Pike -- Muskie??

By: Steve Cegielski, All-Canada Show Operations Manager
Back a few years I had the privilege of fishing the waters of Shoal Lake. Shoal Lake is connected to Lake of the Woods near Kenora, ON. We stayed at Shoal Lake Lodge and harassed the Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass all week.

Bass were not feeding the first half of the week, so we trolled the depths of Shoal Lake looking for active Pike. Many 35”plus Pike took the 9-13” Grandma baits that week including my heaviest pike to date – 25lb monster.

Even though Muskie are common on certain parts of Lake of the Woods we didn’t hook any that week, unless you consider the picture of an unusual looking fish my friend Jeff caught, a Muskie? Strange looking Pike, we figure it’s some sort of cross between a Pike and a Muskie?

I’ve asked a few locals to the area about the fish and nobody can give me an explanation or reason for the unusual fish. This fish was released, so I hope someone has the chance to land this unique trophy in a larger size this summer.

Record Ice Out Northwestern Ontario

By, Rodney Schlafer Show Director – All-Canada Show - It is official … reports from Northwestern Ontario as far north as Red Lake are saying the ice is on the move, setting record for earliest ice out ever . Bill Pryndic from Golden Hook camp sent me these photos of the ice moving out (April 11, 2010) of the bay in front of his camp on Gull Rock Lake.


Allen and Audrey from Fireside Lodge posted a video on their FACEBOOK page of the ice moving on their lake near Sioux Lookout Ontario. You can actually hear the ice moving.

Enid and Hugh from Viking Island Lodge posted a video on their BLOG of Hugh taking off on ice and landing on the river. Very cool to see a Float Plane taking off on the ice.

Well it looks like things are shaping up to be a great spring…if you have not already booked your Canadian fishing trip, check out our WEBSITE with over 300 of Canada’s best fishing and hunting lodges.

Ice out Pike here I come!

Canada fishing opener will be HOT

Norm McCreight, All-Canada Show spokesperson - It wasn't long ago that I was heading north to Winnipeg thru North Dakota and Minnesota admiring their snow cover. Every year the flood waters of the Red River Valley seem to haunt us. This year they had lots of snow, but nothing compared to the past. Right now the river has ceased rising and flooding isn't going to happen…great news.

NW Ontario ice-out is going to be early…in fact the Fort Francis Times is reporting Rainy Lake could set an all-time record for early ice-out, so ice will be all gone well before normal. This is a far cry from last year’s late ice-out.

Yesterday my friend Stan and I went for a run to the east side of Manitoba. The rivers are open and have been open for a while and the lakes have candled and are ready to go as soon as the wind blows. Northwestern Ontario is in the same shape.

This spring though looks like one of those no brainers…the fishing should be HOT everywhere. Early ice-out means an early spawn and quicker spawning period. We can have a true spring opener with walleye and northern in a consistent pattern just like I say in my seminars. My first three trips will be in Northwestern Ontario; two in lakes and one river system. I’ll use soft baits for the walleye and faster plugs and spoon for the pike. I’ll probably start off with medium size baits.

A slow presentation is my preferred starting point and then I’ll speed it up and see what the fish react to the best, and that should get me results quickly. All my reels are back from the repair shop all cleaned and ready to go. Next up though is our annual turkey hunt…gobble, gobble, gobble!!!

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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.

Canadian Lodges who like to Blog

By, Rodney Schlafer Show Director - I love reading blogs…it is such a great way to keep up on what is happening in your world. In the past year some of the lodges have started to blog about their everyday happenings. I find some lodges keep up on weekly bases some even a daily bases. And some start them and just do not write at all. Blogs in the summer time are great so you can keep up with the bite. Lodges that do blog on fishing reports gets the blood pumping for their anglers adding to the excitement of their upcoming trip!

This spring is especially been fun reading the blogs to keep up with Ice conditions and by the sounds of it we may be in for record ice off in towns like Red Lake, Ontario. Some of the locals are predicting “Ice Out” to be April 19th…and that means great ice off pike fishing the first of May. See my picture above of me with an early Ontario spring pike 2008 Gull Rock Lake near Red Lake…

Here are some links to some of my favorite blogs:
Viking Outposts
Vermillion Bay Lodge
Ignace Outposts
Thunderbird Lodge
Rainbow Point Lodge

If you have any other lodge blogs email me rod@allcanda.com so I can check them out!

Duct Tapes saves the day!

Joel Prunty, Media Manager - We found this article in Nestor Falls Fly-in Outposts March newsletter…During a private "fly-in" fishing excursion in the Alaskan wilderness a chartered pilot and fishermen left a cooler and bait in their bushplane while fishing. A nearby bear smelled the food and bait and decided to tear their plane apart to get at it.

The pilot used his radio and had another pilot bring him 2 new tires, 3 cases of duct tape, and a supply of sheet plastic. He patched the plane together, and FLEW IT HOME!

Now Dave Beaushene, owner of Nestor Falls Fly-in Outposts says he won’t second guess all the fisherman packing Duct Tape this summer!