Untamed Pursuits
Embark on a wild adventure like never before with the groundbreaking podcast, "Untamed Pursuits."
Join the intrepid duo of renowned author and outdoor enthusiast, Ridr Knowlton, alongside the seasoned professional fishing guide, Jamie Pistilli, as they traverse the globe in pursuit of the world's most exciting fishing and hunting destinations, and the fascinating creatures that live there. From the lush rainforests of the Amazon to the icy depths of the Arctic Circle, each episode promises heart-pounding encounters, captivating tales, and invaluable insights into the natural world.
With Ridr's profound storytelling and Jamie's unparalleled expertise, prepare to be transported to the front lines of adventure, where every roar, splash, and rustle ignites the senses and leaves listeners on the edge of their seats. "Untamed Pursuits" isn't just a podcast—it's an adrenaline-fueled odyssey that will redefine your perception of nature and leave you craving more. Buckle up for the ride of a lifetime!
Untamed Pursuits
Episode 15: Angling Legends: Big Jim McLaughlin's Journey Through Fishing's Evolution
This week on Untamed Pursuits, we welcome Big Jim McLaughlin, a legendary figure in the fishing community. Join us as Big Jim reflects on his storied career, from his early days battling the waters with primitive fish finders to mastering the latest technology like forward-facing sonar. Through his captivating tales of fishing adventures and his humorous anecdotes, we promise you'll gain unique insights into the evolution of fishing technology and the dynamics of Canadian fishing tournaments.
As we navigate the changing tides of the fishing industry, we uncover the fascinating journey of a fisherman who turned his high school passion into a lifelong career. With a tackle store and a long-standing relationship with Shimano under his belt, he shares how social media and GoPro have transformed the fishing landscape. By shedding light on the challenges and triumphs of the tournament scene, he offers a fresh perspective on how media, new anglers, and technological advances have reshaped competitive fishing.
Immerse yourself in the joyous world of fishing through the eyes of seasoned guide Jim, whose memorable guiding stories will transport you to the water's edge. From the thrill of unexpected catches to the laughter shared with clients, Jim's tales are a vivid reminder of the surprises fishing offers. We also touch on the profound impact of introducing young people to fishing, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and the simple pleasures of the great outdoors. Through these stories, we celebrate the lifelong connections and cherished memories that fishing creates for all generations.
Back in 2016,. Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.
Speaker 2:Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.
Speaker 1:Thus the Ugly Pike podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.
Speaker 2:Step 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 1:The 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 2:Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures. Tight lines everyone.
Speaker 1:Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the next episode of Untamed Pursuits on the Outdoor Journal radio podcast. This is Ryder Knowlton, and I've got my trusty co-host, jamie Pistelli, with me. Jamie, good morning, how are you doing?
Speaker 4:Hey, I'm doing great man. This is an awesome time of year. Fall is finally here, Things are starting to cool down. All my jet skiing buddies seem to have packed it in for the season. So this is, as an angler, this is the time of year you look forward to. The water's getting colder and the fish are starting to snap.
Speaker 3:You know, I tell you we're feeling it down here. You guys are way up north, of course, I'm down here in the southeastern US, but even down here we had our first fire of the season outside at the fire pit this past weekend and you can start to feel a little bit of chill in the air. You know, for me that means dove season's kicking off and we'll be out there looking at whitetail pretty soon. And even in the southeast you can start feeling the first hints of fall. And of course we're sitting here having coffee for this little early morning session. And this is my favorite time of year. Man, I love it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, being Canadian too, it's that time of year where you kind of run the heater at night and then the air conditioning during the day.
Speaker 3:So you get ding dong, gas and power. That's great.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, the hydro companies are loving this beautiful way that we heat and cool the homes. I think I've done it twice already in one week, right? So I'm like, oh, there's got to be a better way.
Speaker 3:Hey, tell us how's the fishing been. This is one of those transition times of year. I mean do you like this stuff, jamie? Is this? You know? What are you seeing out there?
Speaker 4:I got my ass handed to me from Muskie the other day. I'll be honest with me that there's always usually about a one week period where things get all screwy. But uh, now that the temps are, the water temperatures are starting to drop. I did some bass fishing this week and it was, it was epic, um, ripping some hair jigs just on the deeper weed lines and, uh, good old hair jigs tied by my buddy, big jim, uh, kind of a staple up here in fishing. And speaking of staples, the man himself is with us today. I'm so honoured to have, wow, one of my lifelong fishing mentors.
Speaker 4:I was trying to figure out how long I've known Jim for, but if anybody out there from Ottawa remembers Fishing Buddies, I guess you have to go back in the way back machine. Out there from Ottawa members fishing buddies, I guess, uh, you have to go back in the way back machine. Uh, this guy's fished uh, uh, I guess, back when, when the old graphs were popular. So I know I don't want to date him. He's, uh, just as handsome as he was back then. Uh, cft Canadian classic champion two times. He's won over 28 championships. Uh, the man, the myth, the legend. Welcome, big Jim McLaughlin. Thanks for coming on with Ryder Knight today how are you guys?
Speaker 6:thanks. He's won over 28 championships. The man, the myth, the legend. Welcome Big Jim McLaughlin. Thanks for coming on with Rider Night today. How are you guys? Thanks for having me.
Speaker 6:It's a beauty morning here. I'm looking out the window. The sun's just coming up. I used to sit here three weeks ago at my desk in the office here and the sun would come through the door and I'd be like this trying to look at the computer. Now it's almost dark outside. Still, it's amazing how it changes. It's pretty wild. I got to do this.
Speaker 6:This just came to my mind when you were talking there, so when you mentioned old graphs. So you know all the stuff today with forward-facing sonar. I mean, you watch the fish. I mean I was talking to a buddy on the weekend and he fished the Bait Fuel Championship in the St Lawrence. He said you'd watch the fish come up to your lure and he said they'd turn and go back down and you would actually see their tail moving. So when I fished, here's what you got. I'll show you what you got. That was the bottom. Okay, yeah, now they. Now they talk about live scope. Those were called pixels, as we know. Yeah, and they were an eighth of an inch square and that was maybe a fish.
Speaker 3:So for our listeners, what we're looking at, what Big Jim is drawing, if any of you, like me, are old enough to remember the old games of Pong, where it's basically, you know, one white dot getting bounced back and forth. Basically, what he's showing us is a doubles game of Pong and you got to figure out. You know what are the, the white dots it's so different.
Speaker 6:Now it's a. It's absolutely. You know they're bickering to fighting over it. I, I get a kick, a kick out of the day because I I don't know, I'm a large mouth guy at heart, though I like that hand-to-hand combat in the weed bed type stuff like I can't see through all the weeds.
Speaker 4:So I'm I'm with you on that. I'm like an instinctual fisherman. You know, you go to where the fish should be and usually they're there, right.
Speaker 6:Well, where I live, here too, on the Rideau Lakes, here I have a lot more trouble. You know I've got some mobility issues that have come up from this spinal stuff and you know they're checking me over and over for muscular diseases here and everything else. There's something going on and getting here and everything else there's something going going on. And getting in a boat is just a horror show for me and standing in a boat is a horror show for me. So I just, uh, I don't get out as often but I, I tell you, I take my time in the fall here and I get out the back here and you know the lakes out the back here, jimmy, I get up, I get on those big milfoil flats and you know I have days, I have some epic days in the fall just crank baiting and rattle baiting, just covering water, and just, you know I had Scotty Martin from the CFN out here last year and we got I think we got 44, 45 fish in a day and we fished like from.
Speaker 6:You know, we got up and we went for a coffee in the morning. He came over, we were off the water by four o'clock type thing and we probably didn't get out to like 10 and we caught 45. You know it was, I think it was 44, 45 fish. And he always bugs me because I got like 38 and he got the rest. He says he rocked, he rounded out the limit. Eh, he spent half the time on his phone with work, so it's uh, it's almost not, uh, not fair wow.
Speaker 4:So, jim, we've known each other for since I was a little munchkin I'm still not very big, but back in the old uh, fishing buddies days and and we've you know, many of the shows. Like you've been doing the ottawa boat and sportsman show now for, I don't know, back in the civic.
Speaker 6:Oh, way, yeah, way, way before. I mean, I've been going, I've done presentations at the toronto sportsman show for almost 40 years. It's, it's crazy.
Speaker 4:But in terms of.
Speaker 6:I've gone, I've been at the show over 50 years in a row, so you know it, it's just, it's it just, it just became, just became a life. Eh, it's amazing. You can't plan to have happen what happened to me. Like I got to tell you the Visa story, you know, when I lived on Richmond Road. Yeah, in the farmhouse there. So I'm sitting out there and it's a fall day, it's beautiful. Well, it isn't a fall day, it's a late summer day. I'm, it isn't a fall day, it's a late summer day.
Speaker 6:I'm sitting in the boat, I'm getting some stuff ready. I had a guide day coming up and the mailman comes in, or the mail lady, and she drops the mail off and I look across the street and thought I'll go get the mail. So I get out of the boat and I I jump out of the front of the boat. I now jump out of the front of the boat. I now jump out of the front of the boat. That'd be it. I have the ambulance there, but I go across and I get the mail and I go through the mail. We got a couple of checks from advertising and just fishing and stuff like that. And I look at it and there's a thing from Visa and I thought heck's that you know. So I zip it open, I look at it and I had filled out. You know when they used to chase you around at trade trade shows with a, with a clipboard, trying to get you to sign up for a, for a credit card. Yeah, so there's a credit card in there and it had a 1200, I think it was a 1200 buck limit. That's how long ago this was.
Speaker 6:I went into that and I said to the wife. I said, oh, there's this, this, and look, geez, we got a visa card with $1,200 on it. Because we were not in a good way at that time, me trying to be a fisherman. It was three young kids, it was tough. And she looks at me and she says to me you know what you got to do this weekend? I said what she says you have to go fish in the Canadian Championship in Aurelia. Now, because I wasn't going to be going, because I didn't have the money to go. I didn't have the money to go, I didn't have the money for gas, I didn't have the money for anything. I said are you serious? She said to me yeah, take the credit card and go. So I went and six days later I won $85,000. That was the second time I won it, and here we are, like 50 or 40 years later.
Speaker 4:Did you pay?
Speaker 6:off the credit card right away? I sure hope so.
Speaker 4:No, it's costly 49 000 bucks now mr jim, we'd like to increase your limit again $109,418 we want you to go fishing again, jim.
Speaker 6:Here's another five grand Well it's funny here, right, like, we just did the old reverse mortgaging here so we can stay in this house, we can finish up here. Oh nice, paid off all those couple of credit cards and paid off the mortgage. Yeah, you know, we got a mortgage that's worth about 20% of the house, so it's still there. If you have to sell it, it's in this house. It's worth well. They valued it for the for the reverse mortgage at uh at 1.3, because it's right on the water. It's beautiful. I bought it for 400, can't go wrong there there you go.
Speaker 4:So, jim, let's. How did you know that fishing was going to be your life when you were young? When did the switch go off and say, yep, I'm going to be a fisherman?
Speaker 6:Well, you know, when I was in high school I mean, man, I used to keep a fish rod in my locker I went to Lisger you know where Lisger is and I'd go down to the Reddell Canal and fish it. Man, things like that it's always been in me, there was something to it, it was just it just caught me. And then all of a sudden I had the opportunity to make a living at it and I had a pretty good job and I'd done a few other jobs around and made some good money. And then I got this bright idea to open a fish and tackle store. And you remember the tackle shack and we did that for three or four, four, four years, got out of that with my shirt, and then I, you know, I started doing just fishing, the publication, and we're well over 30 years with that now.
Speaker 6:And you know, tom brooke really helped me at shimano and I had help from some other companies. Now I mean, I've been with shimano for 41 years now and as far as I know, I'm their longest uh employee in north america. So it's uh, I gotta get the 50 for sure. I I gotta make it to 80. So I've been there 50 unless, unless they dump me. I don't think that'll happen. I don't want to be the person, that shimano that dumps big jim. No, no, no, no. They'll have to do that from afar if they do it. I don't think that'll happen.
Speaker 4:I don't want to be the person, that Shimano that dumps big Jim. No, no, no. They'll have to do that from afar if they do it.
Speaker 6:Oh, you get hatred, but you know what? It's one of those things. If it happens, it happens. You understand that there is a point of redundancy, but I'm trying more and more. I'm becoming highly skilled. A young tech guy. This is the next thing for me. The old GoPro.
Speaker 4:Oh no, You're going to wear it on your head and then on your chest.
Speaker 6:I fish in here four nights a week every summer, all summer. And I mean the other night I went down here all the junk's starting to clear out of the back here because we've had some mornings down around five and six Celsius and it's amazing I I got a northern, it was probably like 36 inches and it it jumped like six or seven times, like if I would have had that gopro on and that was happening. That's, those little bits are are mint or work on stuff. But I want to start doing stuff. I've, you know, I've got everything set up. I got a big mirror for this in the office and I want to start doing more tips and talking about products and how to use them and stuff like that. And you know, I'll tell you, boy oh boy, social media has definitely become a big part of everybody's life in the fishing business.
Speaker 3:Hey, jim, expand on that. You know it's interesting comment. Social media, you know how it's affected the fishing world. But you know, my goodness, you've been doing what tournaments for 30 years, you know, and yeah I only I only did tournaments for 10 years.
Speaker 6:I only because, when I realized I wanted to be in the fishing business, I realized I had to get into tournament fishing. Yep, be in the business end, yeah, of doing stuff. Because of the time you can't make a living doing tournaments in Canada. I mean, I was super successful and you couldn't make a living Because I did it for 10 years. I won 29 tournaments, yeah. So you know, and it was barely keeping the wolves away, like I told you.
Speaker 3:You know, if it wasn't for the physical so how, as you look back on that time, you know how have you seen, even I told you you know, if it wasn't for the how, so how, as you look back on that time, you know how have you seen, even from your perspective. You were in that tournament scene for a while. You've been in the retail side of the business. Obviously, you're a, a um, in the publication side of the business. Um, how have you seen, from your perspective, the tournament scene change? You know, uh, you talk about um, you talk about, you know, the internet and media and so forth today. But like what do you think? What are some of the biggest changes you've seen in the tournament scene, whether it's the new anglers that are making a name for themselves, how the tournaments are, you know, put together, what are some of the changes you've seen from your perspectives, specifically to the tournament scene?
Speaker 6:well, hey, that's a really good question. I think I've seen uh, I've seen it get really watered down in canada. I mean, there are so many tournaments up here. I mean there are tournaments every weekend and because we have such a short season it really condenses it all into a short period of time, so it's just nonstop. So, guys, if they wanted to fish more tournaments, they can't because they used to fish. I mean, I used to fish a tournament every second weekend. Now you can fish two every weekend if you want, and still not be able to get them all in up here. There's so many, it's watered down and they don't have.
Speaker 6:I mean, do you remember Bass Mania, jamie? Yeah, sure, do you know, like I mean, or not? Bass Mania, bass, ontario, yep, jennings, you used to have 300 teams every second Saturday, 300 teams. Now you're getting the 75 or 80s hurt for anything, for anything out there. I remember the first tournament I won, major 1, was at Big Reno and there was 150 teams, things like that. I don't think they've had a tournament there with more than 75 or 80, and now and then it'd be like a one-day deal or some of the big fish, the hourly ones that they run.
Speaker 6:But yeah, no, it's a complete different thing, and I think that social media has helped that, because anybody now can get out there and can advertise that they're doing something and it's free. You didn't have to buy ads in magazines before that they used to do, or radio ads or something like that. Guys used to do it around Toronto Peterborough area You'd hear it because the Kawartha Lakes, where a lot of the tournaments were held. But social media, as I would say, is like probably the absolute best thing that ever happened to sport fishing and, in the same breath, the absolute worst thing that ever happened to sport fishing, because the amount of hatred that's that's displayed at times now on social media is absolutely scary. It's absolutely scary.
Speaker 6:And what I just talked about about teaching someone how to use a new lure or something like that, it's uh, it's absolutely scary. And what I just talked about about teaching someone how to use a new lure or something like that, it's uh, it's really really different. It's uh, it's you know, it's. That, to me, is what it is. It's not about, uh, you know anything, that's uh, you know political or whatever, and guys try to insert all kinds of other stuff, stuff into it, and that, to me is just not part of the game.
Speaker 3:Jim, have you seen the fishing change? You know you mentioned largemouth being one of your favorite species to go after. Have you seen, you know, again, looking back on 40-year fishing career, have you seen the dynamics of fishing change? You know, down here in the South, you know we see it when you get we have migratory fish coming down the East Southeastern coast of the U? S. So we, you know we follow the the ups and the downs of the striped bass and the false albacore and the redfish and things like that up in Canada. Have you you know, over the course of your career, have you seen certain the fishing for certain species get better? And have you seen maybe the fishing for certain species get worse? You know, over the last you know, 10, 20, 30 years oh yeah, like.
Speaker 6:I mean like smallmouth has blossomed, absolutely blossomed. I still remember when I won that the visa tournament, as I always call it, um, I caught a smallmouth the last day and that I weighed almost all largemouth. The last day I weighed three largemouths and three smallmouths and I caught a fish that was just shy of six pounds a smallie and like people were standing beside the big fish tank getting their picture taken with it, they're freaking out that someone caught a smallmouth that big. Now you catch a six pound smallmouth in Lake Simcoe and it's like that's a nice one. The fish, the smallmouths are so much bigger. When I fished, if you the, the limit was six back then, it's five now in in in tournaments. Uh, if you brought in six smallmouths you were looking at 18, 19 pounds if you were lucky. Now you bring in six smallmouths, you're looking high 20s. Or I mean five smallmouths, you're in the high 20s. I mean a couple of weeks ago you're Chris Johnson bringing in 27 or whatever it was on the third day. I mean there's so many smallmouths out there and they're so much bigger.
Speaker 6:And if you talk to Bruce Tufts, who's done so much research from Queens University on catch and release and he was. He's the, the research body behind uh bait fuel. Uh, you know, he's got, he's got the room with the 15 totes on the shelves of all the experiments like it's. It's really cool when you have a, when you have a guy that is a true scientist and a really good fisherman to boot sit with you in your living room for three hours Because he launches his boat on the launch.
Speaker 6:The town launch here is right against my property, and whenever Bruce Fish is here, he always drops in for a visit. The last time he was here, he was here. He came off the water at two and he left the air at six. We sat in the living room and just just talked and chatted. He went over all the bait fuel stuff and explained to me like I'm, I had nothing to do with bait fuel, I'm not, I'm not connect, connected with them. It's uh, it's just really really cool to see him and he explained to me about the research that went in behind it and you know, sharing stuff like that on social media that's. I just love that kind of stuff.
Speaker 4:It's just, it makes it real it's, uh, it's amazing too, um, if you look at all the amazing canadian anglers, like you said, you know the tournament seems watered down. However, we have so many amazing anglers up here in canada, especially doing some major damage. Uh, you know gussy and the johnstons and it's, it's amazing, um, who would have thought that a canadian would win the bass master championship or, you know, team of the year, like some of these? It's just, it's a good time to be canadian if you're a fan of, uh, competitive bass fishing oh yeah, like they really.
Speaker 6:But it was only a matter of time. It was only a matter of time till some of the guys got better. But I mean the johnson brothers, I mean they put their time in on Lake Ontario. They are the two best smallmouth bass fishermen in the world. There's no ifs, ands, ors or buts about it. You've got to put your money on them anywhere and it's just experience.
Speaker 6:Like, how many times did they win the Canadian Open here? And there was lots of guys from the States used to come up. You know there was a lot of other guys Bernie Schultz, denny Brower, woo Daves has been up here and fished in that. There was another guy he's not doing it anymore, I forget his name now. He was just a great guy. But Tom Mann Jr used to come up. He came up a couple of times. So many guys have come up here in the past and fished in the Canadian Open and fished in uh, in the canadian open and it was uh, it's a really good tournament.
Speaker 6:But you know it's one of those ones that now they they moved it from kingston over to uh uh, lake simcoe and it's just not the same. It's just not the same. You know it's, uh, it's, it's. You know, let you know the smaller amount of teams I mean there used to be 150 teams in it, that you know that kind of thing and it's just smaller and that's why I tell you there's just so many, it's just there's. You know, 10 have gone here, 20 have gone there, and all of a sudden nobody has a real grab on it. So but, uh, it's still there, it still functions. You know it's, uh, it's.
Speaker 6:You know, things always change and what they become is what they are. It's. I've seen that through, you know, the the 70-odd years of my life. It's once something changes, it ain't ever going back. It's the way it is. It might cycle around somehow, but it's not going back because you tried to make it go back. You know, I have an old lad that I talk to over here, sometimes at the post office here. I don't know how old he is, I would think he's probably in his 90s and he's a farmer and I mean like a real-life farmer, like this guy's got the calluses on his hand, the old boots. The guy has done this all his life and obviously he's retired now and he's always telling me that he can't wait for the family farm to come back and you know I don't want to look him in the face and say, hey, that ain't ever happening.
Speaker 6:That ain't ever happening, you know, and it's that type of thing and that's what I see in tournament fishing here. It's changed so much that I don't think it'll ever be back to just two or three major things. Like even in the States you see the amount of tours that they have there now I mean, there's stuff and they're not little spinoffs, they're big things, you know, like they're winning, like there's 50,000, 75,000 bucks to be won, in some of them on the weekends and even more in other ones. You know, it's definitely not the same. So once you cross the 49th parallel it's a whole different game. But we only have 100 days to do it. That's the thing too.
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Speaker 5:Find Eating Wild now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts. Hi 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 9:I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 5:Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show.
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Speaker 4:So back in the day, Jim, you were a well-known guide around here. Any good guiding stories from back in the day, Jim, you were a well-known guide around here. Any good guiding stories from back in the day? What did you think of guiding?
Speaker 6:Well, I guided two guys. I guided them like three or four years in a row and they used to come up here and they had some business that they did in Ottawa. I used to guide them for walleyes in the Ottawa River and they'd get in a boat. They were incredible guys, so polite and so nice. They used to get out of a limo and they fished in suits. Oh jeez, they both looked like Tony Soprano, you know what I'm saying. And we'd go out and once they caught five or ten walleyes and I had a couple of spots in the river at the time there when they were coming up that I used to bring them to and they'd call a week or two before they were going to be in Ottawa, can you get us out for a few hours? And the limo would take them right to the airport and they'd disappear right and they were always uh, I used to love guiding them because they'd get you know. You'd tell them you needed 250 for a day. When they left they'd hand you about it's like a thousand bucks american. Oh, wow, yeah, so it was once again. It was a. It was a big deal back then trying to be in the business with the kids, but it was those guys.
Speaker 6:I had a pair of teachers I guided one day and I told them. I said, hey, I got a little spot that I fished and I had a boulder off a point. It was way up past the catch, all in the Rideau River, which you know well, and I'm standing, and I got the two of them in a boat and I said I looked at one guy I forget their name now, but I looked at the one guy I said, hey, jimmy, I want you to cast right at that point and and like, try to get as close to the shore as you can, because the water's like five feet deep right off the shore and there's a bunch of big boulders down below. I'll show you them after. And uh, both of them cast at the same time. Both of them cast at the same time.
Speaker 6:So the lures are in the air and we've just had a discussion about muskies, if they ever schooled, and the one guy told me well, my uncle told me muskies don't school, that's. There's no way, whatever else. So one of them had a super shad wrap on, one had a a big. I was a big giant Windles, it's called the Harasser.
Speaker 4:The Harasser yeah.
Speaker 6:They had the bucktail tied backwards at the front so it really made a lot of fluffing in the water and everything. And their lures hit the water and they both started to reel and within like three seconds they both set the hook. So they got a doubleheader of muskies Not giant fish, real river fish 40, 42 inch fish. They're jumping all over the place. They get to the boat and we got them inside the boat. I'm looking to get them off for them. I look at them and I go. So do you still think they don't school?
Speaker 4:It's nice when you're a guide, when things come together, especially like cast that way, and you catch a fish. You, when things come together, especially like cast that way, and you catch a fish. You know there's times where you tell them to do something and they don't, or they don't listen. You know, Phil.
Speaker 6:Morlock, yeah, I fished with him once in the fall challenge up in Aurelia in the fall it was in fact it was the same year that I won the classic and I fished with him in the fall challenge and I got on the same weed line that I caught most of the fish off. And it was like three weeks later and I've got a great big DB3 crankbait going to Bagley's and I'm working and I've got two or three fish in the boat and he's fishing with a jig. I wanted him. He was thrown in the milfoil and I was out on the edge in like 16, 18 feet and he says to me after about 15 minutes, I don't think this is working because I've caught three. And I said, no, I just your job is to catch a big one, phil. And he looks at me, goes to me, can I try a crankbait? I said, yeah, sure, no, no problem. So I give him. I give him the rod I was using. I sit here, I change spots with him so he could cast down the weed line and I was thrown off the side at first, shake the jig two or three times and catch the five and a half. And he looks at me and he goes, maybe I will fish with the jig. And then I brought him to.
Speaker 6:We went to another weed point that's way out the middle of the lake, that's not marked, and he throws the jig in and he sets the hook and this is a place I probably caught 10 bass off it. I don't think one's been under four pounds. But it's like every fifth time you go to it you get a bite. It's always just one random fish and he sets the hook and it was one of the old Beastmaster 1655s. It's just like a pool cue and it's doubled over and I'm thinking, oh my god, he's got the biggest frigging bass in the lake. It's going to be like a six, seven pound largemouth, like a six, seven pound largemouth. I'm just, I got the net, I'm ready to go.
Speaker 6:He brings it up out of the mill for a whole bunch of weeds with it. It's a walleye and it's about 10 or 11 pounds. Oh shit, I scoop it up in the net, eh, and he's absolutely disappointed because it wasn't a bass. Eh, I said you just got the biggest walleye you ever caught in your life. Eh, and he was. He wasn't buying it, it was so funny. But uh, yeah, there's so many things like that. I tell you over the years, the things, the antics of people in the boat watching them catch fish, I've had people absolutely melt down like just go crazy, like good crazy, like they just get absolutely excited I love that.
Speaker 4:Hey, the uh uncomfortably long man hug or the high five or you get some business guy or somebody who's really quiet just loses their shit Like. It's like Christmas, right, but yeah, I had a guy cry. Kata Muskie started weeping. Oh, isn't that cool? No, it wasn't.
Speaker 6:It was like I'm like it's OK, man Like well, see, that's because of that's because of things you know, like I mean people you know. They go out there, they're led to believe that they can't catch them. Yeah, and when you apply a little bit of knowledge about that fish to the situation, geez, what happens? Look at how many came in the boat.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Hey, Jamie, for the record, when you know, I get to land a muskie on fly. So someday when I finally land a muskie on fly with you, I'm going to start bawling right in the boat, Just so you know that.
Speaker 4:I'll go ahead and prepare you now. I know you were crying because you didn't catch one. That's a whole other story.
Speaker 6:Yeah, but he was fishing with you oh.
Speaker 4:Producer, please edit that part out. How did?
Speaker 3:I get stuck with this guy. Oh boy, 20 minutes in and we're already taking some j.
Speaker 4:How did I get stuck with this guy? Oh boy, 20 minutes in and I'm already taking some jabs here.
Speaker 5:The original guide had to cancel.
Speaker 4:Found me on Craigslist, oh gosh.
Speaker 6:Hey, spear, you mentioned about the Sportsman Show. I was just starting to work on stuff for the Pond the other day. Yeah, eh, I'm going to try to do it again. You mentioned about the sportsman show. I was just starting to work on stuff for the pond the other day. Yeah, I'm going to. I want to try to do do it again. I had to talk with them about. You know I'm not running around at the show Like I used to. You know, definitely be planted in my chair.
Speaker 4:Let me know if I can help out again.
Speaker 4:So to our loyal listeners out there, um big, that's a good thing To our loyal listeners out there Big Jim, we have the casting pond at the Sportsman Show where it's so cool. Every year there's targets and prizes and Jim and his wife Tammy bring in this amazing array of different prizes. It's one of the staples of the show where most of the guys go look at boats and tackle, but they know that they can bring their family along because the casting pond's there and it's amazing. I remember seeing some kids, you know, that are four or five years old and then now they're teenagers and their casting's getting better. Oh, do you remember me? You know it's quite something, and it's really something, jim, over over the years, the amount of time you've donated, especially to the kids, you know.
Speaker 6:They learn to fish, advance and, and just getting kids excited about the sport of fishing that my most prized possession that I have from fishing wasn't a check for 85 grand or anything like that. It was that right there.
Speaker 6:Remember I got that a couple years ago yeah yeah, that's, that's the thing that they have with me. Uh, steve bauman and mercer. He brought mercer to present it to me. And then mercer says now I know why I got invited. What's so funny? Because he didn't know. But they had me down down and they gave me that at the Bathmaster Classic in Tennessee. And they have a picture of me in the hotel room asleep with this like this, and somebody put a cloud over my head and it's got Gussie holding the classic trophy and it's the greatest picture in the world. But when you get recognition from your peers, I'm the only Canadian in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in the world. But that's you know. When you get recognition from your peers, I'm the only Canadian in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in the US. That's my pride and possession. You'd have to bring six guys bigger than me to get this off me. It just means so much to me and it's funny. I still have people send me notes about it and stuff like that.
Speaker 6:It's a really cool thing. It comes up in our memories and social media. See, there's one of the good things from social media you know when the memories come up and you get to chat.
Speaker 3:Hey, jim, tell us you know, continuing on that theme with what you and Jamie were just talking about, tell us about introducing young folks to fishing. You are such a visible personality and so active, as Jamie was saying, in introducing not only introducing kids to fishing but getting them excited about it right To the point where they do come back and say, hey, remember me, and you're changing a life there. You're opening a whole new path to somebody. And then you think about the domino effect of that and them living a life of. You know a life in the outdoors. Tell us about you know what that means to you. You just think about all, think of how many kids over the years you have introduced, you know, to the great sport of fishing and, candidly, maybe even introduced to the outdoors. You know how important has that been to you.
Speaker 6:Oh, it's monster. And that's why that's one of the things that bugs me the most and my wife always says to me about it. You know, don't worry if you can't do things today. You know I want to. You know, like, if I plan to go somewhere I always show up. I'm not the person that phones and cancels and I've gone to some of these things and just been an absolute physical wreck there with the mobility bit, but I still show up.
Speaker 6:But if you're going to take a kid fishing, first thing it's got to be. It's all about the kids. So you don't take the kid fishing and the kid standing in the boat and you're fishing. You got to take care of the kid, especially the younger, the younger they are, and you don't bring them musky fishing with anybody because you know it's just not, it's not like the thing to do. You take them with a slip float or a little jig or a little weenie crankbait or something and you make sure that they catch some sunfish, some bluegills, pumpkin seeds, little largemouths, you know, whatever just happens to be out there. I had my grandson axel down on the dock in town, town here last, and he caught a bass about a pound off the dock there and he was just off the deep end. He was running up and down the dock screaming. He'd be running up and down the dock screaming anyway, but he did it when he got the fish and it's just so cool. And you don't ever, if you take a kid fishing, you don't ever keep them out. If they want to go, if they want to go climb up in a tree, let them go climb the tree. If you're fishing on the shore. If they want to go back, you bring them back. You don't have you know if you go out and you don't have to stay out if 45 minutes after you go out they want to go back, it's what it is.
Speaker 6:I have a buddy of mine here in kingston here, jeff d, he does limestone lures. He dropped in the other day with his daughter here. She's just turned into a fishing freak. Since I gave her a run real she's always got to have him send me pictures when she catches fish. He gets here. We come for a visit for a half an hour. She goes out. They launch the boat and go out. She fishes for about 15 minutes.
Speaker 6:I gave her a crankbait. I gave her a 30 jackal crankbait. She goes out, she makes a bunch of casts with it. She catches a largemouth like she's showing it to me, and she's holding it like this, you know what I mean. It's like eight inches long maybe, and she's showing, she's just so excited. So she catches the fish and she looks at jeff and she says, can we go now? He put the boat back on the trailer and they went to the park behind my house, played, played on the swings for half an hour and I bought it. I wanted to hug him and kiss him not on the lips Like it was, it was one of those those things. He was the perfect dad taking a kid fishing for a perfect outing, and that's that, to me, is just what it's all about. It's just absolutely incredible. Let me I got to find here a picture and show you when, oh where is she. But it's just so cool to let a kid do what they want like that.
Speaker 4:I grew up with my kids and I think the biggest thing you know in terms of taking kids fishing like you said, don't go out for a 12-hour marathon day hoping for one bite right just a little bit of action and uh, here's, here's the bass she got. She sent me I'll have to get that one up there. That's's a beauty. You know this is audio only, but for the listeners out there it's the biggest pass I've ever seen. I'm just kidding. I didn't realize that.
Speaker 6:Yeah, no, like. I mean like literally, when I said she was holding it in her hand like holding the phone sideways. It's legit and that's what she wanted to do. So it's you know, and that's what you have to do. It's all about the kids. You've got to bring lots of snacks. You've got to put sunscreen on them now.
Speaker 8:I was at a dermatologist again last week.
Speaker 6:I got some spots on me that they've got to cut off again. I got this one on my nose. They've got to cut off again. The one on my nose is melanoma, so they're not impressed with that. So I don't want to end up having my nose cut off because I don't have much in the looks department now.
Speaker 4:I don't need to have my nose gone yeah, it's true, sunscreen, this, uh, and you know, protective, protective clothing for sun is essential too, right, you don't? Uh, it's not. I like back in the day where we'd burn, and especially with the, the italian family, the redder and darker you got, the healthier you were, just like, the more we ate, the healthier.
Speaker 6:We are right yeah, no, it's, it's, it's so true. But I mean, like the the sunscreen bit. You know, uh, we used to put on lotion to help yourself burn, like we used to put on suntan lotion. It wasn't sunscreen, it was suntan lotion. You remember that?
Speaker 4:oh, yeah, absolutely tropic tan or something whatever. That bronzer spf4, let's go. You know you can cook your. Go and get puffed up. You look all jacked. Well, not really I didn't look so jacked, but it enhances the little bit of muscles you do have on there, right, you can cook your eggs with it. After, too, a couple of sprays in the pan.
Speaker 6:Just switching. But yeah, no, fishing with kids, it's so rewarding once you get back to watch them. I wish I could get my kids up, but some of the most or my grandkids more some of the most memorable moments I had with my grandkids when they were younger, when I were with them fishing in the boat with me, it was absolutely amazing the looks on them, how much fun they had. I remember the time I was going to bring the cooler. I brought an ice cream in the cooler and while ice creams don't keep in coolers, we learned that and we have a picture of Gracelyn, who's 16, with boy boyfriends now, with ice cream running down her face and everything else, and we have photos of it and they pop up once in a while and I see that and I turn into an old guy. You know it's just so cool to watch them. But kids, once you get them into it, you know I've been fishing with kids and I have people like you know why do you want to teach a child? You know I've been fishing with kids and I have people like you know why do you want to teach a child? You know to learn to fish and stuff Like. I've actually got the letters after the kids' things. I've got the phone calls.
Speaker 6:I had a lady get out of a car here one day in Brockville, right along with St Lawrence. Tammy was in shopping grabbing some groceries quick for dinner. And she got out of the car and came over and she looked at me and of course I got the truck with Shumato and everything written on it. She says to me she says I don't know how you can sleep at night for what you do, torturing fish and all this stuff and everything else. And I said hey, you know, lady. I said we're not torturing fish, Nobody's breaking the law. And you know, you've got your beliefs, I've got mine. I I'd appreciate it if you'd get away from me. And she looks at me and I, you know, I, what are you gonna do? There's not much you can do because you can't, you can't win. So I told her I said look, get your, your van away from me or I'm, you're gonna get hit. I'm gonna drive into you. You're, you're, you're gonna be the one, you're the chosen one. It's going to happen today.
Speaker 6:And so she goes back and gets in the van and her husband gets out of the van so he walks over towards the truck. So I get out of the truck and he turns around and goes back to the van. I said to him yeah, I said I thought so Because I'm a pretty big dude, I'm six, you know, six, four, three and a quarter. So and he goes back in the truck and I told him. I said it was between me and your wife, not me, me and you, so you made the best decision. So he gives me the finger and starts yelling.
Speaker 6:But I mean, like for people to take it that far to you know, you don't want to come up and dump, you know, on someone like that about torturing fish, and those children will have to have, they'll have to have, you know, serious psychiatric help when they get older and stuff Like she just unloaded on me, like I was sitting in the truck, like my eyes open, like they go what the hell? You know, and I've had this so often. I've had people drive up beside me on a 401 and give me the finger, like lots of times.
Speaker 4:I've seen your driving and I've no, I'm just kidding, it's true, I've had the. Uh, I've had the same thing, jim, where you know we're doing a camp in the summer introducing kids to the fishing. There's 15 kids with no ipad, no cell phone, and they're all out just sitting there quietly concentrating on something which doesn't happen anymore. And then you always get one, karen, just pulling fish. They can't breathe like, and we always teach the kids you know this is this is how you handle them, this is how you get them back in the water and and hey, next thing, you know they'll be like us. You know a couple couple old guys with the passion of fishing no, it's what it is.
Speaker 6:That's a wonderful thing. That uh, that John put together that Ottawa fishing school yeah, yeah, you participate in it that is like, uh, that is like one of the coolest things. I wish I would've had, you know, thought of something like that earlier. I know there was, uh, there was some stuff like that done in the States years ago for adults but not for kids, and I'm sure it was done for kids too. You know it would have been out there. We just didn't hear about it. But what John does there is absolutely amazing. Yeah well, jim, you guys helping, you guys being there to help, that's the whole deal.
Speaker 4:Eh, yeah, we love it and, you know, watching a kid go from not being able to tie a lure on to, by the end of the week, they're catching and releasing fish back into the river. And you know, the greatest thing is we had three kids from camp. I saw them a year after I was, you know, going for a couple of casts on the canal and I see them together and they met at camp and now they're friends and they're out fishing by themselves. So there's nothing better.
Speaker 6:You remember when I used to do the big one at Dow's Lake? Yeah, absolutely, yep, I did that. I remember there was a little kid there. One day I was walking along helping all the kids I had my bag with me, you know, letting them all pick a lure out. You know something to keep and everything. And I saw this kid get dropped off and excuse me. I looked at him and he was like, and excuse me. I looked at him and he was like, just thought. He was like just like.
Speaker 6:The car just stopped on the driveway and the kid got out. You know, there was no, there was no direction or anything like that. And he comes down and he said, can I fish? And I said, yeah, I got to go sign up over there. You know and like, and he's there fishing and he's sitting in the grass and he's just like he's lost, he's looking like a kid that society forgot like.
Speaker 6:I just felt so bad for the kid and I went over and I showed him how to do it. I got a little piece of worm we tied on a hook. He had had a great big lure on his fit on on the fishing rod he got, so he wasn't going to catch anything with that, you know. So you had to get a piece of worm and a little float on. So we hooked them all up. I spent about 15 minutes with him showing him how to do it, caught a few pumpkin seeds. He got all excited, but, you know, whatever else. So he's there. So I go down to the end and I come back and I'm walking back, you know, along the canal there, along the lake it's a good walk along there and I'm coming back the other way, the kid's there and he's not fishing.
Speaker 6:And I see him and he's talking to another little kid and he's showing the other kid how to fish. Ah, exactly, and I'm just like that just rocked me, you know, just absolutely rocked me to see that, because I invested a few minutes in that kid. And then here he is showing the other kid how to make the slip bobber work, because the bobber stop had got out of the head, got pushed right down, so it was like an inch underneath, you know, it wasn't going down anywhere and he was casting, wasn't catching anything and the kids showing him how to adjust it and everything else, and and I stopped day and then he took it and he said, hey, is this right? And he was a complete different person it pays it back times 10.
Speaker 3:You know you change a life and then suddenly you change 10 lives and you end up with a bunch of young kids that go through life appreciating the outdoors, most importantly, valuing the outdoors. You know people forget that. You know, unless there's value on these waters and these habitats you know, whether you're hunting or fishing, whatever it is you're doing if there isn't a conservation value, sports person value placed on that use, trust me, it becomes farmland and development land real quick. And so you know, and it all starts with, you know, in a perfect world starts at a young age where, with kids you know getting excited about having a life that involves the outdoors and it's priceless. It's really great stuff, jim.
Speaker 6:Yeah, well, that's, that's one of the things that I see and I often mentioned too. One of the benefits of it is, you know, teaching children when they go fishing. It's conservation and they learn to respect the outdoors. They have to be taught that, that it's like that's not warning you have. You have to be taught to respect the other, the outdoors, and it's uh, it's a really, really good thing that uh, that you know young kids are, are learning that. And just thinking, jamie, when you were mentioning about uh being at the show and seeing kids come back, I had a kid come in there once and he made a beeline for me and I saw him coming, so I turned and he's coming right at me. He's pointing at me or whatever else. I turned and squared to him put my arms up a little bit, you know and he laughed and he comes over and he's pulling a trophy out of the bag. No-transcript. He's got the trophy. Holding up the trophy, it was so cool and you know the trophy isn't the goal.
Speaker 4:It's just another little piece of something good that came out of it well, and that's it, and that's one kid that uh, you've changed the life, and that's one of many many. So, uh, I can't thank you enough on behalf of everybody for for introducing uh so many kids to to the sport of fishing, and everything you've done for the industry as a whole. I know especially would be uh, be different fishing world without you. And on behalf of Ryder and I, thank you so much, jim, for coming on Untamed Pursuits today, and maybe we could do a live one at the Sportsman Show this year. We can get some questions and people can fire up some questions. We'll do that. We'll get your GoPro on and we'll have a good time there.
Speaker 6:I have to learn how to use it, though I should have got a bigger manual thanks so much for your time, jim.
Speaker 4:Thanks you too, bud cheers. Thanks, you're good, thank you.
Speaker 8:As 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 Gerry 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. 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 8:After 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 and 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 7:How did a small town sheet metal mechanic come to build one of Canada's most iconic fishing lodges? I'm your host, steve Nitzwicky, and you'll find out about that and a whole lot more on the Outdoor Journal Radio Network's newest podcast, diaries of a Lodge Owner. But this podcast will be more than that. Every week on Diaries of a Lodge Owner, I'm going to introduce you to a ton of great people, share their stories of our trials, tribulations and inspirations, learn and have plenty of laughs along the way.
Speaker 5:Meanwhile we're sitting there bobbing along trying to figure out how to catch a bass and we both decided one day we were going to be on television doing a fishing show.
Speaker 7:My hands get sore a little bit when I'm reeling in all those bass in the summertime but that might be for more fishing than it was punching.
Speaker 5:You so confidently you said hey.
Speaker 7:Pat, have you ever eaten a drum? Find Diaries of a Lodge Owner now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.