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Using Swimbaits For Big Saskatchewan Pike | Fish'n Canada
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Apr 15, 2025
This episode takes Pete Bowman to one of Saskatchewan’s natural fishing resources, Last Mountain Lake, where he teams up with Rob Schulz of G & S Marina Outfitters in search of early season Pike. Swimbaits work like magic to lure this hard-fighting fish, showing just how important it is to choose the right bait. Don't forget to leave a COMMENT and give us a LIKE if you enjoyed what you saw. SUBSCRIBE for new videos and episodes released weekly! CONNECT WITH US -------------------------------- WEBSITE: http://fishncanada.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FishnCanada/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fishncanadaofficial/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/angeloviolafnc/ One of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities. First started by brothers Angelo and Reno Viola in 1986, The Fish’n Canada Show has been on the air for over 30 years. Today, Angelo is joined by lifelong fishing buddy, Pete Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years #Season31 #FishingCanada
View Video Transcript
0:00
[Music]
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your game on get that another way let's
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get some fish that's a grateful schedule
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migrate their fishing Canada show
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brought to you in part by Coleman the
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Outdoor company Cooper Tires Princecraft
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bows dominate the waters and Garmin
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fight your fish not your fish finder
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[Music]
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for those of you who live in Canada's
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western provinces you realize just how
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good your natural resources of hunting
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and fishing actually are for those
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living in Ontario and East you may not
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have a grasp on just how good our
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Western neighbors have it today's
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fishing Canada episode takes me to the
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province of Saskatchewan about an hour
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north of Regina on last Mountain Lake
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inserts a big early season northern pike
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I'm teaming up with Rob shells of gns
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marina Outfitters who from what I've
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heard is the main man when it comes to
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pike fishing in this area I like that
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where we're fishing like a main lake Bay
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that's a contributor it's got a water
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inlet layer a natural stream that runs
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in through it okay and kind of what
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we're looking for at this time of year
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especially in the spring is a difference
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in water temperature from Maine Lake to
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base that's what draws these fish in
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here that's where our first growth the
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weeds are that's where the bait fish
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come in start feeding on algae a
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plankton that's starting to grow and
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then the big Fisher fall went into bait
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fish okay and they'll stay in here for a
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certain amount of time and then finally
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gets to warm and then the bait fish
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leave and the big guys follow exactly
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right we're game on get that out of the
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way let's get some fish but what we're
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doing here is we've anchored the boat
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off the front so we can both fish off
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the back of ruining it Rob's got these
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areas dialed in to a real you know
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little spots here and there here nurse
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we don't have to stay on the trolling
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motor and look and look and search he's
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got these areas down that's the beauty
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of having a guide or somebody local that
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really knows a spot so he can just sit
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there now we'll anchor off here we'll
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work this work this work this if there's
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no good move if it's good but gets a
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fish will move again so after we're done
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we go Ian etter inedible yes I'm
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gonna be I'm gonna be netting the guides
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fish I love it buddy I got Rob probably
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about a mid 30s okay a good strong fish
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great yeah good fighter if we need it we
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don't need an item at all no he's got
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some decent fish yeah good-looking fish
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buddy that's the way to start it right
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there
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and when we just keep moving up well by
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two inches in a day okay let's put them
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in net so we get the first one in the
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springtime cool water these fish have a
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lot of fight to them yeah there we go
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nice nice done thanks buddy yeah
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whoa give me a wet girl nicely done look
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at the lip on this fish you know he's
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got the before yeah catch her
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release plate off pretty good
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nice yeah there's a good fish in there
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folks
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good one you first spot spotnik five
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minutes in here yeah
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there's thirty eight inch fish yeah yes
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the way to start your day
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buddy usually get a little hammer
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handles your first fish of the day
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I like this place yeah yeah nicely done
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we're good good shoulders buddy
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fish all right old are you nicely done
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that's a great start way to go now if
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that's a starter fish I can't wait to
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see the closing fish whoo nice good job
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bud well done oh I like that fast and
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furious and these big strong plate I
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think we're gonna have a good day do you
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get hammer handles doing here not very
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many when these big ones are in there's
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not very many small fish we'll be lucky
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to catch anything under 24 inches really
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yeah you won't see many just afraid of
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them just yeah well I'm sure they're
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gonna get eaten too these big fish will
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eat those wow that's awesome that's
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great
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coming into a big fish sanctuary come on
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no he's not that much of a rocket he's
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not bad that was a rocket but not big
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but he just he saw it on the back that's
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all he's gonna say he hit it kind of
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funny cuz a rock is normally doing
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pretty decent fish
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ya know just be a lever and just be able
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to grab them around the bag I barely
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he's pretty good fish yeah look at look
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at the far that swim baits anybody it is
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gone yo Dee man they come out good don't
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they sure do beautiful oh my yeah you
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know the game I'm sick again this is
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that thick across the bag you know he's
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a short fish but what's that 36 meters
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34 35 yeah thick but that's all it is it
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that they pull and when they hit you you
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just think I'm be smashing
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[Music]
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how much fish could a pelican eat in a
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day I bet you probably about four or
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five pounds of fish a day what do they
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don't normally eat you know these are
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species they go for they go for the my
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way I really like the Cisco too
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opportunist though they'll eat anything
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that they can catch oh yeah they swallow
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down a four-pound pegleg yep
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hot dog yeah we're gonna get buzzed I
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love the way they fly man they're the
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coolest flying birds ever hello ladies
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that's what I like when they do that
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right over the water yeah
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so cool I don't know about you but when
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when swimbaits first came out we looked
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at him as as big jigs you know and we
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used to just we worked up like jigs yeah
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so we basically and that was the wrong
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thing to do it's not what these baits
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are designed to do with these big jig
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heads in them you know the first
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instinct is to lift it up and down not a
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drop on the bottom it's totally wrong
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it's just when they call it a swim bait
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they mean you swim it back you just reel
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it at a steady pace that tail do you
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have all different types of tails I
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think is back and forth like that and
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it's just like a spoon or a crankbait or
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anything else right it's just the weight
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is there to get you at your proper depth
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if you want swim baits like the ones
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we're using today are best known for
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being big bass lures especially in the
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USA that said a predator fish is a
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predator fish so if they work in the
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south they'll certainly work in the
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north and not just for bass they come in
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an assortment of sizes shapes and
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materials all of which have their place
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there's hard and soft bodies full bodied
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and jointed hollow and solid and finally
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straight paddle or boot tail today we're
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throwing five-inch big hammer swim baits
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these are hand poured and have a unique
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square tail giving the bait incredible
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action my pike partner today Rob has
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tried a variety of different swim baits
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but swears that this is the perfect
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choice for last Mountain Lake oh how we
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looking buddy coming on my side another
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decent fish
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he ate it again oh my god that swim bait
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gone look at that boy oh man come oh
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nice dodo yeah that's a nice part about
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a single hook yeah
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Fatty's Fisher fat man scrappy scrappy
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yeah that was a jump jump in the day for
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everybody I love that
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he slammed it he's lambda that guy it
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might be better it might be a bit better
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what's a long wall in the net this is a
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pig of a wall i I'm looking I think in a
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great big you know a nice size Wow look
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at he ate that look at that swim bait in
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his mouth just completely ate it
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slack lame he's just like a pike one
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yeah oh man nice walleye but that's a
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beauty and like you're right he's not
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the longest wall in the world I got a
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thick he is Wow
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solid fish now the players on him should
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be perfect nicely done that's around my
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hand there you go Rob said we're gonna
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get some of my guys if you didn't
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hearing these paddies shallows and the
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flats and the pike are here feeding
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these guys gonna be in here too so
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Wow
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what a bonus fish what an absolute long
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fish that was so I had no idea that was
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a wall and first but first hand I pull
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this is I suppose like a better one like
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that that is so cool
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on a big swim big five-inch boom baby I
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mean that shows you yeah like that
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that's a big hammer that one's a big
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boot Taylor whatever you call it big
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square tail on it just flaps open jig
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head open hook you don't need to leave
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us in here cuz just rocks
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all right back yes guy Judy
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[Music]
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one grabbed it right here while I was
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standing picked it up we've got a better
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one on our think so
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it's heavy oh yeah didn't even feel
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invited you just picked it up haven't
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seen her me up there yeah there he is
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all y'all there's a good er
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look at this car he's got a gouge on his
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back I could be from a pelican
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yeah he's younger spawning when they're
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spawning alright okay I'll come and grab
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them that big fella can oh yeah yeah
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tears the sides up on him really a
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always a tank tank nice look at the
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weeds all ripped up no but weeds are
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laying right there and robbed ripped em
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all up in this line or the fight we're
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gonna have to move yeah easy
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oh man is he huge Oh fat scar on him
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there big gouge there a couple more
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they're stopping and hit hook this point
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this thing is a tank this way - yeah not
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just this huh he's got it all Wow whoo
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heavy heavy heavy okay open track do all
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that stuff but they're so heavy
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oh man what a beast
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[Music]
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that is a plank buddy that I like right
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now we're just talking with that is we
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were gonna say we got to move up cuz
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there's a giant weed bed right here and
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then there's a little bit of an edge
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open water he just we're just talking
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about where we're looking where we're
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gonna move and then all of a sudden pop
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please put a pause on that thing and
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smash another little quarter ounce amber
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anchovies we got here sardines we got
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sardines in the water I mean this one
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here nice oh wow I think we'd better
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yeah better you want to see some Frank
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he beat her up now that's fluorocarbon
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and it lasted through that fish chopping
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and chewing on it and it was already
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chewed up a little bit before from
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smaller fish so you got to get rid of it
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put a new one on beauty fluorocarbon
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leaders is they don't see it as bad as
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these big thick black ones that they
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have like that's that's their that's why
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we use them so let's get a new one on
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there buddy
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today's hot spot is a huge shell of
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spawning Bay on last Mountain Lake in
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Saskatchewan the way pointing to screen
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legaia their big northern pike as well
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as some gorgeous walleye move into this
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Bay early in the year to spawn and more
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importantly feed try casting four to
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five in swim baits like we were using
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today as they were very effective in
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this area a steady medium speed retrieve
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worked best for us for hot spots like
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this one check out fishing Canada calm
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[Music]
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Oh a nice bite felt kind of wall on that
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I don't know either one it could have
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been either one I think he stripped me
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back a little bump was just a nice it
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was a kind of a double double or a
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triple bump definitely a bite though
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everyone Rupp nice here we go let's go
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back off the point you feels pretty
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solid I mean the wind could be doing a
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lot we're in a really strong win here
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folks so but you know what this feels
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like a good fish stand down
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yeah stand down nicely oh yeah that's a
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good fish watch that motor he's going
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right underneath the motor oh come on
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big guy
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passed good that's a good fish boys and
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girls oh yeah there yes oh yeah nice
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that's a nice that's what we're looking
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for baby very good
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that's a nice pike
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I can spend it if you want to go Africa
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now you think he's greeted so stoked
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green or do violence I'm pretty
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lethargic so yes yeah that's a big fish
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by weight over 40 that guy looks like
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he's hooked good yeah yes that's a great
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Saskatchewan Pike right there Wow
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oh I can feel this his heart beating
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underneath there you know as soon as you
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set the hawk you know BAM
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yeah stops you're cold wow that's
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awesome
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nice nice pike and there's bigger than
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that here too beautiful watch that Rob
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okay thanks buddy this is always a
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workout doing this time
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[Music]
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bye-bye
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all right why talk about releasable
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like that buddy thanks so much small
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fish man set right up on a point of
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weeds drop says okay this is between
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here and down in that little spot it's
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gonna be there's good there's big fish
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around and the good thing he said of
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what I like he said there's not too many
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small fish around that was the best
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that's not enough net like that I've
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never seen cats like that that was gone
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gotta figure quick this Western Canadian
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Pike adventure most definitely showed me
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the importance of choosing the correct
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bait trust me I tried the old reliables
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like spoons spinners jerk baits etc but
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the swim baits truly brought the magic
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to last Mountain Lake
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[Music]
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to get to today's great pike fishing I
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first flew from Toronto to Regina
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Saskatchewan from there I drove north on
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highway 11 two lumps ten next I turn
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north on highway 20 and followed the
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road through the scenic Qu'Appelle
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valley past Craven just before I reached
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boo yay
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I turned west on Highway 220 which took
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me to Rowan's ravine Provincial Park and
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gns marina openers on last Mountain Lake
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[Music]
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today's klp is p4 presentation D
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Saskatchewan pike were keyed in on our
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swim baits so much that nothing else
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came close and in my opinion it boiled
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down to two ingredients number one is
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the square boot tail which gives off
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tons of vibration when water clarity is
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a bit dingy or murky vibration becomes a
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key factor number two is the bait
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material composition these baits are
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ultra soft this means extra movement
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which creates more flash as well as you
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guessed it more vibration the downside
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to using hand poured soft plastic baits
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is they'll wear down quickly especially
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after being thrashed on by a big pike
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fishing canada show brought to you in
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[Music]
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