Southwestern Ontario's Great Outdoor Adventures
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BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE SITES  LOCAL FISHING INFO!

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 WHAT YOU WILL NEED
A typical "perch" rig
is two #6 snelled hooks attached about 8 inches and 16 inches above a bell sinker. The weight of the bell sinker will be determined on your fishing depth. You're looking at about an oz. for 30 feet.
Rod and reel
are light about 26 inches with big eyelets to prevent line freeze up with a maximum 8 lb. test, but I prefer 4 - 6 lb. It is always good to carry a second "rig" as a back up due to damage or breakage but also allows you to experiment with different types of lures. Bait up with minnows from the local minnow supplier in the area. The heads and tails of minnows make great baits and will drive perch crazy to bite. Drop your bait deep as perch are deep bottom dwellers and hang out at the bottom where they catch small baits and feed. 


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Winter is finally here and the ice continually thickens but something has happened to your favourite fishing hole. You've noticed that after treading lightly across the thin ice over the past few weeks and easily catching your fill for the day, that the fish are few and far between. Now, before you think you've become a master baiter and personally caught all the fish in the lake you have to remember that as it gets colder there is a natural tendency for fish to slow down and move.

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FINDING THE FISH

 If you have a portable fish finder, hand held GPS, compass, tip-ups and a hydrographic map of the area take them with you. Sometimes the local outfitter has a hand drawn map posted on the wall. You'll need them when the going gets tough and the tough get going as in fishing a drop off.

Ice fishing perch can be a great experience for you and the whole family. If you follow these simple techniques you should be catching all the Perch you can in no time at all.

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ONE BIG BASS!

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Deryck Incitti caught a nice 20.5in., 5 lbs. 8 Oz. Smallmouth on Lake Erie - July 20, 2010 using the Rapala Clackin' Rap. 

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Rapala's Clackin' Rap

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DEER CAMP RENDEZVOUS

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    The morning started out with a rendezvous of deer camp members at the family farm. After a few laughs we headed out to the Wheatley Harbour to launch the 17' Blue Fin powered by a 50hp Mercury into Lake Erie. We moved east out of the Harbour and once in the open water, we headed for the beaches of Campers Cove. We found about 20 boats there already anchored and it looked as though they were catching.


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So we dropped anchor ourselves and had instant success, Kevin, Richard(my dad) and Bird all caught one within 2 minutes. Then it was my turn, and I caught a decent sized stripey. Then the fishing took off, we were anchored about 100 meters from shore in about 7 feet of water. We had some serious amusement on the boat and we were catching fish as soon as our lines hit the bottom. We probably caught about a hundred fish each but many were very small, or as we call them, "pete" and "repeat". We named them this since we seem to catch them again and again, often releasing them on each other's side of the boat as a joke. We only kept the decent sized ones.  If it were not for running out of minnows we would have all limited out on perch. All in all we ended the day with 87 perch. Great day, then the real work started, cleaning them all, took us over an hour, not fun.
PS. Mom caught 25 keepers from shore this morning as well.
Brian Tellier © July 11th,2010

MOM & HER BOYS GO FISHING!

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Thursday July 1st – 6:30 am  Kevin and I have the day off, and Brian is just getting home from working midnights, and stopped at Timmy’s for hot coffee and a bagel, to hold him off for the morning of fishing in Lake Erie. We made a quick stop at Bait Boys in Wheatley to get our minnows and off to the harbor for our launch we rushed. We quickly head out to the famous “red buoy”, or at the rock pile east of the harbor. The Harbor Master report shows great success for the prior days fishing, so we are excited to fill our limits and the live well too. The lake was smooth, the sun rise was breathless and the conversations were hilarious. As soon as we dropped our line in, bang we had one. The fish were hungry this morning and were very responsive to our lively little minnows. But all too soon, the waves started and by 9 o’clock we were in 3-4 foot rollers (about 3 feet too much for my belly) and so we had our 50 keepers in, and headed our boat west, home to clean our little trophies.
Jamie Tellier © 2010

ICE FISHING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER...

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Ice fishing is popular and a lot of fun in Ontario. Each winter thousands of anglers venture out onto frozen lakes to fish through the ice. And, each winter there are ice-related accidents often caused by poor judgement or poor decisions based on inadequate information. Here are some safety tips every person venturing out onto frozen lakes should observe:


  • Leave information about your plans with someone -- where you intend to fish and when you expect to return.

  • Wear a personal floatation device and don't fish alone.

  • Ice varies in thickness and condition. Always carry an ice spud or chisel to check ice as you proceed.

  • Be extremely cautious crossing ice near river mouths, points of land, bridges, islands, and over reefs and springs. Current causes ice to be thinner over these areas.

  • Avoid going onto the ice if it has melted away from the shore. This indicates melting is underway, and ice can shift position as wind direction changes.

  • Waves from open water can quickly break up large areas of ice. If you can see open water in the lake and the wind picks up, get off!

  • Carry a set of hand spikes to help you work your way out onto the surface of the ice if you go through. Holding one in each hand, you can alternately punch them into the ice and pull yourself up and out. You can make these at home, using large nails, or you can purchase them at stores that sell fishing supplies.

  • Carry a safety line that can be thrown to someone who has gone through the ice.

  • Leave your car or truck on shore. Every year several motor vehicles go through the ice on Vermont lakes, and people have drowned as a result.

  • Heated fishing shanties must have good ventilation to prevent deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Open a window or the door part way to allow in fresh air.

KIDS FISHING DERBY
The Kids Fishing Derby will be held on Saturday, July 10th.7 a.m - 12 noon
at the Wheatley Dock.
Kids must register by 10:00 a.m at the dock.
Free lunch and prize for each entrant.
Biggest fish awards: 8 and under; 9 to 13; and 14 to 17.  Bait will be supplied for everyone.
BAIT BOYS
Located at Bowman Feeds
117 Talbot St. east
Wheatley ON.
519-825-4122 -- CALL AHEAD!!!!!
MINNOWS * WORMS* TACKLE

ULTIMATE WALLEYE EXPERIENCE

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 The walleye is one of the most sought after fish in the world. They are an elusive fish that will give you a run for your money, which is why millions of anglers go after them each year. They may be a little difficult to catch but it's not impossible, if you know the right walleye fishing rigs to use and how to use them correctly. 

     My evening was like any other evening, the kids were bathed and ready for bed and I was planning for the next day when my husband motioned for me to come toward the office.  An email had just come through inviting me on a fishing charter in the morning.  After a few phone calls organizing the kids and rescheduling some appointments at the office, plans were made. I was going fishing.
     I met the Captain of the boat (Ron Graves) and one of his mates (Dick Smith) at a local restaurant down by the pier and after an impressive breakfast we were off to the boat.  His boat located at the Leamington Harbour was a 30 ft. Sportscraft, fully equipped with rods, reels and everything a fisherman would want and more.  Once aboard the ship, Dick went over some quick safety procedures while Ron readied the boat.  Once full of fuel we headed for open water.  The honey hole was not too far out and both men geared up the fishing equipment.  I watched and just tried to stay out of the way.  It wasn’t long and the rods were bending.  Fish on!!! I heard and was handed a rod.  After an extensive fight I landed the first Walleye on a lure they called “CONFUSION”.  We all laughed as I notioned that the lure confused the fish. Confusion is a copper back spoon made by Stinger.  I caught many fish on this lure and also on one called “Double Orange Crush” and “Spring Chicken”.  These lures are designed to mimic a fish's natural prey. Apparently lures that move quickly will attract these aggressive hunters. They are extremely effective, versatile lures, and they are easy to use.  Other fish that we caught on these lures were Yellow Perch, Silver Bass and of course the ugly old Sheephead.  I had to post a picture of Dick of him holding that one. 
     Once back ashore after limiting out on our share of Walleye, the crew filleted our catch and I went home to relax my arms.  I hadn’t faught that many fish in a very long time.  The weather was pleasant and so was the company.  I can’t wait to go again, this time I think I will book an adventure in advance so that I can share this with my family.  An excellent day in one of this country Great Lakes right here in our backyard. 
     If your interested in booking an adventure with Ron Graves from Butcher Buoy Charters click the link below, I am sure you will have an excellent time.
June 4, 2010


Some pictures below of the day aboard Butcher Buoy Charters

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THE LURE OF ICE FISHING

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                                                                       picture above: Kingsville Dock, ON
    Jigs, minnows, worm…its all about ice fishing.  Today is Sunday Feb 28, 2010 and we have had a blast of snow this week.  The ground has been covered with a fresh coating of 4-5 inches.  Our weather is hovering around 30-32°F, with a high today reaching 37°F.  The die hard fishermen are out in the harbors probably for the last time this season.  There in no solid ice left in the western basin of Pigeon Bay or any on the north shore.  The only remnants of ice are locked in the harbors of Kingsville and Leamington dock and marina.
    Also there is some rough ice and snow along the beaches.  I assume Colchester and Wheatley harbors are the same, but I can only report what I see here. 
     Today Kingsville has about 20 people out on the last ice, fishing for perch.  The news from the fisherman say that the bites were better last week, but some fish are still being caught.  Leamington reported that both perch and pickerel are being hooked in its harbor.  There are 8-10 people taking advantage of this last ice fishing opportunity here in Leamington.  While I was leaving the Kingsville harbor I couldn’t help but notice the line up of cars and trucks at the famous “Lakeside Park”.  Families, parents and children cover the slopes enjoying the activity of tobogganing.  What a nice way to spend some time together in Southern Ontario.
By: Rod McKenzie
Feb 2010

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                                                                                     pictured above: Leamington Dock, ON
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