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Trolling for French River Muskie | Fish'n Canada
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Apr 15, 2025
Angelo Viola's grandson Nik returns to the French River for another semester at Pat's Muskie Academy with expert guide and known Muskie fanatic, Pat Tryon. Now it's 202, a year later... the boys are going to be trolling for French River Muskie, will they succeed? Watch the previous episode: https://youtu.be/LQmhhtdarkU ► Subscribe http://bit.ly/youtube-fishncanada 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/fishncanada... ► 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, Peter Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years
View Video Transcript
0:00
Music
0:06
You ready? You ready? The second academy is about location. Where are muskies right now
0:13
It's only a matter of time. We're seeing fish, finding them better than we ever have before
0:18
There's a fish right there. Oh, that's a great mark. Really good mark
0:24
That looks like a good fish. 48 inches. What I want you to do is try to stay calm
0:29
Nice job, bud. Nice job. The Fish in Canada Show, brought to you in Part 5
0:40
Ram trucks, built to serve. Princecraft boats, dominate the waters. Garmin Panoptix, all-seeing sonar
0:52
Mercury outboards, go boldly. And Outdoor Canada, Canada's only national fishing and hunting magazine
1:06
Previously on Fishing Canada. You are right now, you are fishing for the most difficult freshwater fish in North America
1:13
Seriously? That's right. It's been a year since my first experience with Pat's Muskie Academy
1:18
Now it's time for my second semester. To realize the history of the Fishing Canada show and how much has been accomplished on the show
1:24
So to be a part of that and to have experienced it, that's an incredible, incredible feat and a tremendous honor
1:31
God. Really good job. It's very polarizing. There are a few who I've had in the boat who've said, I watched that first episode
1:40
You need to be more patient. Reel. What are you doing? Reel. Nick, never stop reeling
1:45
That poor Nick is out there trying his hardest and you're pushing him too hard
1:50
This is getting ridiculous. you know they don't see the full experience this is major league
1:56
i can't believe it some have have just loved that first episode and they watch it over and
2:03
over and over again you gotta watch bottom line when you're told it's round two on the fish in
2:09
canada show you're getting back out there with nick we're gonna follow up last year's the
2:14
excitement is overwhelming i was really excited to you know hopefully do a part two you know that
2:20
That was really fun. We put a lot of work into it. I learned how to do L turns and figure eights and where to go and what to do
2:27
Eventually getting it, like the last day. It was right there. Get the net! Get the net! Get the net
2:39
Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my god! It was insane. I'm not sure that I could match that experience, but I mean, anytime with Pat, that's really awesome
2:53
Right? So anytime with him is really great. In the beginning, Nick was almost like that little brother that, you know, your parents say you have to go play with him
3:03
You're the older brother, be mature, invite him to go play with your friends and be nice to him
3:09
You know, and you're almost thinking, oh gosh, I've got to deal with this, you know, 14-year-old
3:14
and she's never been fishing before and it's like a chore. She was right on the nose, right at the back of her
3:20
You didn't see it? No. Now flash forward to the second academy
3:26
Nick and I are together on the boat and it feels like an old friend that I hadn't seen for a time
3:30
and I'm excited to see him. Version two. Are you ready for this? Let's get this done
3:36
And we're doing something different, right? We're trolling. So I don't know if it's going to be more work
3:41
or less work or how that's going to work. But I'm excited to do it
3:46
We're going to be moving in one solid direction. We'll be turning around, kind of getting on and off the structure
3:52
We're going to start in the weeds. We're looking for fish holding on the edge of the weeds. It's a beautiful day
3:56
Temperature's high. Those fish love the shade of the weeds. So we're going to be trying to hit the cabbage
4:01
And the greatest thing is we'll see on the side view with that Garmin, we'll actually see the weed clumps
4:06
So we'll be able to better line up how we can turn around and get at them
4:10
Let's pick our baits. All right. Let's get the rods rigged up. We'll kind of get them in the water and then we'll go over step by step what we do
4:16
All right. It's fun. Let's do it. All right. I think I'm going to have to go with the green and purple
4:23
Going right for the purple and short truths. Hey, man, after my own heart. That is the most perfectly built spinnerbait on the planet for what we're about to go do in the weeds
4:31
Why? It just, see how the head has got a low-profile bead there
4:35
The weight's actually tucked in behind. See that? So normally if you've got a big head on there molded on you'll actually collect the weeds on the on the head of the bait
4:44
This one cuts right through those weeds Okay, so Nick check this out. This is a trolling rod. It's fiberglass rod instead of a graphite casting rod, right
4:56
You'll notice that there's a counter on here. Yeah, that's how many feet there are out behind the boat
5:01
So we're gonna set this first one now. That's a pretty big That's a pretty big bait. See how big that is? We're only going to put that 11 feet behind the boat
5:09
Okay? When we're carving through these weeds, you want it short-lined. So this one we set out a little bit further We put her at 25 feet behind the boat Okay When a fish bites this is locked in That not going anywhere okay So when you want to get this out of the holder
5:28
because remember, I'm going to leave the boat in gear. What I want you to do is, that fish is going to be on, try to stay calm
5:34
Because the calmer we are, the more likely we are to land that fish. We've seen in the past, they jump and they get off, right
5:40
They do. No! Oh! Bud. So let's say there's a fish on right now, right
5:49
It'll make that sound. Yeah. Fish, fish, fish. Pull it up, slide it out
5:54
There you go. You can tuck it right under your arm. Like this and then..
5:58
Then start reeling. Now if you point back here like this... That's not..
6:03
The fish will get slack line, right? You have no bend. Watch, just turning the rod out here
6:07
Look at the bend in that rod. These are all custom rods designed to maintain that bend
6:11
while you're trolling. Just remember, stay calm and keep that line tight
6:16
Ready? You ready? You ready? Something simple as that equals more fish in the boat
6:25
Wow. You'll see the muskie will say, Pat, there's a muskie right there
6:33
So the first academy was really about laying the groundwork and the foundation to being a successful muskie fisherman
6:40
from the ground up. It's learning how to cast. How do you figure eight
6:43
How do you retrieve? How do you fight a fish? Good figure eight. faster. See it? That's a giant. The second academy is about location. Really fine-tuning where are
6:53
muskies right now. Where are they right now, and how do we get our bait in front of them to get
6:57
them to bite? Now look at these weeds here. Look at the weeds right over the side of the boat
7:04
And you can see them. Look at them on the side view. Oh my gosh. I mean, if there's a muskie
7:07
sitting in there, we're going to see it. Look at that. The detail in the view is phenomenal
7:12
That's really nice. Kind of takes the guesswork right out of it. The more you can leverage technology, the better your success is going to be
7:20
because it helps refine locations of fish, what they're doing. I find myself, I'll be trolling and you're doing it for hours and hours and hours and hours on end
7:30
I cannot take my eyes off that side view. You have a lot of time where you're just looking at the electronics
7:36
You're driving around and you're locked in looking at the electronics and making sure the baits are running properly and all that
7:41
I mean, you're seeing 80 feet right, 80 feet left. And we've got our traditional sonar, so if we go right over a fish, we see it
7:50
But what you learn about your body of water on the side view, it takes 10 years of fishing to make up that amount of time
7:58
And you've seen in just a short amount of time when we're looking at those weeds. Yeah, you can see every individual strand, which way they're bent
8:05
Exactly. It's crazy. And that bend is key. You know why? Because that's the current
8:10
So when you see on the side view that weeds bent over this way, you know that the best way to approach it is by going up and coming down
8:17
because you want your spinner bait going down the direction the way the weeds are blowing
8:22
That way it's far less likely to get snagged. And not only that, but if you assume that there's a current pushing those weeds over
8:31
the muskies are almost always going to sit into the current, right? They're an ambush predator
8:35
So you want to be coming at the muskies where they see the bait coming at them
8:39
And you're going to see just by those small details of noticing which way the weeds are bent over
8:46
something simple as that equals more fish in the boat. Wow. It's phenomenal
8:50
And wait until you see a muskie. I mean, you'll actually, you'll see the muskie
8:54
It'll look, you'll say, pat, there's a muskie right there. And all of a sudden, we're seeing these fish, so we know they're there
9:01
Oh, that's a great mark. Really good mark. That looks like a good fish, 48-incher
9:07
That's what I was thinking. We found the fish, now how do we catch them? So that's where you start experimenting with speed or baits or other triggers
9:14
but we know they're there. That's the biggest difference in technology, is that we're seeing fish and finding them better than we ever have before
9:22
There's a fish right there. So there's the white mark and then that black return
9:26
So that tells me that the head is facing to our right. So we're going to circle back around
9:31
and then we're going to come back at that fish, hopefully face on. This is where that side view technology is irreplaceable
9:37
It was so far out of our sonar cone, we'd have never seen that fish
9:41
Now we're going to get our bait right in front of it and have an awesome shot at that fish eating
9:45
The only thing you can do is continually change your presentation until you find that magic blend that gets the fish to bite
9:52
We do see the fish. We do know they're there. It's only a matter of time
9:58
I know. We're going to get one. At all times, this rod can start screaming
10:07
The reel can start screaming. That rod can load up and you can catch a 50-pounder
10:11
I mean, it can happen anytime. And that's the cool thing about trolling to me is it's
10:15
it's this endless pursuit of hope, I suppose. It's only a matter of time
10:20
I know. We're, we're, we're, we're going to get one. I'm so excited
10:25
One of the downfalls of the new technology is we do see the fish
10:29
fish. We do know they're there and we're not catching them. It hits your ego a little bit
10:37
because now all of a sudden you realize I not doing it right The fish are there but they saying Pat we don like what you giving us 100 attention this time
10:52
Focused, honed in, I won't even blink. That's what I'm bringing. You're my buddy
11:05
You're my buddy, you know that? Yeah! Sometime in that window that rod's gonna start
11:13
Dump it and that reel's gonna scream. It's just a matter of way
11:21
It's incredible. It's a skill I've never seen before in my life. To be able to instantly fall asleep
11:28
I did not fall asleep ever. Wrong. Not true. No, wrong. Incorrect
11:35
No. Nick! Scared me
11:45
I wasn't asleep. I don't believe you. You can play it back. I wasn't asleep
11:49
I was so... Are we playing it back again? Yes. Is this round two
11:52
I was so in tune. No, bring her back. When it comes to musky fishing
12:04
I think the draw over a lifetime has to do specifically with the fact
12:09
that they are difficult to catch. You do not catch them every day
12:13
Would it be a muskie shoot getting the muskie on the first day? Like, let's be serious here
12:18
What fun would a muskie shoot be if we just got one right away
12:23
After day one, I'm not worried at all. I have 100% confidence in that
12:29
So in the beginning of the shoot, when we first get out there, it was so hot that you would sit in the chair and you would just sweat
12:36
we get this massive weather change. The wind comes out of the northeast
12:42
It's a typical cold front. Most anglers would have liked nothing about this
12:47
I was excited because at least it gave us a different set of circumstances to try to go out and then tackle them in that scenario
12:54
And maybe that would find success. So today we're going to pull out the big lips
12:58
We're going to get down a little deeper. So that's what they all are, right? Well, we've marked a lot down deep
13:03
But typically, a cold front is going to do one of two things. It's going to push them really tight to structure, like buried in the weeds, or they'll go deep
13:12
And I notice that the ones that go deep are susceptible as long as you can put a good bait right in front of them
13:17
And the bait has to have a lot of action at slow speed. You can still trigger those fish to bite
13:21
Sounds good. There's no turning back now. But with a new scenario and a new strategy, I'm even more confident than before
13:30
Nothing is going to go wrong today. Oh, shoot, my hat! Pat, we gotta go back
13:38
My car was racing, mate. To get Nick to Pat's Muskie Academy at Show Deer Lodge
13:54
we first took Highway 400 north from Toronto. We then took Highway 69 north to Highway 64
14:00
We headed east on 64 to Doakies Reserve Road. We finally arrived at the Doakies Marina
14:07
Show Deer Lodge is our home away from home with its amazing comforts
14:11
and its access to some of the best fishing in the province. Whether you're after largemouth, smallmouth
14:16
walleye, pike, or musky like Nick and Pat were stocking, Show Deer Lodge on the upper French River
14:21
is a great choice. Know what? I knew we were going to get a fish
14:28
I had that gut feeling that it's going to happen right now, right now, right now
14:34
And boom, it happened. I have never seen someone move quicker in my life than Nick firing back over to that rod
14:40
He snapped up so quick. Fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish
14:46
My heart was racing like. When that rod folded over and that line started going, all of the emotion just comes out all
14:56
once and you you know we've got this shot to get this done keep going there you go go ahead go ahead
15:03
just fight fight fight real real real i had that feeling that if i didn't bring this fish in that
15:09
was it this was like the one chance to bring it in no you will not keep her down keep her down
15:16
you got her you got her fishing is about that one moment where the excitement
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supersedes everything else. Keep reeling. Hard, hard, hard. Hard, hard, hard. Just reel
15:31
Keep reeling. Everything else that you've done doesn't matter. All of the theory, the do's, the don'ts, none of it matters
15:40
The only thing is that minute right there. Okay, now lift up
15:44
Lift up. Stop. Yes! Whoa! Nice job bud
15:54
Nice job. We got it in the net and it was like coming home
16:00
from a month long trip and falling into your bed Finally Hold her right here for me Hold this handle We got to get her head under water
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Hold that handle. The fish is in the net, the adrenaline's running high
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It's shaking. That's all right, bud. Nice work. Nice work. That level of excitement and adrenaline never goes away
16:27
Remember when we were talking about cold fronts? Yeah. about baits that always do better than others. Yeah
16:34
The 13 inch believer comes again and saves the day. It really does. Eh
16:40
Woo hoo. You just can't beat it. You just can't. That's the one he said was magic though
16:44
I remember vividly last night he said, okay, I'm bringing out the magic bait
16:51
There's no such thing in fishing as magic baits, except for that one
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Well, if that's not magic, I don't know what is. Well, that's magic
16:59
My heart pat. What about it? Oh my, it's like thumping. Hey, you know what
17:05
That never goes away. Every fish you catch, every muskie, your heart is going to pound like that for the rest of your life
17:12
What I'm going to do is I want to show you how to hold it. All right. Okay? So the muskies, they have their teeth, right
17:18
And then they've got gills, and on their gills they have what's called rakers, and those will cut up your knuckles, but not going to really hurt you
17:26
So what I want to do is I want you to avoid getting cut altogether, I'm gonna show you you basically slide your hand if you look right over the side here
17:35
What we'll do is we're gonna hold her with our left hand You're gonna put your hand right under her gill flap, okay, and you're gonna bring your fingers right into this crease
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Okay, just like that. Yeah, and then you'll you'll pick her up just like that. Okay, nice job
17:49
Nice job. That's my third musky I've ever caught my life. Yeah, congratulations
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There's your first trolling musky is it not my very first trolling musky. Yeah, good job
17:57
A lot of hard work, a lot of hours, and we had to constantly adjust our application
18:02
We did. To the conditions we were given. We went through so many different lures and tactics and spots and we did it
18:10
We did it. Alright. It's okay, you got her. Take her right over to the side
18:14
Let's let her go. Now put her tail first down in the water. Of course, there you go. Nice and gentle
18:18
Yep, that's it. Until what? She tries to like kick off? Yeah, she'll tell you when she's ready
18:23
She'll kick away from you. Alright. Off to fight another day. We'll see you next year, same time, same place. Hey
18:32
You know, I remember, I think I'm giving him a hug or I'm patting him on the back and you feel that bond is so much tighter
18:40
There's something about us. We have some awfully good luck, man. It is a little brother, but he's not the pesky, you know, annoying little brother who's bratting your parents make him
18:53
and he's now the brother that you want to spend time with. He's the guy who you say, that's my friend
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He's not just my brother, he's my friend. This time around, it was more of like a friendship type of bond
19:04
When she came up and jumped. Yeah, that was pretty awesome. My heart stopped
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It literally stopped beating for about three seconds. Man, good job. You go out maybe in three days, four days, five days
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and you might get one or two. So it's a lot of waiting with a big shot of adrenaline
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and we're just chasing that, we're chasing that adrenaline. Today's hot spot is one of Show Deer Lodge's many areas they fish on an annual basis
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Trolling between the two waypoints on your screen will put you in good shape to encounter a muskie
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Pat Tryon is a trolling fanatic he knows every dip, nook and cranny along this entire pass
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while that definitely helped Nick boat his first trolling muskie you don't need to be a pro here
20:00
put your time in on these hot spots keep your lures wet
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and eventually you'll boat a fish try trolling big spinnerbaits and crankbaits through this muskie playground
20:10
for more hot spots like this one check out fishingcanada.com The Fish in Canada Show, brought to you in Part 5
20:25
Ram trucks, built to serve. Princecraft boats, dominate the waters. Garmin Panoptix, all-seeing sonar
20:37
Mercury outboards, go boldly. And Outdoor Canada, Canada's only national fishing and hunting magazine
20:45
Closed captioning for this episode was brought to you by FishingCanada.com, the gateway to your next fishing adventure
20:54
Come alone to our cabin in the wild Cause we're in for some good fishing in Canada
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