Proper Boat Control means Jigging Success for Walleyes

Walleye fishing is something I am passionate about especially at the tournament level. My most successful days are usually quite windy or areas of heavy current. When it comes to jigging, staying vertical is where it is at for trophy walleyes. I grew up on the St Marys River system which varies in current speed from 1 mph - 4 mph in different areas. Now throw the wind into that equation and the perfect storm is created when testing your boat control skills. My boat is a 19ft Crestliner Raptor which is a Deep "V", this means a lot of the boat is out of the water. A great sail for the wind!

The keys to my success can be utilizing the electric trolling motor and 9.9 hp kicker at the same time. Speed and timing play a big factor is getting the right setup. Sometimes I am even running my kicker in reverse and the electric in forward motion. It gives me more control on where I am going and speed. The proper electric trolling motor is really important. I am running a Minn Kota 101 lb thrust terrova with the "I" pilot system. The 36 volt system gives me the power and battery hours needed for a long day on the water fighting current and winds. This motor also has many features that I will discuss in another report that can lead to success in the boat. All I can say is practice makes perfect. You need to figure out your drifting speed first before you can start planning your tactics for boat control and maintaining vertical contact with the bottom. Sometimes I have the nose of the boat pointed with the current and sometimes the nose is pointing upstream. Every system and condition is different.

Once you have mastered boat control, vertical jigging will allow you to have your presentation in front of those trophy walleyes longer. A big lazy walleye cannot resist an easy meal. Play with different size jig heads as well. I typically use a 3/8 oz in heavy current if I can get away with it. Don't be afraid to use a 1/2 oz if it is needed, very important to have that vertical presentation and contact with the bottom. This will increase your success at bagging more trophy walleyes in some of your favourite spots.

Shane Turcotte
http://www.gethookedontario.com/

Canada's Premier & Largest Walleye Trail is preparing for another season!

A new season is upon us as the 2012 Princecraft Northern Ontario Walleye Trail(http://www.nowt.ca/) prepares for another year of success.  As Vice-President of this organization, I have seen this Walleye Trail continue to grow in popularity each year.  As Canada's largest walleye trail with over 900 anglers on a yearly basis, an opportunity to meet many amazing people is without a doubt one of the reasons I do this.  The friendships I have been able to create on this trail will last forever.  Every year I am like a little kid waiting for Christmas as I count down the days until the first tournament.  First tournament means, catching up with old friends and making new friends.  That nervous feeling you get in your stomach on the first day of the tournament lets you know you have arrived and it is time to deliver.

This year's trail will be comprised of 6 tournaments spanning June until the end of September.  Approximately $150,000 will be given out this year to the top anglers for each event.  Registration fees run anywhere from $200-$350 per tournament.  This makes each tournament affordable for all to participate and allows for others to sample that competitve fishing edge.  You can also fish with a different partner each tournament if you like or fish wiht someone consistently, choice is yours.  Many anglers are competing for the coveted Angler of the Year honours.  Anglers only need to fish 3 events to qualify for bragging rights.  These tournaments are live release and the NOWT works hard to deliver zero mortality for each event.  All events are 2 day total weight tournaments.  All events are 6 fish per day(2 over 18.1 in and 4 under) per team with the exception of Sault Ste Marie.  Sault Ste Marie is a 5 fish limit with no upper slot, only a 15 inch minimum.  This creates some large weights and large fish.  The trail stops are: Mattagami First Nations(Gogama Area), Dubreuilville, Geraldton, Sault Ste Marie, Kapuskasing and Sagamok First Nations(Espanola/Massey area). Check out the site for dates at http://www.nowt.ca/.  Registrations are already being accepted for each event and these tournaments typically fill up fast.

This trail has also caught the attention of many great anglers and major manufacturers within the industry.  Some Northern Ontario Walleye Trail anglers have been named to Team Canada to represent our great country against some of the most notable Walleye Anglers in the business.  AIM's Canada vs USA walleye championship will be a much hyped and anticipated event of the year for our Trail anglers.  This will be a true opportunity to compete against the best and get a true measure of one's ability.  Being a good Angler is only one of the credentials necessary to represent Team Canada.  Other credentials as important and even sometimes more important are: team participation, willingness to share information, personality, professionalism, positive attitude, personal sacrifice, and strong representation for the country.

Be a part of this trail and you will have the opportunity to meet many great anglers.  As an angler you will also share in one of Canada's best kept secrets, the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail.  Scenic landscape, incredible fishing and great people!

Shane Turcotte
Vice-President Northern Ontario Walleye Trail

Clam Outdoors making the Ice Fishing experience fun for the whole family!

Over the last couple of years I have been using Clam Outdoors products religiously for my Ice Fishing adventures.  These products have been clearly designed with the angler in mind and the weather conditions that can exist.  Ice Fishing for me has changed in many ways over the years.  I have a 6 yr daughter who likes to tag along with her Dad to try her hand at catching dinner.  It is very important to me that weather conditions don't necessarily dictate the level of fun we are going to experience on any given day. 

Currently I am using a pop up shelter called the "Summit Thermal" which is approximately 6 x 8 in dimension.  It packs up very nicely in a bag and fits nicely in most sleighs.  It litterally takes me 3-5 minutes to setup on the ice and is easy to move throughout the day.  In windy conditions, there is an anchor kit that comes with the shelter.  It has 48 sqft of fishable area so that 2-3 anglers can fish very comfortably.  The shelter is made entirely of a Thermal IceArmor fabric that provides an excellent insulation value with the ability to keep your shelter 30 degrees F warmer then your typical ice shelters.  I am heating my shelter with a small propane heater in intervals(careful some heaters require proper ventilation) throughout the day.  I would say 95% of the time I don't have my jacket on inside, too warm.  I have even slept on the ice overnight in this shelter with comfort.  No worries of the kids getting cold and really makes for an enjoyable day on the ice for all.

Clam makes many different types of shelters for all kinds of different applications.  They also have lots of great accessories that can enhance the shelter experience.  Check out Clam Outdoors at http://clamoutdoors.com/ to see how they can outfit you and your family.

Shane Turcotte

http://www.gethookedontario.com/ 

A lure forgotten but a resume of success, "The Swedish Pimple"!

Okay I will admit, this is a lure that I haven't focused a lot of attention on for some time.  Some people still use this lure as religion for their fishing success.  This lure was always a key component in my tackle box when I was young.  Over time I tried many other types of lures and slowly got away from a lure that always provided success in any outing.  I recently teamed up with C.G. Emery which is the only distributor for the Original Swedish Pimple.  Too my surprise this lure now comes in an array of colours that can be used for all applications.  The colours that have peaked my interest are the: blue ice, gold ice and pink ice plus many others.  They also come is many different sizes from 1/10 oz to 2 oz depending on your conditions. 

This lure in incredibly versatile and can be used in numerous techniques.  My favourite use for this lure is spring and fall jigging for walleye.  I actually aggressively jig this spoon and the results are phenomenal.  Walleye and many other species viciously attack this lure on the fall down.  Summer fishing with the Swedish Pimple can provide success as well but I change things up a little bit.  I remove the treble hook and create a 12 inch lead with a 2 hook harness.  This is a Lake Trout killer when trolled with a 3 inch smelt pattern Gulp minnow on a downrigger, really excellent action.  My favourite time of year for the Swedish Pimple is ice fishing.  This lure is my go to in the winter for jigging up trophies.  I change it up in many ways that some haven't tried.  It is deadly by actually fishing this lure upside down, the red tag and treble hook to the top rather than the bottom for Whitefish.  Whitefish seem to strike often and harder with this techinique.  Another techinique includes a small 4 inch lead plus a single hook for a more still fishing application with an aggressive jig every so often.

Make sure you stock on some of these Multi Species lures for your ice fishing outings this winter.  The Swedish Pimple will always bring success!

Shane Turcotte

Walleye fishing in November in Sault Ste Marie

Today was a beautiful day on the water in Sault Ste Marie, especially for November! The fishing was pretty good too.  We were kept busy all day with pike and got some decent walleye in between. It was pleasure to deliver a great experience to my Cousin Brian and close Family friend Louie(king on the boat sandwich) from Parry Sound.  Key tools to our outing today were my Radioworld Electronics(Lowrance HDS 10 with Structure Scan & Navionics Fish & Chip), Northland Tackle's #6 shiner baitfish blade, #7 Flicker shads and Offshore Tackle's planer boards. 

Check out Brian with this nice meal, caught on a #7 Flicker Shad

Winds picked up at the end of the day, Crestliner's 1850 Raptor powered by Mercury's 175 Pro Xs kept us safe and handled the rough water with Ease!

Here is Louie with a nice 21 inch walleye caught on a #6 Shiner Baitfish blade from Northland Tackle.  We were trolling between 1.6-1.8 mph.

If you are looking for a great time on the St Marys River system in Sault Ste Marie, check Hooked Professional Guide Services http://www.gethookedontario.com/

Sault Ste Marie Walleye on the St Marys River System!

Walleye fishing in Sault Ste Marie on the St Marys River system is really starting to heat up.  I spent two days(July 15th & 16th) on this system and really produced some great numbers.  The weights have been incredible with my average being around 4 lbs.  To give you a visual, a 5 fish bag for each day was around 23-25 lbs.  Of course all fish are thrown back.  We do keep the odd 18 or 19 incher but I really do promote fish conservation.  All fish have come on Offshore Tackle's OR 12 planer board with Tattle Flag upgrade and the OR18 release upgrade.  This is the ultimate board setup that will allow for maximum success in any kind of walleye bite situation.  All fish came on Northland Tackle's #3 & #4 holographic blades and 5mm holographic beads tipped with a full length crawler.

A little bit of wind was key for each day in producing the solid numbers. Surface water temperature was excellent at 70 F.  If you are looking for a great time on the water catching some decent walleyes give me call.  Visit my site at http://www.gethookedontario.com/ for contact information and details around a fun filled day of hooking some nice walleye.  You will not be disappointed!

             

Fishing with Gary Parsons

Recently I had a great opportunity to spend the day with one of the most recognized walleye anglers in the world.  Mr Parsons was in town to do some prefishing for the next AIM event out of Bay Mills casino.  The tournament takes place on the St Marys River system and Lake Superior.  Lots of water to cover.  Our time was spent on the St Marys River searching for big "Eyes".  Before Gary arrived I was on some big walleyes using a 3/8 oz jig and Berkley gulp minnow(smelt pattern).  I was really hoping to put him on some fish.  A cold front moved in and things really shut down.  The day lead to some nice pike being caught and a catfish.  No walleyes were caught on this day but great conversation and a peak into the life of the man who now has the most popular fishing show called "The Next Bite".  I wasn't surprised by the fact he is a normal guy who really has a passion about keeping the sport alive and well.  As a pro angler myself striving to go to the next level, it was surprising to see a man fighting to keep his dream alive as well.  Just because he is Gary Parsons doesn't mean he doesn't work hard to keep his business going.  He is on the water as much as needed so that he can continue fishing for a living.  He explained there is no free passes, just hard work.  This is man who has designed Rods for Bass Pro Shops and Baits for Berkley, better known as the "flicker shad".  These days Mr Parsons spends his time working on a succeeful TV show(The Next Bite), FLW walleye tour and the AIM walleye circuit.  He also spends time giving back to the anglers because he understands the industry better than anyone and getting back to the grassroots ensures a healthy future.  Although we didn't catch any walleye that day, I did take some tips away about fishing and also about how the fishing business works.  I hope to get out with him again in the future.  For me this was a life highlight and something I can talk about forever.  A true gentlemen and ambassador to our great sport.

Visit my site at http://www.gethookedontario.com/ for my stories and tips.