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!

Split shots are an essential tool when float fishing. By placing them in different positions on the line, the angler can greatly modify his bait presentation. Once a float fisherman understands how the different shotting patterns work, he can effectively cover nearly any spot in a river. The ultimate goal in shotting is to achieve the most natural drift and bait presentation possible at the required depth. The key is to understand how the various shotting patterns affect the speed at which the bait will reach depth and how the bait will be affected by the current once it is at depth.

Float fishing for northern pike has become a famous technique which got popular by European anglers. Quickly the technique caught on by all anglers and it became one of the most effective ways to target pike during all seasons. Today if you go to a famous pike fishery such as Lake Simcoe, Georgian Bay or other small bodies of water, most of the fishermen are using the slip float and minnow idea.

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.