate for his main course and a couple shiners for desert

As I look back I'm so glad we did not let the opportunity to go fishing together pass us by. Izaak nailed his biggest lake trout ever - 13 ½ pounds on the Normark Digital scale and 33 inches long. More importantly one more happy memory was created that frigid morning on the hard waters of Lake Simcoe.

Wil Wegman

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Ice Fishing Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:01:21 -0400