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Pete Bowman decides enough is enough; he needs to take fishing to the next step. Donning the scuba gear, he dives a shipwreck in the St Lawrence River and learns how fish relate to the structure. He then goes above the water to try and catch them.
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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, Peter Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years
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0:00
Come along to our cabin in the wild, cause we're in for some good fishing, feeling easy, feeling free, yes we're in for some good fishing Canada
0:12
Rockin' mountains to the maritimes, set your reel and cast your life, come on let's go fishing Canada
0:22
River Creek, Lake or Stream And everywhere in between
0:32
Come on, let's go Fishin' Canada The Fishin' Canada show is brought to you in part by MyOutdoorTV.com
0:42
Outdoor television on the internet Stearns, the life jacket experts The Rocket Fishing Rod
1:21
Today's show may be one of the most unique Fishing Canada episodes I've ever been on
1:32
You're going to see a fish finding technique that is guaranteed to tell you where the fish are
1:35
or where they're not. With the advent of side finding and HD technology
1:41
and modern day fish finders, as well as the great underwater cameras available, it's hard to believe there's something even better out there
1:47
Well, something a lot less convenient, much more time consuming, You spend extra money every time you do it, and you need a certificate to use it
1:55
All that said, today I'm done on the scuba gear and taking the plunge. My guest for this trip is Brian Pollack, Patty Master Scuba Dive Trainer and owner of DiveSource
2:06
a scuba retail store in Durham Region. Brian and I have been talking about doing the scuba fishing trip for a while now, and finally, it's come together
2:13
You want to take a look? Let's take a look at the stack. Let's go take a look at the wreck. I'll show you where we're diving today
2:18
If you're somebody who just wants to know about what's involved to learning to scuba dive, it's not that difficult
2:24
After you visit your local dive shop, you'll sign up for a course and you'll take a classroom session
2:29
where you'll learn some of the basics and then they'll take you into a pool where you'll learn how to use the equipment and dive safely
2:36
After the completion of your program, they will take you diving on what's called the open water
2:39
You do a series of four to five dives and you actually go under the water and explore and participate
2:45
practice some of the skills you learned in the basic class. At that point, they'll give you a card, you'll be certified for life, and you'll have your license
2:53
This is a skill you'll keep forever, and something you'll never regret. Our destination is a shipwreck in the St. Lawrence River called the Conestoga, near the town of Cardinal
3:02
Now, I don't know a whole bunch about shipwrecks, but what I do know, they attract fish
3:07
What, you like staying under the wreck? Now you want to stay under my boat? You're going to have structure, and fish relate to structure
3:13
You know, as a diver, I see it all the time. I'm down and we'll be doing a dive or something like that
3:17
And literally on this connie, for example, we'll be drifting along and we'll come off the stern or something
3:22
There's just a couple more beams there. But the fish are there opposed to out in the open
3:27
I don't know if it's just they like something to their back or what the case is. Right. The Conestoga is, I think it's 250, 260 feet long
3:36
It's a big, big ship in a day. So it goes how much past that boiler right there
3:41
It's probably another 20 feet past the boiler. and then the stern's rounded and there's a huge four-bladed prop on the back and then the big
3:50
rudder that was there is lying down beside it. Okay. And I know we always see bass and that type
3:55
of thing around there so it's always kind of interesting. And it goes up to, way up, probably
3:59
past this tree? Oh, it runs past this tree actually up to, if you see the vehicles up there, it's right
4:04
there. This is a popular, this is a popular spot for divers. Yeah, that's a bunch of Quebec people
4:09
there so obviously. And this is a weekday. Yeah. On the weekend, it's a little bit nuttier on the
4:14
weekend. But everybody's friendly and it's nice it's almost like hey where are
4:18
you from and it gets to be very social. That's one thing about divers. People buss them by each other. Yeah yeah. There's a pretty there's some hardcore guys
4:26
are really into it too but they do good work. I like SOS, I like POW which is
4:30
preserve our wrecks in Kingston and SOS is save our shipwrecks. They're really
4:34
nice, they're volunteer people and I can't say enough about you know if it wasn't for volunteers in the province of Ontario we wouldn't have this kind of
4:40
thing happening. These guys are avid divers who do all the work and get it all
4:43
fun. Cool. But the Connie is just the easiest, one of the easiest little shore
4:48
dives you could ever ask to do in the province of Ontario. That's nice. Yeah, it's close. With some of the most interesting stuff to see
4:53
And if you can, you can see in the water today it's like crystal clear. Oh man, it's beautiful. You know, people wonder about diving in Ontario and they think
4:59
cold northern lakes or whatever. This water today is 73 degrees. Right. And you can
5:04
see the clarity just keeps going on and on. So it's just, I dove in Florida and it's
5:09
been colder Yeah So well gear up buddy I look forward to getting in there Let get you back up I want to see some smallies Get you tuned up Yeah tune up first Tune up good Absolutely Since I already a certified diver all that would be needed was a bit of a refresher It been quite a few years since my last dive
5:29
There's three main components for whatever you want to call it with the scuba system
5:33
The first thing we have, we have a tank. 20 years ago I started scuba diving and I learned how to dive in Ontario
5:40
And we dove in the beautiful areas of Tobermory and saw the shipwrecks there and it just got me hooked
5:45
I've been in it 20 years, and I still enjoy going underwater. There's not a time when I'm underwater where I'm not comfortable
5:51
and just feeling at peace with the world. After Brian gave me the once-over on the scuba equipment, we headed for the water
5:58
He told me to take a quick dip with just a mask and snorkel to get a feel for things, and I swear, right there in front of me was a school of smallies
6:05
Probably waiting for me, eh? They like a lot. Soon, Brian and I were geared up and on our way for the second portion of my refresher course
6:12
It may seem like scuba diving is very complex, but in all actuality, it's just common sense
6:17
Yeah, being underwater can be intimidating, but once you're down there, it's a whole other world
6:22
Dive flags are as important for divers as they are for the people above the water in their boats
6:27
If you see a dive flag, stay back at least 100 feet with your boat or watercraft
6:32
It's very important to protect the divers who run to the water. Divers will typically stay with their flag
6:37
However, if you see bubbles or something away from the flag, that's a good indication there's a diver there
6:41
So please stay clear of them as well. So when you're ready to get into scuba diving, one of the first things a lot of people consider is
6:49
I need a mask and snorkel. And the best thing you need to do is go to a dive shop, because your local dive shop has the selection
6:55
and they'll also be able to fit you properly and have a wide variety of shapes and sizes
7:00
Scuba is about seeing stuff underwater. Snorkeling is about seeing stuff underwater
7:04
So you want a mask that fits you. With a quality mask, you're going to see a few different things
7:08
You're going to see tempered glass lenses. You're going to see a soft silicone skirt
7:13
We have a frame that's made out of Lexan or polycarbonate. We have tilting hinges
7:18
We have quick adjust buckles and straps. And we have a wide field of vision so we can see down very easily
7:25
This is what makes a very good mask today. Children today are a great, they love snorkeling
7:31
They get in the water and they're all there. And the fact that they can go and see stuff and almost swim around and touch it is very empowering to them
7:38
So again, if you deal with a local dive shop, they have kids' masks and things like that that are very comfortable and don't leak
7:45
Kids only understand if a mask is leaky, it's yucky, they don't like it
7:49
After that, if you get into diving more and you want to take the lessons, programs are available
7:54
They start literally every month at most shops around the world. They will have a program that could be running over a weekend, could run over a number of weeks
8:01
You'll start with the basics. It's much like learning to drive a car. You'll have what are the rules of the road, what are the controls you have to use
8:08
You'll have little bits and pieces that you have to understand how to assemble, but it's not that difficult
8:14
Anybody in decent health and likes the outdoors will love scuba diving. It's basically another place to go and explore
8:21
As you proceed into the sport, you might want to get involved in it and have your own equipment or have a perception that it's going to be very expensive
8:28
It isn't necessarily expensive. Scuba shops have a large selection of rental gear
8:33
and you can rent a head-to-toe kit to go diving for around $100 a weekend, which is very reasonable
8:38
As you get into it and you want to own your own equipment, there's a large price range
8:43
It can come from real basic stuff to something a little more exotic. And how you budget that is up to you
8:49
People will ask me, what is diving comparable to for cost? And I say, it's not very much far off golf or skiing and those types of activities
8:56
And in fact, there's no competitive nature maybe, so you don't have to buy the $500 driver to go out and beat your buddies
9:01
You just have to have something that works well and does the job. And you'll be out there enjoying yourself along with all your friends and discovering the underwater world
9:08
Finally, it was time to see if we could find some fish
9:16
Now, Brian's had mixed dives in the Conestoga, some with lots of fish and some with not so many
9:20
Obviously, I was hoping this ship would be stacked with smallies. The visibility was excellent
9:30
The current wasn't too strong. The ship was huge. And the fish, whoa
9:38
Although I like scuba diving, I've never been absolutely nuts about it, well, until this dive
9:55
My past underwater excursions have all been in salt water. Gorgeous scenery, colorful fish, but not really my world
10:01
Here in the St. Lawrence, though, with a creature that I've pursued all my life, now I'm in my world
10:08
All my worries about using my BC properly, emptying my mask of water, keeping an eye on
10:24
a dive computer were put at ease. Here I am swimming amongst hundreds of smallmouth bass like I was in a France
10:38
Well it certainly not up to Pete level as a professional fisherman I do love to go fishing And the one thing scuba diving is allowed to be in a sea is what structure really looks like as compared to a fish finder or so not
10:54
When I'm under the water and see the fish relating to the different structures, it gives me a whole new appreciation for them
11:00
I see them foraging in their natural habitat, going after minnows, going after crayfish, and it puts me in their mindset
11:06
That's the advantage of being a scuba diver, actually being a fisherman at the same time
11:10
20 years ago I started scuba diving and I learned how to dive in Ontario and go to the beautiful areas of Tobermory and saw the shipwrecks there and it just got me hooked
11:21
From there I went into my diving in the ocean and seeing some of the wonderful underwater creatures and discovering the diversity of our world that is below the water as well as above
11:31
Today I've been at it 20 years and I still enjoy going underwater
11:35
There's not a time when I'm underwater where I'm not comfortable and just feeling at peace with the world
11:40
We have a terrific underwater heritage in Ontario. We have a tremendous selection of shipwrecks
11:46
and not to mention a large variety of fish that maybe aren't quite as colorful as some of their Caribbean counterparts
11:52
but certainly as our entertaining. When shooting underwater footage, oftentimes the cameraman doesn't see or shoot what the divers see
12:00
Unfortunately, he missed two of the coolest things I've ever seen. First was a small mole with a Wally Diver crankbait hanging from its face
12:06
Now that fish, every time we got close to it, hid behind a wall or a beam
12:10
The second thing even cooler was a cormorant swimming underwater chasing five smallies
12:15
It actually corralled one of the smallies away from the school. Now fortunately, it didn't get it
12:21
Finally, it was time to go fishing, and I couldn't wait. The good thing was, I knew there were lots of fish in the area
12:26
The bad thing was, I didn't see any hogs. When we first arrived at the shipwreck, I decided to go upstream and work the deep side of the ship
12:35
That way, I could get a feel for the current, and I already knew there was fish there because of our dive
12:39
There it goes. Something's happening there. There. That's your shadow of the bow coming off
12:45
That's it there. That proves you, though, electronics, you can find some stuff, but you might not even know what that was with your electronics
12:51
You know what I mean? If you didn't know the stack wasn't sticking out, for one thing, you'd never really know. Most people would look at that and see a ship
12:56
Yeah. Not for that particular. Yeah. The most efficient way to fish this wreck
13:00
as with any other structure in a current situation, is with a bow-mounted trolling motor
13:04
You can either drop back, pull it in one spot, or actually creep forward
13:08
One of these methods will give you the ultimate presentation. Begging? Oh, jeez, beating himself to death against the boat
13:15
Whoa, bud, look at you. Oh, I lost mine. You felt good, too. Look at you
13:19
Oh, yeah, that's a good one. I had one, too. Another alternative you could choose is to anchor
13:25
By positioning your boat at the up-current end of the structure, you then have the opportunity to let out more rope
13:31
and drop back to different positions. That's a fat fish. Remember, though, shipwrecks
13:36
as well as a whole array of other artificial reefs are both valuable to the ecosystem and fragile
13:42
Don't drop your anchor directly under the structure. We were diving in Georgian Bay on a wreck up on Christian Island
13:51
Right. And this guy came up, and the worst part is it was a dive boat
13:57
Okay, this guy was supposedly a dive boat. And I had divers in the water with a flag
14:01
and one of my guys saw an anchor, a big freaking Danforth
14:06
come out over the wreck, past him, and claw into the wreck
14:12
Imagine getting hooked with a Danforth. Yeah, imagine that on your tank or something like that
14:19
I'm flicking my thigh. Yeah. Boy, they dig, man. They pull, they dig, and they yank these fish
14:29
Look at that. That is, boosh down, boosh down. Actually this is the better one
14:41
I think I got a bigger one, Briand. Looks nicer in the water right now anyways
14:47
Oh he's much bigger. Ooh let's nut that one. Yeah that's a better fish right now
14:50
Finally we got a bigger one. Yeah that's a healthy one. That's a fatty. Oh ho ho ho ho ho
14:55
That's goody. Yeah let's see. Even good ones on the rack. We saw a bunch of them down there
15:02
We just had a hard time catching them. We saw quite a few of them
15:06
Look at that. I lost my sinker again. These fish are thieves. That fish was way behind the boat
15:12
I was fishing that buoy, basically. Look at his thickness here. Look how deep he is. Solid fish that way
15:16
And look at that. Big old fatty. I mean, that fish is three and a half pounds at least
15:21
Maybe bigger. I don't know. St. Lawrence Seaway. You got lots of those
15:27
I know, because I saw them down there. with the ultimate fish finder
15:34
See you, dude. Take up, take up, take up. Oh, God, rocket
15:45
Look at how far I've drifted off the wreck though. Oh yeah, she's zipping. Brian and I are using drop shot rigs today
15:51
mainly because it gets our baits up off the hazardous bottom. If we were dragging tube jigs
15:55
the odds of line breakage and snagging go up significantly. Our lures of choice are Yamamoto shad shaped worms
16:02
and Berkeley Gulf gobies Of course other baits will work but these were dynamite for us Go jump Go jump I got a net right beside me and I not using it Fatty
16:14
Real fatty. Look at the gut. That's a gut. That is fatty
16:21
Well, they're here, Bri. Oh, we already knew that. We knew that. I'm not telling tales
16:28
You know, when somebody comes and says, you know, I know a good spot with a lot of fish in it
16:33
If he's a diver, you might want to believe him. The ultimate fish finders
16:40
One thing I really recommend is the use of new, strong line when fishing the Conestoga
16:44
You've got to remember, this is the St. Lawrence River, and it's full of zebra mussels, which can play havoc on fishing line
16:49
Fluorocarbon is your best choice because it's tough and the water's so clear. Whoa, buddy, that's a big fish, isn't it
16:57
Yeah, you've got a diver. That's a big fish. He's right under the boat
17:05
I'm going to move us out. It's a fish, right? Yeah. Yeah, it's moving quick
17:10
Okay, I'm going to get us out of the way here. Where's our net? Can we bring the net today
17:15
By any chance? She's going to slide. Yeah, that's a good fish, Pete
17:21
Oh, it's a pike. Is it? Or a muskie. I was going to say, I didn't think it would be a bass like that
17:26
Oh, boy, keep him away from the motor. It's a little gator, I think. Or a muskie, maybe
17:30
We'll see. Pike. That's a good one. I think he's hooked pretty good
17:38
He's right in the corner, so he's not going to bust our line. You can bring him towards the net. We'll get him in there
17:43
There you go, buddy. You deal with that fish. I'm not going to get slimed off
17:47
Why do I get to deal with it? You're the pro. I'm a pro, so I don't want to get slimed
17:51
I know better. Wow. Have you dealt with Pike before? Oh, yeah
17:57
Yeah. You grab behind the head if you want. I don't think I need to. I'm going to get this right in the net
18:04
I can do the easy release. Nice. Look at the scrap he gave you, eh
18:09
You do right off the bat, right off that hook set. His thumb was heavy. His thumb was heavy. Yeah. He liked that big minnow
18:14
Yeah, exactly. It took that like a charm. You're not even going to take a boat
18:19
I'd just like to reiterate here that this is an amazing place to take kids fishing and basically catch hard-fighting fish to your heart's content
18:25
By having the kids lower drop shot rigs directly below the boat, Along with the cooperation of the fish, dad and or mom could become heroes
18:32
Nice fish. Holy slime. Oh, yeah. There's slime on this fish. Sorry, sorry, sorry
18:39
Pretty bad, eh? Get that slimy thing out of my bow. All righty
18:45
The warmer water makes that slime up like that a little bit. Like, they're always slimy
18:49
Oh, there he goes. The Conestoga isn't the only fishing structure available in this part of the St. Lawrence
18:56
We took a cruise to cool off and tried taking a shot at something a little different to fish
19:02
Whoa! All right. No net for that one? Um, I guess. It's a light line
19:11
It's your little light fluorocarbon leaders. He's not really net worthy, but... No
19:16
Oh, that's decent fish. It's fat. These fish are so fat, these St. Lawrence fish
19:20
They've got to be just eating up gobies like crazy, you know? Anything
19:24
Lots of stuff around to eat. Yeah. I was getting bites and bites and bites, and I couldn't hook in
19:29
Look at the way I hooked them. Oh, I'm good, eh? I don't know how either, obviously. Okay, I'm going back to drop shotting now
19:35
Oh, yeah, this is too deep to do anything but. Fat, man, look at them
19:40
They're short and they're fat. Look at the gun on that fish
19:44
That thing's heavy for the length of them. Fish in Canada Hotspots
19:51
The ultimate fishing guide presents Get in there. Today's hotspot is the Conestoga Rec in the St. Lawrence River
20:00
The waypoint on your screen will take you there. Fortunately, for those of you without a GPS, you're in luck
20:05
The stack is easy to see as it protrudes well out of the water. Drop shotting is the ultimate method of catching these smallies
20:11
And you might even get lucky with a bonus pike, walleye, or muskie. To get to the Conestoga on the St. Lawrence River
20:18
I traveled east on Highway 401 to exit 730 County Road 22
20:23
Conurray went south into the town of Cardinal. Go straight through the Highway 2 intersection to Dundas Street and then turn right onto Legion Way
20:30
Follow Legion Way to the T in the road and then turn left to the boat launch. Visit FishinCanada.com for more details
20:40
Fishin' Canada was brought to you in part by Coleman, the outdoor company
20:47
Muscal, serious bug protection. Prince Craft Boats. The more you know, the better we look
20:56
And Mercury, number one on the water. Closed captioning provided by Ontario Tourism
21:05
Go fish in Ontario.com. For more Fish in Canada, visit fishincanada.com
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