Michael and Margaret's Great White Sturgeon Video

In the previous post you saw a photo of one very large sturgeon caught out in British Columbia . I thought you would also enjoy watching the catch ( and release) in action.

Did you know that a White Sturgeon...
...is the largest freshwater fish in the world?
...doesn't begin spawning until it is 25 years old?

This will be the apex of their fishing experience...nothing will ever match this for size from any lake or river.

Endangered Fish

Michael and Margaret Snell ( such as in snelling a hook) , a good fishing name if I ever heard one , were visiting BC . They caught a fish. I say ' they ' because Margaret held onto her husband's belt to prevent him being pulled out of the boat. Michael fought this 'great white' for well over an hour.


                        4 metres - 500 kilograms

The Canadian Press/Great River Fishing ,July20,2012

                         That's one big fish. 


Sturgeon , in this case a White Sturgeon , was common in the rivers of Canada. But over fishing , pollution and damming have forced this fish into the endangered category.


There are sturgeon still found in the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers but they are a rare catch nowadays. Young fish at about 1.5+ metres are the norm in this category.

Big ones such as this white sturgeon are down there . This one had not been caught in over 18 years , if ever. No tag means that this particular fish is well over twenty years old. Sturgeon can live to nearly a century in age. These big ones are rarely caught.

Tears In The Mattawa River

Here is another relationship to the River. Sandra Glabb's poignant rendition of her song- a tribute to her parents.

That Mattawa Feeling

Jen has been out capturing her relationship with Mattawa on her cellphone. It is all about the rivers.

The Mattawa River in April always looks good after Winter releases it.   


















At 6:00 am the Mattawa River is quiet...

... and the Ottawa River looks like this.

Thanks ,Jen, for sharing the photos.

A New Boy In The Boat

My nephew spent his younger years on this lake with his Grandpa learning to catch bass.

Earl's Lake is a small lake just west of Mattawa.

My nephew then taught all of his children to fish. Earl's Lake was a natural place to transfer his zeal and pleasure to his girls.

...And they all go fishing at every opportunity together.

Today , my niece and her boy joined the fishing group on the lake . An auspicious day for sure.

They settled right into the routine.

Mommy caught a fish. Very exciting and worth notifying all who should know. There seems                  to be a little boy looking for more.   Ah , he's hooked!

Knot Just One Way

I have republished the essential knots from July 2011 by request . If you are looking for more essential fishing knots , check out youtube videos . There are hundreds of demonstrations. (Check the archives for last July.)


 The same knot can have several names. The same knot can be tied many ways . 


There are fishermen who will argue with each other over which knot is best .  For some fishermen, the more difficult knots are directly tied to their intelligence. 'Well , not everyone can tie it.'..in comparison to other fishermen. For others , simple and quick is best. 'More time for fishing.'
More often than not , they are making the exact same knot and arguing about style.


  The secret to easy learning is choosing the method that makes it easy for you to remember. Go for it.

Spring has finally arrived in Mattawa

Jennifer and company were out on the land last weekend to enjoy what spring has to offer...camping and fishing...just enjoying spring break into life.

 
Thanks to Jennifer Neault for the photos.

Smelt Season

boreal forest.org

Osmerus Mordax (Rainbow Smelt)


Around the middle to end of April , once the consistent warming temperatures and the first warm rainfall happens , the smelt begin their annual run upriver to gravel-bottomed spawning grounds.


In the 1950's , Rainbow Smelt were introduced as a forage fish for Walleye and Lake Trout . Since they prefer the cool , dark deep waters of lakes and rivers as their habitat , they are a good forage fish for the larger predators. The drawback is that Smelt are voracious predators themselves . Besides crustaceans and insects , their favourite food is small fish. You can be guaranteed that after the spawn , when the instinct to eat kicks in , they will be eating large numbers of Walleye and Lake Trout fry , among others.


Description:
-silvery colour
-pale green back
-iridescent purple,blue,pink sides
-white belly
-slender , cylindrical shape
-elongated head pointed)
- weigh about 85g (3 oz.)
- from17cm to 23cm long (7-9 inches)


About this time of year is when fishermen are looking for smelts . Although there has been no warm rain yet around Mattawa area , the smelts are beginning to move up rivers in a trickle. Once that first warm rain comes , the window of opportunity is small . En masse the smelts will rush into spawning areas  over a week or so . That is what fishermen are waiting for...the rush.


 Timing is everything.


When the call goes out , everyone is rushing out with a scoop net and a bucket to line creeks and riverbanks on dark April evenings. 


" The Smelt are running!"


If you time it right , a dip of the net yields a bucket of tiny fish. Then comes the cleaning , storing and feeding . 


The problem is that smelt are too easy to catch. In the excitement , scoopers often take more than they can use. Too often , I have seen hundreds of dead smelt laying on a riverbank . Excited fishermen who took more than they were prepared to clean . 


Take a bucketful - clean a bucketful - cook a bucketful - eat a bucketful ...in that order. Then go back for a bucketful to store.

Fried Smelts and beer

visit Fried Smelt Recipe

  

April Fish Day

What has fish got to do with April Fool's Day?

The Canadian Encyclopedia Blog gives you a great and amusing discussion about the roots of this oddball celebration  behaviour.

Celebrating April Fool's Day

What to Catch Until Summer Season Begins

I asked Darren in Mattawa what is there left to catch once Walleye season (winter) is done on March 31.

Fish Facts from dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Rainbow Trout - a stocked species originally from the western rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean.

fishandboat.com

Splake - a hybrid cross between a male Speckled (Brook) Trout and a female Lake Trout- used to stock lakes and rivers.

wildlife.state.co.us

The tail of each of these fish are distinct from each other as are the markings.

dnr.wi.gov

The range of splake is small in Ontario in rivers that drain into the Ottawa River/Algonquin Park

Ministry of Natural Resources of Ontario