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The purpose of  the "Canadian Fishing bible" is to get you up north fishing and help you have fun doing it.  We can help you select your personal gear, fishing tackle and enlighten you in the ways of Canada.  There is a directory of camps, services and other places where you can find more information.

Books and articles are written by expert fishermen.  It can be like asking a computer geek a "simple" question.  You get an answer, but you don't understand it.  The Casual Fishermen are not experts.  We are a group of guys that go fishing.  All we have done is record the answers to questions we have had.  At this site you will find information from the Casual Fishermen and experts in their respective areas.  Click around and explore.  If we are wrong, if you have questions that need answers or if you have information to share, email us at svclub@uswest.net.   Have fun and go fish!                                                                        The Casual Fishermen

Expedition Organization

This how we organize our trips.  It is not the only way, but this is our way and this is our web site.

Planning, planning and planning.  Good planning makes the trip more fun, the food better and leaves you more time for recreation once you leave civilization behind.  Many places you are on your own.  If you do not bring it...you do not have it.  So do the Santa Clause thing, be making your list and checking it twice.

1) You need to know who is going to actually go.  Get a deposit from them before you book your accommodations.  This is when you hear "I would like to go, but I am not sure I can".  Be direct.  Camps require a deposit and a count.  If your group does not require a deposit, the folks that go often get stuck paying for someone that backs out.  The Casual Fishermen collect a deposit two to three years in advance. (The lead time depends on how quick the place we are going books up.  The camp operator or outfitter can tell when you should have your trip booked.)  Our refund policy is the same as the refund policy of the place we are going.  If someone cannot go, they are not liable for the variable portion of the trip cost.  If someone can fill in... great.  But be sure it is someone you want to spend all day with in a fourteen foot boat or sitting next to in a car for sixteen hours.

2)  If a large group is going we assign a cooking crew for each evening meal.  The crew is responsible for buying groceries for their meals before we leave, cooking and cleaning up.  (The bill is given to the financial czar.)  We have found that cooking crews provide opportunity for all to help and allows the chef (or lasagna heater and dishwasher) in us to come out.  Breakfast is handled by those awake and motivated.  For lunch you make a sandwich or enjoy a magnificent shore lunch.  Stock for breakfast and lunch is purchased by the group's food czar.

3)  Transportation.  The Casual Fishermen pay ourselves to drive.  Our trips average 1800 miles round trip.  We figure $125.00 per person per vehicle capacity.  A mini-van can transport four people and their gear.  Therefore a mini- van is worth $500.00.  A car is worth $250.00 so is a pick-up.  The group pays for gas and speeding tickets.  We have found that some guys (and their wives) do not mind taking their vehicles.  Others find guys eating and sleeping in their immaculate driving machines for thirty-six hours objectionable.

We assign a meal stop and a couple of meeting places in case we get separated. We also have an emergency contact back home if real trouble occurs.  

Job descriptions:

Cabin Masters coordinate who is going, who is driving and assigns sleeping areas. They deal with the camp operator and customs.  They purchase the alcohol and tally tobacco products.  On the trip back home they account for "Beanie Babies", gifts and fish (number and species).  Write everything down.  Never say "I think we have...", the border agents will figure it out for you.  Get ready to dump all your stuff on the asphalt.

Financial Czar collects and distributes the money (Loonies and US).  Collects the tax refund at the border.

Food Czar assigns and coordinates cooking crews and buys the groceries for breakfast and lunch.  If you eat some variation of pasta and tomato sauce every night it is his fault.  Naturally the food czar and Cabin Masters must coordinate the wine selection.  Expect to drink your Merlot from a plastic cup.  Yes, it is proper to use the same glass for both wine and scotch north of the border.

A typical day with the Casual Fishermen

The first up is Jon for his 5:00 pee.  Jon visits the great outdoors.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it is a beautiful day with the promise of adventure.  Jon returns to bed.  KC does not stir.  We're on vacation.

Four hours later some are up making coffee and starting fires in heating stoves.  The smell of coffee fills the cabin, the heat of the stove cuts the chill of the night.  Breakfast and Bloody Marys are discussed.  Crampton is up and wants eggs and pancakes.   A third pot of coffee is started, Dave has a bloody Mary and breakfast preparation commences. In the Doll cabin they are making pancakes. Breakfast (brunch) is ready between 10:00 and 11:00.  KC does not stir.  The Cabin Master decides it is better to awaken a sleeping KC than to tell him breakfast is finished.  The Chief Cabin Master is wandering about the camp, coffee mug in hand, coordinating the day's activities.  The Chief partakes in both pancakes and eggs with bacon.  Coordinating this bunch is hard work.  Sandwiches are made, coolers packed.  The camp owner has been consulted.  We are ready to go fishing.  Today's fishing partners select their minnows. Time out: 12:30.  Right on schedule.  We're on vacation.

Today is shore lunch day.  Joe, the color man, assumes the "up-fighting position" of the walleye and predicts the color of the day.  Joe is one with the walleye.  We are dedicated fishermen for at least three hours.  Time for shore lunch.  Open group starts a cooking fire. Another group cleans the victims we will be having for lunch.  A Bald Eagle circles overhead looking for scraps.  The menu: fillet of walleye, Cajun fried potatoes with green pepper and onions, Canada Bars (chocolate oatmeal) for dessert and appropriate beverage.  "Lunch" is finished about 5:00.  The temperature has climbed from the morning low of 40 to 70 degrees.  Shorts time.  After the five-o-clock meal our boats spread over the lake.  We will meet again in camp as the sun sets (10:30).  The Cabin Masters count boats, all have returned.

At night we eat as a group.  Tonight's meal consists of lettuce salad (with crumpled Blue Cheese), grilled Iowa Chops, baked potatoes, green beans and beets. Beverage choices include Merlot, White Zinfandel, Labatt Blue and milk.  After dinner, cigars, scotch and conversation are in order.  Spades are being played in the other cabin.  By 2:00 most of the guys have filtered off to bed.  Crampton and Sprecher split one last beer and turn out the lights.  We hope the moose lets MD pee tonight.  It has been a great day with a great bunch of guys.

Walleye are most active during low light periods (dawn and dusk).  Most groups that go fishing try to get up early to catch the morning walleye bite.  The morning bite peaks 90 minutes before sunrise.  Sunrise can be as early as 4:00.   We pass on the morning bite so we can concentrate on 1) sleeping in and 2) catching the evening walleye bite.  Walleyes are more active in the evening and so are we.

Fishing strategies:

low light periods: walleyes: Follow the wind.  Check points and humps that the wind is blowing across,  narrows where the wind or current is moving through and shorelines with the waves crashing.

mid-day (high light periods): Fish for northerns, small mouth bass, deep lake trout and deep walleyes. Mid-day is also a great time for shore lunch and just catching some rays in the boat.  

Bored?  Cast shad raps, spoons around snags (trees in the water) along the shore where the wind blows into the shoreline and shady areas especially weed beds. You can pick up a northern, small mouth and occasionally nice walleyes.  Favorite lure #9 shad rap.  Silver in stained lakes, gold & silver for lakes that hold small mouths.