Outdoor Journal Radio: The Podcast

Seeing a walleye on LiveScope is one thing. Getting your bait where that fish can actually see it is another.

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Angelo Viola, Pete Bowman, Dean Taylor, and Nik Viola break down a challenging Fish’n Canada shoot on Wabigoon Lake. Between brutal weather, murky water, and fish that wouldn’t cooperate, the crew had to work for the catches that would eventually make the show.

From their stay at Wabigoon Lake Outfitters, formerly Indian Point Camp, to scouting with local guide Simon Baker, the guys share what happened behind the cameras—and why a polished television episode never tells the whole story. They discuss forward-facing sonar, precise lure placement, blade adjustments, boat control, and knowing when to keep casting instead of moving on.

The trip also produced an enormous concentration of whitefish and a mystery fish on sonar that left everyone guessing.

Before heading to Wabigoon, a listener’s success trolling a Senko gets the crew talking about fishing familiar baits in unfamiliar ways. Can following the “rules” of a lure keep you from discovering something that works?

Also on the show: plans for Fish’n Canada memberships, bonus footage and archives; the footage that never makes television; AI and fishing content; grass carp awareness; whirling disease; boat delivery and leasing; and Angelo’s lawn-service rant.

Have you caught a great fish using a bait the “wrong” way? Tell us what you tried in the comments.

Subscribe to Outdoor Journal Radio for more fishing stories, outdoor conversations, and behind-the-scenes banter with the Fish’n Canada crew.

Explore Fish’n Canada:
Website
Shop Fish’n Canada merchandise

Mentioned in this episode:
Wabigoon Lake Outfitters
Invasive Carp Canada

Thanks to our sponsors:
Invasive Species Centre
Freedom Cruise Canada
J&B Cycle and Marine
SAIL

Some salmon populations are showing signs of recovery. Others remain in serious trouble. What’s actually happening on Canada’s West Coast?

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete welcome Dr. Katrina Connors from the Pacific Salmon Foundation to break down the state of wild salmon in British Columbia and the Yukon.

Katrina explains why strong fishing in one area doesn’t tell the whole story, how researchers track fish across an enormous ocean, and what the numbers reveal about Chinook, coho, pink salmon, and more. The conversation covers hatcheries, open-net pen farms, changing ocean conditions, and the surprising connection between log booms and salmon predation.

The boys also ask what anglers can do to help—from handling released fish more carefully to reconsidering the traditional “hero shot” and letting the biggest fish go.

Before Katrina joins, the crew discusses disease research involving wild Chinook, shares a few salmon-cooking stories, and tackles a tough listener question: if you could keep only one hard bait and one soft plastic, what would you choose?

Explore the work discussed:

• Pacific Salmon Foundation
• Pacific Salmon Explorer
• State of Salmon report

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Invasive Species Centre
• SAIL
• J&B Cycle & Marine
• Freedom Cruise Canada

Shop Fish’n Canada
More Outdoor Journal Radio episodes

Two fertile grass carp were caught in Ontario’s Welland River. How worried should anglers be, and what do those captures actually tell us?

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete welcome back Fisheries and Oceans Canada aquatic biologist Trisiah Tugade to get the facts on grass carp in Canadian waters. Trisiah breaks down the confirmed captures, explains the difference between fertile and sterile fish, and clarifies why finding individual fish doesn’t mean an established population has taken hold.

The conversation covers spawning conditions, DNA detections, the threat to aquatic vegetation, and how DFO decides where to look. The boys also ask what grass carp could mean for Ontario’s weed-filled lakes, where these fish might be coming from, and what anglers can do to help.

Before Trisiah joins, Ang and Pete debate the rise of the ChatterBait, question how much lure popularity comes down to marketing, revisit a Rice Lake tournament that sparked a run on Culprit worms, and share some memorable fish-identification mistakes.

Subscribe for more fishing stories, conservation conversations, and outdoor news with Ang and Pete!

The Fish’n Canada Store:
https://shop.fishncanada.com/ 

The Invasive Species Centre: Protecting Canada’s land and water from invasive species
https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/

SAIL: The ultimate destination for your outdoor adventures
https://www.sail.ca/en-ca

J&B Cycle and Marine: Your home for all things powersports, boats and equipment
https://www.jbcycle.com/

Freedom Cruise Canada: Rent the boat. Own the memories.
https://freedomcruisecanada.ca/

Learn about invasive carp:
https://invasivecarp.ca/

Report suspected invasive species in Ontario:
1-800-563-7711

For more than five years, this fishing lodge sat empty. Animals moved into the cabins, trees took over the property, and a once-thriving destination fell into disrepair. Now, Ang and Pete have returned from a visit—and they can’t stop talking about it.

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, the boys welcome Two Rivers Lodge owner Will Pulowski to share how he brought the former Tetu Island Lodge back to life. Located where the English and Winnipeg rivers meet in northwestern Ontario, the property combines exceptional fishing with a few comforts you might not expect this far from home.

From big walleye and northern pike to daily shore lunches and a chef who trades stocks in the offseason, Ang and Pete break down what made their trip worth two full days on the road. Will also discusses the restoration, his plans for the lodge, and the work that goes into running a place where everyone gets to fish except the owner.

Before Will joins, the crew discusses Trey McKinney’s rise, debates what separates elite anglers from everyone else, and answers a listener’s criticism about where The Fish’n Canada Show chooses to film.

Crocodile surgery, a close call with a rabid dog, and a veterinary clinic shaking as bombs land nearby. Saving animals has taken Dr. Cliff Redford a long way from his practice in Markham.

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete welcome back The Worldwide Vet for another round of stories from his rescue missions around the world. Cliff explains how a morning of snorkeling turned into a fish rescue, what it takes to operate on a crocodile, and why he volunteered to help animals in wartime Ukraine.

The conversation also gets personal as Cliff discusses veterinary burnout, getting attached to his patients, and how these extraordinary trips help him keep loving the job. Plus, he shares the stories behind his new book, Far and Wild: Adventures of The Worldwide Vet.

Before Cliff joins, the boys talk small boats on the Great Lakes, Lake Superior’s “zombie” lake trout, and targeting channel catfish.

📖 Find Dr. Cliff’s book, Far and Wild
🎧 Hear his first appearance on Episode 230
🌎 More from Dr. Cliff

You don't need a boat to make great fishing memories, and you might be driving past water worth fishing.

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete head back to the bank to talk overlooked shore-fishing spots, finding access to the water, and the childhood fishing trips that started it all. From Brook Trout creeks to bass along the shoreline and big walleye off docks, the crew explores why fishing with your feet on solid ground deserves another look.

Plus: peacock bass and piranhas, oversized bass baits, an Invasive Carp update, and why your favourite walleye lake can fish differently from year to year.

Where did you catch your first fish, and who took you? Share your story in the comments, and subscribe for more with Ang, Pete, and the crew.

Thank you to today's sponsors!
- The Invasive Species Centre: Protecting Canada’s land and water from invasive species
- SAIL: The Ultimate Destination for your Outdoor Adventures
- J&B Cycle and Marine: Your Home for all things powersports, boats, and equipment
- Freedom Cruise Canada: Rent the boat, own the memories

Are you putting your boat away before the best walleye fishing of the year?

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete break down their approach to fall walleye fishing after a listener asks whether it’s worth keeping his boat out past September. From big-water migrations on the Bay of Quinte to green weed beds on smaller lakes, the boys explain where they look as temperatures drop, how baitfish dictate their search, and what makes fall such a good opportunity to catch a personal best.

The conversation covers trolling versus jigging, when to match the hatch, why outrageous crankbait colours can work, and an old-school worm trick for fish that follow but won’t bite. Ang recalls a short window of topwater walleye fishing during a frog migration, while Pete shares the story of a nearly 12-pounder caught swimming a jig.

Plus, the blue walleye debate continues, the crew discusses invasive grass carp reports, and a story about orcas leaves everyone questioning how much we really know about predators.

What’s your biggest fall walleye, and what did you catch it on? Let us know in the comments.

Subscribe to Outdoor Journal Radio for more conversations with Ang, Pete, and the Fish’n Canada crew.

The forest is burning, but what’s happening beneath the water? This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete welcome back Dr. Steven Cooke to explore how wildfires affect fish—and why the damage can continue long after the flames are out.

From disappearing shade and changing food sources to ash-filled runoff and algae blooms, the Doc breaks down what fires mean for our lakes and rivers, how recovery happens, and why some fisheries may eventually benefit. Plus, does wildfire smoke create the fishing conditions we think it does?

The conversation also takes us inside the ongoing battle against sea lamprey, revisits the walleye-versus-pickerel debate, and tackles a question that still divides anglers: can fish sense forward-facing sonar?

Before the Doc joins, the boys discuss Lake Erie’s declining perch numbers, listener feedback on small boats in big water, and a Lake Ontario tournament that left Ang spending the night in an abandoned lighthouse.

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Pete is away, leaving Ang behind the desk with Nik and Dean to break down one of the most unusual Fish’n Canada shoots of the season.

During a recent trip to Timberwolf Lodge on Nagagami Lake, Ang decided to remove the crew’s usual fishing safety net. The guys drew straws to determine who would be restricted to live bait, soft plastics, or hard baits, then had to make their assigned presentation work regardless of what the fish, weather, and constantly changing conditions threw at them.

The result was a fishing challenge that put experience, boat control, electronics, confidence, and adaptability to the test, while giving the crew a very different look at how a Fish’n Canada episode comes together behind the scenes.

Before getting into the trip, the guys tackle a listener who claims fishing line visibility is basically irrelevant, discuss reports of a rare contagious cancer appearing in fish, and answer a great fan question: if fishing shows had no sponsors, would everyone simply use live bait?

That leads Ang into an old sponsorship story he has never forgotten and a bigger debate over live bait versus artificials, why freshwater anglers sometimes look down on bait fishing, and whether catching fish has become more complicated than it needs to be.

Plus, Nik has updates from the Fish’n Canada Store, the guys tease another massive Garmin giveaway coming soon, and Ang makes the case for stronger voluntary catch-and-release practices on remote Canadian fisheries.

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, we’re going somewhere we’ve never gone before... LIVE into the Amazon.

Ang and Pete are joined by Brazilian anglers Bruno Fernandez and Thiago Fantini, who we first met at ICAST. The catch? Bruno and Thiago aren’t sitting in a studio. They’re calling us directly from the Amazon River in Brazil while hunting down some absolutely massive Peacock Bass.

With a very questionable internet connection and the jungle surrounding them, Bruno and Thiago take us along for the adventure. We talk Peacock Bass, the lures they rely on in the Amazon, how their fishing show got started, and what makes this fishery unlike almost anything else on Earth.

Along the way, they stumble across a wild snake, show us some of the tackle they’re using, and even bring us along for a proper Amazonian shore lunch.

Before heading to Brazil, Nik has some big Fish’n Canada Store news as the new Species Hoodies 2.0 officially hit the shelves, Ang shows off his newest shirt, and the boys get into this week’s Fan Question, fishing news, and your listener feedback.

It’s part podcast, part fishing trip, and part barely-connected live broadcast from the middle of the Amazon.

All that and more on this week’s Outdoor Journal Radio!