Native Rainbow, Straight from 'The Creek'

We've had the opportunity to go fishing more than usual this year, and our luck was great considering the limited chances we possessed. Sunday, Nov. 1 was our third time headed to The Creek this year. We went once in April (caught nothing), and once in September (hooked 3 salmon, lost them, and pulled in 5 baby rainbows). The last time, however, was just a normal day. We reached The Creek around 3:00PM to try and get some fishing in.

We waded under the bridge for about an hour and a half and got nothing. I watched an ill-looking salmon swim by me in a very weak manner, but that was pretty much the only action I saw. Needless to say, it was a quiet day. To make things worse, I had the flu that day and wasn't feeling up to putting effort in. I was just there to see if I could get lucky, while Ryan was at the top of his game - as usual. He was constantly switching to fresh roe, raising and lowering the depth of his setup, and making sure he had a top-notch presentation with the intentions of catching a weary rainbow trout, while I was sitting on a rock, trying to keep warm while suffering from muscle aches due to that wretched flu. Because I was sick, we only planned to stay there for 2 hours, and that's all we really needed.

Around 4:30PM, just when I was going to say we should head back to the jeep and call it a day, Ryan watches as his float gets sucked down into the water. He sets his hook and the fight was on! I jumped off the rock I had been sitting on for the last hour and a half, and asked him if I should run for the net which was behind him in the water. He fought the fish for a bit, thinking it was a salmon due to its brute strength it had displayed. He was convinced he had a salmon hooked, and told me to come by him in the river and grab the net. I did just that. I was standing right behind him holding the big net while he fought this guy. As the line swung from left to right, I was trying to see the fish in the merky water, but couldn't spot him. I wanted to see what we were dealing with here. I then suggested that we walk this guy closer to the shore so we can be close to land if I were to scoop him up. We did that, slowly wading to a small piece of land while the fish still put on a fight as if Ryan had just hooked him. Every time it seemed the fish was getting tired, he would get this burst of energy that would bolt him way out into a distance. Rather than gettin impatient and anxious which can cause the line to snap, Ryan kept calm and paid more attention to the line's drag. He was always adjusting the drag from loose to tight. At last, the fish was spotted in a clear patch of water and Ryan first identified it as a Brown Trout. We then saw it for a second time and now realized its true beauty. The sun shone on the side of the fish, flaunting its beautiful pink and purple colours. Now we knew what we were fighting. It was about 15 minutes of fighting time before the Rainbow Trout finally gave in and got closer to my net, where I had scooped him. I estimated at least 15 pounds in that net as I carried him back to land where Ryan and I celebrated and took pictures. We received an applause by the other fisherman watching us fight this guy after we scooped him.

With the horrible flu ruining my day, the Rainbow Trout was like my medicine. On a slow fishing day, this beautiful fish made it a great year! Ryan had revived and released him back into the river after we were done taking pictures. Take a look!

Island Lake Fishing Tournament 2009

Island Lake in Orangeville, Ontario held a fishing tournament from July 11-12/09. Needless to say, the water was packed with boats! The morning of Saturday, July 11 was a warm morning with a slight breeze. Ryan and I were only able to rent an electric boat at 1:00PM which took a lot of valuable fishing time away from us. By the time we got on the boat, there were already many fish caught by other guys on the water. First, second and third place bass were posted on the charts and they remained like that for some time.

Ryan and I finally got access to our boat at 1:00PM and decided to go for a little troll on the waters. We weren't familiar with this lake, as it was only our 3rd visit, although we've never been on the water before. We trolled all around areas that contained delightful structures such as weeds, rocks and drop-offs - but we caught nothing. Finally, as the wind began to pick up, making it harder for the cheap little electrical motor to function, I had hooked a catfish that was nothing special to me, and even more so, to the tournament itself.

As the wind delivered more power, our motor weakened, and eventually died, leaving Ryan and I with only the option to pick up our oars and row all the way back to the docks which were quite a distance from our location at the time. Finally we made it back, both our arms and backs feeling very tired, and decided to go for a nice lunch to A&W's.

After the terriffic lunch, we headed back to Island Lake to give it a second shot at some fish. We headed straight down the lake this time rather than trolling around to find nothing of significance. Ryan began to feel a tug on his line, leaving him to set the hook and suddenly feeling a strange energy from the other end of it. It felt as if he were snagged to something that was slowly pulling him. He wasn't sure if it was a fish or just a really thick brush of weeds. As he lured in closer, we learned that he had hooked a big turtle, which ironically swallowed his hook. After getting the turtle back in the water, I had hooked another fish; this time it was something worthwhile. I landed a small pike, nothing that would even be considered a measurement and weigh-in for the tournament, but it was a good sign. It was late by that time, and so we decided to bring the pike home and call it a night.

Sunday morning, we were up bright and early, and this time our boat reservation was at better timing. The tournament was set to end at 2:00PM on Sunday, which only gave us half a day to catch something that could possibly win us one of the top 3 prizes for a bass. With the unsuccessful saturday still pondering our minds, we found the motivation to go out there once more and see what we can do. Before heading to Island Lake, we visited a local tackle shop, where the store owner (an experienced fisherman) gave us some good tips for bass hot-spots on Island Lake. He drew us a map which was pretty convincing. We got back on our boat (which seemed to contain a better set of batteries that day) and headed straight for the area he informed us about. We gave it about 20 minutes and had nothing, so Ryan decided to try some deeper waters where the bottom was not visible to our eyes. We headed to a dark drop-off and anchored the boat for another 20 minutes before I felt a huge pull on my line. At first I thought I was snagged, and so when I set the hook I felt the power behind this fish. My adrenaline kicked in and the fight was on! I wasn't sure if I was dealing with a bass or pike until I felt the constant swinging that could only be from a largemouth bass. Ryan dived for the net which was collecting dust for the past day and as soon as he stood on his feet, I reeled in my bass and he scooped him up in the net. The excitement finally came to us, and only 10 minutes after this action, Ryan hooked a largemouth bass that was only 3-4mm smaller than mine. We practically found a goldmine for bass, and in another 20 minutes Ryan landed his second largemouth, the third of the day in total, and I managed to add a decent perch to the pile.

The bass I had caught was big enough to convince us that it actually stood a chance to make the top 3 and so we finally headed back to the docks with my bass and had it measured, leaving us to find out that the bass was only 3mm short of third place! We were close, but that doesn't count when it comes to numbers, and therefore I let my optimistic attitude remind me that it was still some great fishing - and, of course, we now had knowledge of a great spot for some big bass. We'll definitely give it a shot next year!


Island Lake Tournament Prizes:

#1 Bass: $2000 (48.2cm)
#2 Bass: $1500 (47.7cm)
#3 Bass: $500 (47.5cm)
My bass: (47.2cm) <-- Maybe next year!

- Top photo from: www.pro-fishing-tips.com/screenshot.jpg

The Turkey Season: The Second Scout

Last week, we scouted some Crown Land that appeared to contain too much marsh for turkey habitat. Due to the heavy amount of marsh, we were unable to find any vital signs of turkey activity, and so we called it quits after a long day of tredging through knee-deep marsh to find nothing of any importance - although we found many potential waterfowl hotspots for the fall. This weekend, we tried a different piece of Crown Land that was a bit further away than the last one.

To say it all in a sentence, our hard work and patience of some intricate scouting has paid off. This new Crown Land we've recently learned about had it all; loads of deer and turkey tracks, signs of great food source, and we even found some trees that would likely be used as a roosting area for the turkeys. These signs alone had Ryan and I convinced to keep on searching. Eventually, we marked a great spot that had several different tracks running through it which told me that the turkeys are naturally comfortable in this area which makes them easier to call in (since they're already comfortable going that way). After going in and out of there a few times, plotting out where we should set up for the season's opening day, we figured out the two spots for Ryan and I, and we began building a blind out of all the small trees, twigs and branches we cut to give a more clear shooting area. In total, it took us about 45 minutes to trim some shooting lanes and to setup a blind.

I've got the photos here to show some of today's scouting success! Enjoy!

The Turkey Season: Scouting the Crown Land

Turkey season is only a month away, and I've finally begun scouting this year's chosen Crown Land. I can't even begin to explain how exciting it was to wake up early in the morning after a long, cold winter to know that we'll be going for a good drive up north to the quiet woods where turkey and deer inhabit the lands. I almost felt as if I were going hunting that day. I've never been to this Crown Land before, so the scouting was very critical.

I found many locations in these woods that seemed like great turkey habitat. They weren't heavily wooded, but they were wooded just enough for the big birds to feel safe and comfortable. I blew my crow call a few times to try and locate some gobblers, but heard nothing. Other than that, there wasn't much action involved in this weekend's scout, but I will definitely be going back again to scout some more areas before the turkey season starts.

I snapped a few photos while scouting as well, and here they are:

The Delight of a Trophy Pike

This event took place in MAY 2008:

Finding success on your very first fishing trip out in the country can turn your love for the outdoors into something spectacular. I've always loved the outdoors, but this story here was by far one of my greatest memories, between both hunting and fishing.

It was May 2008, and my girlfriend's family and I had gone up north to Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park for a long weekend camp out. Sturgeon Bay is a great camp ground, but they also have cabins. For that time, we stayed in 2 cabins which were about 20 feet apart from each other. With a 10-minute walk, we had access to the waters of Georgian Bay, which offered us some good fishing, and some great memories. The waters contained Large-Mouth Bass, Northern Pike and Walleye, just to name a few of our very own catches.

On our first morning, we headed out to the bay and fished for some time. Ryan, the wisest among the group when it came to fishing, caught the very first walleye which we eventually kept and cooked for the night’s campfire and BBQ. The rest of the day was quite slow-paced, with a few catches here and there which were tossed back into the bay.

We woke up bright and early on the second morning, sluggishly walking from our beds to put on our sweaters and jackets, grabbed the rods and headed out to the waters for a second shot. As the morning grew older, we didn’t get much, until my buddy Tim (Ryan’s brother) caught a pike that was just big enough to keep for the night’s meal. We chained the pike and let it sit in the bay to keep it alive while we fished for some of his friends. My lovely Nikita and I caught large-mouthed bass that were very similar in size (mine was bigger!), but had to be thrown back into the waters due to out-of-season regulations. As the afternoon came, Ryan headed back to the campsite to help the others with some things. Around 1:00pm, the most unusual time to catch anything at all, Nikita’s rod experienced a tug. She ran to her rod to set the hook, but it was too late, and she lost the fish. Moments later, my rod began to slide around, and I realized that I had something. I ran to my rod, set the hook, and there it was; fiercely fighting to rip my hook away from its mouth. I felt the power in this fish, and got excited as I began to realize that this guy was bringing a battle. With his adrenaline pumping along with mine, he pulled my line as if he were trying to pull me into the bay with him. When the others looked at my rod and saw it make a horrific bend as if it were going to snap in two, they pulled out their cameras and started filming the adventure. I had a huge smile on my face then, but I was also worried about losing this big boy. He continued to sway my line from right to left, left to right, until I could feel his strength beginning to wear off. He weakened 7 minutes into the fight until I finally started reeling him to the rocks we were standing on. At last, Tim brought the net to the water and scooped up the fish, then dropped him on the ground, where he flapped for a bit before tiring. People from other parts of the bay came with their boats to see what we had caught, including a couple of experienced fisherman. They told me that this pike was the biggest they had ever seen taken from Georgian Bay (or at least that part of the bay). I was also asked to provide a picture to the local tackle shop so they could put it up on their wall. I felt like a celebrity that day.

The pike weighed about 21 lbs. and was the biggest pike I had ever caught up to this date.

We put the pike back in the bay after taking a few snapshots and videos due to his remarkable size. We were told he would be good for breeding and so we left it at that. Although we didn’t turn him into a nice dinner, he’ll always be remembered in our minds, and the pictures will always remind us of how big he was.

- Photo by Nikita Isaac

Moose Hunting in Newfoundland: UPDATE

After returning to Ontario on Oct. 20, the guy we were moose hunting with had gone back out to the woods but still didn't see anything. For the next 2-3 days, there was frozen rain which kept most hunters indoors. My friend went back out about a week after we left from there, and spent about 2 hours in the bush before finally sighting a moose. He didn't know if it was a cow or bull, so he stalked it for a while. Finally, he had identified it as a young bull, only bearing about 6 points on its rack. Because of the season coming closer to the end, he couldn't be too picky with his moose, and he hadn't seen one for a while, so he decided this one would be the tag-filler. He waited until he had the right shot opportunity, and he fired. After the bull went down, he picked up his cell phone and called us excitedly to let us know that he had finally got one. We were happy for him, and told him to send pictures of the bull! Well, he did, and here they are:

- Photos by Philip Marcoccia

The Hunt for a Big Game Weapon

Searching for that North American Big Game Rifle is harder than I would have expected. At first, I thought it's the caliber that needs to be chosen and that's all, but after reading numerous reviews on which rifles are very good and which rifles should be avoided, I'm losing my mind over this! I've broken down a list of rifles of interest that contained over 20 models. I now have 3, but the smaller the number gets, the harder it is to choose. Some of the rifles on my list are more expensive than others, but they are guaranteed a life-long rifle. The others are cheaper - some suprisingly cheap - and they promise dead-on accuracy. The pricier ones, mind you, also have that extra "touch" of style which probably adds about $50 - 60 to the model. The cheaper guns are more plain looking, but deliver the same performance. As I am a sucker for good-looking equipment, this debate on rifles only gets tougher. But I promised myself that my rifle will be chosen wisely, therfore I will buy the gun that best suits me, and not just buy it for its looks.

My list, as of now, is as follows:
1) Remington Model 700
2) Savage Model 110GXP3
3) Browning X-Bolt Hunter

- Written by Philip Marcoccia

- Photo by Remington (http://www.remington.com)