TOURNAMENT NETWORK LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Oſten referred to as springers,


the year’s highly anticipated first run of salmon starts in March. For those lucky to catch one, they are prized as the tastiest of all salmon. Like our neighbors in Califor-


2nd Annual Get:Outdoors & Fish Kayak Fishing Tournament (benefitting the Haw River Association)


Saturday March 14th Greensboro, NC


For registration, tournament, & sponsorship info, contact greensboro@getoutdoors.us or call 336-294-3918


LUCIAN GIZEL IS A MKF TEAM MEMBER, GREAT LAKES KAYAK FISHING GUIDE AND OCEAN KAYAK PRO STAFF MEMBER BASED IN CANTON, MICHIGAN.


F


ishing this time of year is al- most as good as it is in late fall.


In April, steelhead anglers driſt the rivers to known fish-holding holes, getting out of their kayaks or paddling against the current to work a plug in the hole. Crap- pie fishing is also good as school- ing fish head to shallow waters to feed before spawning. Te canals are top producers of crappie and other panfish. Te Michigan Kayak Fishing


(MKF) anglers will host a num- ber of scheduled events, as well as impromptu get-togethers de- pendant on fish activity. Te first outing is northern pike fishing on Lake St. Clair. In May MKF holds their annual Lake Erie trip for walleye, launching at the Lake Erie Metro Park. I like to use a bottom bouncer rig with a crawler harness, presented slowly by paddling in a zigzag from shallow water to deep water and back again. July 11–19 is the Big Fish Bash


Tournament in Racine, Wis. (big- fishbash.com). Tis nine-day catch-and-keep powerboat tourna- ment introduced a kayak division in 2007. Last year fellow Ocean Kayak Pro Staffer and Wisconsin local Steve Loew beat me by 0.4 pounds to take first place for the second year in a row.


58… KAYAK ANGLER spring 2009


nia, Oregon has begun the desig- nation of a coastal marine reserve system. While kayak anglers here are generally in favor of protecting the ocean, it is clear that we need to maintain a voice in this public process to ensure that our con- cerns, particularly access issues, are considered.


Great Lakes


Eastern Canada


JAMIE PISTILLI IS A WRITER, GUIDE AND TOURNAMENT ANGLER FROM OTTAWA, ONTARIO, AND A MEMBER OF THE OCEAN KAYAK PRO STAFF.


2


008 proved to be a banner year for kayak angling in eastern


Canada, especially around the Ottawa Valley. Te self-propelled scene is increasing, as proven with the 75 participants in the first an- nual Ottawa Riverkeeper tour- nament this past August to raise money to help preserve the beauti- ful Ottawa River. In addition, Greg Wright has opened a specialty shop in Nepean, Ontario, called Float, Paddle and Fly. Te store features fly tying lessons, fly fishing equip- ment, kayak sales and rentals. I had the privilege of fishing with


California’s own Jim Sammons and the Heliconia Press crew. We tar- geted pike and the always-elusive muskie while filming the northern segment of the kayak fishing DVD Game On! During the Canadian leg of filming, we braved the elements, became hooked to fish (literally), and Jim escaped extreme danger in some rapids. Check local video and sporting goods retailers to pick up a copy of this extreme fishing DVD. Nomad Adventure Company in


partnership with Yakfisher.net is hosting a kayak-only tournament this July 11 weekend out of Kashaga Lodge, just five minutes from the town of Haliburton, Ontario. Te two-day event will be the first-ever freshwater, exclusive kayak fishing tournament in Canada. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the charity Cottage Dreams. Tis multi-species catch-and-release event will also feature demos and kayak rentals. For more informa- tion e-mail tourney@yakfisher.net.


If you have local knowledge to share or would like to be a regional editor let us know at localknowledge@ kayakanglermag.com


LOCAL KNOWLEDGE


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