So far, this summer has been difficult to focus on fishing without keeping an ever watchful eye out for passing storms.

In some of the smaller lakes further north where I have fished this year, it could just mean a quick jaunt to shore to seek cover, but when Lake Simcoe anglers and boaters are out in the main lake, that quick jaunt to shore can be easier said than done.

And, as so often is the case with a lake the size of Simcoe, those 745 square kilometres of open water can blow up and become nasty in a big hurry so all boaters need to be up to speed with the latest marine weather forecasts before they head out.

Environment Canada has a marine weather forecast for Simcoe that can be accessed at: www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/marine/forecast.

Locally, the Weather Network offers this site that can augment the marine information, www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CAON0669


July Fishing WRap-Up

Whether it has been because of the weather or not, fishing during July was not the most productive for the majority of Focus on Fishing readers, at least that’s what I’m hearing.

Many believe natural features affected by weather such as weed growth are still showing signs of being two weeks behind.  The cool, wet spring has been followed by a record setting amount of rain in July, combined with crazy fluctuations in barometer and, of course, several storms.

Most species of fish prefer steady weather patterns to stimulate feeding and are often thrown off by frequent storms and unsettled weather. Combine this with unseasonably high water levels during a season that typically sees low water and you can throw in another excuse for anglers to use when they are trying to explain just why they aren’t getting bites.

 But as all anglers know, especially tournament competitors whose results are tabulated and recorded, someone always figures them out and catches their fare share.

Such has been the case for Lake Simcoe’s tournaments this season and the latest big event there that was won by Lake Simcoe area resident Mark Kulik and his partner is a case in point.

Drop shotting is how Mr. Kulik of Innisfil caught all of his 24.88 pounds of bass (five fish limit) during this prestigious catch and release event in mid-July where anglers could fish either Simcoe or Lake Couchiching.

His partner, Joe Cutajar, had no tournament experience, but played a pivotal role in the team’s victory.

“I asked Joe to drag a drop shot rig early on and he caught a nice four-pounder right at the start,” Mr. Kulik said. “That helped us establish a pattern for the day where we eventually caught 15 of Simcoe’s finest smallmouth bass.”

 Drop shotting for smallmouth is becoming an-ever popular technique on Lake Simcoe and few do it better than Mr. Kulik who runs his own all Canadian tackle manufacturing company specializing in goby-look-alike plastic baits.

His Strikezone tournament baits are ideal for drop shot presentations and his signature Slammer Series has already become a poorly kept secret bait on several tournament trails.

Even though gobies are not widespread yet throughout Simcoe, the native sculpin definitely is and so closely resembles the goby that many anglers and likely bass, have difficulty telling the two species apart.

 For more details on Kulik’s baits check out: www.strikezonetournamentbaits.com