If a picture is worth 1000 words, this one is worth 2000!

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I am going to be short on words today and long on pictures.  I have just returned from another fantastic trip to paradise, or as they prefer to call it in Quebec, La Réserve Beauchêne and the pictures speak for themselves.

Beauchêne is the stunning 50,000-acre paradise lying immediately east of the town of Témiscaming, Quebec on the upper Ottawa River about 50 kilometres east of North Bay, Ontario.  This makes it one of the most accessible trophy fishing locations on earth.  I mean you can literally drive to the front door of the resort, yet it offers remote, fly-in, wilderness quality fishing. 

As I mentioned, the accomodations at La Reserve Beauchene are not too shabby. This is truly, roughing it in velvet

But lest you think you’re going to be roughing it, let me assure you that is not the case.  The accommodations are nothing short of plush, the five star meals are as good as anything you’ll get at a fancy restaurant in Toronto, Montreal, New York or Los Angeles and the fishing is out-of-this world. 

Indeed, it is always trophy time at La Réserve Beauchêne with walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, speckled trout, lake trout and splake sharing the marquee in the 36 lakes that make up the carefully managed private preserve.  

I was at Beauchêne researching some upcoming magazine features on trout fishing.  Putting into practice some of the things I’ve learned from world-renowned fly fisherman, John Horsey, who captained the 2008 Gold Medal winning Team England at the World Fly Fishing Championships in Scotland. 

A beautiful Beauchene brookie caught on an English style "buzzer"

Outdoor Canada Editor, Patrick Walsh and I had the good fortune to meet John earlier in the year when, by pure coincidence and good luck, we were all fishing guests at Wolf Lake Lodge in the Yukon.  As anglers are accustomed to doing, we immediately became the best of friends. 

As a matter of fact, John was so helpful and engaging.  He showed Patrick and me several “insider” techniques – like the Czech nymph technique and Loch style fishing with “buzzers” … that helped him and his English team mates win the coveted World Championships.  I’ll be sharing those hitherto secret methods with readers in upcoming editions of Outdoor Canada Magazine.  And just let me say, based on my experience at La Réserve Beauchêne last week, Canadian trout enjoy the presentations every bit as much as their European and British cousins.

Indeed, the proof of the pudding is in the pictures.

Just another day in paradise! Contact La Reserve Beauchene (888) 627-3865 www.beauchene.com

Art and Aaron with an "average size" blue shark

Now tell me, honestly, how do you ever get excited again about catching 5 and 6 pound walleye, 3 and 4 pound smallmouth bass, even 20 and 30 pound northern pike, muskies, lake trout and salmon after you battle a 12-foot long, 279-pound blue shark for 1 1/2 hours and then hand land it by grabbing the leader inches from its gigantic tooth-filled mouth and pulling it through the back door of the boat in a wild, crazy, frothy mass of Atlantic ocean sea water?   

It is all enough to blow your mind.  But that is exactly what Outdoor Canada Managing Editor, Aaron Kylie and I did on Wednesday and Thursday this week when we fished with Captain Art Gaetan.  Art operates Blue Shark Charters www.bluesharkcharters.com out of Halifax, Nova Scotia and for an outdoor writer like myself, he creates a terrible dilemma.  I mean, the last thing I am suppose to be is at a lost for words, but Art left me speechless. 

The fishing is that good!

If you don’t believe me, consider this.  Since July 1st, Art and his clients have landed more sharks than the entire charter fleet operating off the eastern coast of the United States.   Aaron and I landed 17 giants on Thursday alone, and we would have caught many more had our behemoth blue not tied us up for 1 1/2 hours!   I mean, this is crazy fishing for giant fish! 

After 1 1/2 hours our big blue shark is about ready to come into the boat with us

And it gives an entire new meaning to the term, toothy critters!

Part of the reason for the phenomenal fishing is that few anglers know how good the shark fishing is off the coast of Nova Scotia … so Art and his clients have it all to themselves to enjoy.  We never saw another boat the entire time we were fishing.  It just may be the last virgin saltwater sport fishery left on earth. 

Indeed, the Maritime provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland) are much better known for their blue fin tuna, cod, haddock, mackerel and a whole host of other species, but the reality is this is also the best place on earth to catch monster sharks.  Partially because the Gulf Stream is right next door, blowing up a vast steady stream of warm, tropical water.   When we were fishing this week, the water temperature off the coast was 72 F. 

Another reason for the phenomenal fishing is that it is 100-percent catch, tag and release.  Not a single shark is injured or killed.   Indeed, Art works closely with the senior staff at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax, so after he hand lands every shark (the bigger brutes are pulled in through the back door) they are measured, carefully tagged and the data is recorded.  So, not only is a day with Art Gaetan the fishing adventure of a lifetime, you’re actually collecting valuable scientific information that is helping to conserve one of the most remarkable animals on the face of the planet.  Talk about a win-win-win.

Art ... are you really going to bring that thing in the boat?

“A shark can detect a single drop of blood in an Olympic-size swimming pool,” Art tells Aaron and me as our chum pot works its magic.  “Eventually a shark will smell the slick and follow the trail.  Sometimes they’ll swim away from the boat, but I’ve watched them turn right around when they realize they’re going in the wrong direction and then follow it to the boat.” 

At 12-feet long it is the biggest fish Aaron and I have ever caught

Of course, with the chum pot oozing out its fishy fragrance and Art tossing chunks of bait overboard, black-back gulls, Shearwaters and ”Jesus birds”, so named because they seemingly walk on water, are attracted to the boat.  Art calls them all “my friends”, for good reason.  They help him detect the sharks. 

Indeed, while we’re watching our giant floats trailing behind the boat, Art says, “There is a big fish around the furthest orange float.”  He knows it because the birds appear agitated and lift off the water in unison squawking at whatever is cruising just under the surface.

“There it is,” Art says, pointing a finger right beside the boat.  And Aaron and I look over just in time to see a huge blue shark open its mouth and crush the chum bucket.  It is a scene right out Jaws! 

Grandma, what big teeth you have!

Art grabs the 12 weight fly rod, pitches it over the side of the boat and the shark swirls around to eat it.  But it is cautious and only bumps the hook with its nose.  It does the same again, two or three more times, so Art grabs a small piece of herring and adds it to the hook.  Over the side it goes and the big blue devours it.  My gawd, does it get any more visible or any more exciting than this?

Well, yes, it does, and that is the story Aaron is going to tell you about in the March edition of Outdoor Canada Magazine when he reveals the full story of our trip with Art.

Ummm, Art, do you count your fingers when you go home at night?

In the meantime, just let me say, if you have never caught a big fish before, give Art a call and you will not be disappointed.  I can say that because when my arms started to ache at about the 20 minute mark into the fight with our big behemoth blue, I passed the rod over to Aaron so I could grab my camera and start shooting photos.  I honestly thought I’d passed the rod to Aaron at about the half way point in the battle.  But I was wrong.  Aaron proceeded to fight the big toothy leviathan for over another hour.  He started wearing his raincoat and bibbed pants, stripped to his sweatshirt and by the time the fish was almost ready to come in, he was down to a soaking wet undershirt and he was yelling for me to take the rod again because his arms were locking up and he could no longer turn the handle on the reel. 

The scenery back on shore is not too shabby either. This shot was taken from the bedroom window.

Brett Eberts (left) and Braeden Welcher (right) were two great young men and great anglers

If you’ve lost faith in today’s youngsters, you’d have regained it in spades if you had attended the Angler Young Angler (AYA) International Championship held this past weekend (Friday and Saturday) in Kenora, Ontario on the shores of world renown Lake of the Woods.  It was simply fantastic.

The Angler & Young Angler Walleye series began in 1998 when Andrew Klopak, President of LUND boats wanted to fish a competitive style tournament with his young son but couldn’t find an event that catered to adult and young anglers.  Everything was geared to the highly competitive pro style of fishing.  So, Klopak created his own tournament series with the objective being to introduce and educate young anglers to competitive sport fishing in a fun-filled environment surrounded by family and friends.  Klopak also wanted to create memories that would last a lifetime and believe me, on that score, he has been wildly successful.

From its humble beginnings in 1998, the AYA movement has grown by leaps and bounds, while other tournament series have struggled or failed.  AYA events are now being held across North America and this weekend the 26 regional champions from across the United States and Canada gathered in Kenora for the 2009 National Championship on Lake of the Woods.   The first place prize included an exclusive fly-in fishing trip to Miminiska Lodge on the Albany River in Northwestern Ontario, as well as a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 

The LUND Pro Staff/Guides included many of the best walleye anglers in North America including PWT winner, Perry Good

Each regional championship team in the tournament consisted of a adult angler and two young anglers, 17 years old and under.  Many of the kids were 5, 6, 7 years old but believe me, age meant nothing.  These kids are keen and, man, can they ever fish.  

Do you think the kids were excited? 

Team Travers Dam, Alberta waves to the crowd on shore as each of the 26 Regional winning teams files past the docks just prior to take off

I was privileged to be asked to present a short orientation seminar at the banquet and rules meeting on Friday night and to be paired up with Team Travers Dam from Alberta, which consisted of adult angler Brian Eberts, his young son Brett Eberts and Brett’s good buddy Braeden Welcher.  Man, talk about nice people.  Despite thunderstorm after thunderstorm rolling through the area on Saturday, and almost constant rain, there was absolutely nothing that was going to dampen the spirits of these anglers.  Brian and the boys were flying sky high, on Cloud 9, from start to finish, and despite the fact they looked like drowned rats at the end of the day, their smiles stretched from one ear to the other.  

For good reason, too.  We hit the walleyes big time. 

Primarily using Lindy Max Gap and X-Change jigs and live bait, (we caught a couple of fish pulling spinner rigs as well), we stung a bunch of big ‘eyes.  A lot of experienced anglers have never caught 5, 6 and 7-pound plus walleyes but these kids were nailing them like pros.  As well as a bunch of really nice 2, 3 and 4 pound fish.  By 11:00 o’clock in the morning we had a fantastic three (3) fish limit of big ‘eyes swimming in the livewell.  And here is the best part, Brian, Brett and Braeden each caught one of the big fish.  You couldn’t have scripted it any better!

Then, Braedon set the hooks into a near 30-inch giant that in a few more weeks time, after it fattens up, would easily weigh close to 10-pounds.  And he did it on cue, as the camera boat was filming us.  It was the fish of a lifetime and it was also time to start culling.  Imagine, the boy’s excitement as we “balance beamed” 5 and 6-pound walleyes to see which ones stayed and which ones were let go.  Heck, I’ve been doing this sort of thing all of my life and I was as pumped.  Every time one of the boys hauled in a big fish we hugged each other, exchanged high-5s and pounded fists.  Talk about an adrenaline rush!

Then, before we knew it, it was time to head back to Kenora to weigh-in our fish.  I figured our 3 biggest walleyes weighed 17-pounds but Brian thought they weighed closer to 20-pounds.  I secretly hope he was right.  We’d know soon enough. 

Jason Gauthier interviews the boys at the banquet and rules meeting on Friday evening

You think the Bassmaster Classic is glitzy?  It doesn’t compare to the excitement at the AYA International Championship weigh-in.  And none of the tournament emcees you watch on television can hold a candle to Jason Gauthier.  Let me tell you, this guy rocks!  Jason had the crowd roaring, up on its feet cheering wildly as each team walked onto the stage.  He, literally, brought down the house. 

Jason …. you are the man, brother. 

The smiles tell the story. An AYA official inspects our fish to ensure they're alive and well before we head up onto the stage

Because we had a “pretty good” weight we were held back toward the end of the weigh in process.  But then the time came.  The announcement was made for Team Travers Dam, Alberta to “bag up your fish and bring them up onto the stage”.   To say that Brian, Brett and Braeden were wound up tighter than coiled springs is an understatement.  I know, because my knees were shaking too.

Up on stage, in front of the crowd, we passed our bag of fish to Andrew.  Braeden’s 30-inch giant walleye was so big it wouldn’t fit inside the basket!   Team Dryden Ontario was sitting in the hot-seat as the current leader and we needed 17.6pounds to take over the lead.  Andrew put our fish onto the scales, waited for the needle to settle, hit the “lock” button and up flashed 18-pounds 8-ounces.  With only two teams left to weigh in we were the new leaders and Brian and the boys took the honoured hot seat at the front of the stage.

Unfortunately, our excitement didn’t last as long as we’d have liked, as Team South Dakota weighed in a marvellous limit that was 8-ounces heavier than ours.  Ouch!   Then Team Green Lake, Wisconsin, the final team to hit the scales weighed in a prize winning 19-pounds 15-ounces.  We came close, finishing third and missing the top spot by a mere 23-ounces.   Had Braeden’s 30-inch (7-pound 7-ounce) monster weighed anywhere close to what a 30-inch walleye would normally weigh, the boys from Alberta would be on their way to Disney World.

With only 2 teams left to weigh in, Brian, Brett and Braeden take the "hot seat"

Still, as I said at the end of my seminar on Friday evening, when you fish an event as special as the Angler Young Angler International Championship there are no losers.  There are only winners.  

And speaking of winners, I take off my hat to Andrew Klopak who had a special vision and saw it through to its wonderful conclusion.  Take my word for it, the Angler Young Angler tournament concept is the hottest thing going and there is no question in my mind but that one day soon, we’re going to be seeing AYA teams from Europe, Asia and South America participating in the event.  By the way, if you’re interested in fishing an AYA tournament next year, or organizing a tournament for your region or local area, here is the link to the AYA website www.angleryoungangler.ca/

I would also be totally remiss, if I didn’t give a big special thanks to AYA Coordinator, Michelle Trudeau, for inviting me to be a small part of the weekend events.  

And finally to Brian, Brett and Braeden, let me say, boys, you’re very special.   You can share a boat with me any day! 

Here is the attraction. Wild steelhead in all the rivers.

What a find.  I am talking about The Voyageur’s Lodge and Cookhouse located on the TransCanada Highway, about an hour’s drive north of Sault Ste. Marie, on Batchawana Bay of Lake Superior.   I was in the area (officially known as Algoma Country) last week scoping out the spectacular steelhead fishing in the many rivers flowing off the rugged Canadian Shield and into Lake Superior, between the Soo and Wawa.   If you’re a trout angler and you haven’t fished the area, you simply do not know what you’re missing.  It feels a lot like being in British Columbia or Alaska only it is a lot closer to home for most folks and a lot cheaper.  I’ll tell you all about the fishing in upcoming editions of Outdoor Canada Magazine. 

Right now, though, I’ve got to let you in on one of those rare hidden gems that you only find every once in a while and that you come to treasure.  The Voyageur’s Lodge and Cookhouse is a combination motel (offering suites as well as rooms) and a dining room but with a big difference.  The whole place caters to anglers and outdoor enthusiasts in a big way.   I knew it the minute we pulled in the driveway and saw the sign - Rainbow Are Running, Snow Is Melting, Spring Is Here.   

The sign says it all

Frank and Gail O’Connor run The Voyageur’s Lodge and bend over backwards to cater to your every need.  And the Cookhouse dining room is to “die for” - featuring fresh caught local lake trout and whitefish from right across the road in Batchawana Bay.   In a fancy fish joint in downtown Toronto, you’d expect to pay $25 - $30 for a tiny bite-size piece of trout or whitefish that has undoubtedly spent part of its latter life in a deep freeze somewhere.  At the Cookhouse, on the other hand, I feasted on a plate with three huge, totally deboned, fresh trout portions that were “out-of-this world”.  And get this: the price for the luncheon special was $7.95.   When I got the bill at the end of the meal, I thought our server had made a mistake.  I won’t dare tell you about the fresh pies and home made butter tarts. 

But here is what tells you everything you need to know about the place and its owners.  As most anglers, we were there to go steelhead fishing and we were up most mornings by 5:30 and did not back to our motel rooms until 10:00 PM or later in the evening.  The dining room was closed and we were “dog-tired”. 

But don’t worry, Gail told us.  What we do for visiting anglers is put one of the daily evening dining room specials in the refrigerators in your room and then you can microwave it when you get back in the evening?  Are you kidding me?  We had fresh crispy Caesar salads awaiting us, home made soups, buns, bread, and entrees that were scrumptious.  I am sure when the staff collected our plates the next morning when they cleaned our rooms they thought we had rinsed them clean.  We hadn’t - we’d licked them spotless!  I mean, this kind of service is like having your cake and eating it too.  Ditto for the lunches.  Gail and the restaurant staff made them up each day in advance and put them in our refrigerators the night before.  So, we were ready to go first thing in the morning.  Let me tell you, as an angler, it is small things like this that put the finishing touches on a great trip. 

The Lodge (and Cookhouse) also lives up to its name - it is a total Voyageur theme throughout - with murals on the walls and authentic Hudson Bay artifacts hanging everywhere.  Frank also told me that one of the fastest growing segments of his and Gail’s clientele is comprised of “adventure kayakers” who explore the incredibly beautiful and rugged north shore of Lake Superior in their boats.  The resort even has an authentic 26-foot long, voyageur-style, birch bark canoe available

I wonder if you can troll from this thing?

for guided evening and twilight adventures out on Lake Superior.  I am definitely going to come back and try that sometime, but with all the fabulous steelhead rivers and fishing available, I am guessing it is going to be quite a while yet!

If a friend ever discovered a place like The Voyageurs Lodge and Cookhouse and didn’t tell me about it I’d be sorely disappointed.  That is why this friend is telling you to check it out at http://www.voyageurslodge.com/homepage.spml or  The Voyageur’s Lodge and Cookhouse, P.O. Box 129, Hwy. 17 North Batchawana Bay, Ontario P0S 1A) Telephone (705) 882-2504 info@voyageurslodge.com 

Even if you’re only traveling along the TransCanada and looking for a place to spend the night, trust me, this is it!

As I said, what a find!        

Interestingly, though, immediately after I interviewed Aaron for the Outdoor Canada story, he won second place in the BASSMASTER CLASSIC, the most prestigious fishing tournament in the world!

Now, I didn’t think too much about it at the time, but then a year or two later, I interviewed another bass pro friend, Kota Kiriyama, from Japan.  I first met Kota at an ICAST convention in Las Vegas and we talked at length about all of the hot new finesse techniques that were coming out of Japan. 

At the end of our discussion, I thought the topic would make an interesting feature one day in Outdoor Canada Magazine.  So when I was given the go-ahead to write it, Kota was the first person I called.  I subsequently won a National Communications Award for the story, but get this, Kota immediately went on to win the Bassmaster Elite event on Lake Erie using the very techniques he had explained so carefully to me for the benefit of Outdoor Canada readers.

This is becoming more than a coincidence I started thinking. 

With an amazing two Bassmaster Classic crowns and four BASS Angler of the Year titles to his credit, Kevin Van Dam is currently in a league of his own.

Then, last year, I called another Bassmaster Elite friend, well known pro, Kevin Van Dam.  I was working on another Outdoor Canada feature, this time focusing on Kevin’s amazing exploits.  Super human feats that had propelled him to the number one position at the top of the BassFan World Rankings.  In fact, I chatted with Kevin only two days before the 2008 Bassmaster Classic.  He had sequestered himself at the time, at his brother-in-law’s house in North Carolina, where he could escape the media and crowds and practise in relative peace.  He gave me an exclusive interview. 

Well, guess what, four or five days after the interview, Kevin finished second in the BASSMASTER CLASSIC, just barely missing the win.  In case you don’t know it, the Classic winner takes home a cool $500,000 but the spin-off benefits, in the form of endorsements and product sponsorships are enormous - reputedly worth millions more.  Kevin, by the way, won the Bassmaster Classic in 2001 and 2005 and has four BASS Angler of the Year honours to his credit.  

Hmmm, I wondered.  There really is a trend here? Well, hit the fast forward button to two weeks ago.  

I am currently working on a feature for the upcoming Summer Edition of Outdoor Canada Magazine on fishing with soft plastic frogs in heavy cover for giant largemouth bass.  It is one of the most exciting forms of fishing - heart stopping really - and one of the best frog fishermen in the world is Brent Ehrler.  I first met Brent a few years ago when I was working on another assignment and we fished together on Lake Guntersville in Alabama.  (I know it is a dirty job but somebody has to do it!)

To make a long story short, Brent is one of the nicest, politest, most accomodating anglers you would ever want to meet and right off the bat we became friends.  We’ve kept in touch ever since and I was thrilled when not long after we fished together, Brent won the FLW Championship and the first place half a million dollar prize that goes along with it. 

Not a bad payday, eh? 

It is easy to see why Brent Ehrler is one of the best top water anglers on the planet. He caught this beauty on a Lucky Craft Gunfish while we were fishing together on Lake Guntersville in Alabama.

Well, Brent is such a phenomenal top water angler, he was the first name that came to mind when I started working on the upcoming frog story for the Summer Edition.  So I called him two weeks ago and set up an interview for the following Saturday.  But on the Friday night, I received a urgently scrawled text message from him on his BlackBerry while he was sitting in his boat bobbing on Lake Havasu, Arizona.  It read, “Gord, I just made the Top 10 cut for tomorrow’s Tour final.  We’re going to have to postpone the interview.”  

I laughed and hastily sent Brent a return message telling him not to worry about the interview.  I also related the above three previous incidents with Aaron, Kota and Kevin.  I went on to tell Brent he didn’t have a care in the world.  The FLW Tour victory was in the bag.  Well, imagine my surprise when I watched the final day weigh-in live on streaming video over the Internet.  I just about fell over when Brent plopped down one of the biggest sacks of the tournament and jumped all the way into first place.  He won the FLW Tour event and $96,000 in cash plus a $25,000 cash bonus from Ranger Boats.  

Brent Ehrler grabs a frog rod rigged with a Stanley Ribbit from his rod locker. Be sure to read the upcoming 2009 Summer Edition of Outdoor Canada Magazine to learn Ehrler's secrets for fishing a frog.