| In this issue:
Our
Fishing
Video Site is up and running. If you have hi-speed
internet access
click
here to see some great short fishing video clips. We've
added a few new UNDERWATER Videos
|
Hilltop Cottages
-
Hilltop Cottages, Tent and Trailer Park is located in
Deux Rivieres, Ontario along the Ottawa River on Hwy 17. Our
services include family camping, housekeeping cabin rentals,
service trailer sites, live bait and tackle, hunting, fishing
and more.
Papa Johns Cottages
- Pickerel (Walleye), SM Bass, Pike, Lake
Trout and Whitefish. Fish Herridge Lake, or take a wilderness
day trip in our Back lake fishing packages. We have placed
Boats, motors and gas on a chain of remote lakes accessible by
short portages off the home lake. Great fishing, Beautiful
scenery
Pipestone Point Resort
- Welcome to
Pipestone Point
Resort. A wilderness retreat. An environment to
serenity.Surrounded by some of the greatest hunting and fishing.
The waters of the Walleye, Bass,Lake Trout, Northern and Muskie.
Situated on a beautiful peninsula,
Pipestone Point Resort
offers unlimited exploration opportunities by land or water.
65,000 miles of shoreline, 14,000 islands, and countless bays
make for a remote and tranquil setting.
Auld Reekie Lodge
- Whether you pamper yourself with our
full meal plan and the ultimate in comfort in one of our 6
luxury suites, or stay in a fully equipped 4 star cottage where
you can cook your own meals, at Auld
Reekie Lodge we feel
we've got everything you're looking for and more. Auld
Reekie Lodge, as
featured on the Canadian Sportsfishing Show, is a true escape in
the beauty of Northern Ontario's wilderness.
Shoal Lake Lodge
- All new quality accommodations will
include six individual cottages, the Lodge/Dining Hall,
Recreation Room and out buildings. Our specialty is Northern
Pike and Small and Largemouth Bass fishing. Northern Pike
fishing is simply fabulous both in number and size.
Shoal Lake is rated by
Ontario out of Doors as the #1 drive to pike
lake in Ontario.
Lost Lake Wilderness
Lodge - Wilderness retreat near
the villages of Elk Lake
and Gowganda, Ontario awaits you for your next holiday. We
provide a clean full facility private cottages in a gorgeous
setting. Provide all the opportunity to relax and have a
memorable vacation. Of course we'll be there if you need us to
provide you with bait for your fishing trip, or to cook your
meals if you are on our American Plan package. Maybe just to
chat about the area or maybe find where the BIG fish are hiding!
Black Creek
Outfitters - Black
Creek Outfitters is located in the beautiful
Mississagi River Valley in Algoma Country. We offer fishing,
hunting, ATV riding, snowmobiling & newly renovated housekeeping
cabins.
Lang
Lake Resort -
Summer or winter our cabins are winterized have a full kitchen,
running water and a personal dock. Choose from either
housekeeping or American plan. We also have boat and motor
rentals. Fish our main lake
system for trout, walleye, pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass.
Our resort also offers quiet back-lake
retreats. We have many activities such as hiking, snowmobiling,
swimming in the sparkling-clean water of
Lang
Lake or relaxing in
the hot tub. Don't forget to bring your camera!
|
|
"Coping With Cold Fronts"
By Justin Hoffman
A general lack of fishing success can occur for a
number of different reasons. Common excuses can range from "the
water was too dirty" to "the fish were all sleeping," with hundreds
more available to protect our thin skin.
Putting the blame on a cold front is a valid reason for fishless
days, and in the case of this weather-related occurrence, the odds
are often stacked against you from the minute your first cast is
taken.
Fishing during and after a cold front can be the toughest of tests
for an angler, yet adapting to the conditions and varying your
techniques can be the key to ultimately putting fish back in the
boat.
Alyson Beswick shows that cold-front bass can be
caught. These two beauties fell for a slowly twitched Senko on light
line."
What is a Cold Front?
The term "cold front" is common lingo for most anglers, with many
muttering the phrase without truly understanding what is actually
taking place. In the world of meteorologists, the definition of a
cold front is as follows: 'the transition zone where a cold air mass
is replacing a warmer air mass.' Simple stuff really, yet the effect
they have on the activity and feeding levels of gamefish can be
extremely powerful. Fish will literally shut down during these
times, hunkering down and refusing to bite.
Cold fronts generally move from northwest to southeast, and
depending on their rate of speed, can pass through quickly or can
linger for a while. The air behind a cold front is noticeably colder
and drier than the air ahead of it, causing a dramatic drop in air
temperatures. When a cold front passes through, temperatures can
drop more than 15 degrees within the first hour, causing water
temperatures to adapt accordingly. Depending on the severity of the
cold front, temperature change can be slight to extreme, yet for the
most part, it will be somewhere in the middle.
Although fishing is usually above average just prior to a front
moving in, the immediate day after is undoubtedly the hardest and
most frustrating. For the most part, a few days of warmer and
constant weather will get the fishing levels back up to par again.
Even though the odds may seem stacked against you, there are ways to
combat and succeed during these tough periods throughout the year,
and here are some ways to achieve it.
S-L-O-W it Down
During cold front conditions, the intuitive angler must replicate
the activity levels of his quarry. This is best achieved by slowing
down their presentations.
Forget about fast-moving spinnerbaits, speedy topwaters and
power-trolled plugs, replacing these with slowly falling flipping
jigs, tantalizing jerk worms and lightly dragged tubes and grubs.
Think finesse, keeping all baits crawling along at a snails pace.
The slower you can present a bait or lure to a fish, the better your
chances of convincing it to bite.
When choosing colors, natural is the best plan of attack. Brown,
white, black and silver are all tried and true and will "match the
hatch" perfectly.
Target Them Vertically
Horizontal baits are off-limits during these trying times, with a
nod being given to those lures that can be presented vertically.
Lures that are meant to be fished vertically can be worked ultra
slow, while also remaining in the strike zone of a fish much longer.
Fish will refuse to swim more than a few feet to grab a bait, so the
closer you can get your lure to them, the better your chances will
be.
The one exception to this rule would be the use of jerk worms -
phenomenal horizontal-style bait that works wonders during cold
fronts.
Go Natural
When times are tough and fish are stubborn, turning to live bait can
often be the key to getting bit. Lively worms, minnows and leeches
can spell relief for fishless days, as Mother Nature is the closest
you can get for fooling these fish.
Keep hooks small and line size down, ensuring the most life-like and
natural offering. Slip floats can work great for these situations,
as can a Carolina rig format and drop-shot techniques.
Live bait can also make a fine addition for the trailer part of a
jig, with the smell and feel of the meat creating a convincing
prospect for these neutral behaving fish.
Find the Thick Stuff
If largemouth bass are your target, finding the thickest
concentrations of weeds and brush is a step in the right direction.
When a cold front hits, largemouth will hunker down in the thick
stuff and stay put for a while, all the while waiting for things to
return to normal again. Slop, timber, docks, and of course the green
stuff, offer the bass the security and habitation that they require
for this "downtime" in their schedule. Shallow back bays and large
expansive weed flats should be poked and prodded for certain action
on days like these.
Weedless flipping jigs and Texas-rigged worms and lizards are a
staple for coaxing these fish from their underwater lairs, with
flipping and dunking being the preferred techniques to get your bait
to the fish.
Discover Them Deep
The plummeting temperature and varying barometric pressure causes
many species of fish to retreat to deeper water, where the change
has less of an effect as the depth gets greater. Fish will stage on
underwater structure areas, and much the same way the largemouth
acted, will stay put and await the return to normalcy.
For those sport fish that normally reside in deeper water (walleye
for instance), the passing of a cold front will cause the least
amount of disturbance as opposed to shallow dwelling fish. Small
jigs tipped with live bait are the preferred method to get these
fish to bite.
Downsize Your Lures
When bluebird skies are upon you, dropping down your lure size can
bring about positive results. A simple switch from a ¼ oz. jig to a
1/16th oz. size can often be the ticket, as these "toned down" baits
will sink slower, while also representing a nice bite-sized snack to
the fish. Four-inch worms, lizards and jerk worms will add a touch
of finesse that will out fish their larger cousins considerably.
Much the same way as we love a mint at the end of a gut-busting
meal, fish will readily accept this pint-sized presentation with
open fins.
Squirt Some Scent
Saturating your lures with a commercial fish scent will add taste
and smell qualities, two beneficial factors that will seduce a fish
into holding on to your bait longer. No matter what lure I am
throwing, be it a worm, lizard or jig, a baitfish or craw scent will
always be put into full time use.
Rest assured - this small addition can bring about big results.
Fishing during a cold front does not have to be a scary proposition.
The action certainly won't be fast and furious, but with a change of
tactics and presentations, these shut-down fish can certainly be
caught. Learn to adapt - your net will love you for it! |
