Muskoka Outdoors

The Ontario Conservation Officers Association has recently published the second edition of their $20 wild fish and game cookbook.

If you are looking for some unique tastes for your next wild game meal-consider supporting the OCOA’s fundraising initiative. The non-profit organization will use portions of the proceeds to benefit youth outdoor programs and college bursaries.

For more details read the post from Outdoor Canada’s Editor, Patrick Walsh.

From my early days as an angler, I have always been intrigued by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) fishing records. To be honest, they always seemed to be out of reach for a local angler like myself. The what was until a recent announcement by the IGFA to open an ‘All-Tackle Length Category‘ in their record books.

This mean any large fish that you catch and release could become an IGFA length record!

You do NOT need special certification or a specific type of fish scale. Essentially, all that is required is that you catch and release according to the IGFA rules for this category and take specific photos of the fish on an IGFA fish measuring mat.

This opportunity not only encourages a quick release of a trophy class fish (for someone else to enjoy), but also increases the chances that an angler’s name, and released fish, could make the IGFA record books because the entry requirements can practically be met in any boat – anywhere.

Here are the current IGFA records for some common freshwater fish that may be lurking in a lake near you. When you catch one – let me know.

Current IGFA All-Tackle Length Records

The IGFA fish measuring mat

Bass, largemouth  Micropterus salmoides 48 cm
Bass, smallmouth  Micropterus dolomieu  34 cm
Carp, common  Cyprinus carpio  55 cm
Catfish, blue  Ictalurus furcatus  73 cm
Catfish, channel  Ictalurus punctatus  60 cm
Grayling   Thymallus thymallus  25 cm
Grayling, Arctic  Thymallus arcticus  37 cm
Muskellunge  Esox masquinongy  76 cm
Perch, white  Morone Americana  21 cm
Perch, yellow  Perca flavescens  18 cm
Pickerel, chain  Esox niger   39 cm
Pike, northern  Esox lucius  68 cm
Salmon, Atlantic  Salmo salar  64 cm
Salmon, Atlantic (landlocked)  Salmo salar  46 cm
Salmon, chinook  Oncorhynchus tshawytscha 53 cm
Salmon, chum  Oncorhynchus keta  48 cm
Salmon, coho  Oncorhynchus kisutch  53 cm
Salmon, pink  Oncorhynchus gorbuscha 39 cm
Salmon, sockeye  Oncorhynchus nerka  35 cm
Trout, brook  Salvelinus fontinalis  34 cm
Trout, brown  Salmo trutta  51 cm
Trout, bull   Salvelinus confluentus  51 cm
Trout, cutthroat  Oncorhynchus clarki  44 cm
Trout, lake   Salvelinus namaycush  74 cm
Trout, rainbow  Oncorhynchus mykiss  54 cm
Walleye   Stizostedion vitreum  52 cm

Find some time during the winter break to visit Canada’s largest marine marketplace in the Direct Energy Centre located at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. The 53rd annual boating event starts January 8 and ends on January 16, 2011.

What particularly stands out about this event is that it is also on the site of the world’s largest indoor lake. This sets the aquatic stage (of 1,000,000 gallons of Lake Ontario water) for events like:

• Wakeboard & Wakeskating WOWfest – Boarders and skaters crank up the volume for a spectacular show of grinds, tricks and flips
• wakeboard lessons
• FREE ride in an inflatable boat, canoe, kayak, or paddleboat
• Duma the waterskiing and boat-driving dog

The angler will also find this show to be a worthwhile endeavor. Not only will there be bass boats to look over, but an angler will be able to view the Great Canadian Fish Tank. It is a 40ft x 8ft aquarium filled with 5,000 gallons of water and stocked with native Ontario fish. Daily fishing demonstrations and seminars by Canada’s top anglers deliver a rare underwater view of how fish react to and strike at various types of bait, lures and fishing techniques.

More Show details

SAVE $3 when you buy tickets online!
Available here November 1st through midnight, January 7th!

Click here to order tickets!

When:
January 8 to 16, 2011
Saturdays 10 am to 7 pm
Sundays 10 am to 6 pm
Weekdays 11 am to 8 pm

Where:
Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place
100 Princes Blvd.
Toronto, ON M6K 3C3

www.TorontoBoatShow.com

Win 2 Tickets From Muskoka Outdoors

Getting access to the Great Outdoors and DIY Show in Toronto on November 26 – 28 could be easier than you think. Over the next 4 days (Wednesday – Saturday), Muskoka Outdoors will be giving away 2 tickets to the show each day.

How could I win free tickets?
All you have to do is comment the following words:

“I would like free tickets to the show.” in the space provided below THIS post.

Names and email will only be used to contact the winner.

How is the winner chosen?
Each day, at 9PM eastern, I will randomly pick 1 commenter (using a random number generator) and contact them via email for their mailing address. The daily winner will get 2 free tickets to the show. Value of the tickets is $15 each. Tickets can not be traded for cash value.

How many times can I comment?
You can comment ONCE per day, but your comment from the other days could still help you win. Meaning, a comment made on Wednesday could still win on Friday.  Obviously, the more days you leave a comment – your chances increase. Multiple comments on same day will be discarded.

Good Luck.

Reminder: Leave your name and email in the comment space below this post and type “I would like free tickets to the show.“

Live the adventures you read about in Outdoor Canada Magazine on November 26 – 28, 2010. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet, and learn, from the magazine’s outdoor celebrities and exhibitors at the International Centre in Mississauga (6900 Airport Road).

The Outdoor Canada Show is one of four jaw-dropping outdoor shows that are colliding under one roof to bring a myriad of technologies, seminars, and multi-media presentations to all aspects of the outdoors. That means you do not have to hunt and fish to get excellent value for your admission dollars. The other 3 shows include the Fall Cottage Life Show, the Explore Adventure & Travel Show, and the Canadian Home Workshop Show.

Admission is currently set to be $15 at the door or $13 dollars online.

On the Saturday of the Outdoor Canada Show, be sure to check out the Fishin’ for Answers Quiz Show that will feature angling greats like Bob Izumi, Angelo Viola, Pete Bowman, Mike Miller, Leo Stakos, Dave Mercer, Ron James, and U.S. legends Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston.

The show’s hub will be the Outdoor Canada Lodge and will be providing filleting demos, sampling of wild game, shore-lunch tips, fly-tying lessons and antique decoy appraisals with expert Steven Lloyd.

Visit The Great Outdoors and DIY Weekend website for all the exciting details

SHOW DAYS
Friday, Nov. 26: 11 am–8 pm
Saturday, Nov. 27: 9 am–6 pm
Sunday, Nov. 28: 10 am–5 pm

November 26 - 28, 2010