WHITEFISH OPENER

Another year, another whitefish opener on Lake Simcoe! In this video, I break down how I target whitefish in deep water, covering the cadences I use, and my go-to baits. If you're looking to fine-tune your approach or just want to watch me suffer in the harsh winds and snow squalls, this one’s for you.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/wre0JJpW6A4[/YOUTUBE]

You know I like your videos and consider you a very responsible angler. I am sure you have helped some people prepare for a better fishing experience, with your well thought out and professional videos. But, I wish you had kept your limit and then stopped fishing in the deep water. Deep water hurts fish as they are hauled up to the surface. Consider this only as advice. I just posted on the Kawartha board on this topic. There are some YouTube stars out there exploiting the fish for no other reason but money and ego. Before anyone even thinks of jumping in on this either way. Remember, this is just some friendly advice. Everyone makes their own choices in life.

Hey crappeeemaan!!!

I really appreciate your kind words and advice, I know it comes from a good place. I always try to be mindful of the fish and the impact we can have, especially when fishing deep. I completely understand the concern about barotrauma and the risk of harming fish that are released from deep water. I try to strike a balance by keeping my limit and not overdoing it, but I know there’s always room to improve and be even more cautious. The reality is, there were hundreds of whitefish down there, and I could’ve easily hit double digits, but I chose to catch 4 and leave. Whitefish, like lake trout, have a pneumatic duct that lets them burp out excess air, if you reel them up slowly, which I always try to do. The lack of scientific evidence on this topic for whitefish makes things pretty unclear. Nevertheless, I prefer to stay cautious. If the two whitefish I released swim away with no lasting effects, then great! If not, I’m glad I didn’t release 20. The truth is, no one knows for sure with whitefish.

Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective, I’ll definitely keep it in mind moving forward. These conversations help us all think a little more about how we fish and care for the resource.

Tight lines friend!!

I'm definitely no expert on this, I've never caught a whitefish or lake trout in the deep water but as I watched the video I was thinking along the same lines as Crappeeeman. I'm not sure but I think I heard the first one burp. Anyway what I really came here to say is I really respect your response back to him. I've seen these forums blow up ( In a bad way ) because someone offers some friendly advice and it's not taken maturely. Good on you for listening to other peoples opinions and making a positive thing out of it. Tight Lines and keep the great videos coming.

Thanks for watching!!

I think it’s important for all of us to have open conversations like this. At the end of the day, we all want to do what’s best for the fish and the fishery. And yes, you’re right, that first one did burp the air out on the boat!! It’s a good sign they’re able to release that excess air, but I know it’s still something to be mindful of. I’m really glad you enjoy the videos, tight lines, and I hope you get into some whitefish or lakers soon, they’re a lot of fun to catch!

Thanks for the reply, I do respect the way you fish. Here is a few thoughts for all of us to consider. Yes there are a few fish that have an air duct allowing them to take in or release gases. When a fish changes depths at their leisure this is a natural process that happens. They can change the pressure in their swim bladder according to where they are swimming. This process takes time when done naturally. When a fish is caught and released, it's a different story altogether. As anglers we have come up with theories on how catching and releasing affects fish. Over 150 different species of fish in Ontario and only a few have this air duct in their body. There are many studies going back to the 1950's on this topic of catching and releasing fish from deep water. How we as anglers interpret these studies is how we all justify our fishing methods. The rate at which a fish changes it's internal process of depth changes is methodical and slow. Do we as anglers think a that one or two burps from a fish equalizes the extreme pressure in their vital organs. I would hope we are all more intelligent than that. There are fish that do not show signs of barotrauma immediately. They suffer a slow death and sink or float in the water, long after we have packed up and gone home. Fishing to many people is a cruel thing to do. I am not one of those people, I fish because it is a food source and I do enjoy every aspect of it. Keeping fish, taking a picture or two and releasing healthy fish that will in turn create more fish to catch in years to come. This is just a thought for all to reflect on over this ice fishing season. Fish responsibly, protect the resource. Don't release fish from deep water that are going to die, just to catch a bigger fish up to your limit.

I agree the process is different when you are hooked up on the fish BUT what I have seen time and time again when lake trout fishing is a lake trout chasing my bait in a 100ft of water rapidly rising over 60ft up, bouncing off my bait to get back to bottom and then proceeding to do the exact same thing again, sometimes bouncing off and suspending significantly higher up than where they came from to inspect the lure! So I believe they can regulate the amount of air they have much quicker than we think but the problem is, can they do this when they’re on the end of your line, to me this is unclear which is why I try my best to slow down the ascent while maintaining tension so the fish doesnt get off. Alot of the time I do this a whitie will release a significant amount of air, I am not sure if its enough to not cause internal damage but they definitely swim off fine afterwards, due to this uncertainty I limit myself when doing this type of fishing just in case there are detrimental effects for the fish. I also believe alot of the whitefish mortality on simcoe is definitely attributed to really poor fish handling, whitefish are VERY gently creatures, if you get anywhere near the gills that fish is basically dead upon release, their gills rip and/or bleed very easily. So fish handling techniques for all fish are crucial but even more so for whitefish.

Well said, we will never know or be able to figure out nature and all of it's secrets. I have killed many fish over a lifetime of fishing. Always trying very hard not to harm a fish in the past and going forward with each new season. But sometimes a fish perishes because of my failure in the way it was hooked. By the way, very cool of you fishing in those conditions. I was out all day in that rain monsoon we had on December 29th. Bad weather equals more fish and less people. LOL.

Thanks crappeeemaann! Yep we live and we learn! Man the conditions were TOUGH, I am not sure how I didnt break anything in the boat ripping through those whitecaps but my lowerback is definitely paying for it right now!! It was worth it though, some fresh cold air to toughen up the immune system!

Thanks crappeeemaann! Yep we live and we learn! Man the conditions were TOUGH, I am not sure how I didnt break anything in the boat ripping through those whitecaps but my lowerback is definitely paying for it right now!! It was worth it though, some fresh cold air to toughen up the immune system!

You are lucky you are young. I had to take a lunch break that day, too much rain. Went back to the house and put all new dry clothes on, then back out for more fishing.

Thanks crappeeemaann! Yep we live and we learn! Man the conditions were TOUGH, I am not sure how I didnt break anything in the boat ripping through those whitecaps but my lowerback is definitely paying for it right now!! It was worth it though, some fresh cold air to toughen up the immune system!

You are lucky you are young. I had to take a lunch break that day, too much rain. Went back to the house and put all new dry clothes on, then back out for more fishing.

Taking advantage of age while I still can!!! Luckily I wasnt getting hit with rain!!! Snow is alot more manageable

That’s what I like about this forum….an intelligent ,respectful conversation about differing views that doesn’t escalate into something uncomfortable for everyone .

Good on you guys!!!

Interesting read fellows . Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Good vibes only!!

Its nice to hear all pov’s, always something new to learn for sure!!