The way a big northern pike explodes on a fly, launching a twisting, surging, head-shaking brawl, is unlike any other angling experience in Canada. It’s pure excitement, and surely the most fun way to catch shallow-water pike. But more than that, I’m 100 per cent convinced that fly fishing is also the most effective way to hook and land early-season northerns. After a decade of seriously targeting these toothy predators on the fly, I think the evidence is compelling—fly anglers have the deadliest big-pike baits, the most versatile and effective way to present those baits, and the best tool f ..read more

As well as being prepped, patience and courtesy go a long way While using boat launches and docks over the years, I’ve witnessed fellow boaters yelling at each other, making rude gestures and even having fist fights. To help keep tempers from flaring, here are some simple launch etiquette pointers we should all follow. #1  BE READY Before backing your boat down the boat ramp, stop in the parking lot and transfer all your gear from your vehicle into your boat. Then all you need to do is back your boat into the water and drive your truck to a parking spot, speeding up the launching process ..read more

Rusty crayfish (photo: Peterwchen/Wikimedia) Smallmouth bass and crayfish go together like, well, pick your favourite cliche. But how is this for a scene right out of a Grade-B horror flick? Tom Brooke Jr. was telling us about an image he saw recently of a smallmouth bass that had wolfed down a large rusty crawfish in one vacuum gulp. So, the crustacean was still alive when it arrived unceremoniously into the pit of the big bass’s belly. And that when it pushed its claw through the wall of the bass’s body. Tom said the fish survived the ordeal and the wound healed, but the claw was still ..read more

Photo: Chil Vera/Pixabay132 Western wildfires still smoldering as of late March, with 85 so-called zombie fires in B.C. and 47 in Alberta, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Officials blame the West’s unseasonally warm and dry winter for the lingering fires, warning 2024’s fire season stands to top last year’s record. The post 5 new numbers that tell important stories about hunting, fishing and conservation in Canada appeared first on Outdoor Canada ..read more

Hellebuyck with this season’s goalie mask (photo: Greger Buer) Sharp-eyed fans of both pro hockey and pro bass fishing may have noticed something familiar this past season about the goalie mask adorning Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. If you looked closely at the right side of #37’s bucket, you’d have seen an illustration of an angler on a boat pitching a lure to a largemouth bass. But that wasn’t just any lure—it was a four-inch Scented Jerk Shadz from Z-Man, pinned to a 3/8-ounce Canadian-made Smeltinator jig. That’s right, it was the same presentation Kenora, Ontario’s Jeff “Gussy ..read more

“Spring is in the air” is more than a seasonal expression. It is literally the aerial observation of nature’s new beginnings. Look up! You just might see an evening performance of courting woodcock, or “dancers in the sunset sky,” as famed conservationist Aldo Leopold so aptly observed. The unmistakable clamour of returning geese, cranes and other wild wings also lifts our chins—and our springtime spirits. Perhaps nowhere else, though, do the sounds of spring fill the air more than on a trout stream, with the tune of clean, cold water weaving through stick jams, gurgling into pools and sluicin ..read more

We always begin the open water season stalking big northern pike and this year was no exception. And we enjoyed an absolutely marvellous first day of fishing, landing a score of knee-knocking northerns including the gargantuan beauty below—the girthiest pike we’ve ever seen. But the day didn’t start out quite the way we expected. In fact, truth be told, we were set on our heels when our all-time favourite spring pike location didn’t produce a bump. It got us to thinking back to last spring, and the immediate years prior, when we caught and released several big pike in the mid- to high 40-inch ..read more

Several years ago, I went early-season pike fishing with my friend Tim Geni and our boys on southern Saskatchewan’s Rafferty Reservoir. It was early May and the pike action was steady, but around mid-afternoon, Tim suggested we switch things up and try for some walleye. I was skeptical because I usually didn’t do much walleye fishing until mid-June, when the water temperatures stabilize and the walleye are going strong on spinner rigs and bottom bouncers. Plus, I was having a good time catching northerns. But since we were in Tim’s boat, I agreed. We pulled out of the bay where we’d been cas ..read more

Everything—absolutely every sport fish that swims—eats mayflies. They are protein-packed bundles of gooey good nutrition, and every fish from walleyes and whitefish to northern pike and muskies gobble up mayflies every chance they get. And for the next month or so, they are going to be millions, even billions of mayfly larvae spread across the bottom of our favourite lakes. Especially important is the biggest, most delicious mayfly species, the giant burrowing hexagenia limbata. We spent time the other day on our Doc Talks Fishing podcast with our good friend, retired OMNR biologist, Bev Ritch ..read more

Looking for outdoor-themed Mother’s Day gift ideas? Check out this cool stuff, including technical fishing & hunting apparel, footwear, tackle, accessories and more, all designed for Canadian women who are serious about their outdoor adventures. And to all the moms across the land, thank you for providing us with joy, strength and inspiration. We truly appreciate it! SOFT COOLER BAG & COOLER CUBE RUX, the Canadian company behind the remarkably clever high-capacity gear hauler we highlighted last December, has now applied its design know-how to coolers. The 25L Soft Cooler Bag is ligh ..read more