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Using Your Traditional Fish Finder For Bottom Dwelling Walleye | Fish'n Canada
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Apr 15, 2025
This episode takes Pete Bowman into the Algoma region of Ontario to Nagagami Lake, famed for its outstanding Walleye structure. Pete puts his electronics to work here as he ends up literally cherry picking Walleye that he sees on his sonar unit. 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 #Fishing
View Video Transcript
0:01
[Music]
0:12
that's right there I love it
0:15
wow that's a nice wallet okay a little
0:19
better
0:22
nice yeah and a lot he's inedible
0:27
right there this is the best fishing
0:34
I'll probably have all year the fish in
0:38
Canada show brought to you in part by
0:40
Ram trucks
0:42
nothing works harder than a ramp Stern's
0:45
trusted on the water since 1952 mercury
0:49
imports number one on the water and
0:52
outdoor Canada Canada's only national
0:55
fishing and hunting magazine the next
1:01
two shows are going to be a great
1:02
interest to all of you who fished for
1:04
more than one day at a time it's about
1:06
having one day when you can do no wrong
1:08
I love that and the very next day when
1:11
you're wondering what the heck happened
1:13
there about structure and pressure and
1:17
how modern-day sonar can make a good day
1:19
on a water spectacular and turn a
1:22
seemingly skunky day into a day you can
1:24
brag about to your buddies so why did we
1:28
choose Nogami Lake according to our
1:30
sources this is one of the best
1:32
structure lakes in the province it's
1:36
located 29 kilometres northwest of horn
1:38
Payne Ontario in the Algoma district
1:40
home to beautiful timber wolf lodge our
1:42
home base for the next five days
1:46
[Music]
1:52
for as long as we've been in both
1:54
weather fishing or exploring Mariners
1:56
have been desperate to know what was
1:58
below them
1:58
how many times did they have to run
2:00
aground to figure that one out first it
2:04
was line sounding lines with a lead
2:05
weight at the end running along the
2:07
bottom and markers every six feet or so
2:09
allowing them to read how deep or
2:11
shallow they were then as science
2:14
progressed it was echo sounding or sonar
2:16
a device that he mitad sound waves to
2:18
the bottom and recorded the time it took
2:20
to bounce back higher and lower areas
2:23
appeared wavy in the graph this gave us
2:25
hydrographic or contour maps that a lot
2:27
of us still use today these days sooner
2:31
have become a very sophisticated complex
2:33
computer-based science that can map the
2:35
floor of a body of water with precision
2:36
and acuity you'll think you're looking
2:39
at a three-dimensional photograph gone
2:41
are the days of the local old-timer is
2:43
telling you where the hot spots were you
2:52
see a fish on your screen and you catch
2:54
and that that is too funny doesn't feel
2:58
very big but that's so cool
3:02
you played the structure on your map you
3:05
see the fish are your fish fighter and
3:08
you drop it out in front of us no
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technology is so excellent you know what
3:16
and people think you know wow that's
3:17
unfair that's not fair to the fish but
3:19
you know what you can't you still have
3:20
to make that fish bite right you still
3:22
have to get him to eat ok that's the
3:24
part of the game that's the toughest
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part we're just giving the odds there's
3:28
an angler we're getting the odds in our
3:29
favor easy girl
3:31
a little better by using your
3:33
electronics to try and get to try and
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get closer to the fish and get closer to
3:37
the area's put yourself on the fish and
3:39
then you got to figure modes so that's
3:41
just a little day to start the day off
3:43
but I'll tell you what it's fun because
3:45
structure fishing is so important
3:47
especially for a walleye like that right
3:49
there that a lot bigger now I'm using my
3:52
chart I'm using my fish finder boom I
3:54
catch that fish
3:56
so what is structure and why is that so
3:59
important we find it most fishermen have
4:01
a pretty good idea of what it is but as
4:03
a refresher structure is any changing
4:06
contour of the bottom of a body of water
4:07
that causes change in depth points
4:10
vertical Bluff walls humps submerged
4:13
islands ledges and Creek channels are a
4:15
few examples they all have the same
4:17
common denominator an edge a change in
4:20
depth find an edge and you'll likely
4:22
find a fish and that's the reason why we
4:25
try so hard to find it
4:31
[Music]
4:38
we're on nagamimi lake in Ontario
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targeting a particular drop-off for a
4:42
particular fish hike tech companies like
4:44
Garmin have developed sonar systems that
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can see and map not only down but up to
4:48
the sides up to 750 feet now not only
4:52
can you see structure but you can see
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fish so clearly that you can even
4:56
sometimes identify them I got a lot of
4:59
line on this guy so it'll take a bit of
5:02
time but what I did is I ran the ridge
5:05
I run the edge of this structure now
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normally when you're running your
5:09
electronics a lot of times when the fish
5:10
are scattered like this you can
5:13
literally cherry-pick your fish drop
5:15
down on you see one on the screen you
5:17
drop down to them but on this time I
5:18
thought you know what there was enough
5:19
marks on the Rings that I thought it
5:21
might as well try a drift oh there goes
5:24
my minnow
5:25
okay yeah he's a little better a little
5:28
better of a water and and again that
5:32
fish is a hundred percent no 99 percent
5:35
electronic Scott and a jig got the rest
5:37
of that 1% didn't bump it at all didn't
5:42
pop it or that typical tap on the wall I
5:45
better know the guy gave me was gouged
5:47
out of the earth by the Laurentide
5:48
glacier about ten thousand years ago it
5:51
has huge inflows and a massive outflow
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so the lake is well circulated and well
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oxygenated and therefore full of
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nutrients Nogami is also full of fish
6:00
predominantly walleye but Pike perch and
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whitefish abound
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so what I'm doing now I found this break
6:12
that these fish are on or some fish are
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on
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so I'll drift it downwind keeping my
6:18
electronics going out now I'm not so
6:20
worried about we're good with the GPS
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now I can kind of run a contour look at
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my GPS every now and then I got a split
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screen going on it so I'll drift down
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and then I'll work back up so I can try
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and catch them both ways now so if I go
6:32
I got one that way and I've got a couple
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that way that's cool I like that now I
6:35
can just stay in that Ridge get the fish
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stay this size I know most lakes got a
6:38
lot bigger I'll try and get some bigger
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fish I'll move on but I got this thing
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my weight planet now in the GPS I can
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come back tomorrow the next day and you
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never know it could turn into four or
6:47
five hours we're on the Gami lake in the
6:50
Algoma district of ontario our host Gary
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Wallace a timber wolf suggested that I
6:54
go around the Twin Islands just north of
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the lodge a place he knew to be a
6:58
popular spot the weather was perfect a
7:00
bright day few clouds with a little chop
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on the water the fish were all over the
7:05
place and relatively shallow at around
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12 feet but concentrated around and
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along ridges by splitting the view I
7:12
could see where the boat was relative to
7:13
the ridge on the GPS screen and where
7:16
the fish were relative to the boat on
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the fishfinder screen by marking the
7:20
arches with waypoints I could maneuver
7:21
back to the exact spots along the brake
7:24
line whenever I wanted Wow as a nice
7:28
walleye right there that's a good
7:32
walleye easy easier that is it right
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there folks
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you know I said 23 24 inch walleye right
7:46
there and that's what you come up here
7:48
for and this Lake apparently in the
7:50
gaagaa me lake is loaded with these when
7:52
you get out of them it's just loaded I
7:54
think I got a feeling this spot I'm just
7:56
dropping it down in this hit and drop
7:57
them down as hit so this could be good
8:03
completely batten pretty much a thousand
8:06
if that species of fish right there I'm
8:12
in the Algoma district of Ontario
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fishing Nogami Lake a body of water
8:15
known for its outstanding structure
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features which is perfect for walleye
8:19
fishing they are stacked on here I'm
8:30
sitting in twelve in a bit so I casting
8:33
in probably you know 50 to 60 sort of a
8:41
fella nice-looking fish but these
8:47
there's times do you know what they just
8:49
don't want they don't want artificials
8:51
my next move will be to downsize an
8:54
artificial and see if I can do something
8:57
with that the one I'm throwing is
8:59
obviously too big or maybe don't want to
9:02
wait be there's all kinds of factors in
9:05
there the one thing it can be assured of
9:08
is if you put a minnow on in the cold
9:12
water
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worm on the warm water and leech on
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somewhere in between you're gonna be
9:20
batten pretty much a thousand with that
9:23
species of fish right there
9:24
oh there you go buddy little
9:28
rambunctious I took two or three casts
9:30
they artificial nothing one cast with
9:32
the live bingo
9:36
this place is stacked I think I said big
9:41
walleye here folks they thought I saw a
9:43
big old six or seven pounder but but I
9:46
will take this fish those things bite
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yeah that's so awesome when you get on
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these dudes and they're thick as thieves
9:55
like this it is so much fun look at that
10:02
you can you see this in the water one
10:05
two three four five six seven minnows
10:08
now they could be minnows from the lake
10:11
or they could be metals from other
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anglers - right so you have to uh these
10:16
guys can steal your minnow pretty good
10:18
there middle of thieves but this guy
10:21
didn't get mine I'm happy about that
10:25
my dad man oh there's my nice little
10:29
walleye good-looking fish fight good I
10:33
actually thought he was a lot bigger
10:35
than that but I'll take him I think I
10:38
take it I'll take every cast are you
10:40
kidding me see you my friend
10:52
[Music]
10:54
today's hot spot is a medium-sized comp
10:56
rising from the depths of Megami lake in
10:58
northern ontario the weight worn on your
11:00
screen will get you there this is a
11:02
classic structure that will get even
11:03
better than my outstanding day as the
11:05
season progresses with water in the
11:07
fifty to sixty degree area you can try
11:09
soft plastics on your date but always
11:11
have a bucket of minnows on hand just in
11:13
case this structure tops out at around
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eight to ten feet then drops off
11:17
gradually to over 20 and finally
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plummets to 50-plus feet make sure you
11:21
check all depths with your electronics
11:23
for more hot spots like this one check
11:25
out fishing Canada calm
11:29
[Music]
11:32
on this trip I discovered a great little
11:35
trick on my garment for walleye fishing
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once I located my fishing area I turned
11:40
my unit on the split frequency screen
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the 200 kilohertz on the left side shows
11:45
bottom features with fantastic detail
11:47
but not so great on the fish while the
11:49
77 kill hurts on the right side defines
11:51
actual fish with perfect clarity but
11:54
only the basics on structure if you're
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fishing for walleye close to the bottom
11:58
it's a must to check out the split
12:00
frequency screen it is so predictable
12:02
when you get on to it and you get under
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using your electronics I'm sitting there
12:12
and I know the area I'm gonna tell them
12:14
pretty good now I got to use my
12:15
electrons you can see I'm in 15 feet I
12:17
need to come in to about 12 and that's
12:21
what happens I do the boat gorgeous save
12:32
my men'll that's rare no that man it's
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just you're on fire out here either that
12:41
or this fishing is just insanely good
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all the time here see you buddy
12:55
this feels like a wallet and it feels
12:58
good yeah my drag said really loose they
13:07
can feel it line breaking long teeth
13:12
yeah that is pure Telugu Malalai right
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there
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and I'm talking about this fish sitting
13:25
amongst 50 to 200 walleye probably
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Misbah
13:32
I love you honey I'm gonna put you back
13:35
oh look at that evening light the best
13:41
time in the night for a walleye or damn
13:42
time of the day for walleye fishing Wow
13:46
[Music]
13:52
the rods are so sensitive now you don't
13:55
even know if the fish are not I could be
13:56
a little trick of wheedling I'm just
14:03
coming up
14:09
oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah just coming up
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it's a perfect drift going on the
14:18
structure I'm coming right up in that
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now I'm in 13 feet of water about 14 or
14:24
15 that fish pumped me this feels like a
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great walleye
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oh yeah he's a little bigger
14:30
good-looking fish not huge but look
14:33
really good-looking fish oh yeah look at
14:45
that beast oh yeah
14:48
fish in the day Wow Wow again just
14:57
barely touched that jigging minnow look
15:00
at that
15:00
that is a structure walleye using my
15:05
electronics dial everything in and then
15:10
just sitting it I find the spot with the
15:13
GPS okay use the split screen GPS fish
15:17
finder now that I know where I am I
15:19
gonna go back and forth I've really got
15:20
it dialed and I've got it dialed into a
15:21
50 foot circle you know basically that
15:24
so I can take the GPS off now I can just
15:27
use the fish finder run my drifts and
15:28
say here I come up from 15 to 12 looking
15:31
for fish on the screen if you see them
15:33
and our bait and that's the results
15:35
right there and it makes it fun using
15:39
your electronics and your fish and
15:40
structure like this makes it fun the
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catch goes like that what a great day
15:46
but the reason wasn't all about the
15:48
electronics food mother nature and her
15:51
barometer had a lot to do with it too
15:53
I didn't realize at the time but I was
15:56
fishing on the cusp of a falling
15:57
barometer a prefrontal lobe when all the
16:00
creatures in the food chain are active
16:02
and realized at the next morning when
16:04
using my waypoints on the Garmin as a
16:06
guide he found himself believe it or not
16:08
in empty water but he'll tell you that
16:11
story next week in part two of our
16:13
Nogami experience
16:21
to get the today's awesome walleye
16:23
fishing we first took highway 400 north
16:25
to highway 69 we then took highway 17 to
16:28
White River we turn right on a6 31 which
16:31
took us to the Ford Air Base near Horne
16:33
faint Ontario from there it was a short
16:36
flight that timber wolf lodge
16:39
[Music]
16:47
Tamizh Kop is KFOR knowledge knowledge
16:50
of your electronics I'm on a structure
16:52
leg here for walleye this is a beautiful
16:53
Lake they've got to use my chart to find
16:55
the structures then I got to use my fish
16:57
finder to find either transitions
16:59
bowlers drops or even fish it's crucial
17:02
that you know how to read these things
17:03
for all those little things a transition
17:05
looks a little different than a
17:06
renewable bottom a fish on the bottom
17:08
looks a little different than a fish up
17:10
high you have to know how to use all
17:11
that stuff take these things in your
17:13
garage in your driveway play with it on
17:14
the you know off the water learn the
17:17
stuff inside and outside and I guarantee
17:19
you you will become a better angler fish
17:22
in Canada show brought to you in part by
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sale the Canadian outdoor superstore
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17:34
life's a road trip come on let's go and
17:37
brings craft bowls dominate the water
17:41
[Music]
17:47
[Music]
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