Hooked 0403_Hooked 0403- - Hooked Magazine

Recommendations

Info

YOUTH & THE OUTDOORS Kids, catfish and hotdogs… what a day! BY STEVEN WINTEMUTE Some of the best times I have had fishing—and I have experienced some un-believable fishing—is when I get a chance to take out kids. Today we decided to head to Lockport Manitoba in hopes of landing a few MON- STER channel catfish. On this trip I had my good friend Scott and his son Emerson, my youngest daughter Kate and Paulina, an exhange student from Mexico staying with us. After a quick 20 minute drive we were launching the boat at Cats on the Red. Once the lifejackets were on and the boat was full of snacks, we headed out to one of our many productive spots. It didn’t take long before Emerson landed the first fish of the day. High fives were exchanged, pictures were taken and the smiles just kept getting bigger. After a quick move down river Paulina hooked into a MONSTER catfish of her own. This was Paulina’s first catfish and probably will not be her last. The looks on the kids’ faces as she guided the fish into the net was priceless. After a great afternoon of fishing we decided to treat the kids to some hotdogs and ice cream. Not just any hotdogs, we were treating them to Skinner’s world famous foot long hotdogs. Skinner’s is located about a stone’s throw from where we were fishing and we couldn’t think of a better way to end our day. So next time your son or daughter asks you to take them fishing make sure you take advantage of it and take them out to do battle with some big o’l cats on the mighty Red River. By taking time to introduce children to fishing and trying your best to make sure it is a successful day on the water, you may end up with a fishing buddy for life. ■ 14 | HOOKED | Summer 2011 A FEW TIPS & TRICKS WHEN FISHING WITH KIDS: Fishing with kids is a lot of fun but it can also be a little demanding. Over the last few years I have figured a few things out to make sure the KIDS enjoy the fishing as much as I do. 1. Target areas with a high likelihood of success. Start by finding a good place to fish close to home. By close to home I mean within an hour drive. The last thing you need is restless kids in a boat. One of my favorite places to take my kids fishing is in Lockport or Selkirk Manitoba. Both of these towns sit on the mighty Red River. The Red River is home to monster channel catfish, huge walleyes and about 12 other species of fish. You are almost guaranteed to catch fish on the Red River. Catching a few fish on the first few outings will pique your child’s interest and make them look forward to the next trip. 2. Use live bait to increase the chance of catching a fish. Plus we all know kids love worms. 3. Bring snacks, sunscreen, insect repellent and first aid basics. This will make your trip comfortable for everyone. 4. Provide them with simple tackle in working order. Nothing can be more discouraging to a child than complicated equipment or equipment that doesn’t work. Consider giving the child their own fishing outfit but make sure it is of decent quality. You don’t fish with a Scooby Doo rod do you? 5. Above all else, have patience. You will be unsnagging lines, baiting hooks, and landing fish for them often. On your fishing trips with youngsters, they will get dirty, fall down or even get a little wet. Hey that’s what kids do, and unfortunately some adults I have fished with.
May Long Weekend Mania! At a rustic Northern Ontario Bush Camp, the author encountered the worst weather but the best fishing. BY MORGAN PAQUETTE As we hit the highway that day, the bed of our truck laden down with fishing gear and duffels, I felt so pumped. It was opening day of fishing in Ontario in 2009. It was the 4th year I had been to Pickerel Creek Fishing Camp in Northern Ontario and this time, we had invited along my friend Mitchell and his Dad. They were great fisherman and knew how to fillet fish so we decided they would be a good companion. We left the city [Winnipeg] at about 10am and got to the camp at about 5:00pm. We had a good chat with the lodge owner, Dave and then headed into our cabin. As soon as we had unpacked, we sat down and started playing cards. As I looked outside, we saw snow blowing all over the front lawn. After a few hours, the other fishermen arrived. There was Bobby and his son Christen, Louis and Sam, and Tony and Nathaniel. After a few short introductions we hit the sheets. I slept sound from midnight until about 6:30 when Louis dragged Mitch and I out of bed. After waking up, we looked outside to see the ground layered in about 6 inches of snow. Grumbling, we bundled up and started brushing snow off the gear. An hour later we walked down to the marina, my dad put the boat in and we pushed off from the dock, laden down with gear. The water was pretty high so we sailed through the water for a few thousand yards. As the boat reached the mouth of the creek, the water got too low and we were forced to push it. Swearing, my dad stripped down to his underwear and waded into the water. As he pushed the boat into deeper water, he swore like a banshee at the cold water. When he finally got it into the clear he hopped on board and was in the process of drying himself off when he spilled his coffee over the edge, his only hope of true warmth. After we got it all sorted out, we hit the lake. As we pounded across the calm, frigid water I was thinking to myself that maybe this would not be the day to fish. We got to the creek on the other side of the lake and dropped our rods, confident there would be fish sitting in the warm water of the creek. After an hour of nothing, and still bitterly cold, we finally got some bites. Mitchell caught a jack fish and we caught a few small walleyes and some really small perch. Then, feeling lucky, we headed over to Johnny Rock [a rock that got its name when my dad’s friend John ran into it with his boat and flipped over, amidst the yells of his buddies on shore.] There, we caught a few 15 or so inch walleyes which we added to the line of pike. After that, we headed over to the lunch spot. It got a bit warmer and I practiced my casting while we cooked lunch. As we ate, I slipped off my socks and put on my sandals to let my feet air out as they were very wet and cold after a long morning in the boat, which had leaky rivets. After that, we ate a long lunch. If there was one word to describe greasy onion rings, steamy fries, Bush Beans and pike and walleye after a brutal morning of fishing, it would be WOW. The warm food stuck right to the inside of our ribs and soon we were done. As the adults had a little lunchtime nap on shore, I put on fresh wool socks. I love putting on fresh wool socks at lunchtime because you feel like a new man, fresh and energized. As we loaded the coolers I could not help but notice that the snow was melted away. It was definitely getting warmer as we pulled away from the shore. We fished offshore until the others left and then we floated down the spit of land to the end. We put our rods into the water and at that moment I began to work on my technique. My technique is that whenever we fish, I sleep and then proceed to catch the biggest fish of a particular species. As I sat back, the rays of sun beaming into the water, I could almost feel the fish coming. About 30 minutes later, I woke up to find no one had caught anything and I stared deeply into the water waiting for the fish to come. After a minute, I saw my rod bend suddenly, nearly under the boat. I stood up laughing and let the fish run. After a minute or two, we brought it in and netted it: it was a 12 inch perch, the biggest I had ever caught. For the next 20 minutes, we all caught The author with a beautiful walleye about eight or nine 12 inch perch back to back. With our chains full of excellent perch we floated back over to the mouth of the creek. At first it was the same dreary results but after a few minutes, I got an 18 inch walleye and a 20 inch pike, a real fighter despite its mini size for a pike. Then it was blank again and we spent the next 5 or 6 hours floating up and down the spit. At about 4:30, as the sun began to set on the water we headed over to the final spot of the day. After only 10 minutes, we started nailing fish again. Walleye after walleye, perch after perch, pike after pike, they all came and went. Satisfied, we headed to the docks and filleted the fish. Bobby cooked up the fish well and made a nice pot of soup and my dad contributed by making a great deer steak. It was a great dinner and as I sat back in my chair and the adults went for another nap, obviously leaving us the task of dishes. I knew I had experienced the best day of Northern Ontario fishing I had had in my life and may ever have. It was great because Mother Nature provided something spectacular out of nothing. The next day, our last day on the water, we caught nothing all day, a few small bites was all we got. I guess it was just Mother Nature’s way to give someone else the opportunity we had, and as we headed home at the end of the weekend, I could only think what would happen next opening day. ■ Summer 2011 | HOOKED | 15
Page 1 and 2: www.hookedmagazine.ca Volume 4 Issu
Page 3 and 4: MAKE YARD WORK QUICK AND EASY ABC P
Page 5 and 6: Contents | Summer 2011 Feature 24 N
Page 7 and 8: THE WORLD’S ONLY SEA-DOO.® WATER
Page 9 and 10: THE POWER TO GO ANYWHERE For a deal
Page 11 and 12: Crowduck boats ready for action . P
Page 13: ��
Page 17 and 18: Kids! The Manitoba Moose have gener
Page 19 and 20: HALL OF FAME! We always like seeing
Page 21 and 22: prime spots at this time of the yea
Page 23 and 24: YEARS OF HARD WORK AND WE’RE FINA
Page 25 and 26: Summer | HOOKED | 25
Page 27 and 28: Summer | HOOKED | 27
Page 29 and 30: Avoiding the Hang-ups BY JAMIE ROBI
Page 31 and 32: amongst the crowd, as they couldn
Page 33 and 34: One of the most overused terms in f
Page 35 and 36: “Sock-It” to the Fish! BY JUSTI
Page 37 and 38: It’s heating up! The 24th Shaw Ke
Page 39 and 40: are designed for trolling a spinner
Page 41 and 42: Davis Viehbeck angled this hefty wa
Page 43 and 44: thwestern Ontario SO CLOSE AND SO A
Page 45 and 46: cisco or shiners that smallmouths f
Page 47 and 48: Visit us for all your marine access

Hooked 0403_Hooked 0403- - Hooked Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?