Fishing a Shipwreck

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I finished a very unique Fish’n Canada shoot a few weeks ago and thought I would share it with you. Although this shoot had no big fish, it was one of the most unique shows I’ve ever done.

Angelo and I had been talking to Brian Pallock from Dive Source (Oshawa Scuba retailer and instructor) about putting together some kind of Scuba element to a fishing show. It’s not a new idea in general but it is to us. Brian was gung-ho as long as we looked at if from both sides (anglers and divers).

Brian and I headed to the town of Cardinal Ontario where the Contestoga ship wreck lies on the bottom of the St Lawrence River. The first part of the show had us filming me getting a refresher course from Brian and then taking the plunge into the mighty river.

The Contestoga is not a small ship by any means. It’s approximately 252 feet long by 36 feet wide. The reason I wanted to check it out is because typically there are lots of gamefish that hang around wrecks; both in salt and fresh water.
I wasn’t disappointed. The wreck was covered in Smallmouth Bass of all sizes. Add to that tons of Goby’s, a small school of Walleye and loads of Panfish, this boat was stacked with fish!

The 2 things that blew both Brian’s and my minds were the 2 pound Smallie with a big Wally Diver hanging from its mouth and the Cormorant that was chasing Smallmouth under the water only feet away from us!!!

The next part of the shoot had us in the Princecraft above the ship, dropping down Yamamoto Shad Shape Worms and Berkley Gulp Goby’s and banging off Smallmouth on almost every cast. As I said most were small but with the current of the St Lawrence and the natural strength of a Smallmouth, it was a complete riot!

Thanks to Brian and Dive Source for helping us out.

Pete Bowman

Pete, one of the most revered and popular anglers in the nation, has a tremendous love for the game… the fishing game. Pete’s vast knowledge of angling and ability to articulate it to audiences worldwide has endeared him to his fans who still see Pete as just “ONE OF THE BOYS”. Pete is also an accomplished and published outdoor writer and photographer as well as a sought-after speaker. In 2012 another of Pete’s ultimate fishing career highlights occurred when he was inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall Of Fame, something he never thought would happen. A Canadian fishing icon.

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