“Seventy feet to go,” OOD Editor/Associate Publisher Ray Blades said, glancing at the reel’s line counter display. “Be ready. Quinte walleye often wake up and fight harder the closer they get to the boat.” Not long after guide Greg Amiel imparted this advice, the rod in Blades’ hands came alive, bouncing with the weight of the day’s first fish. Steadily gaining line, Blades kept the walleye out of the prop wash as it neared the surface, and Amiel proficiently netted it with a flawless execution earned by repeating the same action thousands of times. As Blades held the fish for a few quick pho ..read more

OOD’s annual Trail Cam Photo Contest provided hundreds of Ontario wildlife snapshots to choose three winners from, each of whom will receive three Bushnell prizes.  We’re pleased to announce this year’s winners below. Top three winners First place – Peter Corocoran of Iroquois Falls Peter wins a Bushnell CORE DS-4K No Glow Trail Camera x3 for “In the meadow.” Second place – Dan Bennett of Sarnia Dan wins a Bushnell CORE S-4K No Glow Trail Camera x3 for “Bear in contemplation.” Third place – Anita Watts of Lakehurst Anita wins a Bushnell CELLUCORE 20 Low Glow Cellular Tra ..read more

As a child, I was consumed by fishing and absorbed everything I could from any fishing magazine I could get my hands on. My grandpa had a nice selection of 1980s and 90s magazines that I read many times. When I was eight, nine, and 10, I even used to go knocking on doors in our neighbourhood asking for fishing magazines. I’m sure many people thought I was weird, but I grew my collection. Reading them, I found it odd to see perch-fishing stories. Growing up around Lake of the Woods — which I still call home — I saw many perch sacrificed to the fox that hung around the ice fishing spot or the e ..read more

An ice-fishing base camp is a home away from home. Anglers can use these roomy shelters to warm up, rest, eat, store gear or wet a line when not hole-hopping outside. The concept isn’t new, but what’s different is how anglers are using thermally insulated, pop-up huts to create temporary base camps wherever the day’s adventures might take them. If this sounds intriguing, here are a few handy items to help create the ultimate base camp experience. Lights on Rigging an LED lighting system is worth the effort. Improved visibility makes finding things easier and prevents a gloomy interior. Ice fi ..read more

Dark green: Days when fish and game are most active Light green: Days when fish and game are more active than usual OFAH key date reminder: Dec. 7 Bear report deadline (non-resident) Dec. 14 Bear report deadline (resident) Dec. 29 Moose report deadline Major AM/PM: Daily times when fish and animals are likely to be most active. Periods also last two hours, beginning at listed time. Also, to get appropriate sunrise and sunset times for your area, visit the Government of Canada’s weather website. Download the full 2023 solunar table PDF here Click here for more outdoors new ..read more

There’s something incredibly peaceful about hunting in early winter. The woods are calm and quiet. Fresh, clean snow blankets the ground. As hunting winds down for the year, this unique season offers a chance for one last adventure: hunting late-season grouse in a winter wonderland. With no pressure to fill a tag, this experience is almost always worth having, and while late-season grouse can be a lot of work, it’s also rewarding and satisfying. I find getting one bird in the powder is more memorable and exciting than a limit of five in early October. Once the snow flies, grouse habits and be ..read more

Four multi-year projects aiming to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Simcoe are getting more than $1.3 million in provincial funding.  This year, most of the projects being funded are led by Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) and local partners, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks stated in a Nov. 9 media release.  One of them includes water sampling and analysis to monitor phosphorus and other nutrients flowing into Lake Simcoe. This information will be used to help determine which future actions can be taken to improve the lake’s ove ..read more

Q: Why is the lake trout in this photo, caught on a Muskoka lake by OOD Photo Friday winner Ayden Veitch of Bracebridge, so darkly coloured? A: Adam Weir, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Fisheries Biologist responds: Colour can be quite variable with fish and is influenced by things like stress or a fish’s habitat and its environmental surroundings. For example, to the untrained eye, a bluntnose minnow caught in turbid conditions can be mistaken for a spottail shiner because the colouration can be completely washed out, making the spot on the caudal peduncle more pronounc ..read more

More than 700 fires burned 441,000 hectares of forest between April and October — nearly three times as many hectares as the 10-year average, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). “Ontario’s FireRangers and other emergency management staff worked bravely and tirelessly to fight wildland fires during one of the most challenging fire seasons Ontario and Canada has ever faced,” MNRF Minister Graydon Smith stated in a release. “I’m thankful for their hard work and proud of the incredible dedication they show every day on the job as they protect our communities and na ..read more

When fishing a sinking presentation, fine-tuning the fall rate can help you catch more walleye. At times, fish respond best to a slow, subtle drop, but there are times when the commotion of a fast-sinking lure smashing into a lakebed is what gets attacks from walleye. Here’s what you need to know about the crash-bang approach.  Start in late fall The beginning of the cold-water period from late fall to early winter offers incredible walleye-angling action. Fish are often active and eager to eat. During this time, working a fast-sinking jig and plastic combination, bladebait, or spoon alo ..read more