Outdoor Journal Radio: The Podcast

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!

One cousin grew up in the city. The other grew up hunting, fishing and living off the land. Together, Joel and Ryan Primus created Finding Nowhere, a raw Canadian adventure series that climbed all the way to #4 on Prime Video.

On Episode 235 of Outdoor Journal Radio, Angelo Viola and Pete Bowman sit down with Joel and Ryan to uncover how Finding Nowhere began almost by accident and became one of the most compelling new outdoor productions in Canada.

They discuss why Joel’s first hunt happened on camera, how Ryan introduced his city-raised cousin to wilderness life, and why the show connects with hunters, non-hunters and anyone curious about living closer to the land. From sleeping in a century-old cabin filled with critters to fishing disasters, banana superstitions, post-hunt rituals and the responsibility of portraying hunting honestly, nothing is off the table.

The cousins also reveal what is coming next for Finding Nowhere, how their families are becoming part of the journey and why they refuse to sacrifice the show’s authenticity as its audience and sponsor support continue to grow.

Plus:

• New research suggesting Great Lakes bass may live more than 20 years
• Whether gobies, genetics and longer growing seasons are producing bigger bass
• The right way to handle unpredictable fish without taking a hook to the hand
• Ontario’s move toward digital fishing and hunting licences
• The spread of purple loosestrife and Canada’s invasive carp threat
• The official winner of the Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 Giveaway

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Subscribe to Outdoor Journal Radio for weekly conversations about fishing, hunting, conservation and life in the Canadian outdoors.

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One of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities. First started by brothers Angelo and Reno Viola in 1986, The Fish’n Canada Show has been on the air for over 40 years. Today, Angelo is joined by lifelong fishing buddy, Peter Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada, educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years

How small is too small for the Great Lakes?

This week, Ang and Pete answer a listener who wants to take his 16-foot aluminum boat onto Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. The crew gives a blunt breakdown of where a smaller boat belongs, how fast calm water can become dangerous, and why even an experienced boater can get trapped when the wind turns.

The guys also return from Key Harbour Lodge at the mouth of the Key River, where they battled heavy rain, rough water, hidden granite, and some of Georgian Bay’s most overlooked fishing. With walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and barely another boat in sight, this boat-access-only lodge delivered a true Northern Ontario adventure.

Also in this episode:

• Does forward-facing sonar actually help anglers catch bigger fish?
• A new study puts modern fishing technology to the test
• The crew discovers an invasive goby in the Key River area
• Why Georgian Bay’s best fishing can also be its most intimidating
• Navigating unfamiliar water with charts, GPS tracks, and common sense

Why do bass crush lures that look absolutely nothing like anything they would naturally eat?

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Pete and Angelo are joined once again by Fish’n Canada’s resident fish scientist, Dr. Steven Cooke, to break down the science behind modern fishing baits and one of the strangest lure crazes to hit the fishing world in years.

Fresh off ICAST, the guys dive into the exploding popularity of the bizarre urchin-style and Koike-inspired baits that anglers are scrambling to get their hands on, with some selling for hundreds of dollars online. What does a bass actually think it’s looking at when one of these things falls through the water? And more importantly, why does it work?

Dr. Cooke also breaks down what researchers actually find inside bass stomachs, why fish regularly eat lures that look nothing like their natural prey, the importance of colour, scent, vibration and action, and why classic presentations like worms, chatterbaits and other seemingly unnatural baits continue to catch fish.

Plus, the crew talks bait-selection strategy, how bass manipulate prey before swallowing it, the role of reaction strikes, why realistic-looking lures aren’t always better, and whether some of fishing’s forgotten old-school baits deserve another shot.

Also in this episode: listener feedback, invasive carp updates, the Fan Question of the Week, and this week’s Outdoor Journal Radio Bonus Code.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe for more fishing stories, science, news and everything happening in the Canadian outdoors.