Ben's Big Panfish Bash 2012

Yesterday was the second annual ice fishing derby at BJ Tackle in Bewdley, Ont. Anglers spread out across Rice Lake in search of the biggest panfish they could find. Three species were included in the prizing. Perch, Sunfish and Crappie.

This fun event was a great day to spend time with your friends and family in a fun derby.
The winds pick up during the late morning and having any form of a shelter made things more comfortable. The portable ice hut made focusing on the fish and not the weather more enjoyable. Spending my day targeting perch over clear water produced some good jumbos. The action was hot and at one point I had a school of all jumbo perch come through. Both rods down with 11 inch perch makes for a fun trip.
We packed up by 1:30 to get to Bewdley for the 2pm weigh-in.

BJ Tackle was a busy place, with anglers weighing some great panfish. This is only the third winter since an ice fishing season for panfish was introduced in the Kawartha's and angler's are starting to figure out the patterns to consistently find bigger fish. Lots of jumbo perch were weighed in along with sunfish and some true slab crappie. Most of the crappie action takes place at night during the winter at Rice Lake but some anglers have found the fish during the day and using ultra light tackle are putting them on the ice. A 1.2b crappie took the honors at the event with several others over a pound.

One of the greatest things about this derby is the fun. Lots of young anglers get out for the fun and after the weigh-in there was some awesome chili, deserts and hot chocolate to enjoy. The mood is light and everyone has a great time.

Sign me up for next year!

Bridgenorth Panfish Festival Update

We can always count on our great volunteers to make this a fun family day fishing on Chemong Lake. Every year dozens of people, young and old catch their first fish at this family day and learn the joy of spending quality family time outdoors enjoying ice fishing together. Meet skilled anglers from the Kawartha chapter of Muskies Canada, Ontario Chinese Anglers Association and other great groups that donate their time and support.  


We have been receiving lots of calls about the Bridgenorth Panfish Festival. Yes we are going ahead with everything planned. The ice conditions are very good with 15 inches of ice in the bay we fish. Weather is calling for -1 and sunny periods with tons of fish, family fun and smiles on Chemong Lake. 
This year as part of the Panfish Festival, activities will be going on inside at the OFAH Hertitage Center in Peterborough for more family fun. http://www.hfhc.ca/  This is a great chance to see the cool facility and it's exhibits for free.


Maybe you will win a guided panfish trip for two with professional angler Chris Giles, or a night in an ice condo from BJ Tackle, a new ice hut from Frabill, rod/reel combos and clothing from Shimano, tackle boxes from Bridgenorth Sports, oil changes from Currie Tire, prizes from Lucky Strike, Canadian Tire, OFAH, Ontario Power Generation and many others who support this fun festival. 
Not many places you can spend a free day with the family and have a chance to win great prizes. Our sponsors are great supporters of youth angling and family fun. 
They support the angling community, we should support them.  


Feb 18, 2012 
10am - 2 pm
Free for everyone, tackle, holes and bait provided
Free prizes for youth and adults


Check the website for more details


http://www.bridgenor...shfestival.com/ 

We filmed a segment for the 5 O'Clock show on Chex Tv for the Bridgenorth Panfish Festival which aired today. 
It was good to get out on the ice with some youth anglers again. Good warm up for the 1000 or so kids we are expecting on Saturday.

I'm not sure how to edit these clips down or if it's possible but here are the links for the show.


http://www.chextv.co...art_1_of_2.aspx

http://www.chextv.co...art_2_of_2.aspx 

Oddball fish

This past weekend while targeting perch, I landed a small catfish. Now that may not seem exciting but it is the first one I have ever caught through the ice and I was quite excited about it.
Over the years, unusual catches have been highlights that are remembered. It is not always the size of the fish that creates memories but the unique species or circumstances where they were caught.

After seeing the above photo posted in a fishing forum, it gave me an idea. Last winter I spent several days on the ice trying to catch a carp. I have caught lots of carp and some true monsters but I had never heard of anyone targeting them in the winter. Game on.
I never did get one but did find an area that was holding them during the winter, so as soon as we get some decent cold weather and I can get back there, the quest will restart.
A trip a few years ago to the Ottawa River was a cool experience. We were in search of sturgeon and as it turns out it was the last season the species was open in Ontario. Four anglers spending day and night hunting a sturgeon resulted in one being caught. Not big by sturgeon standards but we sure were excited.

The best part of the trip was the tons of channel catfish we landed in our search for a sturgeon. The action was unexpected but also non-stop. Besides the channel catfish we caught pike, bass, walleye, panfish and a mooneye. I had caught mooneyes before but the one landed by my friend was huge. Of course we were not trying to catch them and besides noticing the size of the 2lb fish we snapped a photo and kept fishing. Upon our return home, someone checked the Canadian record for mooneye, it was 1.43 lbs...oops!

Sturgeon, carp, catfish, mooneye, not exactly the glamour species but they certainly stand out in a long list of good memories. I would bet that most of us have similar experiences and memories. While we may pride ourselves with big fish catches, it the unique or oddball fish and the circumstances that surround them that truly add to the stories we tell. 

It's a gar.... :)