2021 Algoma Travel Guide - Magazine - Page 16
SIZE AND NUMBERS
TOUGH TO TOP
Bass aren’t the only fish that grow to epic proportions in Algoma,
a point not missed by Pete Bowman, who shares the Fish’n
Canada co-hosting chores with Viola. “The combination of
walleye size and numbers is what pushes Algoma over the top
for me,” says Bowman. “A lot of people think that the further
north you go, the bigger the walleye you are going to catch. But
it is not true. The far north lakes produce numbers beyond belief
- 50 to 100 fish a day - but catching a monster can be tough. In
Algoma Country, however, there are so many lakes with so many
big, fat walleye that it boggles my mind.”
Gardner, on the other hand, takes pleasure in picking up a fly rod
every chance he gets and targeting big toothy critters. “I went to
a lake in Northern Algoma.” he says. “The lake is managed with
a strong conservation ethic that results in outrageous numbers of
walleye and pike. The lodge also welcomes all kinds of anglers
and is fly-fishing savvy. I love fly fishing for pike, so it was a great
fit. But the big moment was a sticky, hot morning, when I landed
a 38-inch pike on my fly rod. And then, 20 minutes later, I hooked
my biggest walleye of the trip, on the same 7-inch long fly. It
happened to be July 1st, Canada Day, so an hour later, all the
guests met for a shore brunch with fresh fish, pastries and ice
coffee. That was a morning that will be hard to top.”
“I remember one time, Ang and I were shooting an episode. We
were staying at one of the lodges on a northern lake and we
found a slew of quality fish within sight of the lodge. I mean 5-, 6and 7-pound walleye. It was crazy! I was fishing a jig and leech
combination and fired a cast into the branches of a tree that had
fallen into the water along the shore. What the heck, right? Well,
thunk, I set the hook into a behemoth 30-inch, 10-pound walleye.
That was our first trip to that lake and it still produces like that
today.”
Just as you can have a dizzying array of fish species to choose
from in Algoma, one of the things that has impressed me to no
end, is that you can also catch them so many different ways. It is
where I learned, for example, to wedge a long rod holder into the
sand and to hold my line up high and out of the water, after I had
cast a roe bag into Lake Superior to catch the trout and salmon
that were cruising along the shoreline.
When I mention Gardner’s hard-to-top experience to Melnyk,
however, I spot a mischievous smile creep across his face that
tells me he is up to the task. “I was fishing in Trophy Alley,” he
says, “and it was perfect for post-spawn smallmouth bass. The
weather was co-operating and the big boys were coming off the
nests for food out in deeper water. I was fishing with my friend
and casting coach, Mikey Metcalfe and expert guide, Adam
Vallee. We were throwing heavily weighted Clouser Minnows
and Wooly Buggers and let me tell you Trophy Alley lived up
to its reputation. Mikey released a 6.5-pound smallmouth on
his 10-pound test tippet, while I released a 5.9-pound fish on
my 12-pound test. Both of these bass would have qualified at
the time as IGFA (International Game Fish Association) world
records. Two world records in one day. That’s why I love Algoma
Country so much.”