51.5” musky. ‘‘Twas my lucky day catching this dinosaur!

Lake St. Clair is considered one of the best bass fisheries in North America. Sometimes referred to as a bass factory, in 2013 Bass Masters magazine rated it the best bass lake that year. So it’s no surprise this lake draws in bass anglers from around the world. This year on July 6 and 7, Mitchell’s Bay will host the fourth annual Canadian Tire Mitchell’s Bay Open. This is a live release event, licensed by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Conservation is a central theme for this event, with proceeds going towards habitat restoration and tourism enhancements. Organizers, Tom and Carol Beaton, want to use the event to promote Lake St Clair as a premium angling destination to the public and angling enthusiasts. Working in partnership with Jump Start, the tournament hosts a children’s event that promotes the sport of angling and environmental education. Children from various agencies, such as Foster Children, Children Services and schools throughout the community of Chatham-Kent have been treated to a very special day on the Bay. For the past two years, three charter boats were used to provide an authentic fishing experience for these children. Last year the day started with the children being presented with a new rod, reel and tackle box complete with tackle. This was followed by a fishing experience out on the waters of Lake St. Clair overseen by boat captains, angler coaches, and environmental guides. After being treated to a BBQ they headed out on a nature interpretive trail walk with a visit to a wetland restoration project. At the end of the day the children were brought up on to the stage and congratulated for all their efforts, witnessed the weigh in, and enjoyed a tour of the live release boat and the opportunity to touch the live bass before they were released back into their natural habitat. To experience the excitement of tournament angling, the public is invited to attend the weigh-in ceremonies. To learn more about this event visit their website at www.mitchellsbayopen.com FISHING TIPS If you want to head out on the water and try fishing the bay yourself, Amy Ranger, Promotions Manager at Canadian Tire in Wallaceburg has a few tips to get you started. “We do a lot of fishing at XE2 buoy,” says Ranger. “It’s about a 10 minute boat ride from the bayfront.” The buoy is located directly out from Waterway Camp, past the islands. There are often a cluster of boats around the buoy so it should be easy to spot. “The bouy is right on the edge where it drops off into deeper water. You can see the difference in the water [colour]. You’ll usually see a line in the water. It’s right there.” The bathymetric map shows where the lake gets deeper. Once you find it, fishing along the drop off can be very productive. Ranger likes to use a jig when fishing for both bass and walleye. “I use a white twister with a pink or orange jig head. It’s about a 4 and 3/8th’s head. I also use chartreuse.” She suggests a simple cast and slow retrieve method should produce results. When fishing for perch Ranger likes to use a pickerel rig, and has also found a new favourite - tiny plastic tadpoles that don’t require any bait. To learn more about fishing come into Canadian Tire in Wallaceburg and talk to Amy. ABOUT LAKE ST. CLAIR Lake St. Clair is a shallow lake, averaging 10 feet (3 meters) deep, with a maximum depth of only 21 feet (6.4 meters). The northeastern portion of Lake St. Clair is an extensive delta system, the largest within the Great Lakes, making the Mitchell’s Bay area ideal habitat for many species including largemouth and smallmouth bass. The lake flushes itself into Lake Erie an average of every seven days, taking as little as 2 days or as long as 30 days to push the flow from the St. Clair River, through the Detroit River. This flushing provides plenty of nutrients for the small forage fish and creatures that make up the diet of resident bass. It also helps keep this shallow lake somewhat cooler than you would think, considering it has an average depth of only 10 feet. SPECIAL THANKS TO TOM AND CAROL BEATON FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAKE AND TOURNAMENT.

not a bad trip for two newbies to hard water fishing