“SCROLL OVER THE IMAGES ON THE MAP FOR TIPS AND LOCATIONS TO FISH”

They Bay of Quinte has become the walleye capital of the Ontario. Huge ones are caught here day in and day out in all seasons. Trolling seems to be the most effective method of catching them here, but if you find a hole where they are stacked up, jigging a grub or minnow can also be very effective. Bright flashy colours of lures are the norm here and always seem to produce. Colours like chartreuse and orange really produce a bite from the monster eyes and they will do anything to chase them down. Get a few Rapala Tail Dancers that dive anywhere from 10-20 feet and you’ll be setting hooks all day long. The Bay of Quinte is best known for its walleye action but there is a variety of fish that can be caught here.

Smallmouth bass are also very plentiful in the bay. They are easily caught in drop off areas where is a lot of rocks. Try fishing in and around the many bridges that go across the bay to land this great fighting fish. Largemouth can also be caught in the bay but in calmer waters usually. Check the back bays, any thick vegetation, or in and around docks.

There are also pike and musky in the bay as well as pan-fish such as perch. You can really catch a large variety of fish here so come prepared to fish for whatever is biting. The bay has plenty of drop offs, shoals, and structure to fish so it is never super crowded in any given location and you’ll always find a quiet place to catch some fish.

There are two major tours in bass fishing the B.A.S.S. Tour (The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. These tours have the best anglers in the world all competing for millions of dollars in prize money, ya that’s right it’s not a typo, millions of dollars for catching fish. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the money these anglers earn by winning is peanuts compared to the money they earn from sponsors. Just how much money they earn from sponsors is not known since all of these contracts are confidential, but these guys, their boats, and their trucks are all completely covered in ads, not to mention all the commercials, tv shows, seminars, and different trade shows they attend. It all seems pretty easy, getting paid to fish, but it’s far from it. If these guys don’t perform consistently then they fall out of the standings and they can kiss their sponsors goodbye. In order to get into these really big tournaments it takes years of practice and a special skill to really understand what bait and method of fishing really works on any given lake. Not only that, but these guys are constantly on the road. Many of them fish 250+ days a year, now to do that you really have to be dedicated and love to fish.

Probably the sports best known pro and arguably the best angler around is Kevin Van Dam, or just KVD for short. He’s been fishing professionally for over 20 years now and in this time he has become the all time money leader just in payouts from tournaments. He’s amassed over $5.6 million in his career and of course with that set all sorts of records. He is the exception to the rule, but it is not uncommon for the top level anglers to have made $1 million+ in tournament earnings. Pretty much all of these anglers are American, and the tournaments take place in the U.S. since that is where all the big sponsors are. There are of course smaller tournaments in and around the U.S. and Canada, but the prize money is never as much as in these very large corporate sponsored events. If you want to see how these tournaments operate or would like to enter one, contact your local fishing club and they will be able to point you in the right direction, some of them even host their own tournaments for the weekend angler.

Bass fishing has become such a huge phenomenon that there are even university teams participating in their own tour, where they next pro anglers are honing their skills. Obviously these anglers have to concentrate on their education so they don’t get to fish 250+ days like the pros, but they at least get a taste of what a pro angler has to go through come tournament time. Fishing is no longer being looked at as just a weekend past time at the cottage, it has become really big business.

This is going to sound nostalgic so please forgive me, but I remember waking up as a kid on Saturday mornings and watching all the fishing shows with my dad. This was the only time when you could really get any info about fishing from professionals, apart from going to seminars. Now all I have to do is flip the channel to WFN (The World Fishing Network) and I can catch fishing shows 24/7. Many of the shows are focused specifically on bass fishing but there are a number of shows that give you information on how to catch any variety of fish, from freshwater to saltwater. With the advent of the internet a ton of information is easily available bringing fishing further and further into the mainstream, just like this site!

It is easy to see just how big an industry fishing is. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg, but can really give you an idea how far the industry stretches.

When you go to your local fishing supply store you can be easily over-whelmed by all the different lures that line the aisles. Fishing really is a multi-million dollar business and those lure companies need to keep on coming out with new and exciting products to keep on making a profit and keep you buying. Buying all these products and specific baits for specific conditions can really hit your bottom line. Unless you are an avid angler I would suggest that you don’t necessarily need to go out and buy any lures for your first time fishing. All you will need is some hooks, bobbers, and weights. As for bait try using the most natural thing you can, live minnows.

What do all the lures try to do? They all are attempts to mimic the real thing, the fish’s natural prey, minnows. Professionals can only use artificial baits when they are competing and of course they are sponsored by these multi-million dollar companies so that is what they try to recommend to all anglers. However, if you are a recreational angler or a first timer, a minnow is the perfect way to go. It is also a great way to introduce children to angling. Many kids don’t like that idea of putting a worm on a hook, but baiting a fish always seems to be easier for them to stomach, and it can be very entertaining for them to look in the minnow bucket and see the one or two dozen minnows swimming around.

Minnows can usually be purchased around any major fishing lake. Your best bet is to ask a local and they can usually point you in the right direction. These are usually small mom and pop style shops and if you chat them up you can usually get a little information about where the best places to fish are or at least what seems to be biting. Depending on the bait shop, minnows can often be purchased in different sizes, small, medium, and large and they are usually purchased in one or two dozen. Most bait shops will put your minnows in a plastic bag and they will pump in oxygen to keep the minnows alive, however it is a good idea to have some sort of a bucket with you. There are several types of specifically designed minnow buckets on the market that can be purchased for a few bucks. Some are just buckets, others are buckets with an aerator to pump in oxygen so the minnows can survive longer while others are buckets with perforated holes in them so you can actually put the bucket in the lake where you are fishing in order to let the minnows survive that much longer. Don’t worry, these style of minnow buckets have a trap door that will not allow the minnows to escape.

Minnows are pretty hearty little fish and they will survive quite some time in a bucket or even in the plastic bag that they come in. Of course this all depends on where you store them. If you put them out in the direct sunlight of a hot summers day then they will not survive for long, but if they are kept in a shaded are, or better yet, in the lake where you are fishing, then they can survive all day or even a few days.

There are many ways to bait a minnow. I will cover these ways in a later article/video. However, just to hold you over before then, you can hook a minnow through the nostril, through the back bone, or even through the meaty part of the tail. The idea is to not kill the minnow but to hook it in a way that it will look injured. Fish can’t resist an easy meal like this and will gobble it up. If are lucky enough to get larger minnows make sure that you use a wire or fluorocarbon leader as this can entice a bite from a larger predatory fish with teeth like a pike or walleye. Once the minnow is hooked all you have to do is cast it out there on a bobber and wait for a bite.

Personally I love to fish so I have quite an array of tackle, but I still do use minnows from time to time. If I don’t feel like casting every few seconds or am just relaxing then I will always go for the minnow. The main time I use minnows is when I’m ice fishing. There are many minnow suppliers in and around Lake Simcoe, where I tend to go, and they are readily available. The perch, whitefish and the occasional lake trout love these little guys and by hooking up a minnow it allows me to put my rod down and warm up my hands.

The next time you head out fishing, give your lures a rest and try using the natural prey, minnows.

Obviously make sure that you have your reel spooled with line before you head out or you won’t be fishing at all. The first thing you will need is a little tackle box with some extras in it. If you are a newbie to fishing then you don’t need anything fancy. You can just use a plastic container with a few items in it. Make sure you pack a few extra hooks, weights, and bobbers in there because you never know when you might get a snag and rip off all of your rigging. I can’t name the number of times I’ve been ill prepared and have had to borough stuff off my friends or vice versa in order to get back in the action. If you think you’ve pack everything but forget one thing your day can be ruined.

Always always always have your fishing license on you when fishing! This should actually be at the top of the list because if you’re caught without your license the fines are insanely high and you will probably be turned off fishing forever. More info about this is covered in the article Fishing License, A Must Have For All Anglers. In all my years of fishing I’ve only been checked 3 or 4 times but thank goodness I had it on me or I would of paid through the nose.

One piece of gear that is often over-looked by beginning anglers is a pair of needle-nose pliers. Pliers are very handy if a fish swallows your hook or if the hook is difficult to get out. I have a pair of pliers that are old and rusty but I’ve had them as long as I can remember. They have even come in handy for me when I got a hook stuck in my hand.

The final piece of gear you should have on you is a little knife. Something like a Swiss Army knife or any little pocket knife. You will need this to cut your line and trim off tag ends off of knots. You will quickly learn that a knife like this has many purposes and comes in handy a lot more then you think. I always have one in my tackle box and I use it all the time.

These are the very basic items all anglers should have on them when they head out to go fishing. Whether it is your first time heading out or you are a seasoned angler you will be lost without these. I hope this little article has helped you out so that next time you won’t be stuck without an extra hook or without a pair of pliers to help get your hook out of a fish’s mouth.

As we all know by now, fish like to hide in some of the nastiest structure around. In and around trees, stumps, logs, rocks and weeds. This presents a bit of a problem, you want to get your bait in there in order to yank them out, but in doing so there is a chance you’ll get your bait snagged on something other than a fish. Most of the stuff you get snagged on you can break away from, usually weeds or lily pads. However there are those times when you just can’t break away as your hooks have really dug themselves deep into a log or a tree stump. For some reason it always occurs with that brand new bait you’ve been dying to try out and can lead to some serious frustration not to mention put a dent in your wallet.

I’ll give you a few tips that have worked for me, but be aware this is no guarantee. For me it’s usually a 50/50 shot on whether or not I’ll get that bait back. The first thing I usually do is quite simply pull on it a bit. Sometimes you may think you’re snagged but it’s just some weeds or the sheer force of yanking on it might break it free. This “traditional” and easiest method comes with a drawback though. If you really hammer at it you’re just going to dig those hooks deeper into whatever it is that you’re stuck on and make getting it out of there a whole lot harder.

If this method fails, try keeping tension on the line but moving you rod from side to side. This jerking action may pull the hooks out of whatever you’re stuck in. However, there is a word of warning with this method, make sure you have protective glasses on and no one is behind you because if that bait frees up and comes flying out of the water with all that tension on it, it can really do some damage. Basically, have your cat like reflexes ready for this one! If this method yields nothing then what I like to do is keep tension on the line and pull on it with my hand and release it a few times, just pluck away at it. This vibration along the line can also loosen the bait up.

If you are on shore, release your bail and go for a walk. Sometimes I walk quite a ways, and then try this method again. If it doesn’t work from one side, walk in the other direction and try. There have been times where I have walked 100 meters away from my bait to try this method, with my friends all laughing at me, but it does sometimes work. A different angle of attack can really help.

When on a boat all these methods become a little easier since you can actually bring your boat around a full 360 degrees and get all angles of attack. On a boat I find my chances usually increase dramatically when retrieving a snagged bait. On the boat I also sometimes use a paddle to help free the bait if it’s not too deep under the water.

When all else fails there is only one thing to do unfortunately, and that is to cut your line. Nothing relieves the stress of getting snagged quicker than re-tying and catching that next big fish. Hope these tips can come in handy the next time you get a bad snag.

Spinning Reel

A spinning reel is your most basic reel. When people think of a fishing reel 99 times out of a hundred they are thinking of a spinning reel. Here is an image of one.

Spinning Reel

There are many benefits to using this type of reel and many different uses for it. If you are new to fishing this is the reel you want to use. It is plain and simple and very easy to learn how to operate. All that you have to do to use this reel is pull your line up with your finger to your rod, release the bail (just flip the thin metal half ring around the spool of line), and then cast. Once your bait is out there all you have to do is give your reel a turn with the handle and the bail will re-engage and will be ready to pull in your fish. It is a great reel to use when fishing with a bobber or when vertical jigging for fish that are sitting in deep water. In another article I will go into more depth about how to use this reel.

A major benefit of this type of reel is that it can be used whether you are left handed or right handed. The handle on these types of reels can easily be switched by simply unscrewing it and flipping it to the either side. Personally I like to retrieve with my left hand as I find it a more natural way to hold it. Here’s a quick video showing how quick and easy it is to flip the handle.

Casting (bait-basting) Reel

This style of reel is the one I most often use, but be warned if you are new to fishing or don’t fish too often then get yourself a spinning reel. This style of reel is the one most pros use when trying to catch bass as it can be more precise and is used in many different ways. It is completely different than a spinning reel as it does not sit on the bottom of your rod. This reel needs a totally different rod for it to work as it is attached to the top of your rod and the guides (the rings where your line goes through) are also on top of your rod with this style reel. Here’s a picture of one so you can get an idea of what it looks like.

Casting Reel

A casting reel works in a completely different method than the spinning reel. It takes more control and you have to be a little more engaged with it in order to use it properly. It involves calibrating the reel every time you put on a different lure and when you cast it out you actually have to stop the line from spooling out with your thumb. These reels tend to be a little more expensive than a spinning reel as they have more gears and better bearings in them but if you plan on really getting into fishing then this style of reel is where you want to be headed. One drawback from casting reels is that they are not interchangeable like spinning reels are. What I mean by this is that they are either for left hand retrieve or right hand retrieve so you have to make sure what you feel more comfortable with before you buy one. Just like spinning reels I prefer to have a left hand casting reel as well.

Spin Casting Reel

This style of reel is a combination of a spinning reel and a bait casting reel. It sits on top of your rod just like a casting reel but it casts more like a regular spinning reel. The line on these reels is completely enclosed in a cover, but in order to spool your line on the cover comes off for easy access. Personally I have used this style of reel only a few times and was not too happy with it. If you line gets a knot in it or comes off the spool then you have a big mess on your hands. These reels are usually quite cheap and it is reflected in their build quality. Many people get this style of reels especially when they are new to fishing but it quickly becomes more frustrating than it’s worth. My suggestion, simply speaking from personal experience, is to stay away from these reels. Get yourself a good quality spinning reel and you will keep your problems at a minimum. It is very easy to use and will give you years of good service, even if you don’t take super care of it.

Smallie from Lake Ontario

Another Piotr Bass