Canadian Fishing TV Shows

I cannot recall anything more relaxing than waking up at a respectable time on Saturday morning grabbing a coffee and sitting down to watch a couple hours of fishing shows in the television. I mean if you can't get out on the water you might as well watch someone else enjoying it

Canadian Sportfishing - Airing for over 3 decades with Fishing Technician host Italo Labignan, Canadian Sportfishing continues to set the standard with our unique show format that educates and entertains viewers both young and old alike.

Bob Izumi's Real Fishing show -  Having your father initiate the first ever Canadian bass tournament is a good way to get introduced into fishing at a young age. That's what happened to Bob Izumi and  in 1983 at a family picnic, a family member brought up the possibility of him starting a fishing television show. The thought of a television show intrigued him. He filmed a pilot episode, and the rest is history

Fish'n Canada - Angelo Viola and Pete Bowman host one of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities.

Going Fishing - The reason for the success of Darryl Chororonzey's popular Going Fishing Television Series? The topics he covered each week on Going Fishing - where to go, what to catch, how to catch them - are the topics that interest our viewers. We even instruct our viewers on how to cook a few.

What are 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario

Sault Sainte Marie is home to a great mix of things that I love, wilderness, fresh air and pizza. There is a population of around 75,000 people, but it doesn't feel like it at all. Thanks to its quiet streets and kind people, The Sault (pronounced "Soo") is a city with a small town feel.

The Wildfires exhibit at the Canadian Bush Plane Museum is great fun for kids of all ages.  And to top it all off, the Soo is home to and surrounded by some of the best fly and bait fishing found on this earth.  With so many spots to fish you will need some help to find the best spots. We were very happy with the guide services of the Soo North Fly Shop, they find the fish, all you have to do is catch them.

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Tight lines, and Good Times - Fly Fishing in Sault Ste Marie

As I wade into the quick moving water a sense of calm moves over me. Any nerves or jitters have been washed away by the crystal clear water, and any lingering thoughts of my work week have been drowned out by the sound of the rapids of the St Marys River. Only when I reach the island that will be our base for the day can I pause and appreciate just how beautiful this morning is.

That view may look familiar to regular readers of Real Man Travels. Chris, our editor-in-chief, and my older brother, was lucky enough to travel to Sault Ste. Marie in June and learned to fly fish as part of a media trip. This time he would be the savy veteran as our Dad and I learned the finer points of fly fishing from our guide Brad, of Soo North Fly Shop. Furthermore, if you are a regular reader, you know we like taking our unique trips as birthday or father`s day gifts (50 year old NASCAR virgin, Our First Win). It was his birthday gift that brought us north to wade the waters in pursuit of Pink Salmon, Tight lines, and good times.

So why the Soo you might be wondering? Long drive to go fishing, others have said to us. Well, Sault Ste Marie, which is french for "Rapids of the St. Marys", has been a fishing hot bed for somewhere around 400 years. Ya, you read that right, 400 years. When early European settlers traveled the great lakes in the 1640's, they found many natives settled near the rapids as it provided an excellent source of food. If your looking for something a little more recent, in 1920, Ernest Hemingway himself proclaimed "At the present time the best rainbow trout fishing in the world is the Rapids at the Canadian Soo." These days you wont just find resident rainbows, but whitefish too. The rapids also serve as a migratory route for Atlantic, Chinook, pink, and coho Salmon, and steelhead and brown trout. After reading that I'm sure you understand why Sault Ste Marie is still highly regarded as a world class fishing destination.

My best go at the "Official" Real Man Fishing pose

The original shows me how its done

Dad, Chris, and I showing off the tools of the trade: Vision Rods and Reels

One of our dads favourite stories is about how he would take us river fishing when we were little. He claims he would tie us to trees on the river bank so we wouldn't fall in and be swept away. This of course was driven by the fear of coming home to my mother with one less child. I cant remember if this is bull or not, but thanks to Brad, we now have memories that will not soon fade.

Tight lines my friends-

Sam

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Fly Fishing Adventures in Algoma Country

Photo from Lake Shore Resort Salzburger Hof taken by Amy Moore 

Editors Note: Chris was part of a group of bloggers travelling on a FAM trip to Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Country this is the story of the second half of our trip. You can find the first story right here Learning How to Fly Fish

Due North 

We left our hotel in Sault Ste Marie and headed north to meet up with our guides and check in to our resort. Lake Shore Resort Salzburger Hof is a beautiful resort located in Batchawana Bay on the shores of Lake Superior, we stayed in a 3 bedroom cottage with a million dollar view. The resort offers onsite dining at the Salzburger Hof Dining Lounge which offers authentic German-Austrian cuisine and is listed in "Where to Eat in Canada" They are renowned for their schnitzel but everything looked good enough to eat I also thought it had a great atmosphere too as we all shared laughs and had fun.

When we met up with Brad and Joe, from Soo North Fly Shop they had been scouting different fishing locations. It was only 9am and they had checked 5 different spots, and due to the high water levels it was a tough to find the right place. They finally settled on the Agawa River and I couldn't have been happier with their choice. We stopped off to grab our prepared lunches from The Voyageurs' Lodge and Cookhouse they had prepared us some delicious sandwiches and packed butter tart's that brought tears of joy to my eyes.

 We arrived at the mouth of a hiking trail just off of the Trans Canada Highway we all piled out of the Caravan (Tour Bus) and grabbed our stuff from the back of Brads car. It would appear the mosquitoes were there waiting for us. It was so cute how the mosquitoes dive bombed our eyeballs when we would lease expect it. I was armed with cigars and deet repellent for the mosquitoes and I was not afraid to use them.

Group Shot of us! (minus Dima) Taken By Travis Ball

We were a lot quicker at putting on our gear the second time and in no time we were walking along the ditch and under the bridge, Dylan and I followed Brad to what we hoped would be our little fishing honey hole. As the others in the group followed Joe to the other side. The water had a beautiful reddish tinge, likely stained from the falling of leaves over the years. Not an uncommon site when enjoying the wilderness, I paused to figure out my path to the water, the rocks made it a bit tricky. After making my way to the edge I waded in to the river up to my knees and started to cast. The weather was a little different on this day, as Brad set me up with a fly called an "Egg Sucking Leech", The name just screams beauty.

Count Your Lucky Cigars

Dylan Lowe doing a fine job keeping the tip up

As I explained how the cigars are more for luck then anything, I offered Dylan one and he accepted. We enjoyed our peaceful and serene surroundings until the sounds of nature were interrupted by a splash in the river as a fish jumped out of the water. Dylan's rod bent, and his expression changed to one of pure excitement, one I no doubt wore the previous day, as the silver fish jumped again. He was able to land a beautiful 16 inch Speckled Trout. I had never seen colors so beautiful on a fish before. 

Photo taken from Agawa Bridge By Dima Zemsky

After the excitement died down, our spirits were higher than ever and we began to joke a bit and tell stories, the type of things that make fishing fun. One of my favorite moments was when I was listening to the river as it made its way through and around my legs and I had a tug on the rod, I set the hook (At least I thought I did) and with a spectacular jump...  it spit the hook. Saddened by the events I carried on with hope of more fun to come..

 Brad called to us from upstream and pointed to the sky and announced "Eagles" as they gracefully soared above us, moments later I was startled by a monster Steel Head leaping from the water, Brad had hooked into it. He played with it for a minute and started walking towards me and says to me "here you go" as he handed me the rod, I responded "Are you sure?" He shoved the rod into my hands and said "It's my job" "Alright, No pressure" I mumbled as I began to reel in slack. It leaped one final time in slow motion and for one second I forgot what I was doing "Whoa! Beautiful" I said, Brad noticed my lack of attention and firmly said "keep the tip of the rod up!" I did just that after I snapped out of my `Real Man Travels Fishing Show` Daydream and brought that fish in to the net. What a battle it was! We had smiles all around with proof of my lucky cigar.

Real Man Fishing photo taken By Dylan Lowe

Fortunately my luck did not stop there as I was watching the line float down stream I felt a tug on the line and the rod bent so I set the hook and buckled up for a wild ride, this fish had a lot of energy it put on a spectacular show as it darted downstream with the familiar whizzing noise wailing only to jump out of the water 4 times!!!  I held my breath every time it jumped praying that the hook was set properly. I was so relieved and excited when we were able to get the fish in the net. My Happiness turned to confusion briefly when Brad wanted me to do a pose for the photo. Don't get me wrong Brad was a Great guide and a heck of a fisherman but not once did he strike me as a photography choreographer. I went along with it and I  have no regrets, It was a great shot.

Proud to be from Onatrio in this shot!

It really was a dream come true to catch that many fish on my first Fly Fishing trip, the dreams I have now are of the fish I have yet to catch on my next fly fishing adventure.

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Learning How to Fly Fish in the St. Mary's Rapids - Sault Sainte Marie

Editors Note: Chris was part of a group of bloggers travelling on a FAM trip to Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Country. The other bloggers Amy Moore, Travis Ball, Dylan Lowe and Dima Zemsky took amazing photos on our trip, you should really check them out

Go Explore Sault Sainte Marie

Just recently I was lucky enough to visit Sault Ste. Marie. What a place! It is home to a great mix of different things that I love, Wilderness, fresh air, spectacular fishing and pizza (40 Pizza Places!!)   There is a population of around 75,000 people, but it doesn't feel like it at all. Thanks to it's quiet streets and kind people, The Sault (pronounced "Soo") is a city with a small town feel. Another tug on my heart strings is the Wildfires exhibit at the Canadian Bush Plane Museum kids of all ages will love this place.

If you are looking for  places to stay or eat I enjoyed my stay at The Travelodge City Centre whose recently updated rooms are perfect for relaxing after a long hard day of exploring or fishing.

We dined at The Docks Riverfront Grill which has great food and it is situated along St. Mary's River.  Another place that is definitely worth visiting is Aurora's West Side, which is famous for its pizza and home made pasta, and the cheesecake was great too! I thought it was a great idea that they sold their home made pasta if you wished to take it home to make your own pasta specialties.

To top it all off, The Soo is home to and surrounded by some of the best fly and bait fishing found on this earth.

An Adventure of a Lifetime

Using the technique Brad demonstrated.    Photo By Amy Moore from Everything Everywhere

As an avid bait fisherman I've always looked at fly fishing as "upper class fishing" meaning that it appeared to cost too much and take a long time to learn the art. I was happy to learn that fly fishing as a hobby is actually quite affordable. If you aren't sure that fly fishing is for you, I recommend to get a guide like we did they will take good care of you and hopefully you too will feel the rush and excitement of  fighting a monster Steel Head as it takes off downstream.

When we met our guides, Brad Hodkinson and Joe Nelson, from the Soo North Fly Shop they explained and demonstrated the techniques of casting. Then safely let us practice casting with the fly rod using the "1 oclock , 11 oclock" casting method.

When we started to put on our waders we found out it was kind of tricky. Some of us (Amy) wore too many clothes and ended up having trouble getting the waders on. Brad and Joe had seen this trouble before and helped her out, or really helped her in. It was quite funny.

Note: Wearing the waders does takes some getting used to as they are tight in all the wrong places.

We were all suited up crossing the walking bridge over to Whitefish Island and following winding paths to get to the stunning St. Mary`s Rapids which is right on the US/Canada border and it hosts a beautiful view of the International Bridges.

Reflections of the St. Mary`s Rapids

Colorful Rocks, Crystal clear water, Blue Sky and Fishing = heaven

We slowly made our way into the crystal clear water, the colorful stones covering the bottom made it a bit tricky to maneuver. Out of the corner of my eye a couple of shimmering shadows darted away from us out in to the rapids and around the big rocks.

It is a different feeling crossing a river, I felt alive and excited as I waded my way against the current to a tiny island. Joe helped us assemble our rods and in no time we were getting our lines wet. I still had no idea what to do or expect if I hooked into a Steel Head, so when Joe would come and check on me every so often, I would ask him a few "what if" questions on what to do. He basically said when the bobber goes under I should set my hook, sounded like fishing to me!

I looked at the blue sky and, with a laugh, I recalled declaring to the group that 'I would kiss the first fish I caught' earlier during our walk, The smile faded when my bobber went under and It felt like a fish but it was not putting up much of a fight. After a few minutes I landed my first fish. Excitement shifted to disappointment when I got my first good look at it. Sure it was a fish, but there was no way I was ever going to kiss a sucker.

Relieved that the first fish was out of the way, I refocused and patiently watched the pink bobber as it floated down stream. It surprised me when the pink bobber went under so quickly and the line went whizzing off the reel, I tried to stop it and I felt a very familiar pop as the line went limp. I hung my head in shame thinking that was 'my' fish. Joe came over and offered some tips like 'keep the rod tip up' and ' if the fish wants to run let it' "we'll chase it down river" he said. I was happy for the hints.

Well what could I say, my pride was damaged but the rush of the water running around my feet brought a sense of calm to the moment. Have you ever been in such deep thought that you are totally immersed in a moment? It was in a moment like that  I would have my shot at redemption. While I relaxed in the ankle deep water and thought of all of the good things in my life... `Wham!!`. The pink bobber went under, I set the hook, and the fish took off. "Got One" I yelled to Joe. The fish jumped and my rod bent. The line was making a 'whizzing' noise as it came off the reel

My adrenaline kicked in, I knew this was my shot to patch up my pride. I kept the rod tip up as it took more line and in a split second the line had become wrapped around a rather large rock. `Oh No! What now!?` I said. Fearing the worst knowing that it would haunt my dreams to leave empty handed now. That wasn't the case this time, and with Joe's words of wisdom, I was able to get the line off the rock and we headed for calmer waters to fight the energetic fish. 

The fight lasted almost another 10 minutes and I enjoyed every second of it. When that beautiful fish finally landed in the net I was filled up with pure joy. I celebrated with my normal evil laugh that only comes out when I have good luck and catch a good one. It felt like I was on top of the world and as promised I kissed the fish, and released her for another day.

Sneaking in a smooch!  Photo by Travis Ball from Flashpacker HQ



Soon after that we gathered up our gear and headed back to civilization, we snacked on licorice and reflected on the day, It had been a good one. St. Mary's Rapids will now be forever with me as the place where I was taught how to Fly Fish and where I caught my first Steel Head.

 Ontario is a wonderful place to explore and Sault Sainte Marie is the place to be If you have ever wanted to go fly fishing.  

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