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Diaries of a Lodge Owner
In 2009, sheet metal mechanic, Steve Niedzwiecki, turned his passions into reality using steadfast belief in himself and his vision by investing everything in a once-obscure run-down Canadian fishing lodge.
After ten years, the now-former lodge owner and co-host of The Fish'n Canada Show is here to share stories of inspiration, relationships and the many struggles that turned his monumental gamble into one of the most legendary lodges in the country.
From anglers to entrepreneurs, athletes to conservationists; you never know who is going to stop by the lodge.
Diaries of a Lodge Owner
Episode 96: How the Best Casting Spots Are Found While Trolling
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What makes a three-mile stretch of seemingly uniform weed line suddenly produce fish in one specific spot? Why do nine out of ten strikes happen in the exact same location? These are the questions that separate casual anglers from true fishing experts.
Muskie guru Matt O'Brian joins us on the French River to reveal his systematic approach to finding productive fishing spots—a method that has made him one of the most successful muskie guides on Lake Nipissing and the Upper French River. From an innovative technique using trolling as a research tool to his digital record-keeping strategies, Matt shares the hard-earned knowledge that allows him to consistently locate and catch trophy fish.
"My best casting spots I've ever found in my life, I found trolling," Matt explains, detailing how covering water efficiently while watching for patterns has revealed his most productive locations. He walks us through the critical transitions he looks for—rock to weed edges, proximity to deep water basins, and access to forage like cisco and smelt—that create the perfect ambush points for predator fish.
The conversation extends beyond fishing tactics to include technological innovations, like the network bridge system beaming internet across three kilometres of the French River that made this episode possible. As spring arrives and black flies emerge, we discuss seasonal strategies for different species and how Matt adjusts his guiding approach throughout the year, from early-season lake trout to his specialty in trophy muskie.
Whether you're planning a trip to the French River, looking to upgrade your fishing approach, or simply enjoy conversations about the outdoor lifestyle, this episode delivers practical wisdom from decades of on-water experience. Connect with Matt directly to book a guided fishing experience and discover for yourself why understanding "the spot on the spot" is the key to consistent fishing success.
Introduction and Leaf Game Talk
Speaker 1my best casting spots I've ever found in my life. I found trolling. So, say, you have a weed flat that's three miles long and you spend your time learning it, mapping it out, putting your waypoints down, figure it out, but then, as you're trolling and sometimes it's with clients too yeah, it's better. When you have four or five lures in the water, right, you start to notice that the bites are happening in the exact same spot every time. Yes, or nine times out of ten. Right, you've got 100% of the water, but 90% of the bites are always in the same spot. That's where you want to go and cast.
Speaker 2This week on the Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Networks Diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North. Well, folks, it's springtime and you want to know why. I know it's springtime Because I'm sitting up here looking at the French River and it is soft water. Yes, I am at the cottage and today we have a a very, very special guest here sitting beside me and we are going to talk about everything French River and a little bit more. And folks I'm really really happy to bring back on to the show, matt O'Brien. Matt, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1Hey, thanks for having me, Steve.
Speaker 2Yeah, so folks, matt's up here because I needed a very special favor. And for those of you who don't know, matt is probably the best muskie angler on Nipissing the Upper French, and you can lump the world into that as well. It's a little bit too long. Well, no, you know, but he in his real job is an IT specialist.
Speaker 1He well, I guess it's um digital, uh, um screens right, well, yeah, but IT is probably the best way to explain it. For sure, yep.
Speaker 2That's good. So, um, we're able to do this now, uh, with me being live. Wow, Not so much live for you, but live for me at the French River on the island, and it's really exciting, like I mean, and Terry from the Tuke is a key contributing factor to this whole situation, because Matt and Terry have put together cables and ends and cutting things and matching everything up and ITing their way through, uh, pointing lasers and dishes and all kinds of stuff, and and now I've got like 85 megabits per second download speed sitting here at my kitchen table. Thank you.
Speaker 1Yeah, oh, you're welcome. Just in time for the leaf game too.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Perfect, and that's very important. Like I mean, the reason that this whole trip and why you are the most important cog here is because it wouldn't be happening right now if I couldn't watch that Leaf game. It's game five tonight, and man, what it's? It's it's game five tonight, and, um, man, what a a massive game it uh, it is.
Speaker 1It's hard to believe that we're in this predicament again, Well. Well, I mean that should be three, one, four, nothing Like it's.
Speaker 2I hey, listen, the that whole series, the way that it's unfolded to this point, has been um uncomfortable, to say the least. But you know, I got to say there have been points this year recently that they're fooling me again and I hope that it's different. Because they lost game three of this series against the Florida Panthers and that was the one where they ended up getting up to two two-goal leads and at the point midway through game three where it was 3-1 and the Leafs game that I've seen the Maple Leafs play since 1993. Yeah, and that's saying something. And I have not missed many games and I have not missed any playoff games. Right, the dominance that they.
Speaker 2Well, there were periods where Florida had pushback, but the difference at that point and the reason that I still have hope and you know, as a Leaf fan I know we have been scarred so terribly bad and deeply over the last wow, since 67, really, I don't know, the late 80s is when I can vividly remember as a kid watching the Leafs and loving the Leafs and feeling that. But in 93, there was legitimate love and a team that really could have won the Stanley Cup and should have. When you remove the whole, kerry, fraser, wayne Gretzky high stick incident on Doug Gilmore, which robbed us of a Leafs-Montreal final, and the Leafs would have won that hands down, like I mean, even the Montreal Canadiens fans out there would agree with that.
Speaker 1Yeah, I remember you telling me a story about meeting the referee from that game, didn't you? Yeah?
Speaker 2I did. I don't know if I've ever told that story to the Diaries family and it was a bit of a.
Speaker 2Well, I'll tell you the story. So my wife, melissa, her dad, so my father-in-law God rest his soul he passed in 2013. When he was a young man, played a fairly high level of hockey and it just so happened that his roommate back then was Cary Fraser, and Cary Fraser was the referee who missed the high stick by Wayne Gretzky on. They should have won that game, but because they missed that goal or missed that uh penalty, they he missed calling that penalty. Right in front of him, wayne gretzky scored the goal. That uh ended up being the winning goal. Just minutes after the incident, when doug gilmore was out of the play because his face was slashed and he had, he was bleeding everywhere it was.
Speaker 2it was vicious anyway so was that when he was playing on the the Kings or Edmonton in 93 uh, no, that was the LA Kings okay, that was the LA Kings yeah, because, um, it was LA Montreal in final and Montreal won that series, but anyway, so we might have a similar story this year with Stolarz in that right. Oh, don't even be talking about similar stories.
Speaker 1Well, listen, when Wohl came in, he played great the first game, right? So that was that game two that you're talking about, right? Yeah?
Speaker 2Well, game actually he was a little shaky.
Speaker 1It was game two. Yeah, yes, game actually.
Speaker 2He was a little shaky.
Speaker 1It was game two. Yeah, yes, game two. He was a little shaky but he stuck in there and we got the win and we got the win and it was a really, really tough position to be put in as a goaltender, because these guys are crazier than shithouse rats Like I mean.
Speaker 2They need their preparation time. They need their preparation time, they need their regular routine, they need to mentally prepare. And hey, I don't blame any one of them, because if you wanted to stand in front of a 100-mile-an-hour slap shot when somebody's firing a piece of 5-ounce rubber at your head, you need to be a different breed of person to do that. But yeah, no, anyway. So my father-in-law, al Nixon. He worked for a bunch of different well, it wasn't a bunch of different. He started with Armbro Brothers and they had aggregates companies and they had all kinds of construction companies and road building and they were one of the largest aggregate companies at the time in Ontario. And then they were bought out year over year over year by different companies, but that's beside the story. But he had access to Seasons tickets to Ottawa, toronto and Buffalo and, with him being their head sales guy in the aggregates division, he was at a lot of them and Al was a guy who who cheered for every team that was playing against the Leafs. He was, he was one of those guys. Anyway, this one, uh, um, this one, um, um evening, uh, we're sitting at the dinner table and he and he had tickets to go to Buffalo and asked me if I wanted to go. He would sometimes take me and a couple of his buddies from Shelburne great guys, grant Glassford and Glenn Morrison. Myself and Al went down to this game in particular, and it was in Buffalo, and when you go down with Al, like I mean, you don't pay for nothing and I was fairly young so, to give you an idea 93, the incident happened and this would have been about a decade later. This was like 2003. For a regular season game, we went to Buffalo and it had nothing to do with the Leafs. And I'm the dummy that goes to a Buffalo Sabres San Jose Sharks game wearing my Leaf jersey. That's who I am right. So we end up going down there and right away, as soon as the game started, I noticed Cary Frazier was reffing, right, and, like I say, you pay for nothing. So you know I was by the end of the game. I wouldn't describe my mentality as wasted, but it was getting close, right, you know. And at the end of the game I saw Al poking away on his BlackBerry and texting, whatever, whatever.
Setting Up Internet on the French River
Speaker 2And we're leaving our seats, we're in the back row of the lower bowl and I remember we were walking across to the aisle and then he turned left to go down to the rink instead of turning right to leave the building. And I said where are we going? He said we're going to go see Carrie. I said Carrie, carrie, who? Carrie Fraser? He was my old roommate, I didn't know. I kept ties with the guy Now being the boyfriend of his daughter, melissa, and I had been dating for about I don't know eight years at that point, a long time, right, right and anyway. So we end up heading down and, and Grant and and Glenn are, are, are behind me and and now I'm coaching myself, I'm like just don't say anything, just be nice, like, don't make a fool of yourself.
Speaker 2Anyway, we go down to this where the Zamboni drives out onto the ice and walk in underneath the ice surface, and there's this little room and, honest to God, it's not, I bet you. It was 10 by 10. And it was a square concrete room and it had a bench all the way around the perimeter of this room and then the door to get into it. It was like a closet, okay, and it's like the referee change room or something. Yeah, it's the ref's change room but it wasn't big.
Speaker 2So, anyway, al walks in, I walk in behind him and I and and I don't even think that Glenn and um Grant came in there with us. They kind of waited outside the door because it was that small, because there was two linesmen uh gearing down, uh on the on the back wall like they had their. You know, they're taking their skates off and everything else and they were kind of looking towards the back wall and whatever. And then we walked in and there's Carrie Fraser, in the flesh and blood, and two things set me off. You know, al introduced me to Carrie, as this is my daughter's friend and I had been, we had been dating, we got married the next year. Yeah, okay, right. So that kind of set me off. And then I looked at Kerry and his hair was perfect, like he for those of you who don't know, he was known for having this slicked back hairdo. That looks like what's that? I'm going to Google him right now and look at him. Yeah, what's that? There's the video game where the hedgehog dude rolls around Sonic.
Speaker 2Sonic. He has Sonic hair and they didn't wear helmets back then the referees. And there he is. Look at the slick back hair on him.
Speaker 1He does look like Sonic the Hedgehog.
Speaker 2I know, and he was shorter than I imagined, right. So, anyway, and Al is this wonderful jovial but I'm dating his daughter, right, so I'm kind of on the outs. But to start with, um, but a wonderful jovial man and he, he went over and grabbed Carrie's hand, shook his hand, give him a big hug, and now he's introducing me to Carrie and I'm the his daughter's friend and Carrie sticks his hand out to shake my hand. And I grabbed his hand and, without even thinking about it, I looked him straight in the eye and I said you're really fucked up in 93, didn't you? And he looked at me and I could feel you know how, when you really kind of mess up and then you get that hot sweat kind of feel from the top of your head, and then it. And then he threw my hand like he, he like let my hand go out of this handshake very aggressively and he like I mean he was not happy.
Speaker 1I'm surprised you shook his hand.
Speaker 2Well, you know, my father-in-law was there, anyway. So he aggressively let go of my hand and I turned around and I saw Al and, oh, and the other thing too. When after I and I didn't say it like quietly, I said it very sternly and the linesman overheard the conversation and when they heard me say that, both of them started howling, they started laughing hysterically. And I turned around and I saw Al and his head was like 30 shades of red, like his head was as red as I've ever seen anything, and he was mad, oh yeah. So I looked at Al, I looked at Kerry, I looked at the linesmen that were doubled over hysterically laughing, and I said, well, I guess it's time for me to go. And I walked out and uh, oh man, it was the longest drive home from Buffalo that I've ever had and, um, it was a. It was pretty close to 10 years before I got another set of tickets.
Speaker 1Really.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, the next year. You know what Al did, because every year for Christmas, for about 10 years prior to that, al would give me a set of Leaf tickets and I wasn't sure if I was going to be on the naughty list, right? So the following Christmas, this was the year that the Leafs went to the quarterfinals with Gary Roberts leading the charge, and then, when Matt and Sundin was hurt, and when Matt Sundin come back, they ended up playing the Carolina Hurricanes in the quarterfinal and they were supposed to win but they lost. Like I mean, the whole dynamic was was thrown off terribly, but but anyway, that's another story. So the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, because they had made the final four, had already printed the Stanley Cup tickets for the next round and distributed them to all of the season's tickets holders.
Speaker 2So fast forward one year and it's Christmas time now and I get my envelope from Al and Bren and I think the first thing I remembered is I know it's the envelope with the tickets, right, but it was thick, it was like fat, and I thought what? Anyway, I opened it up and then the first thing I would do because he had a number of different seats I would check the price. So that gave me an idea of where in the rink I was sitting and I looked at these tickets and back then like a gold ticket, which is typically where I would sit, a gold ticket, um, which is typically where I would sit, um, sometimes you I'd get lucky and they had a couple of platinums down in the at the at the air Canada center, but a gold ticket at that time was about $120.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2And, um, I looked at these tickets and there was like eight of them and I'm like holy shit, eight tickets. And then I'm like holy shit, eight tickets. And then I looked straight for the price and they were like $495 each. I'm like, oh my God, it's a box. And then I got looking, I said, and then I, and then I heard Al giggling, right, well, what he had done was he took the, took the four seats in a row that they have, and and the all of the games from the, the home games from the next round, which would have been three home games because they didn't have home ice and gave me last year's Stanley Cup finals tickets and that was it. Wow, there were no other tickets, they were just last year's tickets. And he laughed. But I'll tell you what In the moment I was kind of disappointed, but not really disappointed. I knew. I knew that I was an asshole and I deserved it. But I'll tell you what it was worth every minute to be able to tell Carrie what I thought.
Speaker 1So are you a Leaf fan.
Speaker 2Of course.
Speaker 1I couldn't tell.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, no shit, but anyway, I still have those tickets and they have a nice little Stanley Cup printed on the ticket tickets. And, um, they have a nice little stanley cup printed on the ticket and, uh, hopefully at some point maybe in my lifetime you know, I got that blue shirt that that says, uh, has a maple leaf on it, says, just once before I die, um, maybe I'll see tickets like that. But that's the. That's the fabled story of of carrie fraser it's to be this year, buddy.
Speaker 1Well, In a few weeks we'll be hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Speaker 2We're really at a crossroads right now. Tonight's a big game.
Speaker 1It's a huge game. We have to win.
Spring Weather and Black Fly Season
Speaker 2Tonight is the biggest game and, folks, I got to tell you I'm real sorry that we're being tardy and late and sorry, ange, this pod's going to drop on Thursday. Willie was, he's sick and we're. I've been up here on the island struggling to get some internet service, but we finally got it. And you know what the way that you avoid this situation is you need to put inventory in the bank. We should have and Ange is absolutely right, we should have four or five podcasts in the bank already. But anyway, you're going to hear this after the Leafs play game five tonight, which is Wednesday. And it really is a crossroads because this team and I don't know what team we're going to see and really the big dogs, in particularly Austin Matthews, our captain, and Mitch Marner, they need to bring it tonight. Like I mean, marner brought it all year, got his 100-point season, he looked pretty good against Ottawa. Like I mean, I have not been a fan of Mitch Marner at all for most of the later years in his career so far because of the playoff performances. And this year he come out. He played bigger, I felt, in the regular season and he kind of he's got me believing in him again to a certain extent, but after the Ottawa series especially. And then he scored that one big goal to beat the Panthers in game two. But this is where the rubber meets the road. This is the deciding factor.
Speaker 2I don't think that you could actually think of a team who has come to a point that means so much in the situation that they're in, agreed, because, literally, if they lose this game, I don't feel that they have the mental fortitude to put together two wins in a row against the defending Stanley Cup champions. I think that the only real shot and again, you never know If they lost tonight they might win, but look at the Vegas odds and that'll tell you something but if they can pull this win out and they can somehow find a way to beat the Florida Panthers in this second round of the playoffs, I will not be familiar with this feeling other than the experience I had when I was a kid in 93, because I wholeheartedly believed that year that they were going to win the, the, the, the first series against the Detroit Red Wings. They went down two games to nothing and I, I, just I thought that they were done. I felt they were going to they, they were done. But when they come back and won that series.
Speaker 2I that, I that was a defining moment in my, my sports. Um life, the, the in my Maple Leaf love and love for the game Um, and I can't help but know that um, we haven't had. I don't think we've had. The only moments that we've had are all bad moments.
Speaker 1Yeah, since, like they're bad I feel like you might have that feeling again if the if the leafs win tonight wow, I'm telling you, I, I know, I will, um, I, I had that, I had I'll be honest, they're home ice right. They're playing in toronto that's right, that's right.
Speaker 2they've're home ice right. They're playing in Toronto, that's right, that's right, they've got home ice advantage. And I've already had that feeling once in this series In game three. They lost game three in terrible fashion, but for the first half of that game, when they were up three to one, they totally dominated the Florida Panthers from top to bottom and I, I those thoughts entered my mind for that for the first time in in like real thoughts. You always, when they're playing Boston, you think well, maybe they'll win, or maybe this or maybe that. But in that moment I thought I don't, maybe, maybe they can do this yeah, they're playing the stanley cup champions and they're winning.
Speaker 1Yes yeah, maybe, and and that would have put us up three games to none right and in that moment I thought oh my god, and that was the one that the rat scored too. And oh my yeah, what? Oh yeah, morgan riley, we had the morgan riley hat trick.
Speaker 2He put two in our. Oh my yeah, what yeah, morgan Riley. We had the Morgan Riley hat trick. He put two in our net and scored one. Oh my God, I know, I was so disgusted.
Speaker 1I always watched the post game on TV, Like I literally just shut the TV off and went to bed. I didn't want to hear anything about it. I was absolutely disgusted. Yeah, I know, I was absolutely disgusted.
Speaker 2Yeah, I know and you know the other. And before we leave the Leafs topic, the other big thing that I've noticed and this brings some confidence well, there's two really Our head coach, craig Berube. When they hired him, I didn't know a whole lot about Craig other than he was Berube. When they hired him, I didn't know a whole lot about Craig other than he was. He was and I use this term affectionately a goon in the NHL. He played briefly for the Leafs and he was one tough son of a gun and I didn't know if it was the right fit, but man oh man. I didn't know if it was the right fit, but man oh man, he's got these guys playing well and playing a system, and playing what, for the first time again since 93, I feel, looks like playoff hockey.
Speaker 1Yeah, he brings a sense of calm.
Speaker 2That's right 100%. And with that that, and namely the addition of some excellent defensemen, our defense core this year is, in my opinion, probably one of the best defense cores again since 93. Like, I mean even Simone Gagné man, what a beast. That guy has gone from rags to riches. He lit up Reinhardt behind the net during a power play last game and smashed him, smashed him and I'll tell you what. Hey, chris Cutbert, out there, if you're listening, you have got to get on top of those hits Like I mean, those hits kind of go through, and I'm yelling louder than you are, buddy. You got to get on top of those hits Like I mean those hits kind of go through, and I'm yelling louder than you are, buddy. You got to get on those hits, joe Bowen, he'd be lifted right off the chair. Those hits are awesome hits. They've thrown some doozies. And Simone Gagné brother, keep up the good work. I've been doing a lot of talking.
Speaker 2You haven't been able to get a word in edgewise here.
Speaker 1Well, you're pretty passionate about the Leafs. I get it.
Speaker 2Well, that's the problem.
Speaker 1Well, what time is it? Right now it's 5 o'clock.
Speaker 2Less than two hours game time. Oh, I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck.
Speaker 1I think you're stupid shit like that, but I'm looking at your gun. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2They're not going to lose tonight.
Speaker 1I think I really it's going to be really, really nerve-wracking and frustrating to watch, even if they're winning. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's playoff hockey.
Speaker 1But last game they didn't get one goal, but it was close the whole game. So anyways.
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Speaker 4As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Ouellette and I was honoured to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal use by Indigenous peoples all over the globe.
Speaker 4After nearly a decade of harvest use, testimonials and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession and I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. Find Under the Canopy now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2So listen, I know we skipped over the whole laser beam and all of the things that we had to do to be doing this podcast here. The way that we're doing it on the Upper French River Explain the whole laser thing okay.
Speaker 1So we're using something called a network bridge, so it's similar to like a wi-fi that you'd have in your house, but it's point to point. So instead of just covering a general area, you have one on one side and one on the other and they point to each other and they send the internet wirelessly from one to another. And right now Terry from the Tilted Tuke offered to split his internet with Steve. So we set up a satellite dish or a network bridge access point on Terry's island on the Tilted Tuke, and then we shot it almost three kilometers across the river yeah, to steve's front door that's right and then set it up and then and then from there it splits off into the wi-fi.
Speaker 1So, yeah, we, we're shooting uh high speed internet right across the river.
Speaker 2Yeah, it works perfect yeah, well, and and because of the way my, um, our island here is oriented, um, with uh, with the trees and and uh, ridges and cliffs backing on to the, the, the backside of the cottage, I can't get a a straight shot north to try and get starlink right, yeah, so he's right, he's facing north, so he's he's.
Speaker 1He's hitting starlink right with the starlink dish, and then it comes down and it hits a router and then from the router it goes to all of his mesh devices that cover his entire island internet. And then one of the wires that we ran, a wire from his switch to the network bridge access point on his island and then kind of aimed it, eyeball it, eyeballed and aimed it over to where we could see through the trees on steve's island, yeah, and then I took the boat across and tied it up with that stupid long rope and it's been driving me crazy, by the way yeah, I know I got, we gotta cut it oh my god.
Speaker 1and then, yeah, we like I was worried that you know, going through those pine trees it was gonna be a problem, but it's's not. There's maybe like a 15-foot diameter hole in between the pine trees, and the satellite dishes are like it's perfect. We were streaming the game last night. I know it didn't even buffer.
Speaker 2I know it's unbelievable. Yeah, I'm very happy.
Speaker 1Yeah, I use them at work. We use them for a network solution for elevators.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, well, and when Matt says work, this is Matt's company. So listen, anybody out there that's looking for some kind of solution in high-rise buildings and all of that stuff, and for your digital screens too like every digital screen that you see out there, whether it's in a doctor's office, a dentist office, mcdonald's for their menus this is Matt.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's digital signage.
Speaker 2Digital signage and then all of the solutions behind it is Matt.
Speaker 1Right. So back to the elevators. In the elevators some of the buildings are brand new and some of them are five years old and some are 30 years old, and in the elevator they have something called a traveling cable.
Speaker 2So why are you? What is the point of putting this internet in there? Is this to service all of the people that live with person, live in the apartment or the building with personal internet?
Speaker 1Yeah, like the property manager or the people that run the building they want to communicate with the residents, so there's a screen in the elevator right, so they sit in the elevator they're staring at the elevator. It says whatever, parking lot P1's closed or the swimming pool is going to be open on Tuesday, or whatever they want to say yeah, they can reach them. They just go on their laptop.
Speaker 2So this isn't. Steve Nizwicki lives in apartment 501B and wants to have internet in his condo. That's not what this is about. This is about the management communicating to the residents through screens, and the screens are put all over the high rise. Yeah.
Speaker 1In the elevators, outside the elevators, all over the place, but they're not just condos. It could be in any building that had an elevator Hospital.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1You see a lot of these digital signage screens in gas stations too. Right, you stop to buy gas, you go in and there's a screen there and it says you know a lot of 649 tickets, or the $75 million jackpot, or buy one, get one free Gatorade or whatever. It's just digital science. But so how? I got kind of working with these network bridges. Were these elevators?
Speaker 1Okay, they have this traveling cable that goes up and down. Yeah, and inside that traveling cable there a there's, say, the 50 different wires, but none of those wires are, um, ethernet cables, so none of them are meant for running internet through. Yeah, so, so the elevator goes up and down, there's a wire that follows up and down for electricity and this and that right, safety, whatever. And uh, what? In the past, what we did was we use an adapter, right, yeah, from ethernet to coax or from ethernet to twisted pair, and. But the problem is, is those cables, when they're moving, it degradates the uh, internet connection speed? Yeah, so it's, it's okay, but it's going in and out all the time because the cable is bad and it's moving, even if it's new, even like a five-year-old building, but they don't put an ethernet cable in there for some reason, I don't know why.
Speaker 2That's okay, you've got a perfect solution.
Muskie Fishing and Guide Numbers
Speaker 1Yeah, we use this network bridge right, so it shoots up to 27 kilometers the one that we used right and we put one on the top of the elevator shaft. Yeah, right, and as that thing's moving, it never loses sight of each other, because they're pointed at each other and the internet's perfect yeah, that's beautiful um three kilometers, though I've never done before, that's uh. I mean, if it does 27, I figured it'd do three right.
Speaker 2Well, it's doing just fine right now. Yeah, and the weather here this week so far has been outstanding.
Speaker 1Yep Shorts and a t-shirt flip-flops.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, I think. Do I dare say that summer has arrived?
Speaker 1Mm-hmm, yeah, I agree, and so have the black flies.
Speaker 2Oh Wow. They're not quite too terrible here on the island yet and they never really get bad unless you get back into the bush. But they're definitely here and they're little Like. They're the first ones that come out and they're like you know what? Black flies are one of the worst creatures to live on this planet.
Speaker 1You can't like I was trying to breathe over at the marina and they were rolling up my nose.
Speaker 2I know, I'm just like trying to breathe.
Speaker 1I'm like oh my God.
Speaker 2They're like pigs. I equate them to pigs because they root. It's like mosquitoes will land on you and if you're covered up decently, they'll try and bite through your clothes, but they don't crawl into your clothes.
Speaker 1So mosquito also makes like a buzzing sound.
Speaker 1I call it black fly the silent killer. They don't even make a buzzing sound. No, I know I a buzzing sound. I call the black fly the silent killer. They don't even make a buzzing sound. I know. I remember one time I went to, uh, the middle french river, like around woesley bay. Yeah, 25 years ago, maybe 30 years ago, I don't know and we went camping. Right, we're young kids, we just want to go fishing. So we're like, screw it, we'll just find somewhere on the side of the road and and we'll camp. Holy shit. But after three days I went home and like they were I didn't realize they're crawling up in my hair and just like biting me all in my, on my, the back of my head. When I got home it was like scab and like swollen all like all the way across. I had like a thousand bites between my ears. Oh nice, yeah, it was unbelievable I know well, I know my buddy that I was with never went fishing, never went camping again.
Speaker 2Can you blame him though? No, I know.
Speaker 1And we didn't catch anything.
Speaker 2I know. Well, we did a shoot on oh what was the name of that lake out of Herstair Melanie sent us out of Herstair Quance Lake, sent us out of Hearst Air Quance Lake and the black flies and mosquitoes and horse flies. It was ridiculous, like I'm sure that out of every peak that there has been in all of history we hit the highest one, oh my God. And one night after we did our day's shoot and everything else, I thought, ah, you know what Boys, I was out in one boat and Ange and Pete were in another and I was kind of the pilot of the boat for Vova who would jump out of the main boat and then we would take our our b-roll shots.
Speaker 2So you know when, when you see Ange and Pete from um outside of the boat, when the view is from outside the boat right and um, uh, we would drive the boat around their boat and they just throw a few casts and you get shots like that. So anyway, after that was all said and done, I was the only one in the boat we're heading back for dinner and I said to them and I had my bug net and my jacket and pants and everything and I thought, you know I'll be all right. And I went out after and just at dusk the fishing was great, like I mean, the walleye fishing was spectacular.
Speaker 1The bugs are the start of the food chain.
Speaker 2Well, I'll tell you what. And I felt like I was doing good because that jacket, I had the whole hat on, I looked like a beekeeper, for Christ's sake, and I had my belt on real tight. And then it come time to go in.
Speaker 1You didn't tuck your pants into your socks.
Speaker 2Well, I did. I tucked my pants into my socks, that wasn't the issue, but they crawled up underneath the jacket that I had tied tight and under my belt and all across my belt line. I was eaten alive. I took my pants off and it looked like I I was wearing a red belt and it awful. Yeah, they're, they're. They're terrible little creatures, but thankfully they only last, for they don't last all that long, especially if the weather continues the way that it's going to be, if it, if it's and it's already dry up here- and well, in doke east there they never go away.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's like on the island, it's fine. But you go over there and like after they're gone everywhere else, you think, okay, yeah, the, the black flies have burnt off, we should be fine. Now, for some reason, in you know, the middle of july, august, they're gone everywhere else. You go to doke east and there's like 17 million Bud's sitting there walking around and they don't even affect him, they bounce off his face. He doesn't even notice them. I know I'm like how is this guy even surviving, right?
Speaker 2now, I know, I know I guess you just get used to it. Oh my God, or they don't like Bud's blood because he is out there and it's funny, because I'll get out of the truck and I'll try and talk to Bud and we'll be standing there in the bugs and I am being absolutely swarmed and Bud's standing there like there's nothing going on. Oh, it's crazy, yeah, but anyway. So the other thing, with this beautiful weather, we were looking at the river and there's a couple of the last evening. The wind kicked up in the evening, which was real nice to have a breeze, but yesterday morning it was flat as piss on a plate and I'm not sure I know somebody who says, god, I wish fishing season was open more than you.
Speaker 1Well, it's tough to be on the French River.
Speaker 2Yeah, I know, I know.
Speaker 1This is the longest I've probably ever sat on shore. What I've ever done, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, well, you're always guiding, right, yeah, so what are you most excited about going into this 2025 fishing season?
Speaker 1Well, that's a good question. Well, I always try to catch more and bigger muskie, so that's going to be my goal Catch more and catch bigger.
Speaker 2So I know for me that bar is set fairly low. No you know, but where for a guy like Matt O'Brien is that bar set?
Speaker 1Oh well, I got to try to beat Kyle. Kyle got a 57 last year, so I guess I got to get a 57 and a quarter bigger 57 and a quarter Wow. Oh, 58. Well, there was a, so there's a 58 and a half, caught last year too. Jim Sarek from the Muskie Hunter, he showed me the picture of it at the Toronto Spring Fishing and Boat Show. Really, yeah, so they're out there.
Speaker 2What body of water was that Lake Nipissing? No shit.
Speaker 1Yeah, and what's his name from nipissingmuskiescom, danny Columbia. Oh yeah, Danny, hey Danny, I miss you, buddy so danny columbi, like 15, 10, 15, oh, probably 15 years ago now, um he told me about two 60 inchers that were caught in in a government net yeah, m&r, net yeah, he told me the same story. Yeah, it might have been a 59 to 60, something like that yeah, yeah, yeah yeah so they're out there, oh yeah yeah, they're out there for sure.
Speaker 2So now we've got the bar for size established. Um, what kind of numbers does a guy like matt o'brien catch?
Speaker 1well, I've had a few years up in the, you know, the one 120 range on nipissing, but I'm not really out as much as I'd like to be, so um okay, okay, okay, hold on.
Speaker 2So you've got 120 muskies boated roughly how many and you don't get out as much as you'd like to get out how many days, like? Let's just break down an average in seven days across the season, which runs from the third Saturday in June until November 31st. So I don't even know how many days are in there. That's why I'm breaking it down, so it's easier for my brain. Right On average in a seven-day period. How many days do you fish for you to catch those?
Speaker 1numbers. Oh, okay, so the best year I've had. I average close to three per day. Oh my, Not quite. I think it was 2.8 or 2.76 or something like that.
Speaker 2For every fishing day, yeah, but not necessarily being out on every fishing day.
Speaker 1but you averaged that. No, that's how many days I was on the water, I see.
Speaker 2So how many days on the water is that? I can't remember.
Speaker 1Okay, yeah, so how many days on the water is that? I can't remember. Okay, yeah, so I've got the IT business, the family, yeah. I get it A lot of driving back and forth and stuff, but you know.
Speaker 2You'd have to average probably four days out of seven. No, no.
Speaker 1No, well, it depends. So early is not so much because the fishing is tough, so I just kind of like try to book more guide trips where the fishing is better. Yeah yeah. Right. And then later in the year we get the giants yeah Right, but not as many bites.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, right, yeah, 100%, Because their metabolism goes down.
Speaker 1Yeah, but that's my favorite time of the year to fish. That's when you and Pat yeah.
Speaker 2Hey and listen folks, Matt and I are kind of working together with well, the natives call it Shelburne Island and Chaudiere. We called it Hummingbird Island, but our island. Here you're going to do a little guiding out of here in the fall.
Speaker 1Yep, kyle and I have this place booked for a month and a half. Yeah.
Speaker 2Kyle Garon. He's another absolute musky guru.
Speaker 1You should get him on the podcast.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1So him and I do the YouTube videos together, yeah.
Speaker 2Slobland yeah, yeah, no, that's, it's going to be great.
Speaker 1I'm already pretty much booked, too, for the whole, the whole time. It's gonna be great.
Speaker 2We're gonna be, uh, we're gonna be up here for a month and a half chasing whales well, listen, um, if, uh, if anybody out there wants to try and uh, book a little bit of time with matt and uh and kyle, uh, just reach out to me. You guys know how to get a hold of me at steven, at fishincanadacom, and we'll see if we can make that happen, sure, yeah, so so now, muskies, obviously you are, you are a musky fanatic, you're, you're one of the best musky guides in in the province, if not the country, and and maybe the world, who knows? Um, but, um, what, uh, what if, if it's not muskies, you're still on the water, right? What do you enjoy next to muskies?
Speaker 1Probably smallmouth. I'd say I love lake trout fishing too Early season, when the ice comes off on the. Ocean Bay, we go out and we spank lake trout.
Speaker 2You guide for that a little bit too, don't you?
Speaker 1Yeah, it's like it's one of my favorite bites of the year. Yeah, because you're catching, you know, 40 to 60 fish a day and they're averaging like 8 to 10 pounds.
Speaker 2Oh my God, your arms must be sore.
Speaker 1Oh man, like when I go with JP Bushy.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, jp, we're going to have him on the show coming up here for next week actually.
Speaker 1I heard that yeah, so when I go with him okay, we're catching so many that he doesn't even fish he just sits there, I drop it down, you know, for one minute, then I reel in a fish and he just goes like this unhooks it. And I drop down fish another minute, get a bite, reel it in, he unhooks it, that's awesome.
Speaker 1Yeah, sometimes you go 10 minutes, but not very often. Yeah, I know that. You know what the key is, uh, uh, to that lake trout bite too, is you got to be an early riser. You go out at noon, you're catching. You're gonna catch fish still, but not many. You got to be out there, you know. Maybe, like you know, six in the morning, even earlier, five at 5 30 it's when the sun comes up right, depending on the time of year.
Speaker 1Yeah, if you're up there when the sun comes up, right, depending on the time of year, if you're up there when the sun comes up, until like 11 o'clock, maybe noon at the latest, it's on fire.
Speaker 2That's awesome.
Speaker 1Well, and I'm fishing with JP most of the time too, and he's dialed in.
Speaker 2Yeah, and JP does a lot of guiding out of Georgian Bay there.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, he's the best.
Speaker 2Yeah. I always tell everybody that that to ask that he's the best multi-species fisherman I've ever met, really, yeah, yeah, well, he guided for for us at chaudiere for, uh, two seasons, maybe three, maybe three. Yeah, yeah, excellent, um, multi-species fisherman, uh, and, and just an all around fun guy to be around oh yeah, and I do love the smallmouth too.
Speaker 1The smallmouth bite up here the last few years has been fire too. Um so, as you know, all year, so what? I don't know why, and I assume it's to kind of take pressure off the walleye fishery.
Speaker 2Um, they, they all you're talking about the regulation change.
Speaker 1So they moved up the smallmouth opening season by a month, five weeks, I think.
Speaker 2Well, it was always. No, it's a month, because bass opened the same weekend as muskies, which was the third Saturday in June. So they moved, wow. But it was in conjunction with lowering the walleye. Well, I don't know whether I should use the word lower. They changed the slot limit again about three years ago, was it? And in conjunction with that, because there was like I mean, it's tough, especially for lodge owners who rely on the walleye fishery a lot, to to to get another kick. So I think you're right they, they changed the um season for bass and moved it up and it opens when everything opens here right bass and pike and and walleye weekend yeah, they all open the third saturday in may which is coming up this weekend.
Speaker 1Yes, right yeah. So I'll do like a month of smallmouth, right yeah, because I think it's a month before musky open. Yes, it is. Yeah, so it's nice, because I can't fish smallmouth Once musky's open. I can't do it Like I'm not going bass fishing. Yeah, it's like a waste of time Because then I'm not and I'm not patterning them, I'm not finding them for my guests.
Researching and Finding New Fishing Spots
Speaker 2Right, if I go bass fishing for three days, that's three days where I'm not finding a fish for the next uh guide client. So that's a great question, or I? I just thought of a. I'm calling it a great question. So you say you, you, it's a waste of time to fish for smallmouth and we'll come back to smallmouth in that first month Right. But on days that you're not guiding, do you go out and do R&D on your fish?
Speaker 1Yep, but I'm always fishing in spots that I don't guide on.
Speaker 2Gotcha.
Speaker 1Right, I'm trying to find the next best spot.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Or the next best pattern.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Right yeah. Or the next best pattern yeah Right yeah. Because I can't go out to the spots, I need to make a living and blow them myself. Of course it makes no sense to sting those fish. I used to. I used to say that to everybody, and now there's so much fishing pressure out there too, Everybody's like a lot of people are fishing a lot of those spots.
Speaker 2Yeah, over the last decade, um, uh, I take, I take some responsibility, because all of us found them and and either got them from guys like danny columbia or found them together. And then a lot of people get to know your boat, get to know the Shodier boats, hear things, people tell people things and all of a sudden, all of those absolutely ace spots that we were using 10 years ago are community spots now.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's crazy, and there's spots out there that are likely better and probably are better now that they don't have any pressure right well, when I'm out there doing r&d, sometimes I I find gems so um just talk a little bit about the process of r and your, your research and development, your patterning process okay, so the first thing I do is I I zoom out.
Speaker 1Okay, so I've got my Navionics map or my yes Right.
Speaker 2And just to be clear, this is a Navionics map that Matt has put his own waypoints in, like I mean, nipissing in the Upper French River is charted. But when you look at Pat's map or your map or the map that everybody's kind of been working on together for a long time back in the day, before you could auto-write a map, you guys were putting waypoints in, and not just for a spot, you were actually mapping out spots and using different color waypoints for different like five-foot increments in depth.
Speaker 1Fish, weeds, rocks, everything, everything.
Speaker 2So this is the map that you're looking at.
Speaker 1So to answer your question, though right how I would go about the R&D. So the first thing I would do is so say I'm looking at my map it could be a paper map, it could be Navionis, it could be on Google Earth, right and I look at the anatomy of a spot that I do know. That's good, yeah, like okay, this is killer, right.
Speaker 1But and this has but there's a boat on it every day. So I'm like, okay, so I just zoom out on your navionics map so you can see more of the lake on your on your screen and look around and say, oh, look, that looks exactly the same, or that looks very similar. And look at that you. Oh, look, that looks exactly the same, or that looks very similar. And look at that. You know it's set up this, it's pointing the same direction, towards the wind or the sun or the right. It's sand or rock, right. So you just kind of zoom out and then go over and check it out, drive over it. Right now they have the auto chart where it corrects the maps.
Speaker 1You don't, yeah, you lay waypoints, down for weeds and stuff like that and then fish it. Or you know, sometimes with the electronics these days you can just see the muskie.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah. And when you say, just fish it, kind of break down or tell me how you would attack a spot when you fish it.
Speaker 1Okay, easy. So the first thing I do is troll it Okay.
Speaker 2Because I need to. And when you're trolling, do you troll right up into like five feet of water? Yep.
Speaker 1So the reason I do that is twofold. Number one it's more efficient because To chart it Right, if I just, yeah, right, if I just try to check it out at one mile an hour when I'm casting, I can cover five miles an hour when I'm trolling, yeah, right. And number two, the second part, is you need to still catch them. Yeah, because like you could just go and drive it without a lure in the water.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, but that's kind of Right right.
Speaker 1So I stick one rod out in the prop washer, something real short, usually a spinner bait, a single hook spinner bait because it's not going to get weeds or rocks or snags or anything. Yeah, and I'll just go and check it all out yeah, okay, so you're going to troll it.
Speaker 2And then, once you troll it and you get an idea of what the structure looks like, what's the next like when you start casting it? What are those pieces of structure or combinations of of cover structure? Um, what are you looking for? What's the juice?
Speaker 1okay, that you look for so my best casting spots I've ever found in my life, I found trolling. So, say, you have a weed flat that's three miles long and you spend your time learning it, mapping it out, putting your waypoints down, figure it out, but then, as you're trolling and sometimes it's with clients too yeah, it's better when you have four or five lures in the water, right, you start to notice the the bites are happening in the exact same spot every time. Yes, or nine times out of ten, right, yeah, you've got 100% of the water, but 90% of the bites are always in the same spot. That's where you want to go and cast.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Right, you kind of narrow it down quick by eliminating water and is there?
Speaker 2any defined like have you in your past? What are the defining features that create that spot where you're catching them Like a three-mile weed line? When I look at a three-mile weed line, it all looks like weeds.
Speaker 1Right.
Speaker 2Is it like a little underwater bay created by the weeds with a rock transition, or what are you looking for at that point?
Speaker 1I think you're real close there for sure. You need a transition or an. What is, what are you looking for at that point? I think you're you're. You're real close there for sure. You need a transition or an edge. Whether it's whether it's rock to weed or or weed to rock to weed again, or yeah, and usually, uh, for, for big musky, you want to be close to a deep basin, gotcha. So if you're in a, if you're in a flat, that's, you know, nowhere near a basin to me. Me it's still good and there's muskies there, but they're not as good as those ones. The spots where the fish can drop off and easily access Deeper water Whitefish in Cisco, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2And well, that brings me to another excellent point.
Speaker 2But just to preface the whole thing, every different body of water has different kinds of features and really the most important thing is being on the water and doing that, trolling and catching those fish and seeing where you catch the fish. And one thing that the best anglers in the world and I'm going to freshwater anyway, I'm going to put you and Pat Tryon and Peter Bowman and Kyle Garon and those types and Ange these types of people the attention to detail and journaling is ridiculous, and whether when I say journaling, I'm just talking about compiling information from every time you're out and whether you use your phone and the day that you catch a fish, you actually physically put pen to paper and write down a lot of the information from that day, these the the best thing you can do is get as much information down on the day and and put that away in the memory bank, because to be able to look back at that and compare that I know my mind is not good enough to be able to do that- Right, sometimes you remember stuff wrong.
Speaker 1Yeah, exactly. So the um great point. Uh, there's pros and cons to to writing it down as opposed to doing it digitally. If you do it digitally on a computer, whether you're using a calendar or um an Excel spreadsheet, you can quickly search things right. Spreadsheet yeah, you can quickly search things right if you have it in a book and you're like shit.
Speaker 3You know, yes, great water temperature.
Speaker 1Right then you're like flipping through 100 pages where I can just go into search and go, you know 70 degrees right, yeah, pops up, and then I've got the. I've got it right there. It's quick, it's fast more efficient.
Speaker 2That's. That's awesome. And then the last, uh, the point that I um that jumped into my mind when you mentioned the ciscos and everything else. Finding their forage base is key too, like I mean.
Speaker 1There's a lot of smelt out in Ipswich too, really yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah so.
Speaker 1Those are, those are the. It seems to me like the real big fat ones. That's what they're eating.
Speaker 2That's that's great.
Speaker 1There's not a lot of whitefish. I mean there's a lot more cisco than there is whitefish. I heard there used to be a lot more whitefish back 50 years ago, but yeah, they're harder to find.
Speaker 2I know there's a ton of cisco, like I mean in the river in the summertime. The biomass layer is ridiculously thick and huge.
Speaker 1That's a mix of all three of those, I think.
Speaker 2Yeah yeah, they're a deep water, cold water forage base for sure. But so just to kind of sum up that whole, your whole research and development and the way that you go about it, because I believe that you do it extremely well, first and foremost, use your map and and um and and compare good spots to find.
Speaker 1Use good spots to find new spots yeah, that looks similar that looks they might you might get over there, and they're, they're, you know, after looking at the map and see that they're not similar, yes, right, that's an easy way, though, to to find a spot that might be good, that's right you still have to go over and and spend time on the water and figure it out.
Speaker 2It's yeah, it's like when I used to fish bass tournaments in the winter time um a guy his name is joss and he had oh yeah, I know joss from angling outfitters.
Speaker 2Angling outfitters, yeah, he's awesome I bought my first lorance unit from joss and um, what he told me was um, listen, um. And Joss is very straight to the point and I was just young, this is back in the early 2000s. He said to me listen, I like you, I'm going to show you something. And he pulled up the map on the Lowrance at that time and we were looking at Lake Simcoe and he said to me what do you see on the shoreline? And we're just standing in the shop and I said and there was. It was almost like back then the map had it had detail on the outside of the shoreline there was oh no, what it was. He sold me a chip. He sold me a chip that had all the contours of the shoreline. And he put the chip in and now he's teaching me. He says what do you see? I said, well, I don't see any definition in the water, because it was just for the shoreline. And I said I don't see anything really. He said you're going to college and you don't see nothing. I said well, I see that there's a road there. He said, okay, good, I said. And then in my head I'm thinking well, how is a road going to help me? I'm trying to fish bass on Lake Simcoe.
Speaker 2And then, long story short, he explained to me that look at the shoreline and you can eliminate 90% of the tributaries leading into the lake. So any freshwater tributary, whether it was a ditch or a creek or a river, you could see all of that stuff. And the other thing he said it's very important to look at the roads. Where the roads come close to the river, it means that there's a cottage there. And he said, and I said, okay, but what's the significance of where a cottage is? He said well, what do you fish? What do you like to fish? And then I got it. I said docks, yes, so for every cottage they have a dock and you want to go and fish under those docks.
Speaker 2And he said look at the contour lines.
Speaker 2If the contour lines are are extremely far apart, you know that typically when you go into the lake, the, the uh trajectory of the bottom is going to follow the, the um, uh, the, the shoreline. So if it's a really shallow slope going into the water, chances are there's no deep water there. But when the contour lines are really close together on the shore, you can almost guarantee that there's going to be deeper water right up to the shoreline and you're going to want to pick those docks in combination with a steep shoreline, and you're going to want to pick those docks in combination with a steep shoreline so that you've got water that you can fish, and that really opened my eyes to a lot of pre-fishing that you can do. So that goes back to the point use your map. Use your map and and pick places that look like places you've already caught fish or you know our community spots where people catch fish if you don't know the water right and uh, and google maps is really good for it too, like or google earth, same thing.
Speaker 1Yeah, right, the set. If you click on the satellite button on the google maps, you can zoom out and look at a lake. Even if you don't have Navionics maps or Lake Master or whatever right, you can zoom out and you can see those underwater structures that are extending out off the island points and stuff. You can see them through the satellite imagery.
Using Maps and Technology for Fishing
Speaker 2Because the satellite imagery is always taken on a clear day with very little cloud cover, so that you can see, and the sun's out, and, yes, those shoals stick out like sore thumbs, yeah especially on clear water. In clear water, absolutely and then. So, once you get there, the next most important thing is troll, troll and map.
Speaker 1Well, it's the fastest way to learn the water. I mean, you could do it faster. I know guys that are driving around 30, 40 miles an hour with really good transducers, looking for fish, looking for fish, yes, but then you can't fish, then you're not angling anymore. Yes, right, so at least if you go five miles an hour or six miles an hour, you can put a lure in the water and then you still have a chance to catch a fish. Yeah, right, and you learn it a little more intimately. Or you learn the spot, yes, but you may not find the fish as fast. It's crazy. Those high speed transducers and and especially on a fiberglass boat where there's no rivets, yeah, you can go really quick now and like find schools information yeah yeah, oh, you know you're going 40 miles an hour and you got your side imaging on that.
Speaker 1You see cisco and you're like put a waypoint on it. You, you turn around, slow down, then drive over again, you find out there's a thousand uh cisco there and you cast it yeah, well, that's another interesting point that we don't have time to get into today is using your forage base as structure, right?
Speaker 2but um, so then, once you, once you, you kind of map out that spot and get to know it better, then you're looking for the transitions, the juice, you're looking for the spot on the spot and, and really, the only way that you're going to be able to accurately and more efficiently not so much accurately, but more efficiently um understand those spots is time on the water.
Speaker 1Yeah, you know and you gotta catch fish too, or else you're not gonna find out that they're actually good yeah right, like you can think they're really good, but until they they prove it out by yeah, by continuously um producing fish, then then it's just a dream.
Speaker 2Yeah, for sure, for sure, but no, hey, matt, listen, thank you so much for doing this, for making it possible by working your computer magic, and I really appreciate this. I know all of the Diaries family appreciates it and I can't wait until we sit down and do this again.
Speaker 1Hey, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2Well, yeah, and now that we have the ability to do it from the cottage, it might become more of a regular occurrence.
Speaker 2Yeah, we'll have to do it on video, like those superstar podcasters, oh yeah, well, hey, listen, I've been told I have a face for radio, but, uh, we'll, uh, yes, we have to start doing that too. Um, um, but uh, uh, it was a. It was a great conversation. We appreciate you um thoroughly and, um, folks, if you're interested in Matt's guiding services, you can. Um, how can? What's the best way to get a hold of you?
Speaker 1You can email me at matt-obrien50 at hotmailcom.
Speaker 2There you go. And if you don't want to fast forward through the podcast to get to that, you know you can always reach out to me and I'll put you in contact that way too. And folks head on over to fishingcanadacom where Ange and Pete always have giveaways going. Get those votes in there. You know it's so much, there's so much going on over there. Buy some Fishing Canada stuff. And again, thank you to our sponsors Lakeside Marina, Andrew, we really appreciate you, and Willie, I hope you're feeling a little better and we'll be talking to you soon. We'll get you, you'll be back on for next week and folks. Thus brings us to the conclusion of another episode of diaries of a lodge owner. Stories of the north go leaves, go, go leaves, go I'm a good old boy never meaning, no harm I'll be making my way.
Speaker 6I'll be making my way, the only way I know how.
Speaker 2Working hard and sharing the north With all of my pals.
Speaker 6Well, I'm a good old boy. I bought a lodge and lived my dream.
Episode Wrap-Up and Contact Information
Speaker 2And now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems. Yeah.
Speaker 3Back in 2016,. Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.
Speaker 5Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.
Speaker 3Thus the Ugly Pike Podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.
Speaker 5Step into the world of angling adventures and embrace the thrill of the catch with the Ugly Pike Podcast. Join us on our quest to understand what makes us different as anglers and to uncover what it takes to go after the infamous fish of 10,000 casts.
Speaker 3The Ugly Pike podcast isn't just about fishing. It's about creating a tight-knit community of passionate anglers who share the same love for the sport. Through laughter, through camaraderie and an unwavering spirit of adventure, this podcast will bring people together.
Speaker 5Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures. Tight lines everyone.
Speaker 3Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6Hi everybody. I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete Bowman. Now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's Favorite Fishing Show, but now we're hosting a podcast. That's right. Every Thursday, ange and I will be right here in your ears bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio. Now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week? Well, you know, there's going to be a lot of fishing.
Speaker 3I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 6Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors, from athletes, All the other guys would go golfing Me and Garth and Turk and all the Russians would go fishing. To scientists.
Speaker 3But now that we're reforesting and laying things free, it's the perfect transmission environment for life To chefs.
Speaker 5If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated, you will taste it.
Speaker 6And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you are. Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside. Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.