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Walleye, Crappie, and Bass….and a Busted Boat Trailer

Novemeber 15

Hello All,

Was definitely looking forward to this outing. The plan was for good buddy and fellow fishing writer, Tim Allard, and I to head up to Quebec and hopefully savour some of the bass and bluegill action that I enjoyed the previous week. Conditions were perfect - slight wind, warm temperature, and a mix of sun and cloud. What could go wrong?

Making our way over the Ottawa River and into Gatineau, hopes were certainly high. This was short lived. Less than a kilometre into our journey, a bump on the road, a loud "BANG", and the extremely unpleasant sound of scraping metal. This didn't look good. A quick look in the rear view mirror and all I see is the boat in a precarious slant on the trailer. Tim's thought is a blown tire. My guess is a blown bearing. We were both wrong.

I gingerly guided the rig through a left turn and eased it into park at the side of the road. The look on the faces of the pedestrians in response to the loud metal noise was not a good omen. A quick look and we make the diagnosis - a complete break of the leaf spring. Not at the joint, but through the thickest part of solid steel. The audible metal noise was one half of the spring scraping on the pavement. Worst of all, the clearance between the tire and fender was less than a centimetre or two. In my mind the day was over. Actually, I was thinking the season. Tim had other thoughts.

Regardless of the situation, we knew that getting the boat back to Ottawa was imperative. After a brief period of brainstorming - in between bouts of language I can't repeat - an idea was hatched. Using a couple of pieces of wood, some electrical tape, and a bit of brute strength, we were able to fashion a "cradle" on the frame, to take the weight off the axle and level the entire boat. It didn't look pretty but it was the fix we needed. Tim deserves a huge thanks on this one. It was his idea, and with it being a two-man job, I certainly couldn't have done it solo. Thanks a tonne, bud!

As we slowly made our way back over the bridge, with yours truly cringing with every bump we hit, Tim made a few phone calls. We decided to tow it to Stittsville for repairs. Now, this boat trailer is 23 years old. Would it be worth putting the money in to fix it? Buy a new trailer instead? I had some decisions to make as I cruised down the 417.

Before arriving in Stittsville, Tim made a few calls to boat dealers for a price on a new trailer - as did my Dad. All three marinas offered varying prices. And as we found out shortly after, the cost for repairs was too great to bother fixing. Off we head down the 416 to Kemptville.

Having done business with them in the past, Pirate Cove Marina is a top-notch operation. They were able to offer us a brand new, galvanized 2011 EZ Loader trailer - with some great heavy-duty features - for considerably less than one of their competitors could do for a painted version.

In less than two hours we were good to go. Moe and his staff completed the paper work effortlessly, prepped the new trailer perfectly, and made the transfer of my boat onto its new throne efficient and without hassle. They even powerwashed my whole rig for me!

For those in the market for a new boat or service, definitely give Moe and his staff a call at Pirate Cove Marina. I highly recommend them.

Here is a shot of the new trailer:

To say we were stranded in Quebec at 9am, it was quite astonishing to be back on the road by 12:45pm. With Quebec out of the question due to distance, we decided to head to a favourite Eastern Ontario lake and salvage the last few hours of daylight we had. Besides, we had brought a stove, pot, and hotdogs to cook up on the water, and we were both getting hungry!

We launched the boat and headed to a known weedline that always produces largies at this time of year. Depth ranges between 7 and 10-feet, and most come from the edge or the clumps themselves. Bucktail jigs are the weapon of choice. Although it took some time, we finally started connecting. Nothing huge, but aggressive fish that love to hit the jigs with reckless abandonment. What was really on our mind was the big crappie this area routinely coughs up. They can take a little work to locate, and generally turn on right before dusk, but once found, the action can be fast and furious.

We played around with the bass for a couple of hours, while searching for signs of crappie. And then it happend. A tell-tale tap on my bucktail jig (at this point I was still trying to tackle a few more bass or a bonus walleye) and a chunky crappie came to the boat. It was on!

Tim worked a float and jig combo with a light action rod - I stuck with my larger bucktail jig on baitcasting gear. The fish didn't seem to mind. For the next hour we had a flurry of action. A few double headers, multiple cast fish, and some 20+ slabs in the boat when the dust settled. The biggest went 12.5-inches, and most measured between 11 and 12.

Forgot to add - the hotdogs were a hit out in the boat! Definitely something I will be doing in the fall from now on. And if all of the above wasn't enough to turn the day around, I ended the evening with a sweet catch. Twenty-two inches of solid gold!

It hit a black and white bucktail jig at boatside - in seven feet of water. Was an awesome surprise!!!

So, a bad day turned into a good one in the end. 12 largies, 20+ crappies, and a bonus walleye. All in just over three hours of fishing. I'd say the new boat trailer gave us a bit of good luck.

Until next time....

Good Fishing,

Justin

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Bountiful Bass and Big ‘Gills…Quebec-Style

by justin hoffman outdoors

Hello All,

November 8

With the weather forecast looking more than favourable - and the wind non-existent - I made the decision to head out on a solo mission to my favourite Quebec lake.

Launched the boat at 10:30am and motored over to the productive spot that coughed up most of the fish the previous week. I decided to work in a bit shallower than before, hoping the largies would be relating to the cabbage and rocks that are prolific between 6- and 12-feet of water. Seeing a large school of bait fish in tight also helped with the decision.

A few casts in and the first largemouth was in the boat. A Fin-tech Football Jig teamed up with a YUM F2 Mighty Bug was the ticket.

Bites were extremely light. Lifting the jig would generate little attention from fish. Barely dragging the bait along bottom was the ticket. Here is the area that the fish were holding in. Notice the cabbage weeds on the screen. Down Imaging on this 798 Humminbird unit is phenomenal for detail.

The first hour coughed up ten largest...with the largest being this 3lb 9oz fish. All came from the edge of the cabbage with most out of 9-feet of water. One lone smallie came on a trimmed-down Booyah Pigskin Jig.

Headed over to the finger next and put a puny small and a decent largie in the boat. The smallmouth was right on the top of the 11-foot hump, while the largemouth was on the deep edge in 15-feet of water.

Wondering if the largies might be up shallow, I decided to work down a shoreline while tossing a crank. It was a waste of time....nobody home. Shortly after, at 1:30pm, Andy showed up at his cottage and in my boat he jumps. Back to the spot from this morning we go.

The fish were definitely a little on the finicky side this outing. They wanted the jig one way - and one way only. We slowly started putting fish in the boat. Working water a bit deeper (15- to 19-feet) had us in the smallmouth. We stuck with the football jigs and Mighty Bugs.

Working out in to deeper water, we came across long, thick lines just off the bottom on the Humminbird screen. We were in 21-feet of water. Tim and I had come across this the previous week and assumed they were smallmouth. Thinking the same, I dropped down my jig and watched it dance up and down on the screen. I had a few small "whacks" but failed to connect. Drifting away from the area, and as a means to soothe my sore back, I opted to sit down in the boat and drop a jigging spoon (Macho Minnow) over the side. A few minutes in and a solid "thunk." This fish came from 19-feet of water and hit 12-inches off bottom.

Then this guy hit.

Three smallest came in the boat in less than 15 minutes. Compared to the ultra light hits of earlier, these fish hit like freight trains!

It was then we finally discovered what the "mysterious" lines were. Bluegills!!!

They were hitting the large Macho Minnow with gusto. Most weren't getting hooked, but I did bring four in the boat. Although I did have smaller spoons in my bag, I didn't have an ultralight rod - or even a spinning rod for that matter - on deck. Boy I wished I did! The last fish of the day was this 9 1/2-inch bull 'gill. Gotta love when you can lip them...

As we slowly motored to the cottage in near-dark, this is what the Hummingbird showed. Hmmm. Suspended 'gills? Smallies?

Next week will see a full assault on the resident 'gills...and the bass. The bluegill fishery is untapped on this lake and I'm really curious to see how big these boys go.

Andy and I finished off the day with 26 bass and 4 'gills. Not a bad day on the water in superb conditions. But if anything, I learned a lot on the water this outing...and that can often be far more valuable than catching.

Until next time.

Good Fishing,

Justin

Story submitted by Outdoor Wild Producer Justin Hoffman posted by Producer Dean Romano

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100+ Pounds of Quebec Bass!

November 3, 2011 by justinhoffmanoutdoors

Hello All,

With less than a month remaining for open water bass excursions, making each day on the boat count becomes all the more important. After cashing in on 38 bass on my last trip into Quebec, expectations were high for this return engagement.

November 2

My good buddy and fellow writer, Tim Allard, and I made the trek northward this morning. We arrived to the lake at 9:30am and were greeted by fairly calm winds and stellar weather conditions. Although we still wrapped up…layers would be peeled as the day wore on.

Anglers get ready: Musky expected to hit hard this fall

Weekly News Article Published: October 19, 2010 by the Central Office

MADISON - You heard it here. Musky are going to hit hard this fall in Wisconsin.

"They're going to have to -- they haven't eaten much all summer," says Tim Simonson, co-chair of the state's musky committee and an avid musky angler.

Having a large enough landing net makes it easier on the fish and the angler when successfully landing and releasing a monster Green Bay musky this fall.
J. Aschenbrenner Photo

"The recent history is a trend toward a growing number of big fish caught late in the year. So far this year, the musky fishing's been down. The hot summer it made it kind of miserable to fish. And water temperatures were probably above the optimum for musky feeding.

"I think those fish are going to hit hard late in the season. I still expect we'll see one of the top three years ever for big fish," Simonson said.

Last year, Muskies Inc. members reported catching more than 100 muskies 48 inches or greater in Wisconsin. That number has grown steadily since the 1970s, and leaped forward in recent years.

Simonson credits the Green Bay musky fishery, re-established through a generation of stocking and other management efforts by DNR and partners, with helping boost the numbers.

"People started discovering those fish in about 2006 and it's ballooned into a real popular destination for big fish, particularly in the fall," he says.

The contribution of big fish from Lakes Michigan and Superior to the Muskies Inc. registry has increased from 2 percent in 2004 to 24 percent in 2009.

Read The rest of this article at the Wis DNR

CLICK ON LINK BELOW

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/dnrnews_article_lookup.asp?id=1572

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What do I need to do to stock fish in state waterbodies? The Wisconsin DNR

In order to stock fish in Wisconsin, you must submit a fish stocking permit application (form 9400-060) to the Wisconsin DNR fish biologist who manages the waters where you wish to stock the fish. This permit is required under Chapter 29.736 of the Wisconsin State Statutes.

Electronic submission may speed review of your application. The fisheries biologist for the county of interest will receive an automated e-mail, notifying them that a stocking permit application is ready for review as soon as you click the "Print for Signature" button at the bottom of the application. When filling out your application, please provide your DNR Customer ID. You will still need to print the application, sign it, and if you did not provide your DNR Customer ID, you will have to write in your Social Security number. Then, send the completed permit application with a copy of each fish source's Fish Health Certificate (FHC), a Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection form, for each species to be stocked.

When the permit has been approved, you will receive an original signed permit and a Receipt of Fish for Planting, Form 3600-16, in the mail. The Receipt must be completed, for all fish stocked in Wisconsin, and returned to the Fisheries Biologist listed on the Permit and Receipt when stocking is complete.

On-Line Stocking Permit Application Available (Revised 09/2009)

There is no charge for the stocking permit. The on-line application for the permit is available at WDNR Fish Stocking Permit Application [exit DNR].

If you have tried to submit an application and continue to experience problems, please contact Joanna Griffin, Statewide Fisheries Database Manager.

Purchasing Fish

The application asks for the source of the fish you plan to stock. If you need information on where to buy your fish, the Wisconsin Aquaculture Association [exit DNR] maintains a list of their WAA members in Wisconsin and the species of fish they rear (while we mention this list here, we do not endorse WAA as a source for buying fish for stocking). You can search by location (nearest you) or fish species desired for stocking.

Health Certificate

Since January 2002, a Fish Health Certificate (FHC) has been required for all fish stocked in state waterbodies, including private ponds. When you contact a fish farm to order fish, ask for a copy of the most recent Fish Health Certificate (FHC). You will need to attach a copy of the certificate to your stocking permit application. DNR cannot issue a stocking permit unless the Fish Health Certificate (FHC) is submitted along with your application. This certification is required under Chapter 29.736 of the Wisconsin State Statutes.

Private Pond Construction

If your plans include constructing a pond on your land, a permit may be required under Chapter 30 of the Wisconsin State Statutes. A general overview of information on pond construction, including links to related publications can be found on DNR's Web site. Specifically, those constructing or managing a pond for fish may wish to consult Managing Wisconsin Fish Ponds [PDF, exit DNR] - University of Wisconsin-Extension Publication G3693.

It is Illegal for You to Collect Fish for your Pond by Angling

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) rules aimed at preventing the spread of VHS, do not allow the movement of live fish away from any state waterbody

Contacts

For more information about fish stocking please contact: the fisheries biologist for the county where you want to stock fish
or
Joanna Griffin, Statewide Fisheries Database Manager,
(608) 264-8953

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