Outdoors

Tournament anglers looking to smash record

In local bass tournament angling circles, the Crackle Cup marks one of the final competitions held before the year comes to a close.
But for those who have taken part in this one-day event on Lake Simcoe, hosted by the Aurora Bassmasters, it’s one of the biggest in terms of the size of bass that have been weighed.
Wil Wegman, a Crackle Cup tournament spokesperson, was quick to point out in the 2003 event, the all-time Canadian heaviest one-day, five-bass limit was brought in that tipped the weigh scales at 29.59 pounds. That’s almost a six-pound average per bass.
If you think that was a fluke, Wegman recalled the winning weight in the 2005 event was 28.38 lbs. and 27.38 lbs. in 2004.
Wegman is optimistic the existing record could be topped if Mother Nature allows anglers to venture out of Monto Reno Marina near Lefroy for Saturday’s event.
His reasoning was that in early season bass tournaments held this year on Lake Simcoe, there were plenty of six-pounders brought in to the weigh scales. With a full summer to add pounds, he feels these same fish and others in the swim, if caught during the Crackle Cup, will be even heavier.
“If these same fish had the chance to fatten up ... they will be at their peak weights come Oct. 28,” he said.”
“The biggest, fattest and most obscenely beautiful smallmouths are caught near the end of the season...for those who can tough out the weather the challenge of topping 30 lbs. (for a five-fish limit) is too sweet to resist.”
To catch these behemoths, Wegman said a variety of techniques can be used including dragging tube jigs in deep water, jigging spoons, drop shotting and even suspending jerk baits.
With this year’s event receiving additional sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops, Wegman hopes participation will be even greater than last year’s 27-team field.
What could entice additional piscators to register, he predicted, is some remnants of Indian summer-like weather conditions.
With standard tournament rules in effect, the event will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with registration starting at 6:30 a.m.
Entry fees per team is $150. As well, there’s a $20 fee for the big fish pot and a $10 launching fee.
There’s an 80-per-cent payback with remaining funds going to the Aurora Bassmasters for their conservation and youth projects.
For safety reasons and with water conditions on Lake Simcoe having the potential to change in a New York second, participants are asked to bring one cell phone per team and to wear floater suits.
For more tournament information, contact Wegman at: [email protected] or call Aurora Bassmasters president Marc Coratti at 905-989-0090.

Ministry extends bow season in York

For any hunter who claimed they did not have enough time on their calender to pursue a deer during the archery-only season in York Region, it’s an excuse that’s no longer valid.
Starting this year, enthusiasts will have an additional two weeks to be in the woods in pursuit of that big buck in Wildlife Management Units 79C and 79D.
And it all began Oct. 1.
The decision by the Ministry of Natural Resources to extend the archery-only deer season in these two wildlife management units, which was announced earlier this year, was carried out as part of their sustainable wildlife management program.
In explaining their reason for extending the archery-only season in York Region, the ministry said it’s primarily an attempt to create a uniform starting date for all wildlife management units in southern Ontario.
John Almand, acting area supervisor for the ministry’s Aurora District’s Halton, Peel and Toronto areas, noted that prior to this year, the archery season in Wildlife Management Units 79C and 79D used to commence Oct. 15.
“It used to be that if you went just north of area 79 you could start bow hunting on Oct. 1,” he said. “This provides an extra two weeks for archery hunting in area 79 and hopefully an availability to harvest a deer.”
As well, Almand said the ministry’s decision to extend the season was done in an attempt to control increasing deer populations and associated problems, such as deer-vehicle collisions, crop damage and habitat degradation.
“Deer populations have been increasing in most of southern Ontario for around the last 10 years,” he cited. “And they continue to do so.”
Almand said one factor is an increase in urbanization. This, in turn, deprives deer of areas they once inhabited and forces them to move into other places that might already be heavily populated by deer.
“Deer have definitely been forced out of their habitat in a number of areas in area 79,” Almand said. “As a result, we’ve been seeing higher densities of deer in existing areas.”
“Expanding deer hunting opportunities will keep deer populations under control and also provide an economic boost to communities,” added Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay in a news release.
Almand anticipates those who are ardent deer archers in 79C and 79D will take advantage of the extra two weeks.
As for if the added two weeks will result in success, the ministry won’t make any guarantees. But they hope that it will.
“We have an interest to see that deer populations are kept under control,” Almand said.