Ontario OUT of DOORS Magazine

14/02/2025

“Do you have an 1859 “Giant” Haskell minnow in your tacklebox? If so, the 10-inch, hollow-body, copper lure could line your pockets. In 2003, one auctioned in Boxborough, Massachusetts fetched a staggering $101,200 US — roughly $221,000 Canadian today,” Matt Smith writes in “Vintage Value.”
Read more in the digital 2025 Fishing Annual, now available.
See more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/2025-fishing-annual-available/
OFAH Membership

Ontario OUT of DOORS' 2025 Fishing Annual is now available digitally. In the Ontario OUT of DOORS 2025 Fishing Annual, you'll learn about river walleye, a bass pro's favourite rigs, testing your top knots, and more! "My dad’s 1964 nickel-silver Shakespeare Marhoff reel isn’t worth much on

14/02/2025

Congratulations to winner Kayla Boot of Napanee, who took this approximately eight-year-old buck with a heart-and-lung shot from a tree stand last Thanksgiving. Kayla, who felt blessed by her first harvest, had been watching the deer on trail cams since 2020.
Submit your photos to oodmag.com/mbentry for a chance to win an Ontario OUT of DOORS prize as part of our weekly Photo Friday contest.

13/02/2025

“Driving snowshoe hares can be as productive as any other method in deep-winter snow. Although driving usually is reserved for moose and deer, it actually works better on hares,” Bob Bailey wrote in the February 1992 issue.
https://oodmag.com/driving-snowshoe-hares/

There's nothing harder to see in the winter woods than fluffy-white snowshoe hares hunkered motionless in softly falling snow. While snowy scenes provide the best conditions for Christmas cards, snow can make walking to hunt snowshoe hares frustrating. Hard, crunchy snow is especially difficult. Har...

12/02/2025

“From their introduction in 1993, Bull Dawgs changed the game of muskie fishing. The last 30 years has seen the market flooded with every conceivable size and shape of rubber bait,” muskie columnist Ben Beattie writes. Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/praising-rubber-muskie-baits/

The first “rubber” muskie bait I ever bought (I call it rubber but the correct term is soft plastic) was a Musky Innovations Magnum Bull Dawg, widely known as a “Mag-Dawg.” The hype was well established and I was eager to use it.

11/02/2025

“Do you need forward-facing sonar to get out and catch a few fish? Absolutely not, but it will help you put your bait in front of more fish and see how they react to it. You learn that you won’t catch them all, but you’ll figure out new ways to trick a few into biting,” Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson writes. Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/forward-facing-sonar-baits/
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What do you use while bass fishing?

You can watch just about any bait throughout the retrieve with forward-facing sonar. I have watched bass strike jerkbaits, umbrella rigs, flutter spoons, and even topwaters, but I mostly rely on three finesse rigs that I use on spinning equipment. As the

11/02/2025

“Every time you submit a possible environmental threat on Georgian Bay through the app, it gets sent to us so that we can either alert the proper authorities, other environmental groups, or take care of it ourselves whenever possible,” Georgian Bay Forever Development Director Amber Gordon said.
Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/save-the-waves-targets-threats-to-water/
Georgian Bay Forever
Save The Waves

A conservation organization is now using the crowdsourcing app Save the Waves to help take on threats to the waters it’s aiming to protect. Georgian Bay Forever, a Toronto-based charity helping restore, conserve, and protect the the bay’s aquatic ecosystem,

10/02/2025

Fishing gear can be like an addictive drug. So, what are some must-haves? Here is a guide to keeping your gear light.
Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/keeping-your-fishing-gear-light/

Fishing gear can be like an addictive drug. The more you have the more you want. All the boxes and hampers of tackle can get to be an issue, however, when it’s time to plan an excursion. So, what are some must-haves?

10/02/2025

Family Fishing Weekend (Feb.15-17) marks the first of four licence-free fishing events this year.
“Fishing in Ontario is a big business contributing $1.75 billion to our province’s economy every year. It benefits local communities and businesses and the tourism industry in many ways, such as visits to fishing lodges and the purchase of bait from a small business in rural Ontario," Minister of Natural Resources Graydon Smith stated.” Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/family-fishing-weekend-approaching/
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What are your fishing plans this weekend?
OFAH Membership
OFAH Foundation
Graydon Smith

The upcoming Family Fishing Weekend is the first of four licence-free fishing events hosted by the province in 2025. Canadian residents do not need a fishing licence or outdoors card to enjoy recreational angling in Ontario on these weekends. Anglers must obey conservation slot limits

07/02/2025

“I am a pretty easy-going guy. I grew up in northern Ontario, just playing hockey every day. In the summers it was on the water, either fishing or just being on the boat. In the winter it was snowmobiling and playing hockey. I did love ice fishing growing up too. Now I have a little girl and a newborn son, so fishing, there isn’t much time for that anymore, but I take what I can get as I become more of a family man. Overall, I just try to enjoy every day,” former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi writes. Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/gone-fishing-with-maple-leafs-winger-tyler-bertuzzi/
NHL
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
Angler & Hunter Television

In 2023, Sudbury native Tyler Bertuzzi signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bertuzzi has become well known and respected for his tenacious work ethic, willingness to get into the dirty areas of the ice and desire to

07/02/2025

Congratulations to winner Chantal Keller of Denbigh, who caught this 37-inch, 11-pound pike using a medium-light jigging rod with an orange-speckled rubber minnow on Denbigh Lake.

Submit your photos to oodmag.com/mbentry for a chance to win an Ontario OUT of DOORS prize as part of our weekly Photo Friday contest.

06/02/2025

New photos uploaded today! 📸
Have a catch or harvest of your own you’d like to share? Submit your photos for a chance to win an Ontario OUT of DOORS prize as part of our weekly contest at: https://oodmag.com/mbentry/

06/02/2025

“If we get kids hooked on fishing, they will grow up protecting what they love. That means being a lifelong conservationist,” Fishing Friendzy’s Mike Sklad writes. Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/fishing-friendzy-fostering-responsible-youth/
Fishing Friendzy Foundation

Not only is the Fishing Friendzy Foundation introducing kids and their parents to ethical angling, it’s helping youth become better human beings and further their understanding of how their actions today will affect the future. “That type of thinking can make huge

04/02/2025

“We’re reconnecting the river to the lake, but in this process, we’ve had so many opportunities to reconnect people. There’ll be a massive park space and over a kilometre of new river valley for them to explore, to be in connection with nature, right in downtown,” Shannon Baker of Waterfront Toronto writes of the $1.3-billion flood prevention project in the Port Lands.
Source: Canadian Geographic.
Canadian Geographic
Waterfront Toronto

04/02/2025

“’Let the fish tell you what they want,’ is a common angling phrase, and for good reason. A biting fish reinforces you’re doing a lot of things right,” Tim Allard writes in this piece on casting angles. Read more below. ⬇
https://oodmag.com/the-casting-angle-of-the-dangle/

Being strategic with your casting angle means more fish. Nothing’s foolproof in angling, but concentrating on casting angles is a great way to enhance a presentation and get more bites. Defining the casting angle concept A casting angle simply refers to the path

04/02/2025

Lake Simcoe ranks second-best on Canadian ice-fishing destinations.
“With numerous options for guided trips, ice hut rentals and comfortable accommodations, it’s a haven for fishing enthusiasts. With Lake Simcoe taking the second spot, it's a well-earned recognition for its ice fishing scene,” FishingBooker’s Mina Stojanovic stated.
Source: NewmarketToday . ca
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What’s your favourite spot for ice fishing?
FishingBooker

03/02/2025

“This dish may be simple and healthy but does not lack delicious flavour,” Chef Andrew Rochon writes. Read more below. ⬇
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What’s your favourite way to eat lake trout?
https://oodmag.com/crispy-lake-trout-with-pear-and-arugula-salad/

This dish may be simple and healthy but does not lack delicious flavour. It’s the perfect dish to switch up the usual heavy winter meals for something a little lighter with some warm flavours to cut the cold. Ingredients Serves 2 1

31/01/2025

“When you first grab that buoy, you never know how your day’s gonna go.”
The award-winning Port Dover commercial fishery documentary titled “Netting the Waters” will be screened at Hamilton’s Playhouse Cinema on February 1 and 4.
Source: CBC.
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What do you think about the Lake Erie commercial fishery?
Ontario's Southwest
Playhouse Cinema
World Film Festival in Cannes
The Indie Fest

31/01/2025

Congratulations to winner Nicole Mccullough of Strathroy, who recently bit the bullet and got her PAL after spending her whole life enjoying the outdoors.
“Nothing beats the early morning sunrises and time spent with family and friends who enjoy the same.”

Submit your photos to oodmag.com/mbentry for a chance to win an Ontario OUT of DOORS prize as part of our weekly Photo Friday contest.