Archive for June, 2010

It’s nice to have fans confirm how well the Ask Italo section of our website works.  As you probably know, you can ask me any questions at Ask Italo and as long as I have access to high-speed internet, I can answer your questions quickly from anywhere in the world.  As an example, Kurt Reinhardt had emailed me to as me what was a fair tip to tip a fishing guide and I explained to him that $20.person/day is very common right across Canada.  Well, I was pleseantlly surprised when Kurt took the time to send me a nice letter and a CD of the images from a recent charter boat trip he made with Aldo Nava from www.niagarafishingadventures.com , out of Port Dalhousie, ON.  As you can see from the images they caugth lot’s of fish and litteraly had non-stop action.  Aldo even fillet the fish right on-board so that they would be fresh, clean and ready for the barbacue!

 

If you would like to book a charter boat outing for trophy salmon & trout on Lake Ontario, Aldo will make sure you have a great time and catch lot’s of fish.  You can contact him at, niagarafishingadventures@gmail.com .

My fishing partner (Dad), is unable to fish for a few
months due to a serious injury to his harm.  So, I had the pleasure of
fishing bass opening day this past Saturday with my wife Amanda and
sister Dana Patterson. Photo Collage Link below:
http://gallery.me.com/pattersonminnema#100076&bgcolor=black&view=grid

This past Thursday prior to bass opening, I picked up my new used little
fishing boat in Powassan, ON.  We stayed the night in North Bay, ON
before heading back down toward Apsley, ON for bass opening.  The
mayflies were certainly out in force in North Bay.  

We fished Long Lake just south of Apsley, ON and landed a couple
smallmouth bass.  Amanda was lucky enough to haul in a very nice smallie
which weighed in just over two pounds on a Northland Fishing Tackle
Whistler Jig tipped with a live worm. 

Later in the day, we tried our luck on Apsley Lake.  I was able to land
a nice sized largemouth on a small chartreuse spinner.  My sister Dana
though, landed three largemouth bass on the same type / colour spinner
baits. 

I can definitely say that I was out – fished by two women.

Ben Patterson

This past Saturday AM I awakened at 3:00 AM to start preparing for my much anticipated outing at Valen’s Conservation Area. I was looking forward to using our 16FT Ocean Kayak on this outing (as I was planning on fishing some of the shallower and weedier areas of the lake). The weather conditions were ideal with light winds and overcast conditions. I’m proud to say I was the first person in line at 4:40 AM on Saturday waiting anxiously to get into the park at 5:00 AM when the gates opened to the public.

I managed to catch and release 12 Largemouth Bass and 5 Pike in approximately 5 1/2 hours. The fish were caught on a varity of lures including Titanium Spinnerbaits and small natural coloured Rapala X Rap’s, as well as some top water lures! 

Seeing Pike, from the seated postion of the kayak in clear water come rushing to the side of the kayak in hot pursuit of my lures was indeed fascinating to say the least.

If you haven’t already checked out your local conservation area you might be pleasantly surprised in terms of what awaits you.

Good fishing and tight lines!

PL

Gabor Horvat reports.  I was fishing on Friday on one of the Southern Ontario reservoirs and had a successful day.  We caught several smaller size pike and caught a nice walleye as well. The water in the reservoirs was high.  I was using the same small crank baits I use on my last trip with good  success, again, fishing close to the weed-lines.

 

The bass opening day on Lake Erie was very hot. Jim and I went there early in the morning but we had plans for the rest of the day, so we also had to leave early. After the very first cast both of us had a fish on.  We used leeches and were drifting with the boat. The smallies were hitting well. Beside us was one boat with a grandfather, father and a young boy (maybe 10-12 years old). They were watching us but having no success. So, Jim and I gave them the last 3 leeches and hoped they would catch some nice smallies, but we left the area so we do not know how did they make out.  All in all it was a very successful day.

Noel Gyger reports.  Weather has been good. Most all rivers are staying in shape.  Fishing for Chinook (King) Salmon, Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout and Dolly Varden Char using both fly, spin and conventional gear has been excellent. It has been awhile since I described fishing in that term.  The Skeena River dropped mid week and fishing for Chinook (King) Salmon is excellent. The Kalum River is in good shape and fishing for Chinook (King) Salmon is fair.  The Kitimat River has been fishable all week.  Chinook are coming in steady with higher tides.  Fishing the outer waters for Chinook and Halibut is good.  The main run of Chinook are coming into the river now. Fishing in the bay is good.  Crab (Dungeness and King) fishing is excellent.  Ocean Chinook fishing in Prince Rupert is good.  Fishing for Halibut is good and so is trapping Crabs and Prawns.  Jason Munday in Terrace reported anglers are catching some nice Chinook on the main stem Skeena River. Marvin Reid from Mezidian North reports lake fishing for Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout is good and the Salmon are starting to show up. Fish are starting to move through the Bulkley River and the water is in good shape. 

 If you would like to book a guided fishing trip with Noel, you can contact him at, www.noelgyger.ca .

Wayne Sheridan reports: Tom Benson (Benny) and his friends had their yearly excursion up to the French River last weekend. Fishing was great for everyone and all had a fantastic time.  River levels continue to be high in western Canada but more stable in Ontario except after heavy thunderstorms. Warmer weather will arrive in time for Canada Day in Ontario.

The USHRA/Saugeen Cedars Family Campground Fishing Tournament will be held September 11, 12, 13th, 2010.   Planning has now started, please contact Pat Hawksworth at Saugeen Cedars.

River Flow Rates: moderate and dropping and clearing. Visibility 3ft

Saugeen River (Durham) dropping at 1.34M, Saugeen River (Walkerton) dropping at 9.5M, Sauble River (Sauble Falls) steady at .985M, Sydenham River (Owen Sound) dropping at 4.6M, Maitland River (above Wingham) up at 10.0M, French River at Woseley Bay at 185.3M, Bronte Creek near Zimmerman dropping at 5.3M, Credit River at Streetsville down at 4.2M, Credit River at Orangeville down at 11.0M, Grand River (Doon), up at 4.0M (below Shand dam) at 1.3M

Prime Fishing Times: Saturday July 3rd, 2010:  5:01am to 7:27am (moon overhead), 5:26pm to 7:52pm (moon underneath).

Flyfishing: Hex, iso, caddis, Trios, yellow stonefly, white duns, bloodworms

Rapala is Top Hard Bait & Fillet Knife – AGAIN
Another Year on Top

Confidence and loyalty go hand-in-hand with respected brands, but they’re not automatic. As a maker of carefully crafted hand-tuned lures and innovative fillet knives, Rapala is proud to be the number one brand, in both categories, for the second straight year.

This is the second annual survey of American anglers by Southwick Associates. The year-long research is scientifically designed and weighted to reflect all U.S. anglers.

Among hard bait options, Rapala was by far the most frequently purchased lure in 2009, making up 30.6 percent of all combined purchases!
Among fishing knives, Rapala was also the top choice, making up 22.6 percent of all purchases in 2009!
We know that our commitment to quality and effectiveness is appreciated, but we never take your loyalty for granted. Thank you- especially these days, when every penny counts- for continuing to choose Rapala.

Source: 2009 Annual Report on AnglerSurvey.com, Southwick Associates, Inc.
http://rapala.ca/news/?id=36

Tracey John Hittel reports. Attached are this weeks Chinook Salmon, as you can see they are fres-run. Not to mention the fish are full of sea and the fight and line peeling fun is second to none. Our first time guests, the pair of Chiropractors from Edmonton hooked some beauties while in the driftboat down the Kitimat as well the Jet Boat tour rewarded the boys with a nice pair.

Today we had our best day of the year, so a nice push of fresh chrome entering the river.

Arriving guests are Steve Hardy from Austria, who will be fishing the fly, our group of 8 from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, guests from Oregon, and repeat clients from Italy. The run of Salmon is proving to be a great start as well Dungeness Crab fishing is awesome, one trap we pulled had 18 keepers, (>6 1/2 inch carapace).

If you would like to book a guided fishing trip with Tracey John, you can contact him at,

tjhittel@telus.net .

I’m sure different fathers celebrated Father’s Day in many different ways.  My wife Barbara & I enjoyed a picnic on the Welland Recreational Canal with our son John, our daughter Patricia and Jessica Chester, her husband Dan and our grandchildren Benjamin & Isabella.   Besides enjoying a great meal in the beautiful weather, we also had a chance to fish with Benjamin.  Benjamin, who will be 3-yrs. old on JUly 4th of this year  is a veteran-angler on the Canal and last year his biggest fish was a 1 1/2 lb. smallmouth bass he caught using a bobber, hook, sinker and worm.  On Sundays outing he had to settle for sunfish, but he had a lot of fun!