Fish the Abyss: an Angling Up North Blog

  Ontario Angling Hitlist: Chapter 4- Muskie Madness The muskellunge is the world's largest species of pike(Esox). For anyone that knows me, they know how muskie-obsessed I am; I am very biased in my enthusiasm towards this species. Muskies ignited my passion for stalking big fish species; this species has a dedicated die-hard group of passionate anglers. Known as 'the fish of 10, 000 casts' the muskie is a difficult species to catch. It is unique due to its propensity to follow lures to the side of the boat offering anglers heart-stopping moments of pure adrenaline and excitement as this monster Esox materializes out of nowhere. The difficulty of their pursuits, the size of the fish, their athletic jumps, and their stalking behaviours cement muskies as one of the most hard-core fish species in Canada. Muskie fishermen typically fit into one of the two camps: they are either team casting, or team trolling with some also running live bait like suckers every fall. There's...

  Ontario Angling Hitlist: Chapter 3- Reptilian Rampage A green coloured, air breathing, scale covered, reptilian, swamp dwelling, primordial, aquatic predator; you'd be forgiven if you believed I was referring to some sort of crocodilian, but I am referring to the little-known (amongst most anglers) bowfin. If muskies are the fish of 10,000 casts, then the bowfin are the fish of 10,000 names. Bowfin, dogfish, swamp trout, swamp muskie, swampfish, and grindle are common monikers for the bowfin; however, in my humble opinion, 'trash fish' should never be associated with this species, they deserve better than that. Bowfin have existed since the Jurassic period; they have been swimming largely unchanged for millions of years. Their closest living relative in Ontario waters is the longnose gar. They range from the cold clear waters of the Lake Huron watershed in Northeast Ontario to the swampy black waters of Florida! Bowfins have an eyespot on their tale, thought to be a false...