Fishing the Wild West TV august 2023 Newsletter
It has been a while since the last Fishing the Wild West TV Newsletter due to a very hectic 2023 schedule. There was a six-week stretch in June and July when Chuck and I were on the road/water, in two countries, six different provinces, and on nine planes including the stresses of getting through the Toronto airport. However, we have made it to August unscathed with nine complete episodes shot and we are both looking forward to 10 days off before we start the push to finish the last five episodes of season #8 of Fishing the Wild West TV.
ICAST 2023 was another amazing experience. Although getting to Orlando Florida, from Calgary, Alberta, in the middle of our season is somewhat of a challenge, it is very important to us to get to ICAST each year for the opportunity to shake hands and visit with our U.S. supporters and see the latest and greatest products in the fishing industry.
What’s new? It’s impossible to write in one newsletter all the amazing new products introduced at ICAST 2023, so here are just a few of the new products that I believe are going to make a huge difference in an angler’s fishing experience.
millenniummarine.com, korkers.com, mustangsurvival.com/products/essentialist-belt-pack-md3800, www.bubba.com, power-pole.com/trolling-motors/learn-more
Again, it would be impossible to write about all the incredible people and products we met at ICAST 2023, and many other products like Aqua-Vu, Gill Fishing, Sunline, and Valley Fashion have ongoing or new products and projects not ready to be revealed at this time but when they are revealed, they will also make a huge difference in the angling world.
aquavu.com, gillfishing.com, sunlineamerica.com, vfoutdoors.com
In July, we had the good fortune of being a part of Hooked Magazine’s 15 anniversary. The event was hosted in Manitoba on the Winnipeg River at the beautiful Trail End Camp & Outfitters, at their Kendall Pointe Lodge. Hooked Media has produced in my opinion, the best Canadian fishing magazine (Hooked Magazine) for 15 years. Through the pages of Hooked Magazine, North American anglers and readers are informed of the latest products, lodge reports, where-to/how-to articles, fishing reports, and conservation issues and projects. An added highlight for FtWWTV at this event was the opportunity to shoot a complete episode of FtWWTV fishing for smallmouth bass with Jeff Gustafson, the 2023, Bass Master Classic World Champion and the first Canadian ever to win the event. Congratulations Gussy!
Congratulations to Hooked Magazine on 15 years of informative information that anglers can and have used to be more successful on and off the water. hookedmagazine.ca, trailendcamp.com
I look forward to shooting every episode, however, one episode that I was really looking forward to was fishing for salmon on the West Coast with Tim, the owner of BuzzBomb Tackle. Tim and his wife Gaia, own and operate BuzzBomb Tackle out of Courtenay, British Columbia.
I’ve been working with BuzzBomb Tackle for five years and when Tim said come out and field prove some new Spinnows, Zzingers, & Buzz-Bombs, with me, I quickly booked a room at crownisle.com and packed my bags.
There is nothing like trolling for salmon and fighting salmon on a Mooching rod/reel. However, after learning the fine art of jigging for salmon with Tim, I may never be able to pick up a Mooching rod/reel again. We used our fish finder to locate large bait balls. The salmon would attack the bait balls from every direction gorging themselves on a smorgasbord of bait. We would stop the boat over top of the bait balls and quickly drop our lures down and within a few jigs of our presentation, one of us and in many cases, both of us would set the hook on a salmon. It was very effective and all we had to do was follow the bait ball. When one bait ball dispersed, we would find another and quickly hook into salmon. It was one of the most incredible jigging experiences I have ever had. And truthfully, it wasn’t hard. The Spinnows, Zzingers, & Buzz-Bombs did all the work. All we had to do was hang on! buzzbombtackle.com
The last episode we shot before taking a needed 10-day break, was a lake that has been on my bucket list for some time. Lake Diefenbaker, in southern Saskatchewan, is a 90-mile reservoir loaded with multiple fish species. However, our focus was on the walleye swimming within the depths of Lake Diefenbaker.
We spent July 30 through August 2, on Lake Diefenbaker and fished out of three different locations. Elbow, Saskatchewan, where we stayed at Sarah’s Cove Condo Rentals, Riverhurst, Saskatchewan, staying at Mainstay Inn, and Kyle, Saskatchewan, staying at Hi-way 4 Motel. lakediefenbakertourism.com
The walleye were where they were supposed to be, holding on rock points. Search presentations such as bottom-bouncing a gold, silver, or bright blue smiley blade with a Slow-Death hook tipped with a nightcrawler, leach, or a Big Bite Bait imitating one of the two triggered bites from active feeding walleye. When the bite would slow down or turn off, we would set up over the top of the walleye using the spot lock on the trolling motor and vertical jig the resting walleye with as light of a Big Sky Jig as we could get away with. The current and wind determined the weight of the jig we used. Some walleye would hit the bait aggressively, while others forced you to watch the line to determine a bite. bigbitebaits.com, bigskyflies.ca
As much as I love shooting walleye episodes, I was anxious to get home and spend time with family and friends. At the time of this writing, there are only a few days left of our mid-season break and we will be on the road/water again
Thank you all for your time and support!