Fishing With CANADIAN ANGLER HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE--RENO VIOLA

Canadian Angler Hall of Fame Inductee--RENO VIOLA

A few weeks ago I received an email I had been waiting for all summer, it was from Canadian Angler Hall of Fame Inductee RENO VIOLA. http://canadiananglerhalloffame.com/?page_id=133 Now not everybody gets the chance to fish with an Angler Hall of Fame Inductee without some sort of connection.

So to make a long story short I new about Reno from the TV show he did with his brother Angelo, FISH"n"CANADA, http://fishncanada.com/. So when I saw him at a gas station the first morning of the 2012 BERKLEY B ONE tournament in Valleyfield, I just had to say hello. After all that's what friendly anglers do especially if they are competing against each other. Reno was very pleasant and approachable and that was that. I'm not much of a celebrity follower if you get my drift so didn't think much of it.

After a short period of time I saw on Reno's FB page that he was starting an internet radio network for the outdoors and he was looking for people to interview for his podcast. I was looking for some exposure so I called him and as we spoke he suggested I produce my own podcast for his network, HMMMMM. I have never done anything like that but I liked the idea and did some research. After I decided on a name and style for my podcast I "signed the contract"....and the rest is internet history...

So Reno started WRVO Radio.com, http://renoviolaoutdoors.com/ and my podcast is called Lanark County Confidential. There are more than 20 podcasts being produced for WRVO and more to come. The diversity of shows and producers makes WRVO unique source of information about fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities. This is all being done from a guy who is supposed to be retired from the sport......Fishing is something that is hard to quite. http://renoviolaoutdoors.com/index.php/radio-reno/lanark-confidential

I had spoken to Reno a couple of times during the summer about the radio network and my podcast and each time the topic of fishing together came up. I think 3 times we were going to go but each time something came up, so as the season got on I made up my mind it was going to happen. When the day finally came I found myself getting nervous. After all this guy has done allot for fishing in Canada and I could learn lots from just listening to him. So I put my interviewing skills to use and got ready for a day on Lake St. Francis on the St. Lawrence River.

We launched out of Cornwall and headed to the first spot. Now I'm not going to tell you where we fished, needless to say you can find that out for yourself by booking a day with Reno and get a chance to fish Lake St. Francis with a Hall of Fame Inductee. It's well worth it.

The day was cool with little wind and at the first spot was nothing was biting so we headed for some humps and some largemouth bass. I have fished Lake St. Francis before and found all the fish to be chunky as they gorge themselves on gobies and they can get quite fat on fish protein. The 2 techniques we used were dragging a goby colored tube or drop-shotting in deeper water. Reno schooled me with his 4 day old half disintegrated goby colored tube on a 3/4 ounce jig that the rattle had fallen out of. After his fourth largemouth I was getting a bit frustrated. So I joined him at the bow of the boat with a similar set-up except my tube was not goby colored and that did make a bit of a difference.

Another chunky largemouth from Lake St. Francis....

my first fish of the day......chunky....

another chunky for Reno........

We spent the day running from spot to spot and catching good quality fish. Now I was more interested in picking Reno's brain about his life, how he got into fishing and of the accomplishments he has had in his career. One word I can use to describe Reno is "professional". He struck me as a very determined individual who has the fore sight to see where the fishing industry is headed. We spoke about tournaments and how they have evolved over the years and also the politics that sometime turns them ugly. But after all his ups and downs he has had, he is still positive about the sport and the individuals involved. He is a real ambassador of the sport and has done more than just sell product to support the industry.

Now the whole purpose of us getting together was not only to discuss the future of WRVO Radio and where it is headed in the next year but to catch a big smallie Lake St. Francis is famous for. Reno actually moved up to this region of Ontario for the fishing that is how devoted he is to fishing. Not only that but he came out of retirement as well, that's dedication to the sport.

We headed for some big fish spots and they didn't disappoint. In fact Reno's biggest smallie that day was over 5 pounds and I broke one off that was bigger. The potential of the body of water to produce big fish is enormous.

my biggest BOATED smallie for the day......

Reno's big smallie......another chunk......

So as with every fishing day it has to come to an end and as we parted ways I thanked him for the opportunity to fish with him and also to be a producer on WRVO Radio. I also asked when we are going out again and his words....SOON....I can hardly wait....

If you are thinking about catching big and I mean BIG small mouth bass come the the St. Lawrence River and Lake St. Francis and get Hall of Famer Reno Viola to put you on big fish.....you won't be disappointed. http://renoviolaoutdoors.com/index.php/home/eastern-ontario-fishing-guide