Canadian Open champ: Derek Strub

A big shout out to my friend Derek Strub-the Elora, Ontario, angler won the Canadian Open of Fishing yesterday on Lake Ontario. Strub hauled in 60.75 pounds of bass over three days to claim top bragging rights and the main prize of $40,000 in cash. While he’s placed in the top 10 before at the prestigious catch-and-release event, this is the first time he’s owned the podium. Bravo, buddy. It’s well deserved.

Second place and $15,000 in cash went to Sault St. Marie’s Rob Laframboise, who bagged 56.60 pounds of bass, while Chris Johnston of Peterborough came third with 53.65 pounds, earning $7,500. As for the co-angler/non-boater division, Stuart Naylor’s 57.8 pounds of fish earned him a $20,000 boat, motor and trailer package. Remarkably, it was his first-ever fishing tournament.  Darren Izumi followed in second with 52.15 pounds, while Dave Miller came third with 51.75 pounds. Payouts were made down to 20th spot in both the Pro and Co-Angler divisions.

Held out of Kingston, Ontario, the three-day tournament raised $22,000 for Soldier On, an organization dedicated to helping injured Canadian soldiers and their families. Colourful hockey commentator Don Cherry did the honours, handing over the cheque to Warrant Officer Andrew McLean.

The Canadian Open of Fishing is run by the Competitive Sport Fishing League.

American Mary Beth Harshbarger, charged in connection with the shooting death of her husband during a 2006 hunting trip to Buchans Junction, Newfoundland, will finally get her day in court. Two weeks have been set aside in the Newfoundland Supreme Court starting September 13.

Harshbarger, 45, has already pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence causing death with the use of a firearm. She was extradited to Newfoundland and Labrador in mid-May following a lengthy legal battle with U.S. and Canadian authorities. A second charge of careless use of a firearm was dropped in May during her first court appearance in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland.

The details surrounding the shooting were the focus of a major investigative article (pictured here) in the Winter 2010 issue of Outdoor Canada magazine. The Meshoppen, Pennsylvania, woman maintains she thought her husband, Mark Harshbarger, was an approaching black bear when she shot him six minutes before the end of legal light with a scoped .30-06 at 65 yards.

Harshbarger was granted bail last month, but has yet to post the requisite $200,000 bond. In a recent interview with CBC Radio, Mary Beth Harshbarger’s current partner, Barry Harshbarger, suggested she declined bail in order to garner time served against any future potential sentence. The brother of Mark Harshbarger, Barry Harshbarger had accompanied the pair during the ill-fated hunting trip.

Honoured: Bob Izumi is the public face of Izumi Outdoors

The folks at Izumi Outdoors Inc., along with Normark Canada’s retired head honcho, Roger Cannon, were honoured this morning at the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show during the annual general meeting of the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association.

Bob and Wayne Izumi and their crew at Izumi Outdoors, along with Cannon, were this year’s recipients of the CSIA’s Chairman’s Awards for their contributions to the Canadian angling scene. Cannon, who spent 33 years putting Rapalas into the nation’s tackleboxes, is a champion of sportfishing in Canada and continues to serve on the CSIA board.

Izumi Outdoors, meanwhile, produces TV’s Real Fishing Show starring angling icon Bob Izumi, as well as Real Fishing magazine. The company is also the driving force behind the Fish For Ever Foundation, which raises funds for fisheries conservation projects in Ontario, and the popular Kids, Cops & Canadian Tire Fishing Days, a grassroots program designed to get children interested in fishing. Congratulations, folks! Well deserved.

Also during this morning’s AGM, Shimano Canada executive Phil Morlock brought CSIA members up to speed on the controversial plans in the U.S. to potentially ban  sportfishing in so-called Marine Protected Areas—giant swathes of ocean and inland waters—under the guise of conservation. Morlock wrote about the issue in the Fishing 2010 edition of Outdoor Canada; he was also interviewed about it on ESPN (click here for that story).

Finally at this morning’s meeting, the slate of directors for the next year was formally approved. Set to serve one more year in their current two-year terms are:

• Kim Rhodes (President), Lucky Strike Baitworks, Manufacturer
• Tom Brooke (Chair), Shimano Canada, Manufacturer
• Steve Dorey (Vice-President), Maurice Sporting Goods, Distributor
• Ray Sriubiskis (Sect/Treasurer), Cnd National Sportsmen’s Shows, Media
• Roger Cannon, Normark Inc Manufacturer
• Cam Thomson, Pure Fishing Canada Ltd., Manufacturer
• Shawn Glowka, KTL Canada Ltd Distributor
• Nelson Murakami, Natural Sports, Retailer
• Jim Estabrooks, Fishing World, Retailer
• Mark Harrison, Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd., Retailer
• David Johnson, The Fishin’ Hole, Retailer
• Jim Gourlay, Eastern Woods & Waters, Media
• Mark Stiffel, Brecks International Inc., Manufacturer
• Brent McCallum, Redl Sports, Distributor
• Salim Sachedina, Canadian-Sportfishing, Media
• Steve Sherman, Shimano Canada, Manufacturer

Father and son: Shawn and Chase Galea

At the recent Spring Fishing and Boat Show’s Conservation Dinner, among the folks sharing my table was Shawn Galea from Advanced Taxidermy & Wildlife Design. I’d certainly been aware of Shawn’s reputation as a masterful artisan when it comes to replica fish mounts. In 2002, in fact, we here at Outdoor Canada magazine named Shawn and his business partner, James McGregor, among the 33 most influential people in the Canadian outdoors (click here for the article).

The way we continue to see it, their incredibly lifelike mounts have no doubt played a significant and positive role in the catch-and-release movement. I’d never spoken to Shawn personally, however, so it was great to finally get to meet him.

You can learn a lot about a guy just by the way he talks about his kids, and sure enough conversation turned to children, and in particular Shawn’s two-year-old boy, Chase (he turns three later this month). Like any good father, Shawn speaks of his son with immense admiration. But what really struck me was how proud he was of his little boy, in particular his determination.

You see, Chase was born with quad cerebral palsy, as well as auditory neuropathy, a condition whereby the signal from the inner ear to the brain is impaired. But even at age two, Chase has shown a remarkable capacity to make the most of his life, his physical impediments notwithstanding—and Shawn’s admiration is palpable. “He does therapy five hours a day without one complaint,” Shawn told me, his eyes welling up at the thought of what his son must endure. “He’s amazing.”

Of course, it’s not cheap to properly care for kids with such disabilities—the therapy alone costs $1,000 a week, and then there’s the specialized and expensive medical equipment, such as walkers, hearing ads, bath chairs and so on. So, to help raise funds for Chase and others like him, as well as raise awareness about CP and the attendant financial burdens, Shawn and his family launched the Chase Galea Fund.

Among other things, they’ll be holding a gala fundraiser event—“Chase” the Dream—on March 27 at La Primavera in Woodbridge. Tickets are just $125, which includes giveaways, live entertainment, a four-course dinner and open bar. There will also be live and silent auctions.

So far, the response has been overwhelming. “I’ve been doing taxidermy for 25 years, but I didn’t realized how many people knew us—and were willing to help,” says Shawn. “I really didn’t expect it.”

Visit www.thechasegaleafund.com for complete details regarding tickets and donations.

Hall of Famers: (left to right) John Kerr, Reno Viola, Dave Mercer, Bruce Park and Angelo Viola

The first day of the Spring Fishing and Boat Show got off to a busy start before the gates even opened yesterday morning. Many of the who’s who from the fishing community were on hand at the annual industry breakfast to honour the latest inductees into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees include:

• John Kerr, conservationist, outdoorsman, Toronto Sun outdoors columnist and editor of Ontario Out of Doors magazine.
• Bruce Park, southern Ontario pro angler, fishing charter owner and founding president of Muskies Canada.
• Angelo and Reno Viola, founders of Barklays Outdoor Store, and the founding hosts of the Fish ’n Canada TV show and radio’s The Outdoor Journal show.

As well, the 2010 Rick Amsbury Award of Excellence was presented to Facts of Fishing host Dave Mercer for his work in launching the Casting for a Cure, a non-profit group raising money for cancer research.

Congrats to all.

To anyone heading down to the show this weekend (on through Monday), don’t forget to drop by the Outdoor Canada booth to check out our Rapala prize pack giveaway. Fishing Editor Gord Pyzer will also be on hand to sign autographs and hand out some valuable fishing wisdom.

Fishing heaven has a beauty pool with your name on it

UPDATE: Field Editor Jake MacDonald, one of Paul Quarrington’s longtime fishing buddies and friends, will be providing a fitting tribute to Paul in Outdoor Canada’s upcoming March/April issue.

———————-

I can’t really write this properly right now. I just learned my friend, fishing buddy and favourite writer has passed away. My buddy Bill Shields e-mailed me the sad news this morning; I picked up the message not half an hour ago, sitting here in the Vegas airport.

Paul Quarrington. Please be in Fishing Heaven.

Here’s a photo of Paul, that happens to be sitting on my laptop.

And here’s a link to a blurb on our last outing: click here.

Damn. Paul, Jake MacDonald and I were supposed to have lunch this month.

Damn.

Fight cancer, people.

Sorry, I’m too upset to write more right now.

Honoured: The NRA's Scott Olmsted (left) accepts the first annual Ian McMurchy award from Glen and Darlene McMurchy

Well, that’s yet another SHOT Show finished for me; I fly back to Toronto tomorrow. I put a lot of miles on my soles, met lots of people, did some networking, saw plenty of cool new gear and caught up with some old friends—just what SHOT is all about from my perspective in the media.

The highlight today was the presentation of the first annual Ian McMurchy Award from Nikon. If you are an avid reader of Canadian outdoor magazines, including Outdoor Canada, you’ve surely read at least one of Ian’s articles over the years. The widely published writer and photographer was also an accomplished marksman and expert on firearms, as well as a member of Nikon’s pro staff. Sadly, Ian passed away in late 2008. To honour Ian and his contributions—and to award outdoor writers who exemplify his passion for the outdoors—Nikon presented the inaugural award today to Scott Olmsted, editor of the National Rifle Association’s American Hunter magazine. Congrats, Scott.

On hand for the ceremony was Ian’s widow, Darlene, as well as his children Glen, Joey and Katie. It was nice to finally meet Darlene, as she was extremely helpful late last year in digging up photos of Ian from his last African hunting safari (a piece Ian wrote for Outdoor Canada before he passed away was finally published in the recent Winter 2010 issue).

Two-time champ: Desforges takes the 1,000 Islands Stren Series trophy two years in a row

Go Canada! Canuck anglers took the top five podium positions on Saturday at the FLW Stren Series bass tournament, and leading the charge was Burlington, Ontario’s Mike Desforges. It’s the second consecutive Stren Series win for Desforges at the 1,000 Islands event on Lake Ontario. The pay-out for his three-day total of 63 pounds 13 ounces? A cool $20,147.

Rounding out the winning Canadian contingent were:

2nd Place: Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario
3rd Place: Rob Laframboise of Sault St. Marie, Ontario
4th Place: Jeff Magee of Yarker, Ontario
5th Place: Derek Strub of Elora, Ontario

Canadians Rob Webster of Janetville, Ontario, and Mike Neilson of Markham, Ontario, grabbed the 7th and 8th place finishes, respectively.

Desforges’ win further cements his growing reputation as perhaps Canada’s top smallmouth bass tournament fisherman. Among his other career highlights:

• 2008 Federation Nation National Contender
• 2008 Top 50 Pike Series Team of the Year
• 2008 FLW Stren Series Champion St-Lawrence River
• 2008 Bassmania Classic Champion
• 2007 Bassmania Casey Cup Champion
• 2006 Canadian Fishing Tour Angler of the Year
• 2006 Canadian Fishing Tour New Ark Open Champion
• 2005 B.A.S.S. Northern Open Points Champion
• 2005 Canadian Fishing Tour S.W.O.B.A. Division Team of the Year
• 2004 Canadian Fishing Tour S.W.O.B.A. Division Team of the Year
• 2003 B.A.S.S. New York Open Champion
• 2003 Northeastern Ontario Bass Association Classic Champion
• 2002 Chevy Mercury Bass Tour Angler of the Year
• 2001 Northeastern Ontario Bass Association Angler of the Year
• 2000 Northeastern Ontario Bass Association Angler of the Year

I have to hand it to Dave Mercer. The heir apparent to Bob Izumi as Canada’s pre-eminent fishing TV celebrity sure knows how to get his face out there. Only recently, for example, I blogged on the angling comic’s baseball coup (he’ll be throwing out the opening cast during the September 21 Blue Jays game at Toronto’s Rogers Centre).

Now we learn that Mercer will be appearing in a new series of humorous shorts, entitled Who the Heck is Dave Mercer, on the Score (where his half-hour offering, Facts of Fishing: The Show, already airs). Basically, the clips will show Mercer trying his hand at a number of non-angling sports, and, presumably, much hilarity will ensure.

Here’s what the man himself has to say about his latest on-air initiative:

“This series is going to present me with a new sporting challenge every week. One week I could be trying to hit off a major league pitcher. The next week I could be trying to drive a NASCAR. Basically, it’s going to take me and put me in different sporting avenues and challenge me to see if I can succeed. The cool thing about it is its going to take our great sport of fishing and put it in front of the main stream sport audience and hopefully this encourages more people to fish.”

The fun is slated to begin on July 29.

Angler up! TV's Dave Mercer to kick off Jays game with opening cast

You gotta love TV fishing funnyman Dave Mercer’s amusing penchant for hyperbolic, and often self-deprecating, self-promotion. His latest pronouncement? That “history will be made” when he steps up to the mound on September 21 during the Blue Jays game at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Mind you, he does have a point about making history: rather than tossing out the opening pitch, Mercer will be making the opening cast.

And, of course, it’s not all just about the star of TV’s Facts of Fishing—a portion of the $20 ticket sales for an entire section of the bleachers will go toward his cancer-fighting charity, Casting for a Cure. Then there’s the obvious publicity for fishing itself. Says Mercer: “Not only is this a dream come true because I’m a huge baseball and Toronto Blue Jays fan, but I feel it’s a great opportunity to put the sport of fishing in front of a lot of people that may have never fished.”

If you’re interested in attending the game (you get to sit with Dave and friends), you can buy the $20 ticket from the Blue Jays ticket office or by calling 1-416-341-1234. When ordering, be sure to quote promo code GP-CAST09. By the way, the Jays will be playing the Baltimore Orioles.