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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

It is the Outdoor Journal Radio holiday special and the final episode before the Christmas break. Angelo Viola, Pete Bowman, Dean Taylor, and Nik Viola sit down for a wide-ranging conversation that previews the upcoming 40th season of The Fish’n Canada Show and reflects on the stories, debates, and moments that shaped the year.

This episode includes a full breakdown of Season 40, with behind-the-scenes insight into upcoming destinations, fishing tactics, and what viewers can expect when the new season premieres in January. The crew also dives into listener feedback, conservation issues, invasive species concerns, and the ongoing debate around tournament fishing formats in Canada.

Along the way, the conversation covers Saskatchewan’s expanding wild turkey plans, water quality and fish consumption concerns, pro-am tournament structures, technology in fishing, and how the sport continues to evolve. It is a candid, unscripted holiday episode filled with fishing culture, industry insight, and classic Outdoor Journal Radio humour.

Whether you are a longtime fan of The Fish’n Canada Show or a new listener looking to understand where the show has been and where it is heading, this episode offers a rare look behind the curtain during a milestone year.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

On today’s episode of Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete sit down with Mark Melnyk, host of The New Fly Fisher, for one of the most in-depth conversations ever recorded about the show’s past, present, and future.

Mark opens up about the passing of Colin McKeown, how he stepped into the host role, and the massive behind-the-scenes workload that came with running a long-standing fly fishing institution. He also shares travel stories from Canada’s far north to Patagonia, explains how fly fishing documentaries are made, and reveals why guides are the real stars of the sport.

We also get into:
 • The origins of The New Fly Fisher and Colin’s legacy
 • How Mark developed the show's modern documentary style
 • Shooting fly fishing in remote, untouched waters
 • The insane logistics behind international fishing trips
 • Why 4K YouTube episodes changed everything
 • Mark’s early days with TSN, OLN, WFN, and “Reel Fishy Jobs”
 • What fans can expect in Season 25

Whether you’re a fly angler, a fan of outdoor TV, or just love behind-the-scenes filmmaking stories, this is a must-listen episode.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

On this episode of Outdoor Journal Radio,  Ottawa is dealing with a stormwater pond overflowing with goldfish and we brought in Dr. Steven Cooke to help us figure out what the hell is going on. Are goldfish spreading across Canada? Can they survive winter? And what should we do about them? 

We also dig into a surprising new concern with round gobies and their link to botulism in birds, how smallmouth bass behave when ice forms, and why Ontario’s salmon have dropped from forty pound giants to fish half the size. Grass carp updates, wildfire impacts, and a behind the scenes look at Canada’s fishing tourism industry round out one of our most loaded episodes yet. 

If you fish the Great Lakes, chase bass, love salmon, or care about invasive species, this is the episode you cannot miss.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, we have a packed show from start to finish. We kick things off with updates on some of the wildest stories in Canadian fishing, including new details on the kayak tournament cheating scandal and why fellow anglers ended up turning the cheater in. We also break down the latest news on invasive Grass Carp in the Great Lakes and what anglers need to watch for this season.

From there, we look at FishingBooker’s new list of the best ice fishing destinations in Canada and debate what they got right, what they missed, and which lakes should really be at the top. We also answer a listener question about why we run console boats instead of full windshields, especially on big water.

Then we sit down with Princecraft’s new general manager, Jean-Philippe Martin-Dubois, for an inside look at the all new Platinum 190. JP walks us through the boat’s design, layout, construction, and the engineering that went into creating Princecraft’s flagship fishing platform for 2026. We also talk about what is happening behind the scenes in the Canadian boat-building world, from aluminum supply issues to new hull designs and how pontoons, deck boats, and fishing boats are evolving.

Topics covered
 • New details in the kayak tournament cheating scandal
 • Grass Carp updates and what anglers need to report
 • Canada’s top ice fishing destinations for 2026
 • Why Fish'n Canada runs console boats
 • First look at the Princecraft Platinum 190
 • How the new hull design boosts speed and efficiency
 • What JP learned from 17 years inside Princecraft
 • The future of aluminum boats in Canada
 • Deck boats vs pontoons vs deep-V fishing rigs

Whether you are shopping for a new boat, following Canadian fishing news, or just love behind-the-scenes stories from the water, this episode has something for you.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

A recent kayak bass tournament uncovered one of the strangest cheating attempts we’ve seen: a competitor staged his photo submissions using a cut-up kayak mounted on a full-size bass boat. The story raised bigger questions about how tournaments are policed and where competitive fishing is headed.

In this episode of Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete walk through the details of the incident and the growing challenges facing modern tournaments. Then we’re joined by Andy Pallotta, owner of the CSFL, to discuss the state of Canadian competitive fishing from someone who deals with these issues every day.

Topics covered:
 • How the fake-kayak cheating setup actually worked
 • Why cheating persists even in small-stakes events
 • The ongoing debate around forward-facing sonar
 • Whether tournament rules need to change
 • The divide between “pro” and “semi-pro” anglers
 • How technology is reshaping competition
 • Updates on the Bay of Quinte Walleye Festival
 • Where Canadian tournament fishing is trending

If you’re interested in competitive fishing, rule changes, or the future of the sport, this episode offers a clear look at what’s happening behind the scenes.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

Great white shark sightings in Atlantic Canada are rising fast — but what’s driving the boom? In this episode of Outdoor Journal Radio, hosts Angelo Viola and Pete Bowman dive into the science behind the growing shark population off Canada’s east coast.

From rebounding seal numbers to shifting ocean temperatures, the guys explore how these apex predators are reclaiming their role in the marine food web. Joining them is Dr. Nigel Hussey from the University of Windsor, one of Canada’s leading shark researchers, to share new findings from satellite tagging and field studies that are reshaping what we know about Great Whites in northern waters.

Tune in for an eye-opening discussion about how climate change, conservation, and ecosystem balance are fueling this remarkable wildlife comeback.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

What if the biggest change in Canadian bass fishing came from one of the smallest fish in the lake? In this episode of Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Dean dive into the incredible story of the Round Goby, a tiny invasive species that completely transformed Canada’s freshwater ecosystems and revolutionized how we fish for bass.

Joined by Rob Wilson, Aquatic Ecologist with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, the guys break down how gobies first invaded the Great Lakes, why they exploded in numbers, and how their arrival led to bigger, fatter smallmouth bass across Ontario and beyond. They also uncover what gobies eat, how they move, and what every angler should know before bass fishing in Goby waters.

Along the way, Ang and Dean discuss the latest invasive species news, the surprising connection between COVID-19 and lampreys, listener questions about game-changing gear, and why technology like LiveScope isn’t the only thing shaking up modern fishing.

If you love bass fishing, care about invasive species, or just want to learn how a single fish reshaped Canada’s most iconic waters, this episode is a must-listen.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

The Outdoor Journal Radio crew heads to the far edge of Nova Scotia for a wild East Coast adventure in Canso, one of Canada’s most historic and fish-rich coastal towns. From giant bluefin tuna and great white sharks to the unforgettable local characters and ocean superstitions (bananas on boats, whistling for the wind!), this episode has it all.

Join Angelo Viola, Pete Bowman, Dean Taylor, and Nik Viola as they brave rough Atlantic seas, battle sea sickness, spot sharks, test out cutting-edge sonar tech, and hook into some of the most powerful fish on Earth.

We’ll also dive into Canada’s grass carp invasion, a new tick-borne disease warning, and listener questions about tournament boat safety.

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Ang and Pete react to shocking news from Ontario’s Great Lakes: a 60-pound grass carp, one of the most destructive invasive species on the planet, has been caught in Lake Huron near Bruce Nuclear. To unpack what this means for our fisheries, the guys welcome DFO biologist Trisiah Tugade, who explains how this fish reached Canadian waters, what its presence could mean for bass, walleye, and waterfowl, and how anglers can help stop the spread. Plus, the crew talks Campbell’s Soup’s Clean Water Act violations, listener questions about fall bass spawning, and a massive Garmin LiveScope giveaway open nationwide - including Quebec!

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

- Anglers Leaderboard: Real-time AI angling platform where everyone is welcome, and every catch counts!

- Silverwax: Proudly Canadian since 1999

This week on Outdoor Journal Radio, Pete Bowman, Steve Niedzwiecki, and Dean Taylor take the show on the road to Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa in Timmins, Ontario, recording from inside the incredible Sleeping with the Wolves cabin. With real wolves pacing just outside the glass, the crew talks about life on the road, Northern Ontario fishing, and the unique connection between wildlife and outdoor adventure.

They also dive into Canada’s controversial gun buyback program, discuss invasive species awareness, and answer a listener question about proper muskie handling and conservation. Between the wolf sightings, laughs, and on-the-road stories, this episode captures everything that makes Outdoor Journal Radio what it is: fishing, wildlife, and the Canadian wilderness at its best.