Wednesday, July 31, 2013

2013 Kingston Canadian Open - What you may have missed!



The Kingston Canadian Open held it's fourth annual event this past weekend in beautiful down town Kingston, Ontario. As usual this event drew some of the biggest names in Canadian fishing (and a few American ones). Like with any major tournament the events success is measured by the quality of the anglers in the field and of course the quantity and quality of the fish they catch, but to me, this is not what makes the Kingston Canadian open great.. here are a few things you may have missed if you just focused on the fish



Fishing is a family Sport:


A good portion of the crowd taking in the Open this year consisted of families. families out enjoying a nice day along the Kingston water front, families of the anglers cheering on their husband, wife, father or mother, and of course Canada's first family of fishing was also in the house, with Bob Izumi, brother Wayne and son Darren all competing in the Open. (Bob's wife was also on hand as well as his niece and WFN host Mariko Izumi)

On top of all the families in the crowd, some anglers also took this opportunity to bring their kids up on stage with them. Anglers such as Barry Graves (above) and Josh Myers (below) allowed their kids to share in some of their success and pose for the cameras. Angler Mike Brown's son stole the show when he showed off his comedic talent by taking the mic and shouting gibberish for as long as they would let him.. you can tell he has some of that Russell Peters blood in his veins (for those who don't get the reference Mike and Russell are cousins) 





Sportsmanship is alive & well


One of the awesome things I took away from the 2013 open is the level of sportsmanship and respect these anglers show to one another. Each time top spot on the leader board changed up, the anglers would go out of their way to congratulate the new leader, (even if you were the one he replaced). Guys would shake hands and say good luck, maybe offer some good natured ribbing. But one thing was certain, they like and respect each other, and what they have accomplished. It was fun to watch when an angler waiting in line to weigh in had a large bag of fish as you would actually see other anglers gather around to pat him on the back or stare in awe at his/her collection of fish. 

One of the best moments for me was watching Pro Erny Janzen celebrating this day-3 (19.10lbs) bag, by jumping, shouting and hugging his partner, not because it helped him personally, but because it propelled his partner Cal Climpson into the top spot on the Am side. Erny himself was well out of contention as a pro but his excitement around helping his partner was truly contagious, and something I will never forget



(Cal Climpson and Corey Ruttan shake hands after Cal knocks Corey out of first place)




The Women of the Canadian Open


Back in 2012 I watched Jennifer Fullard take the stage as the only female angler  participating in the Open. She definitely held her own in the male dominated field (of 80) and it appears she may even have been a bit of an inspiration as two more ladies signed on for 2013.. Yvonne Brown and Dina Emery joined Jennifer this year in representing Canadian women on the water. All three of them performed extremely well, Yvonne took home 5th place, Dina 13th and Jennifer 28th

Nice job ladies, lets hope the trend continues and we see 7 (or more) women competing in the 2014 event



(Jennifer Fullard was paired up with fellow Dobyns Rods team member Ryan Susanna on day 3)


For the Kids:

I touched on this a bit last year, but I feel it needs to be mentioned again. The Kingston Canadian open is a very kid friendly event, and an awesome way to get kids into fishing at an early age.

Big Jim McLaughlin MC'd the event again this year, he is great at filling in the voids left between anglers taking the stage and even better at keeping the kids active.. you can tell they just know he is going to be tossing out more prizes so they always have one eye on him at all times.



For the bigger kids who may not be into the prize side of things, there is always the anglers themselves. TV personalities like Bob Izumi and JP Derose fish this event and always take time afterward to meet with the kids, have photos taken and of course sign some autographs. being a big kid myself Im still in awe of Bob Izumi who I believe is the reason most men in my generation became fisherman






Hey I'm on TV

for the first time in the Open's history a crew from WFN was on site all three days taking photos, and posting to various social media sites about the results and the fun being had.  On Day 3 a WFN film crew was on hand to film the action on and off the water. So check your local listing and watch for an air date, because if your like me and took in the final weigh in, hey, you might just be on TV!

WFN also ran a cool contest called "Playing Hookie with a Pro" the winner (Jeff Buck) got to participate in the open as a co-angler. After Day 1 he and his partner were in first place, that has to be a thrill.





So that's that, you are now up to speed on what you need to know about the 2013Kingston Canadian open, maybe Ill see ya there in 2014





Saturday, July 27, 2013

2013 Kingston Canadian Open of Fishing - Final Results & Photos

Here they are the Fianl results from the 2013 Kingston Canadian Open.. it was a nail biter right to the end and an American was very close to being crowned the Canadian champ, only be the sqweaked out by one of those Johnston boys (from my home town of Peterborough)

Congrats to Chris Johnston: 3 day weight of 69.30lbs and he wallet is now $20,000 heavier




The Kingston Canadian Open is a 3 day Pro/Am event with the Amateurs switching Pro each of the 3 days. This years field consists of 56 Pro's paired with 48 co-anglers and 8 members of the Canadian Military as part of their sponsor a Soldier program

Top Prize on the Pro side is $20,000 cash (10K for second) and on the Amateur side it is a $10,000 boat package. This 3 day event is an accumulative weight event, here are the results after day 2

Top Pros

1st Place: Chrsi Johnston 69.30lbs


(3rd Place Am Darren Izum and Top Pro Chris Johnston)


 2nd Place: Jeff Coble 67.10lbs




3rd Place: Mike Deforges 66.75lbs





4th Place:  Josh Myers 66.15lbs


 


5th Place: Joe Fronze 65.65lbs




Big Fish Results:

Day 3 Big Fish: 5.95lbs by Jeff Cobal

Day 2 Big Fish: 7.0lbs by Jeff Cobal

Day 1 Big Fish: Josh Myers weighed in the days big fish a 6.10lbs Largemouth!



Top Amateurs

1) Cal Climpson 65.10lbs

2) Casey Ruttan 64.90lbs

3) Darren Izumi 64.85lbs

4) Andy Soan 64.75lbs

5) Yonne Brown 61.15lbs



Full results can be found: HERE

You can check out all 89 of my photos:  HERE

Friday, July 26, 2013

2013 Kingston Canadian Open of Fishing - Day 2 Results



Day 2 of the Kingston Canadian has come to a close, Check out the updated leader board below


The Kingston Canadian Open is a 3 day Pro/Am event with the Amateurs switching Pro each of the 3 days. This years field consists of 56 Pro's paired with 48 co-anglers and 8 members of the Canadian Military as part of their sponsor a Soldier program

Top Prize on the Pro side is $20,000 cash (10K for second) and on the Amateur side it is a $10,000 boat package. This 3 day event is an accumulative weight event, here are the results after day 2

Top Pros

1) Dereck Strub  47.4lbs
2) Neil Farlow 46.15lbs
3) Matt Holland 45.00lbs
4) Josh Myers 44.90lbs
5) Mike Deforges 43.95lbs

Day 2 Big Fish: 7.0lbs by Jeff Cobal & Andy Sloan
Day 1 Big Fish: Josh Myers weighed in the days big fish a 6.10lbs Largemouth!



Top Amateurs

1) Cal Climpson 46.00lbs
2) Casey Ruttan 45.05lbs
3) Terry Wilson 44.55lbs
4) Andy Soan 42.85lbs
5) Dina Emery 42.35lbs


Full results can be found HERE

You can follow my twitter feed for up to the minute results on all three days (HERE)
for those parked in from of a computer this event can be seen  live streamed at: http://csfl.ca/?p=2211


Thursday, July 25, 2013

Kingston Canadian Open of Fishing 2013 - Day 1 results



Today marks day 1 of the Kingston Canadian open of fishing. As always this is a Pro/Am event with the Amateurs switching Pro each of the 3 days. This years field consists of 56 Pro paired with 48 co-anglers and 8 members of the Canadian Military as part of their sponsor a Soldier program

Top Prize on the Pro side is $20,000 cash (10K for second) and on the Amateur side it is a $10,000 boat package. This 3 day event is an accumulative weight event, here are the results after day 1

Top Pros


1) Dereck Strub  25.30lbs
2) Josh Myers 24.34lbs
3) Matt Holland 24.00lbs
4) Neil Farlow 24.00lbs
5) Bob Izumi 23.60lbs

Josh Myers weighed in the days big fish a 6.10lbs Largemouth!



Top Amateurs


1) Jeff Buck 25.30lbs
2) Kevin Sullivan 24.35lbs
3) Jake Mulrooney 24.00lbs (tie for third)


Full results are now posted, check out the CSFL site: Day 1 Results


You can follow my twitter feed for up to the minute results on all three days (HERE)
for thos parked in from of a computer this event is live streamed at: http://csfl.ca/?p=2211




Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Fear & Loathing on the Top Bass Tournament Trail: Rice Lake 2013


This past weekend event #3 and #4 of the Top Bass Tournament season were held on Rice Lake, Ontario Canada. Although at first glance this may look like a two day event, it is in fact two separate one day tournaments with none of the weights carrying over from one day to the next. Day one of saw 130 boats competing for a top prize of $6,000

Congrats goes out to Blair Wraight and Stuart Carrick for taking home top spot on day 1!

here is your top 15.. to find out how Dustin and I faired.. keep reading



If you would have asked me 8 years ago what Lake I considered to be my home lake, I would have stated Rice Lake. I grew up not 20 minutes from multiple launch sites, and as I grew as an angler I was taught how to  tournament fish on Rice Lake. It was home to my first ever fishing tournament ( I was a last minute fill-in when a friends partner had to pull out). But as the years went by and my career and life moved me all over Ontario Rice lake kinda got lost in the mix.. when I pre-fished for this event last week it was officially my first time on Rice in 6 years.. and needless to say I was a little rusty


Tournament Day:

With a field of 130 boats I wanted to get to the lake early, launch and find a decent parking spot. I left the house just after 4am and was greeted with high winds and pouring rain. The result of weeks on end of temp in the 40's the weather had finally decided to turn, and thus moved the fish around quit a bit

Come launch time the rains had stopped, and we managed to stay dry all day long (a nice turn of events after the Scugog drowning we took). The wind itself never backed off and actually picked up as the day went on, leaving many middle portions of the lake with white caps. We stuck to our original game plan from pre-fish and it was nice to not be doing a lot of needless running around.




On Rice we made a conscious effort to transition from out usual game plan.. get your 5, then look for a big fish. This time we focused on big fish areas first, and once we had a few we would move to areas we knew we could fill out the remainder of the bag with smaller fish.. this plan started out well as first two fish I boated were both sitting at the 3lb mark.. one just over and one slightly under. This put us at 6lb for 2 fish and we were smiling.

In our second spot I hooked into our third fish of the day (just over 2lbs). When I removed my spinner bait I noticed he was bleeding, at this time I made the decision to release him as i felt he has a better chance of surviving in the water and out of my live well.. this can be debated, but to me it was the right decision.

As the day wore on the bite became tougher and tougher. We managed a few more fish all of which although fat, were under the 13 inch minimum required to weigh in. By 3pm our bag still sat at 2 fish for 6lbs and we made the decision to release the fish and call it a day. Knowing Rice lake I knew it would take a 20lb bag to win the event and something in the mid to high teens to cash a cheque. as you can see from the above I was right.

This was our last Top Bass Event for 2013, not it is back to the BBTS and Weslemkoon on August 5th




Weapons of Choice


Ganns Hummer Jig  - on a Dobyns Savvy SSM704c paired with a Daiwa Advantage 100

War Eagle Spinnerbait - on a Dobyns DX744 paired with a Daiwa Zillion

El Grande Hatch Match Stick (wacky) - on a Dobyns DX703sf paired with a Daiwa Procyon

Zoom Ultra Vibe Craw- on a Dobyns DX795 paired with a Daiwa Lexa 300




Sunday, July 21, 2013

One Month In - Whats Working & Whats Not Working




Ok, so the bass season in Ontario has now been open for just over a month now. And as with any new season it takes some time to adjust to the weather conditions, the changes in the water, and of course the fish.. here is what's been working for me:





Frog Fishing:


Did you you even have to ask? since opening day I have been throwing frogs on lake after lake with some pretty good success. What I have noticed this season is that I have been picking up more fish in sparser cover, then in the thicker pads and/or slop. I believe this has to do with cooler water temps still and the fish not really feeling the urge to bury themselves as deep into the cover. 

My success with buzz or swim toads has been limited, I have found slower presentations to be the ticket so far in 2013 and thus I have focuses on popping frogs and standard hollow bodies that I can move slower but still draw fish in even in open water conditions

Frog's of choice: Ish Popping Phattie is my current go-to for the 2013 Season






Spinnerbaits:


for the past 3 season I have been a spinnerbait addict, I love to throw one and often look for situations in which I can throw one until my arms hurt. I've had  great success with a spinnerbait right from the start this year (my NY trip back in May) and have been able to pick up fish in shallow (2ft) and as deep as 8ft. So far most of my success has come on slow rolls or on the pause when the blades are ripped out of the weeds. If you are having trouble with the spinner bait bite be sure to watch your speed and alter it to see if that motivates the fish to bite

One great thing about a spinnerbait is that they are fishable in almost all weather conditions. This year we have experiences a lot of rain and wind, and in these conditions the spinnerbait excels.. that being said cooler temps will cool off the spinnerbait bite, so if your going to throw one..slow down


Spinnerbait of Choice: No surprises here, I have been throwing the War Eagle Screaming Eagle spinnerbait in white, and.. white for 3 seasons now. It is the only bait I throw and it work





Flipping & Pitching


whether it is flipping docks, pads or shoreline timber, I have held a flipping stick in my hand a great deal this first month of the 2013 Bass season. The bite has been so hot that I find specific bait and/or colours have not been as important as the actual bait sizes. So far in this early part of the season the fish seem to have been looking for a bulkier bait with a larger profile. For example I have had much greater success flipping tubes, then flipping worms.

Weight is also important, so far I have had to keep two rods rigged up, one with a 1/4oz and the other with a 1/2 z tungsten. Though for the most part the fish in open water situations have been more prone to hit the 1/4oz rigged baits, I keep the 1/2 rigged to pound through the thick slime that seems to be building up fast and furious around the shorelines.

Flipping baits of choice: El Grande Lures Tube (blue gill and baby bass colours have been the ticket)




Wednesday, July 17, 2013

New for 2013: Top Water Baits







The anticipation that comes along with every new bass season extends way past the dreams of the fish waiting to be caught (and lost), or even the greatness achieved with a possible tournament victory. For me it even extends into the new baits I cant wait to test drive... for 2013 Bass season this list includes 3 new top water baits that I believe will bring my game to a new level!


Arbogast Buzz Plug


Arbogast is a company that at times does not get the credit it deserves for it's line of classic, yet still relevant baits.. from the hall of fame baits like the hula popper and jitterbug all the way up to the all new "Buzz Plug" Arbogast has been putting fish in boats longer then many of todays pro anglers have been alive.

When I first spotted the Buzz Plug, I was sold, and already dreaming of calm quiet mornings and burning this baby over deep weed edges. I love the concept behind this bait, the unique body shape gives it a nice wobble, and the fact that it floats will ensure you can keep it buzzing at almost any speed. When paused the fat ass end sits down in the water like a frog bait leaving the hooks dangling down to entice a strike

I would call this a "buzzbait for dummies" but since I personally plan to use it quite a bit I would really only be insulting myself





DUA Pencil 100


Ok, so maybe this is not as new as the other baits listed here, but since I only got limited time on the water with it in 2012, it's still kinda new to me.. and I cant wait to start throwing it again.

Like the Abrogast Buzz Plug the DUO Pencil 110 is one of the easiest top water baits to work, and work well. It walks the dog so easily you don't even need to try, just simple rod twiches and the bait will do all the rest.  Having thrown one a few times now, it is still fun to tie one on and watch your partners expesion when you first start working it.. the sound it emits is so loud it almost startles people... "damn whats in that bait" is a common expression.

At the start of this season I was the proud owner  of a pair of DUO Pencils, and when I lost one recently  (damn submerged rope)  I was very upset as they are not cheap, and not easy to come by, so my back-up has now been put under lock and key and awaits tournaments days.. this is no bait to waste on fun fishing when there is money on the line!





Live Target Frog Popper


Yeah, I know, I know there are endless sites and anglers spouting off about every Live Target bait ever releases.. but you know what, there is a reason why.. they make quality baits that anglers want and need..Me, I need me the all new "Frog Popper", partly because I'm addicted to frog baits (as seen here) and partly because I love poppers. So by combining the two, they really just forced me to buy one. (shame on your Live Target, shame)

All in all the Frog Popper has everything you want and need in a popper bait, it spits loud and far and like with the Live Target walking frog it sits very well on the pause. I love that it comes equipped with feathers on the back  hook, for me this is a must on a good poppers

I will admit Im not stoked on the size they made this bait available in. It has a smaller profile then the majoiryt of the poppers I throw and I would like to see it come in a bit larger sizes, but knowing Live Target that is how they will re-launch it next season (yeah, I'm on to you guys)





So if you are looking to spice up your top water arsenal this season, be sure to take a long look at these three choices, one if not all 3 may just nicely fill a gap in your current line-up.















Saturday, July 13, 2013

Fear & Loathing on the Top Bass Tournament Trail: Lake Scugog 2012



This past weekend Dustin and I participated in our first ever  Top Bass event. For those of you not aware, Top Bass is the longest running bass tournament series in Ontario (Since 1993). It consists of 9 events held on 7 prestigious Ontario fisheries. This is not only the most competitive level Dustin and I have competed on, but it is also the largest (team event) with 107 boats hitting the water

At the end of the day we finished in 71st place with 8.79lbs. This stung a bit, but watching the weight in we quickly noticed that many anglers we respect (including a TV personality) finished up with very similar results. This really is a game of ounces.. one more pound would have put us in the Top 50 (our goal) and 5 pounds would have put us in the money (Top 15)

Congrats to: Dean Jarrod and Gerard Cocks for taking home 1st place and $5,500 with a 19.26lb bag



(Click HERE for a full list of results)

I had only fished Scugog Lake once in my life and that was close to 9 years ago. But due to work obligations Dustin and I had no time to pre-fish other then the day prior to the event. So we deadened up some hooks and went out looking for some big bites.. we found them and and marked out a game plan for the Sunday event.

Unlike our gorgeous pre-fish day, tournament day was wet and windy and very dark. We got off to a nice start and had our 5 fish in the boat prior to 10am.. things were looking up and we began the search for one or two big bites.. but although we were able to cull a few small fish we had a hard time finding anything above the 2lb mark.. other than a musky that came to play late in the afternoon (my first).

By 3pm we were still under the 10lb mark and thoroughly soaked to the bone. We made the long run down the lake to weigh in our bag and fingers crossed we would make it into the top 50.. no such luck


Weapons of Choice

War Eagle Screaming Eagle Spinnerbait on a Dobyns DX744 paired with a Daiwa Zillion

El Grande Flipping Tube on a Dobyns 734c paired with a Daiwa Lexa 100

SnagProof Ish Popping Phattie on a Dobyns 736c paired with a Daiwa Lexa 300



Special Thanks: New Roads  Chevrolet, Cadillac Buick  GMC for their support in all of our 2013 tournaments. Please head on over to their facebook page and give a 'like" to a company supporting anglers!



Next Up: Top Bass on Rice Lake, Ontario July 20th

Thursday, July 11, 2013

ICAST 2013 - Best in Show Winners





Day 1 at ICAST 2013 is officially in the books, and with it comes Fishing version of the  Oscars. The Best in Show awards see anglers lining up to watch and ogle all the new baits, reels, rods and various other products on fishings red carpet.. once thats done, then comes the envelopes..

without further ado here are this years Best in show winners...


Best of Show - Freshwater Reel – Shimano 
Product - CHRONARCH C14+

Best of Show - Freshwater Rod – G. Loomis
Product - NRX Umbrella Rig


Best of Show - Hard Lure – Koppers Live Target
Product - LIVETARGET Baitball



Best of Show - Soft Lure – Lunkerhunt
Product - Lunker Frog



Best of Show - Tackle Management – Plano Molding Company 
Product - 3700 Guide Series Tackle Bag



Best of Show - Terminal Tackle – Mustad 
Product - Grip-Pin Swim


Best of Show – Line – PowerPro
Product - PowerPro Zero-Impact


Best of Show – Apparel – Shimano American Corportion 
Product - Dryfender Insulated Raingear



Best of Show - Boating Accessory – JL Marine Systems, Inc.
Product - Power-Pole Mirco Anchor



Best of Show – Boats – Johnson Outdoors Watercraft, Inc.
Product - Predator 13



Best of Show – Combo – 13 Fishing
Product - White Out



Best of Show – Electronics – Johnson Outdoors
Product - Humminbird Bow Mount 360 Imaging



Best of Show - Eyewear – Costa
Product - Tuna Alley



Best of Show - Fishing Accessory – American Tackle Company
Product - Tidal Wave-Micro Wave System


Overall Best of Show: JL Marine Systems
Product - Power-Pole Micro Anchor


And just like the Oscars if you are looking to see the winners of some the lesser awards (lol) you check out the link found HERE 


Special congrats go out to Live Target for getting their 4th Best in Show award in a row, and of  course Canadian company LunkerHunt made it two years in a row with a best in show for their Lunker Frog (my review seen HERE)


Now the long wait till these products start hitting the shelves