LOOKING FOR AN EDGE! Musky anglers are a lot like elite athletes, they are always looking for an edge to increase performance, the line between failure and success is razor thin. Those that find success usually have extreme confidence. Those that struggle are always searching for a magic solution to a problem they don’t understand. TRENDS COME AND GO As anglers, and more so with sport anglers, we all chase trends. Trends in rods, trends in baits, trends in tactics. That in of itself is not really the issue. We can all learn new strategies to employe with new presentations…
Author: Glenn & Kyla McDonald
Glenn & Kyla McDonald
Glenn & Kyla McDonald reside in Northwestern Ontario with their three beautiful daughters. Kyla manages the famous Bobby’s Sport Shop in Vermilion Bay, ON and together they operate Buck Tails Guide Service. They fish together and have a strong presence in the angling industry through pro-staff positions with many well known brands. They use their influence to promote conservation and are strong supporters of youth involvement in fishing. Their own children have already developed a passion for the open water.
THINKING OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE BOX Decision making in fishing, especially musky fishing, can make or break a day. Make the right call on a bait and it’s zero to hero instantly. Make a bad call, and musky fishing will punish you like no other freshwater fish can. MAKING THE RIGHT CALL Fishing in general requires us to make a host of decisions. The easy ones are easy. What species are we fishing for? What body of water are we fishing? What tactic are we most likely to use on this trip? Trolling or casting? These are usually not the…
EDITORS NOTE: Hooked contributor Glenn McDonald has grown up in Northwestern Ontario. I can think of no better person to introduce our readers to this magical part of the world. Glenn shares some incredible insight in what this great destination has to offer, so much so that we have put it into a two part series. Here is the second installment which gives you options on were to stay. This is especially timely as school breaks for the summer. Blue Lake provincial park is one of the premier parks in all of Ontario, and books up fairly quickly. As a family…
EDITORS NOTE: Hooked contributor Glenn McDonald has grown up in Northwestern Ontario. I can think of no better person to introduce our readers to this magical part of the world. Glenn shares some incredible insight in what this great destination has to offer, so much so that we have put it into a two part series. Here is the first installment. WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE! Vermilion Bay, Ontario is about as close to the center of Sunset Country as you can imagine. Positioned at the crossroads of Hwy # 17 and Hwy # 105, leading north to the Red Lake area.…
ITS HARDCORE TIME! The dull roar of the outboard was the only sound we could hear, the boredom of trolling overwhelming us. Tick, tick, a second of silence, then the clicker on the reel went off in a steady tick, tick, tick, as the line peeled off the spool. The pulsating of the rod tip meant only one thing, we were hooked up, finally! FIND THE BAIT, FIND THE MUSKY Late October means only one thing to a musky hunter, the chance at the biggest fish of the year. Muskies feed heavily during the last months of open water. The…
A WORLD CLASS FISHERY Anyone familiar with Eagle Lake knows how good the fishing is. I could write this whole article about all the great things about Eagle Lake and not mention the fishing, but I would be remiss. Eagle Lake is a fishing paradise. Home to almost every major species of sport fish in Northwestern Ontario. Bass, perch, walleye and sauger. Pike and musky. Lake trout and whitefish. It has it all, and Eagle Lake holds the potential to provide trophy class fish in every category. Walleye may be the most popular species to fish for, and thankfully a…
BIG WATER=BIG FISH! Eagle Lake is nestled right in the heart of Northwestern Ontario’s Sunset Country. Long thought of as a prime fishing destination for American anglers, it has carried a mystique about it for years. Terms like “bucket list” or “trip of a lifetime” are often used to describe it. Modern boating electronics and social media may have taken some of the mystique away however one could argue it has never been a more desirable destination. THE EAGLE LAKE EXPERIENCE I have lived in the Vermilion Bay, ON area my entire life. Less than a mile or two away…
EARLY SEASON HUNT FOR ESOX LUSOX May long weekend in Northwestern Ontario signals the unofficial start of open water season with walleye opener. Myself, being a musky angler, I must wait a whole extra month. The third Saturday in June to be exact. The struggle is real folks, being a musky hunter is not easy. However, in Sunset Country pike and bass have an open season year-round. WHY BASS AND PIKE? Having the ability to target pike and bass does a couple things for me during the early season. Pike fishing is similar to musky fishing, so it allows me…
SUNSET COUNTRY IS LAKER COUNTRY! Winter in Northwestern Ontario means ice fishing season to many anglers. The prize for most is the “Laker”. Lake Trout are fun to catch and big ones can test your fishing skills. They are notoriously strong fighters and punch well beyond their weight class. However Northwestern Ontario is home to great trout fishing for a variety of species. Rainbow trout, Brook (Speckled) trout and Splake. An angler could spend an entire winter fishing different lakes and never get bored in Sunset Country. Where to find them www.ontario.ca/fishonline is a great resource to start your…
UNDERSTANDING WHEN TO BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME For millennia humans have been fascinated with the moon, the effect of, a source of confusion for just as long. Popularized and exploited in movies, music, and literature, some based on fact, some on fiction. As long as humans have hunted and fished for survival, the full moon has been perceived as favourable to success. Only more recently has the entire lunar and solar, “Solunar” cycles been followed by anglers, and hunters alike. The musky fishing community has used solunar calendars for reference for several years. Most anglers…