Summer is coming to an end

By: Jennifer Young, owner All-Canada Show

School shopping, teacher lists, school supplies, it sounds to me like summer is coming to an end for all of those children and teachers who have had the months of June, July, and August.

I come from a long line of teachers: my grandmother Hutchison, my mom, multiple aunts, two sisters (Cecilia and Theresa), my mother-in-law, and my husband are teachers. It is fun when they get together because the conversation usually goes back to the classroom or their "kids".

My sister, Theresa, says summer is like a weekend: June is Friday, July is Saturday, and August is like Sunday.



Hopefully all of us have spent quality time with our loved ones this summer. Summers pass by so quickly and when you look back sometimes years fly by. Take your family to Canada this year...don't wait. The memories will last a lifetime.

Happy 50th!

Joel Prunty, media manager, All-Canada Show – I’m on vacation this week celebrating my 50th birthday (thanks Rod for posting my blog). And, at such a milestone it is hard not to reflect on where I have been.

Where I have been – as it relates to this blog – is some of the most incredible fishing spots in Canada…no make that the world. These fishing milestones the past 20 years would not have happened without the support of Jennifer Young, All-Canada Show president and Dave Hutchison, the show founder. Thank you.

Some adventures were with new acquaintances and some with my closest friends and family. Some were in the dog days of summer where we fought to catch shore lunch and some were during the best fishing of the year. Regardless, every single trip to Canada has been successful and each is cherished.

Looking ahead, I envision another 20 years of adventure with great longing. Imagine all the potential trophies my casts will entice, all the camaraderie to be shared and all the cigars to be smoked!

The fish picture above is one of my favorites because it was totally unexpected and just like fishing, some of life’s best experiences are unexpected as well.

I hope you enjoy another 50 years for fishing adventures too! Cheers, Joel

Catch More Fish During Mayfly Hatch

Joel Prunty - Media Manager All-Canada Show - Reports from across Northwest Ontario and Central Manitoba say the Mayfly hatch is starting and will be in full swing next week.

Fishing during a mayfly hatch can prove to be difficult. However, if you change up your technique you can still catch plenty of fish. Fish areas where mayflies are hatching such as mud flats, and shallow where water temps rise first. Try larger baits using an aggressive approach such as tipping a jig with a crawler and using an erratic twitching movement. Remember walleye will be feeding on mayflies and this agressive technique will entice them to strike. We also like to troll crankbaits on the weed edge or just on the edge of mud flats during the mayfly hatch.

Do not use the annual “hatch” as an excuse; use your tackle to catch more fish!

May is around the corner - here comes "Spring Trip"

By: Jennifer Young, owner of the All-Canada Show

The Spring flew by with some weird weather, hot as August then cold as December. We never really seemed to get our Spring in stride and now May will be here in a few days.

Rodney is driving up to Ontario for the All-Canada Show version of "Spring Trip" (nothing like the college version). This consists of traveling North and visiting over 100 camps, lodges, and outfitters in a week. Rodney will be attending the annual KDCA (Kenora Disctrict Camp Association) dinner http://www.kdca.ca/ on Friday night, April 30th.

Then he will travel up to Red Lake for the annual Red Lake Sportsman Dinner. www.tourismredlake.ca

Not only is it fun to control the satellite radio and jam out to his own music for a week, Rod will also not have anyone (mostly me) telling him what to do. Best of all he will get to see our show exhibitors face to face and visit new potential customers and see how they have their camps set up. He will also discuss their marketing plans with them. As a final bonus, Rod should be able to fish for some huge pike on Saturday. He will be posting photos very soon. I hope that he catches a big one!

Portable Depth Finder

By: Steve Cegielski, All-Canada Show Operations Manager
Walleye fishing usually revolves around contact with the lake bottom. With that in mind the single most important tool while walleye fishing in my opinion is the depth finder. I would venture to bet consiously or subconsiously the average fisherman peeks at the depth finder over a 1000 times on a day walleye adventure.
Of course my boat is set-up with the highest quality depth finder units I can afford, but my fish finders must travel when I venture north of the border on our annual Canadian fishing trips. I've experimented over the years with portable depth finders. I've gone from a homemade wooden box with board and c-clamp to hold the transducer to a lighter weight pack and suction cup transducer model made by Cabelas. The new case and suction cup model reduces the ever important weight issue on a Canadian Fly-In adventure. I'll admit I was a leary of the suction cup, but if you clean the transom and place right at the water line you'll struggle to remove at weeks end.
As the boats captain, my hand is on the tiller, a quick glance at the depth finder confirms the depth. Of course my fishing partner is always guessing, and I got tired of the questioning all day long "How deep is it?" My solution was to rig up a second depth finder for my partner. Don't worry the driver still holds the upper hand, because the transducer is still located on the transom. The passanger is always fishing old water, but at least the depth questions stop. Now I have fellow Canadian travelers asking to partner up for a days fishing. Be the hero this summer in Canada and rig up dual finders.

Spring Bear

By: Steve Cegielski, Operations Manager
Spring hunting oppurtunities are limited in the states to turkey hunting and shed antler hunting. Hunting fanatics look for every excuse in the books to break out the rifle or bow to challenge our hunting instincts year round. How about going north for a spring bear hunt. Some Canadian Provinces offer spring bear hunts. Time is ticking...time to book that bear hunt. Spring might have sprung in the states but Canadian have to wait until mid-May to early June before winter is gone. Most spring bear hunts take place in late May or early June. Spring bears tend to be lighter weight, but their hides are less rubbed and shine from a long winter nap. Sure it's great to shoot a 500 pound bear, but as we all know the skull measurement is all that counts in the record books. After you've booked that spring bear hunt check out our website http://www.allcanada.com/ Clicking on the hunting button offer tons of Canadian hunting tips and info including packing lists used by All-Canada staff. Have a great hunt and be sure to send me your photos.

Walleye #1 2010

By: Steve Cegielski, Operations Manager
Winter 2010 is officially over in many ways. The All-Canada Show route is a distant memory with talk of 2011 shows being discussed around the office. Also the winter weather as let its grip on Wisconsin slip away….spring is here. Spring means only one thing….walleye fishing. With the early spring the rivers all across Wisconsin are going to be free of ice at least 2 weeks early. Got the boat out last weekend and the official start to the fishing season of 2010 was yesterday. Weather was perfect on the Fox River, but a stiff north wind slowed the walleye action. Not a great start, but did land the first walleye of the new year. I hate to start out to strong…..would rather build momentum until I head north to Canada -- walleye fishing paradise. Hopefully I can tune my fishing skills a couple walleyes this spring and head into Canada ready for the action. Time to plan that adventure before time slips away.

Moose Bay Trading Updates

By:Steve Cegielski,All-Canada Show Operations Manager

Always looking for ways to improve the All-Canada Show, as the Operations Manager I’m in charge of building the new displays you see at the show. This year I’ve decided to concentrate on the Gift Shop.

Our display racks needed improvement from a traveling aspect to an appearance outlook. Our lure racks were very time consuming to set-up and teardown and our t-shirt displays were none existent.

15 sheets of BCX plywood later, we now have displays that should handle the rigors of 11 All-Canada Shows in 2010.

Brian, our gift shop manager, will be able to roll these crates in and out of his 20ft enclosed trailer and be ready for business in a few minutes. Don’t want to make life to easy for Brian, but he earned alittle break after all the hard work from last years shows.

Stop by the gift shop at the All-Canada Show next winter to check out the new racks and of course pick up some souvenirs and tackle for your next trip north of the border.

Live Bait - Crawlers

By: Steve Cegielski, Operations Manager
When it comes to live bait, minnows, crawlers, and leeches all have their place. Minnows are hard to keep alive, and don’t stay on the hook. Leeches can’t be taken across the Canadian border and are very expensive. So that leaves crawlers as the bait of choice for late summer Canadian fishing trips.

Of course each lakes fish tend to prefer one over the other, but usually crawlers will be the most consistent during late summer bite.

You can buy crawlers in large quanities (500 crawlers to a flat) in the states and transport at a low cost. A flat of crawlers cost about $50-60.00 dollars. You must use artificial bedding to transport across the border. Crawlers are easy to keep alive….cool damp environment is the key.

I’ll use whole crawlers to back troll using two hook crawler harnesses seems to work the best. Some guys will even enject the crawler with air to give buoyancy.

When it comes to jigging I prefer to cut crawlers in half and insert the hook into the crawler just like a twister tail. Let the remainder of the crawler dangle like a twister tail. I’ve found a whole crawler allows the walleye to short bite and steal the bait.

I once witnessed a guy caught 8 walleyes on the same half crawler…hard to keep crawler meat on the hook that long…..hungry walleyes.

Yukon Fishing Adventure

By: Jennifer Young, All-Canada Show President

Yukon Trip more than expected

My husband, Jeff, my sister, Cecilia and her husband, Matt and I flew to Wolf Lake Lodge in the Yukon this July.

We had so much fun. We learned how to fly fish for arctic grayling. We also fished for lake trout and northern pike (at the outpost May Lake). Check out the YouTube video. You will see the beautiful scenery. Feel the waves at your feet and the wind on your face.

The shorelunch is something that can’t be beat. Fresh cooked fish with all the fixins.

Come to the All-Canada Show (www.allcanadashow.com) in 11 cities in the Midwest US and read the full feature story in All-Canada Adventures magazine.

Kids in Canada

Steve Cegielski, All-Canada Show, operations manager - Back from our family trip to Pipestone Outpost. We flew 239 miles northeast of Emo, Ontario to enjoy a week at Kenoji Lake outpost. Mike and Renae have been long time All-Canada Show exhibitors, and it was my turn to write the family article in All-Canada Adventures for 2010.

My brother, his wife Kristine, and their two boys Blake and Riley joined my wife and our two boys Ben and Max on a trip that none of us will soon forget.

Great flight in the DeHavilland Otter float plane. We were worried that the young boy’s ages 5,6,7,8 years old would have a motion sickness issue, but no problem….they all fell asleep to the vibrations of the Otter.

Never to young to learn the art of walleye jigging and casting for pike…..we accomplished both. Maybe not in record speed, or endurance, but fishing ruled the week.

Now a veteran of “Kids in Canada” I have many tips and tricks to make the trip go smoothly.

Number one “safety”….lifejackets that fit and are comfortable are a must.

2. Travel to far end of lake right away in the morning and work your way back to camp.

3. Keep moving….no 3 hour jigging session over a lake hump….”boring dad”

4. Bring rubber boots...wet feet ends a perfectly good day on the water.

5 Most importantly….bring lots of snacks in the boat.

Take a kid fishing, you won’t be disappointed

Steve