What an incredible start to the 2007 Bass season on Lake Simcoe and across southern Ontario. From most reports bass continue to cooperate across our region for Fish On Line Canada readers. Tournaments weights on opening weekend were impressive from the Bay of Quinte to Lake Erie but none came close to the weights of the annual Casey Cup (formerly Phenix Open) on Lake Simcoe. For this avid angler, it all started bright and early with a day of prefishing for that tournament on the opener (Sat. June 23).
Under major cold front conditions I was able to locate some great areas but found only one of them to be productive enough to warrant a return visit the following day. As we are about to read, it was a very memorable event for both anglers and spectators alike…
But just to tease you all a bit …
Let's talk about the weekend before bass season first!
Annual Fathers Day Weekend
Fish On Line Canada readers may recall last year's article and trip to Algonquin Park. Affectionately known as the "All Boyz" weekend when my two sons (aged 21 and 19) along with my two brothers and their sons and some friends and their sons, all head up to Algonquin Park for our traditional camping, canoeing, kayaking and fishing trip. It's a chauvinistic, male bonding, no girls allowed custom we have developed over time when men will be men and boys will be boys. Some may not agree with this principle, (but they weren't invited) and some may have even been offended by the copious instances of proud displays of audible body functions from all the males, (hmm - they weren't invited either) but the ‘all boyz' concept is an important ritual we all look forward to every year and is by ‘invite only'... just so we don't offend anyone of course.
This year, we had the warmest all boyz weekend any of us can ever recall and fortunately the black flies and mosquitoes were not overly active. Unfortunately, with the hot weather and water temps, neither were the lake trout but that was ok because the kids caught plenty of rock bass and we brought along some frozen Lake Simcoe whitefish ‘just in case' for our not-to-be-missed shore lunch.
For the many years we have been going on this trip, the shore lunch has always been a special highlight for all of us and this year we actually had it at the same location we were at a few years ago. Even the younger kids like my nephews Joshua 12 and Cody 11 were excited when they recognized the special spot. It was a portage away from our main camp along a scenic river - with small rapids and the most perfect flat rock for a campfire to cook our fish, sausages and everything else.
While we cooked they fished, explored and played in the unspoiled surroundings of Algonquin's beauty. It was just one of many delicious meals (including a deep fried turkey) that we ate that weekend, but there is just something extra special about having shore lunches in ideal wilderness surroundings, with good food, good friends, and family… There really isn't anything like a good m ol' Canadian shore lunch in an idyllic wilderness setting and regardless of ho many you have or how old you are it's a memory you cherish for ever. If you have never experienced a real Canadian shore lunch then you are honestly missing out, so I urge all Fish On Line Canada readers to make a point of trying to set one up this season.
Ready for the opening of bass story yet?
Me too, but first - have you heard about my trip the week before All Boyz up to North Bay yet?
Well, in early June I attended my first ever Outdoor Writers of Canada (OWC) Conference. After belonging to this national organization of outdoor writers for over 20 years I finally had a chance to make the conference happen. The fact that it was in nearby North Bay - one of my favorite places to visit in Ontario, made the decision even easier. It also didn't hurt that a day of fishing on Lake Nipissing - again one of my favorite lakes, was on the agenda. So too, was a trip a bit further north to lake Temagami for giant lake trout.
My home away from home for the trip was Fairview Camp. I wanted to be able to find a place to camp within the City of North Bay itself that offered a secluded, quite area, and Fairview came through in spades. It was a mere five minute drive to North Bay and the OWC conference. The park offered both electrical and regular camp sites and at only $1 more for electricity per night ($28 per) I went for the electricity.
"Roughing it" was not part of my goal that trip so even though I slept in a large family sized Eureka tent I still had almost all the comforts of home. Considering that I indulged in such luxuries as a 10" thick foam pad to sleep on - with clean sheets and a comforter, the nights were spent sleeping instead of tossing around on a hard ground. Hooking up my little TV, clock radio, electric light, razor, and cell phone charger made the experience a little nicer and with running water for each campsite, clean washrooms and showers close by, it was the perfect set up.
While I was there, I thought what a great place to come to for a fishing trip if you liked camping and wanted to focus on fishing Lake Nipissing. Here you can launch your boat in the LaVase River situated right in the campground and then take your boat right into Nipissing just two kilometres away. For family vacations that camp would be great too if you wanted to enjoy the amenities that a nearby city like North Bay has to offer, yet still kick back at a quite relaxing campground with a swimming pool for the kids and so on. For more details check out: www.fairviewparkcamping.com
The morning of the first day of the conference consisted of very informative sessions by the editors of some of the same magazines that I have written for, for many years. Patrick Walsh from Outdoor Canada, Matt Nichols from Ontario Out of Doors (OOD) and Jerry Hughes from Real Fishing were all there and spoke eloquently about the outdoor writing trade. We then spent the afternoon aboard the Lake Nipissing cruise ship "Chief Commanda", for lunch and a tour of the infamous Manitou Islands. It was the 2nd time I had taken this tour on the Commanda - the first was a couple of years ago while competing in "The Last Cull" - that TV/Fishing Reality Show that is still being aired on WFN. Chris Hockley (who is now an accomplished outdoor writer and was the key organizer of this year's OWC conference) and I reminisced about the times we had on that show - including my early exit and his much longer stint.
The next day it was time to fish! I have spent countless days fishing Nipissing for bass during the summer and fall - and for walleye during the winter - but had yet to experience spring-time walleye fishing which was our goal that morning. Outdoor Writers like me from across the country where treated with some of the finest fishing guides the area has to offer through Rob Hyatt's Guiding Service. Rob also offers On-Ice bungalows during the winter in Calendar Bay - and I can say from personal experience he runs a great operation. Another great ice fishing bungalow business that I can attest to first hand and guiding service is run by my good friend Carl D'amour of North Bay - who it just so happened was the guide I was to fish with that day!
Ace angler and guide Carl D'amour (left) and Wil Wegman proudly show
off a freshwater drum that Wil caught … with Carl's expert tutelage of course!
I have known Carl for many years and we even used to fish tournaments together on both his home lake of Nipissing as well as others like Simcoe and Balsam. Carl and I spent the whole day catching up - and catching plenty of tasty walleye with the help of Grant Hopkins (field editor for OOD) and freelancer Peter Brewster for an incredible shore lunch prepared by Rob's Mom and Dad who run Nanmark Cottages in Calendar Bay.
That afternoon, just for a change of pace, Carl brought us to the picturesque entrance of Wassi Falls - not just to soak in the beauty of the Wassi River where it enters the lake - but to catch some hard fighting silver bass that reside below the falls for a few weeks every year. Casting small jigs and twister tails to the foaming fury we had an absolute blast catching 1-3 pound ‘white' bass on light tackle right below the falls.
Wil lands a typical Lake Nipissing silver bass. White bass are not overly common in Ontario yet some lakes like Nipissing and even parts of Lake Ontario can offer some good spring fishing when regular largemouth and smallmouth bass season is still closed.
The next day it was more seminars from various speakers, including my good friend Gord Pyzer who spoke about expanding your outdoor writing opportunities. That evening during the awards banquet we had a delicious dinner courtesy of the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership. The 2006 Outdoor Writing Awards were handed out and low and behold I even managed to grab one - 1st place for the National Fishing Week writing award for a piece entitled "Environmental Efforts by Anglers Help Sustain Canada's Fisheries" that I wrote for Sun Media newspapers last year (and was reprinted in 2007). The prize consisted of a beautifully engraved mahogany plaque along with a $600.00 cheque. Right after that nice surprise though I got another…
The MC, Chris Hockley, had one of his two cell phones go off while he was up on stage. "How rude", you may think - but it was ok, Chris was the only one permitted to keep his cell on all the days of the conference. Why? Because his wife was "very pregnant" and he had it on "just in case". Everyone in the room hushed as we waited for the news, but it was unlikely that anyone else was as anxious to hear what was going on more than - well me! You see, the next day, Chris and I were planning that fishing trip to Temagami and if he had to go home to a wife that was soon to give birth - well it would change all of our plans. "Darn baby isn't even born yet and is already interfering with fishing plans", someone at the table joked. "Must be a girl", someone else kidded. And wouldn't ya know it, the contractions had begun and our fishing excursion had to be postponed until "a later date". Oh well, it was a pretty exciting ending to a great trip up to beautiful North Bay. (And Chris and his wife are now proud parents of a beautiful baby. Yes, it was a girl!)
For more details about a family vacation or fishing trip to the North bay area check out: www.ontariosnearnorth.on.ca or www.visitnorthbay.ca.
2007 Bass Opener … Finally!
Ok … What made the 2007 Casey Cup Bass Tournament So Special?
For starters what made this opening weekend tournament stand out and even more gosh-darn special than any other year, was that we actually got to fish for God's favorite species on the fourth Saturday in June instead of the last. That's right, despite no new MNR Fishing Reg Summary for 2007, the new opener was in effect across southern and central Ontario a full week earlier and although it won't make much difference most years - it will mean we can fish for bass a week earlier whenever there are five Saturday's in June. Oh my, how we will cherish those years!
This year the tournament changed names - from the Phenix Open to the Casey Cup. The venue also changed locations, from Pefferlaw to the Orillia waterfront - a beautiful place to hold a major fishing tournament. The mouth of the Pefferlaw River (where it was held previously) was ok for smaller events and fewer teams, but this year was different with a full house of anglers on board. Unfortunately, despite Lake Simcoe being a favorite tournament destination there really is only one major city that can host a major tournament of this size - yet many anglers prefer not to have these events out of Barrie because they do not enjoy the oftentimes long rough boat ride out of Kempenfelt Bay to get their fish. The only other alternative is on Lake Couchiching in Orillia - where anglers can choose to stay in that ‘calmer' lake or head for the big waters of Simcoe.
Sunday June 24th began with a special memorial honouring Casey Creber and other noted Lake Simcoe anglers who passed away long before their time. Casey was from Port Bolster on the southeast shores of the lake and passed on in August of 2006 after a long bout with cancer. He definitely was a Lake Simcoe legend and his knowledge of the lake was remarkable. He operated a very successful ice hut operation, inn and restaurant there for 43 years. Casey was also a baitfish harvester for 50 years who ironically enough had no trouble catching bass without any live bait during the many Bassmania Tournaments he fished with his wife Leona. Leona continues to operate the Ice Fishing business, Inn and restaurant today and she also fished the Casey Cup Tournament.
With the sun rising in the background across the shimmering waters of Lake Couchiching, a lone bagpiper played Amazing Grace as 312 anglers, tournament organizers and spectators on shore bowed their heads in silent respect for their departed friends. As soon as the Canadian National Anthem played, Bassmania tournament president Andy Pallotta - began to allow the first flight of boats to depart for their respective waters - Simcoe or Cooch to begin fishing. One at a time - via a trickle start, boats 1-40 blasted off. Long time tournament partner Gerry Heels of Barrie and I were boat number 40.
As one of 39 boats that slowly headed through the Atherly Narrows for Simcoe, I couldn't help but think how many of the 156 two person teams would be fishing the big lake focusing entirely on smallmouth. As it turned out, most did - and for good reason; because on average the Simcoe smallmouth are bigger and more plentiful than either Simcoe or Cooch largemouth - let alone Cooch smallies. In fact some would argue that on average Simcoe smallmouth are quite possibly bigger than anywhere else on the planet based on the last decade or so of tournament results and the fact that the lake currently holds the Canadian one day tournament record at 29.90 pounds for five bass (all smallmouths).
Anyway, Gerry and I had an absolute blast catching and releasing lots of big beautiful smallmouth in an area made up of rock, weed and sand. As is typically the case for early season bass fishing the fish were relatively shallow - between 5-10 feet. Only one bass was caught on a jerk bait (no live bait allowed) and the rest all came from slower moving tube jigs worked along bottom. We did not see any sign of bass still spawning although a small handful of teams reported that there were a few around despite the warm spring. Two of these anglers, Doug Brownridge and Mike Desforges, teamed up together and combined their incredible knowledge and skills to eventually win the tournament and the big $10,000 first place cheque. We caught up with Mike and he was able to recount the entire day for Fish On Line Canada readers:
"With only one day to pre-fish if it was difficult to establish a real solid game plan for the tournament. The important thing we learned though was that the majority of the fish were off the beds and out of the real shallow water. We had fortunately spotted a couple good fish on beds and we planned on trying for them early. If we got a few of those bedding fish we planned on fishing areas that had historically produced big fish for Doug and my self.
With a 156 boats in the tournament we were quite concerned about getting on the right spots before too many other competitors had fished them. Therefore instead of going to our bedding fish first we tried a real popular shoal on the way to see if we could pick off a couple of good easy fish first thing in the morning. On our first spot we got about a 3 ½ pound smallie on a spinnerbait in a few feet of water. That was the only fish we saw so we left.
We than went and picked off a couple of our bedding fish. One was a 4 pounder and the other was a 4 ¾ pound fish that made it to the scales at the end of the day. Although I believe the bass had already spawned, they were still protecting nests in about three feet of water, we got them to bite a Bass Pro Shops Tender Tube.
With three fish weighing about 12 pounds we went and tried for some deeper fish that hopefully would be a little bigger. After about an hour of fishing 7 to 15 feet of water all we had to show for it were a couple of two pounders and then we had on what seemed to be a solid fish but it came unbuttoned. Instead of trying to wait them out we figured we'd better try and fill out our limit with a couple other bedding fish first. We went to another shallow area without any luck and than went in an area with a mixture of rock and weed and picked off another 4 ¾ pound fish on a bed in about five feet of water; this one fell for a drop-shot rig.
Now we were realizing that most of our better fish were coming off beds so we went to an area with scattered boulders that we hadn't pre-fished to see if we could find a few other bedding fish that could help our bag. The area had already been "raped" by several other boats in the area but we still managed to pick off a three and four pound fish with a drop-shot in about 5 feet of water.
With our smallest fish in the livewell being about four pounds we decided to take a shot at some deeper fish again. Doug started throwing a jerkbait in about 10 feet of water and called a few fish up but couldn't catch them. We threw a drop-shot and a tube to them but they weren't interested. We stayed in the area for a while and we finally hooked a toad on a jerkbait. We got it in the boat and I thought we had ourselves a six pound plus fish, we that actually tipped the scales later on at 5.78. Shortly after that Doug nailed another 4 ¾ pound fish in the same area on a jerkbait. We continued fishing the area some more and although we saw a few more come up it didn't really seem like they were all that interested in eating. We didn't catch anymore fish and went in with what we hoped would be enough to win or at least do very well. Fortunately for us it was just enough!"
Despite all the teams the weigh in went very smoothly but we soon learned that there were an incredible number of bags in the 21 and 22 pound range. It really was a sight to behold as angler after angler came in with bass that would average 4-5 pounds. All in all there were an incredible 40 teams that weighed in 20 pounds or better … and just to put that into perspective in most other southern/central Ontario lakes a 20 pound bag will win you the tournament. But then again, most other lakes can't claim to be Canada's top trophy smallmouth bass factory either.
Wil and tournament partner Gerry Heels prepare
to weigh in their fish.
Wil and Gerry will be fishing the entire BassmaniaWestern Series in 2007 - as well as two Wild Cards at the Bay of Quinte.
Photo by Rosa Sharpe courtesy of Lures and Tours
COMPETITIVE SPORT FISHING LEAGUE BASSMANIA TOURNAMENT TRAIL
CASEY CUP WILDCARD QUALIFIER - LAKE SIMCOE
JUNE 24, 2007 - COUCHICHING PARK, ORILLIA
Top 25 Teams
Position Angler Co-Angler Weight Big Fish
1 MIKE DESFORGES DOUG BROWNRIDGE 24.22 - $10 000
2 SCOTT MURISON JOEY MUSZYNSKI 24.16 $5000
3 BRIAN GARDY BRENT COTTON 23.84 $4000
4 JOHN MACDONALD JIM MACDONALD 23.64
5 CHRIS VANDERMERE JEFF SLUTE 23.64
6 JAMES BEAUPRE JOE ADRAGNA 23.3 4.9 LM
7 ROD FREIBURGER PETE BARTONEK 23.26
8 WES FOSTER TIM ELLIS 23.16 5.9 LM & OA
9 MORGAN CIGNINI ALEX D'ANGELO 22.76
10 JEFF EVANS DAVE JOHNSON 22.74
11 BARRY GRAVES JASON GOUGH 22.72
12 DAN MCMULLEN ROBIN MCMULLEN 22.6
13 KELLY MATTHEWS STEVE DELYEA 22.58
14 LAWREN WETZEL KYLE HEELS 22.42 (Kyle is Gerry's 17 year old son)
15 GREG KLATT ROB OUTRAM 22.4
16 TOM NEVILLE CAM NEVILLE 22.22
17 FERNAND PELTIER BRENT VALERE 22.16
18 MIKE MILLER PETE BOWMAN 22.14
19 DAN DUNN GARNET ARMITAGE 22.12
20 JASON GREENTREE RICHARD KAZIMIERCZUK 22.1
21 WIL WEGMAN GERRY HEELS 21.92
22 MIKE TOMISON MARK TOMISON 21.8
23 DALLAS CHARTERS JOHN CHARTERS 21.74
24 CHRIS HOCKLEY DAN MEWS 21.72
25 NICK COUSVIS BERNARD BALIAN 21.64
Notables
31 BOB IZUMI DARREN IZUMI 21.24
48 ROCKY MADSEN JOSHUA DOJOY 19.34
Total pay-out - $37 500
Wil Wegman
