Displaying items by tag: perch https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca Thu, 28 Mar 2024 06:16:12 -0400 Joomla! - Open Source Content Management en-gb 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
Pike and Perch Report https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/fishing-reports/pike-and-perch-report.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/fishing-reports/pike-and-perch-report.html Pike and Perch Report

Friday, October 14 2016. Great pike and perch fishing. Location: Cook's Bay - Roches Point, depth: 18 feet. Bait: spoons and minnows.

{unitegallery pikeoct2016}

 

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admin@fishinglakesimcoe.ca (Administrator) Fishing Reports Wed, 19 Oct 2016 09:17:25 -0400
Lake Simcoe Fishing Report, May 8 2016 https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/fishing-reports/lake-simcoe-fishing-report-may-8-2016.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/fishing-reports/lake-simcoe-fishing-report-may-8-2016.html

Sunday, May 8 2016
Perch fishing at the mouth of Talbot River is over. Take a boat and go out to catch open water jumbos.

Innisfil May 2016
Perch Somcoe May 2016 Perch fishing Simcoe May 2016 Perch fishing Cook's Bay May 2016
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admin@fishinglakesimcoe.ca (Administrator) Fishing Reports Sun, 08 May 2016 10:38:36 -0400
2013/14 Ice Fishing Season Rap-Up https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/2013-14-ice-fishing-season-rap-up.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/2013-14-ice-fishing-season-rap-up.html Izaak with a pair of twins caught on one of many cold blustery days in 2014.

Well, here we are in mid April 2014 and another ice fishing season has come and gone. But my, oh my, what a season it was! For many ... it started earlier than ever and lasted longer than they could have even imagined. My buddy Adam for instance began by walking on 3 inches of solid H2O up in Algonquin Park, fishing splake with some buddies on Nov 29 ... just before all fishing closes there between Dec 1 and last Saturday in April. He enjoyed tremendous success in a back country lake ... as you can see here in the photo bellow.

Splake

I then fished with Adam for big jumbo perch on Simcoe April 11, meaning he ice fished during 6 months (one more than me) of the 2013/2014 winter season! Now that's an impressive milestone that he may never achieve again in his lifetime!

Let's have a brief rundown then of the 2013/2014 ice fishing season ... the type of which we may never again see in our lifetime!

FIRST ICE:
For my buddy Gerry Heels and I, Ice fishing season began in December over a New Years trip just south of Gogama ... to his camp that can only be reached by train in winter. In many ways, that trip was an indicator of what the winter had in store throughout the entire season for ice angler's right across North America. Record breaking cold temperatures, so much snow that trails were inaccessible and lakes that were loaded with slush for most of the winter. Those elements put the kibosh on many hard water fishin' opportunities all over our hard water regions.

Frozen Lake

As for yellow perch on Simcoe … the season started with a hot bite and ended with one. Although I didn't top the 14 inch mark … plenty of 12"-13 ¾" fatties were pulled from my holes. Early in the season when perch are typically active … action didn't really pick up until my son Izaak and I figured out what those finicky perch were permitting us to feed them. The tungsten HT Marmooska jigs tipped with maggots or a minnow head were that tiny morsel they preferred above all else on several outings. Attempts with many other proven perch baits proved ineffective by comparison. So, although it was a bit of a drag waiting for these small baits to sink down to the 30-35 feet or so where most of the bigger perch were … especially on those ultra-cold days, it did produce desired results when other anglers nearby were either plagued with dinks or fishless outings.

Auger
Wil's new Polar Fire gas auger was a Godsend this past winter ... he loved the fact that you can transport with gas tank down- thanks to a unique venting system!

MID SEASON:
By mid season ... ice everywhere was incredible. So much snow in the north slowed growth there- but still most lakes had a couple feet or more. On Simcoe, with somewhat less snow, we eventually reached over three feet of good ice. It was the best year for travel with snowmobile I can remember in over two decades - with fewer pressure cracks or other dangerous conditions than ever! I was extremely thankful for my new HT Polar Fire gas auger to cut thru all that ice quicker and easier than with any other gas auger I've ever used!

On Lake Simcoe lake trout were very cooperative right from opening day and several outstanding catches took place.  At the very start, many anglers were determined to figure out the infamous Lake Simcoe whitefish puzzle.

The winter before, very few were caught and un-substantiated reports of massive whitefish die-offs at the bottom of the lake had many anglers wondering what happened. Truth be told, MNR followed up on those reports and couldn't find a single dead whitefish.  I wrote about a challenge anglers faced to try and figure them out for my Hooked On Fishing column in the winter edition of Lake Simcoe Living Magazine ... and apparently many anglers did indeed figure them out!

I suggested a likely shift in forage to a goby diet which in turn meant a shift from deeper to shallower water for. Add a rocky, gravel bottom to the mix- which gobies prefer ... and potentially you could be in prime Simcoe's whitie territory. Ah ... but with so much food, those bottom dwelling fish were not overly ravenous - feeding on their equally bottom loving prey. This meant finesse and trickery had to become part of the angler's arsenal so those who used smaller baits with less movement did well. “I fished for several hours dropping all kinds of baits to the whities below ... but couldn't get bit until I tied-on a  Storm goby imitating swim bait, and immediately a nice whitie sucked it in," said my buddy Greg. 

Whitefish
Greg fooled this Simcoe whitie with this goby-imitating soft plastic bait made by Storm

LATE ICE:
Over the last several years here in Southern Ontario, the late ice season hasn't lasted much past March 15th - when all the huts have to be off Lake Simcoe. It's also when all lake trout, whitefish and walleye fishing must stop because of seasons closing. But this was the winter that just kept on giving … and so too did fishing opportunities right across most of Ontario. I've been fortunate to be able to enjoy some of this rare late hard water action and although it hasn't been as fast and furious as I remember it was, it has been productive and fun.

At a beautiful northern lake, that we visited a couple of times the lake trout are a stark contrast from their Lake Simcoe cousins.  For one … they're all natural, wild (not stocked) trout and by all accounts reproduction is excellent. There appear to be far more trout present per square acre in this northern Ontario lake as well … but with quantity you often have to sacrifice quality. So- the two pounders we were catching were pretty much standard compared to trout ... both wild and stocked, from Simcoe that regularly top 10lbs and in 2014 saw several over 20!

Ice Fishing
Here Gerry Heels lands one of many typical small lakers during our late season foray on a Muskoka Lake. Gerry will be sharing his knowledge with others next winter with a new guiding service he is starting.

Finding these wild trout in this Muskoka lake was not too difficult - as we chose points to home in on. However, perhaps more importantly we picked secondary points that weren't as obvious to most other anglers. We noticed noticeable major points had groups of anglers on them … so my buddy Gerry Heels, Paul Kindy and I preferred to get away from those crowds and fish the less obvious secondary points. A varied bottom depth seemed to be a common thread in the areas we fished as well. With my new Polar Fire gas auger I was able to quickly drill several holes thru more than 2 feet of black ice.

Within a long cast one hole would be in 40 feet while another was in 120. Strangely enough, I caught trout at both extremes. Productive baits when trout were active included pearl colored Trigger X Tube Jigs and 2" Moresilda Spoons but when things slowed down and we were still marking fish on our Lowrance Elite 5 units, I would pull out my perch tackle and finesse those trout into striking. HT's Alien Jigs tipped with a 3"Trigger X Minnow that I trimmed down to about 1.5" and tied to 4 lb test were the ticket. Fighting these small trout on a 36" Polarlite rod was an added thrill.

As the season winded down to the very last days a fairly aggressive perch bite did materialize. We had two productive areas on Lake Simcoe; one was an end of day spot on the east side of the lake, and the other an early morning spot on the west. The former hot zone was in just 12 feet, while the latter was in 17'. What both scenarios had in common was the remarkable ability for the biggest of the perch to turn on during the low light periods of both dusk and dawn.  Those triple F times would be Fast, Furious and Fun! In between, we would still catch fish … but it would involve walking from one pre-drilled hole to another … getting a couple keepers from each and enough dinks to shake an ice fishing stick at … but at least it kept us busy between prime times.

Night Fishing
Beautiful perch like this really turned on during low light periods. Although typically not active at night like their walleye cousins, dawn and dusk can be magical for big perch. Here my buddies Greg Lunn (left) and Adam Challice (right) show off some of their catch as we head off the ice at the end of another successful late ice, late day bite!

At time of writing this during the Easter long weekend, some piscatorial prognosticators are predicting that for possibly the first time in most of our lifetimes … there will be fisheries in northern Ontario that will still have ice … and therefore ice fishing potential - come typical “open water brook trout season opener on the last Saturday of the month. I know for sure, my friend Gord Pyzer from Kenora is still driving ATV's on his beloved Sunset Country lakes enjoying short sleeve conditions and a phenomenal late, late season Easter time bite!

Here in the south though Simcoe is much like all those Easter Eggs all painted and pretty. Those eggs are ready to be cracked wide open with gold goodness deep inside waiting to be munched down. The lake too is ready to be cracked wide open and as the ice peels away, inside will be special gold fillings - all those beautiful jumbo perch swimming around with no hard shell overtop - ready to be munched down one at a time!

Monster Perch

It's always nice to finish off a season on the water ... hard or soft - with a great catch. Wil enjoyed one of those with plenty of jumbo's like this April 12, 2014.

Ice fishing is done for another year … but what a year it was!

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Ice Fishing Sat, 19 Apr 2014 19:27:10 -0400
Take Advantage of Weather Breaks - Despite the Odds! https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/take-advantage-of-weather-breaks-despite-the-odds.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/take-advantage-of-weather-breaks-despite-the-odds.html

Despite one of the most remarkable winters in many decades here in Ontario, there have been several occasions when fishing has been extremely tough. Beautiful thick ice, cold temperatures, plenty of snow cover and a chance to safely access anywhere you like on your favorite lake. Man, you would think the fish would be practically jumping thru your holes. Ah - but with few exceptions, such has not been the case; at least not for many of us hard water fishin fanatics who are quick to admit, "Dang- fishin has been tough!"

Anglers- whether they're hard water or soft water freaks – love to blame the weather and I can be as guilty as the next guy. 

Wil with Perch
Wil with one of his nice jumbos

A couple of weekends ago, we went for whities 5 miles out onto Lake Simcoe, without huts, when temps were -23C, with 50 KMPH winds.  Lots of fish were marked on our Lowrance Elite Units- but none fell victim to our quivering baits. Usually we strive to enhance our lures with that subtle quiver motion but that really wasn't needed last week- the shaking came without even trying!  We've had high winds and way-below normal temps for most of the 2014 season so far so it's been an on-going excuse.

Ah- but then came a break in the weather last weekend.  We had yet another major snowstorm here in southern Ontario, so despite a strong desire to fish Lake Simcoe, I just didn't want to test the roads. My preference was to fish the main lake again- this time for lake trout.
My son Izaak however wanted to go for perch. I said the mid-winter perch blahs had set in already and everything I'm hearing and seeing on the ice has been small. He didn't think that should stop us from trying. "Maybe this break in the weather will turn them on dad!"

I had no sooner drilled my first hole, when a beautiful 11 ¾ inch jumbo engulfed my HT football head and Trigger X Nymph. Then another and another ... Soon it was Izaak's turn- only his HT Glow Grub with a small Storm minnow was soon out-producing my bait. We were fishing in 29 feet of water and although perch were smacking these baits first thing in the morning, we had to tease them off bottom soon after- but at least we could still get them to bite. We took home about 15 beautiful keepers and released the rest.

Izaak with perch

Wil's son Izaak with one of several perfect sized eaters from Lake Simcoe

All in all – it was a great morning of perch fishing (even though Izaak out fished me!) and despite the poor perchin' results and crazy weather for the last several weeks it was just a matter of time before the big ones turned on again – making us glad we took advantage of the break in the weather- despite the odds!  

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Ice Fishing Tue, 11 Feb 2014 10:41:40 -0500
2013 Perchin for MS - Another Year Of Great Success https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/2013-perchin-for-ms-another-year-of-great-success.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/2013-perchin-for-ms-another-year-of-great-success.html 2013 Perchin for MS - Another Year Of Great Success

For Immediate Release: March 4, 2013
Sibbald Point Provincial Park, Lake Simcoe: With a full field of 227 teams competing in the Third Annual PERCHIN FOR MS Fundraiser Perch Fishing Tournament on Sat. March 2...Another huge success was accomplished! This year with the temperatures holding and winds kept to a light breeze...the 3rd Annual Perchin For MS Ice Fishing event was held on Saturday, March 2nd at Sibbald Point Provincial Park. The event once again drew anglers from all over Ontario and into the United States. The event saw 455 people take to the ice in the early hours of Saturday morning all in hopes of catching the big one...while helping to make a difference.

Each team paid a $50 entry fee of which half is donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The 10 heaviest perch win the tournament. Competition this year was tough though. Teams had a large group to contend with and fishing was tough going. That didn't phase the Winning Team of Roman Runo and Janusz Kawalec known as Team Ice Fish though.

The team was able to weigh in a weight of 6.09lbs worth of perch for their big win of the Jack Link's Jackpot of $2000.00. The team was also proud to display their Rapala Rod, reel and lures that won them the tournament and an extra Rapala Prize pack worth $500.00.

There was also a early bird draw and a separate Pot that anglers could enter for additional contests - The Power Pro Ice Slab Advanced Challenge, Rapala 36 Award, Humminbird Mystery Weights and Lake Simcoe Message Board top prize.

The winner of the Early bird Draw for a one week Fishing Getaway to Horwood Outpost was won by the Dream Team of Steve Knox and Dwaye Anderson. The Slab Award for Biggest Fish of the event was won by Team Fish4Reel - Andrew Barter and Ryan Lennox who caught a beautiful 1.58 lb, perch. This earned them the Shimano Cash Prize of $500. The Rapala 36 Award was won by Team Solo Citizen - Nick Terpselas how came in 36th place winning a $500 Rapala Prize Pack. One Mystery weight was also hit by Team Beard - Mike Riendeau and Chuck Bymes winning Humminbird Ice 35 Fish Finders each! And as for the Lake Simcoe Message Board prize...well it was picked up by the second place team known as "Fish On" of Kyle Howe and Jeff Mitchell, getting an additional $200 cash to add to their $1200.00 second place prize!

This tournament is more than just about fishing and prizes though. Poirier started this event to fight back against MS while raising awareness and showing himself and others that life can still go on, even with a disability. And it appears this is what it is already doing "This event has taken on a life of its own and helped so many already. This year I had numerous people tell me stories of how important this event is to themselves and their loved ones who have MS. I even had one lady break down crying...she was so moved by the tournament and what it was doing!" - said Poirier.

Poirier is also very pleased to announce, that with such amazing support and generous donations that the event has raised $17,000 that will go toward the fight to End MS.

Poirier was also once again blown away by the unbelievable support from the sponsors and community and how far away people came to be a part of this event. Anglers from the United States, Ottawa, Windsor, North Bay and everywhere in between came to be a part of it!

Doug would like to thank all of his volunteers who made the event possible as well as ALL of his sponsors especially Jack Link's Beef Jerky, Sandy Young and Laura Rackham - Royal LePage, Triton Pro Web Design, Performance Signs, The Town of Georgina Economic Development Committee, Maunders Catering - Aurora and HT Enterprises, Humminbird, Rapala, and Shimano.

Top 10

Place

Team No.

Team Name

Weight (lbs)

Captain

Member

1

130

ICE FISH

6.09

Roman Runo

Janusz Kawalec

2

175

Fish ON (2)

5.35

Kyle Howe

Jeff Mitchell

3

115

Whitefish King

4.155

Mike Barker

DJ White

4

55

Croziers

4.075

Rob Crozier

Mike

5

51

LUV 2 FISH

4.005

John Delicata

Vlado Crljen

6

173

Team Gerard

3.785

Gerald Gerard

Margaret Gerard

7

26

Team F&S

3.575

Richard Colangelo

Michael Redden

8

25

Here fishy fishy fishy

3.26

Mark Solomon

Amy Gaukel

9

4

QUIVER Brothers

3.235

James Meger

Christopher Bent

10

177

Team Ferry

3.195

Cris Hilty

Daenny S

Perchin for MS 2013 Results

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Press Release Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:47:47 -0500
Lake Simcoe Ice Hut Operators https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/lake-simcoe-ice-hut-operators.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/lake-simcoe-ice-hut-operators.html Jack - The Blue Ice Report

Lake Simcoe Hut Operator Directory. Fishing Lake Simcoe provides the most updated map of ice hut operators on Lake Simcoe.

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kris@fishonlineca.com (Kris) Ice Fishing Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:05:55 -0500
Perchin for MS Fundraiser - A Huge Success https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/perchin-for-ms-fundraiser-a-huge-success.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/perchin-for-ms-fundraiser-a-huge-success.html Doug PoirierFor Immediate Release: March 9, 2011
Sibbald Point Provincial Park, Lake Simcoe: Despite almost constant rain and miserable fishing conditions, an astounding 78 teams competed in the first annual PERCHIN FOR MS Fundraiser Perch Fishing Tournament Sat. March 12, 2011.
"I was completely flabbergasted that so many anglers came out to fish this event," said host and organizer Doug Poirier. "These anglers all heard the same weather forecasts we did - and all knew the rains were coming. They decided to fish anyway and although they got wet, they did not let the rain dampen their spirits," he said.

Perching for MS 2011
Mayor Rob Grossi and Organizer Doug Poirier at the derby.

Each team paid a $40 entry fee - and half would go towards the Muscular Sclerosis Walk in their name, and the other half would go towards cash awards. The 10 heaviest perch would win the tournament. There was also a separate BIG Fish Pot that anglers could enter for $5 each.

At 8am, all anglers took off from the newly renovated public launch area at Sibbald's. They could fish anywhere within the 1 ½ x2 km designated zone- well marked with orange pylons. Some elected to stay in one area and capitalize on the roaming abundant perch found within most of the zone. Others, like the eventual winners - Wil and his son Izaak Wegman of Bradford, used their Cross Sleds to traverse within the zone to upgrade their catch. "We had our 10 perch within 20 minutes or so, but then the trick was to try and find the jumbo's Simcoe is famous for. We elected to move around a lot - and hope for a bigger fish here and there to upgrade," said Izaak. "We found HT Marmooska jigs were most productive in the morning but by afternoon we switched to HT dropper spoons to get our fish," Izaak remarked. The father-son duo weighed in 5.78 lbs worth of perch for their win.

Perching for MS
1st place winners Wil Wegman and Izaak Wegman.

Perching for MS Wil Wegman
Wil Wegman and Mayor Rob Grossi

The biggest fish of the event was caught by Brad Jamieson who landed a beautiful 1.2 lb, 13 inch perch. Brad won a taxidermy replica mount of his fish to be done by Advanced Taxidermy and Wildlife Designs.

Big Perch
Derby weigh in. Teams lined up to weigh in the fish. Brad Jamieson
and Gary Kernohan in front, Rick Andrews with back to camera.


The MS Connection:
The tournament was more than just about the fish or the weather however. "I started this event because I wanted to promote education and awareness around MS and I thought what better way to do that than through a fishing derby." As an avid angler and Conservation Officer who lives with MS daily, Poirier knows firsthand about its limitations, but says that unless you have a friend or relative with it, people seldom have a good understanding of the disease. "The goal of the event was also to raise a bit of money for MS and I am pleased to announce that thanks to some generous monetary donations we raised almost $4,000 that will go directly to the MS Society of Canada," said Poirier.

Although most anglers who fished the MS Perch Fundraiser were from the GTA, others came from Owen Sound and Niagara in the west to Muskoka and Halliburton in the north and east to Ottawa. There were even some anglers from the US. Many were hard core competitive anglers who look for competitions like this to test their skills. Others were recreational ice anglers who enjoy meeting others in a fun-filled event where proceeds go to a worthwhile cause.

Not only did anglers come out in force to support the fundraiser, but so too did sponsor and individual support. "The prizes supplied by companies and individuals far exceeded my expectations. Our community really showed the true meaning of "Community" with the way they all came together to sponsor this event!" said Poirier.

TOP EIGHT ... and Their Weight
1. Team Wegman - Wil and Izaak Wegman of Bradford - 5.785lbs - $500 cash & 2 Fish TV Camera's
2. Team VR - David Hamilton and Mike L. of Sutton - 5.170 lbs - $500 Cash
3. Team Northenders - Richard Colangelo - 4.885 - $300.00 Cash
4. Team Malaguti - Paul Malaguti of Peterborough and Matt McNeice of Barrie - 4.345lb - 2 Clam Kanai Fish Trap portable huts
5. Team Dean Mizmo - Kelly Dean of Keswick  - 4.185lb - $200 cash
6. Team Killoran/Taylor - Justin Killoran and Ryan Taylor both of Willow Beach - 3.955lbs - 2 Eagle Portable Fish Finders
7. Team Perch Masters - Gary Kernohan of Minden and Brad Jamieson of Bradford - 3.780lbs - 2 Mustang Survival Suits
8. Team Double "V" - Paul Valeriote and Mike Valeriote both of Elmira - 3.775lbs - Pick off the prize table

Prizes For All:
Other top prizes included local fish hut rentals for the day with fish fryers and luncheons at the Briars Resort and Spa. All other teams were given the opportunity to pick a prize from the prize table, and everyone walked away with a prize!

Team POIRIER … Consisting of Doug and his entire family, would like to thank all the participants, volunteers and companies and individuals for their generous contributions to make the 1st Annual Perchin' for MS Event such a resounding success.

Sponsor List

Advanced Taxidermy & Wildlife Design
Anchor Family Restaurant
Assante Wealth Management - Huntsville
Bass Pro Shops
Beasley Brothers Outdoors Inc.
Bonnie Boats Limited
Boston Pizza
Captain Morbids - Live Bait and Fishing Supplies
Casey's Fish Huts - Port Bolster
Costco
Crate Marine Sales Ltd.
D.C. Marine
D.W. and Sons Bait & Tackle - Jackson's Pt.
Davis Viehbeck
Donnell Law Group
Douglas B. Maceachern - Prudential Renascent Realty
Due North - TJ Quesnel
Fisher Girl
Fred's 24 Hour Towing
Galent Fish Hut Rentals
Gen Sports & Cycle - Keswick
Georgina Fishing Series-Rocky Madsen
Gerry Draper
Giant Tiger-Sutton
GK World Championship Calls - Craig McDonald
Graham Guiding
Harry's Riverside Sports and Bait
Home Hardware Keswick
Home Hardware Mount Albert
Home Hardware Sutton
HT High Tech Fishin
Izumi Outdoors
J &T Tackle Guiding Services - Lake Nipissing
Jack Links Beef Jerky
Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire

Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Salco Contracting
Zehrs Keswick
Lake Simcoe Arms
Upper Canada Sod & Landscape
Last Call Bartending & Event Planning
LaRue's Haulage
Liquidation World
Magz Mfg - Badd Boyz Lures
No Frills-Sutton
Ontario Out of Doors Magazine
Peninsula Resort
Performance Signs
Quick Pizza Sutton
Shirley Anne Thompson - ReMax Sutton
Quick Pizza Keswick
Quinn's Marina
Radio World Inc
Riveredge Restaurant
Simcoe Fishing Adventures
Skydive Toronto
South Paw Trading Post
The Kirby Family
The Fish'n Canada Show
The Briar's Resort and Spa
The Country Store
The Ladle Restaurant
The Mason Place
The Naked Wing
The Quilt Barn
Vexilar Inc.
Wild Wing - Sutton
Wild Wing - Pefferlaw
York Regional Police - 3 District
York Regional Police Association

For More Information or To Support next year's event, Please Contact Doug Poirier at: perchin4ms@hotmail.com  

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admin@fishinglakesimcoe.ca (Administrator) Ice Fishing Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:11:30 -0500
Talbot River https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/maps/talbot-river.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/maps/talbot-river.html Talbot River

The entrance/exit to/from the Talbot River section off/into Lake Simcoe on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

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Perch fishing in May 2015

{gallery}trent{/gallery}
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admin@fishinglakesimcoe.ca (Administrator) Maps Sat, 23 Oct 2010 08:17:09 -0400
Fishing in Barrie https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/maps/fishing-in-barrie.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/maps/fishing-in-barrie.html Fishing in Barrie

Shore fishing opportunities in Barrie. Shore access, public boat launch and parking available.

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admin@fishinglakesimcoe.ca (Administrator) Maps Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:27:24 -0400