BPF Recent News

2007 - I consider myself very fortunate to do what I do for a living and I really enjoy getting out to different venues to share some of the knowledge I have picked up along the way and sign a few autographs. This years events were jam packed from July 1st celebrations to seminars at bass clubs, Pro Night at DT, Electronics Evening at DT, OFAH Get Outdoors camps and seminars at the shows, seminars at Bass Pro Shops, conservation and fund raising giveaways and many more. I'd like to thank all of my sponsors for allowing me the opportunity to make these events happen.

September - December 2007 - The Scugog Standard and I teamed up in an attempt to gather fishing equipment to be donated to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program. The program was a raging success thanks to Port Perry residents who donated as well as all of the program sponsors. Everyone who donated received a prize package from the sponsors. We were able to give the gift of fishing to many less fortunate children.

The grand prize for the contest was a day fishing with myself and Jude St. John and Mike O'Shea of the Toronto Argonauts. Second prize was an incredible DT Powersports prize package. Third place was an equally impressive Rapala equipment package.

Click on the logo to learn more about this fledgling program. The newspaper clipping sums up the prorgam and the banner below contains the radio interview I did on Toronto's FAN 590.

October 10, 2007
Uxbridge Huck Finn winners enjoy fishing trip of a lifetime
Filed under: Fishing, Blogroll - Leave a comment
I recently had the opportunity to tag along with good fishing buddy Chris Hockley, a tournament angler and award winning writer. Between you and me he is an exceptionally truly down to earth nice guy too. But don’t let Chris know!

During the summer at the 2007 Uxbridge Huck Finn kids fishing day numerous kids enjoyed the day fishing.

As one of the organizers for the tournament Chris and his Blitzcreek Pro Fishing Service gave away an all expense paid fishing trip to one of the 1200 kids attending the event The event itself attracted approximately 2000 people. Pat Higgins of Canadian Tire Uxbridge is the founder of the event and runs it every year. 700 trout were stocked in the local pond for the kids to fish in. Each year fish are tagged for special prizes. The rewarding thing is not only are the fish caught each year but the tags from those that aren’t end up being caught the next season all in all a great event for the kids and the community!!!

Lucky winners; brothers 6 year old Luke & 4 year old Ryan along with grandparents Oz & Darlene boarded Terry Ward’s 40 foot Super King berthed at Bluffs Harbour in late September. An absolutely gorgeous sunrise greeted us as we slowly edged our way out past geese, swans and mallards at the harbour mouth.

Trolling lines were soon set by Terry as the kids explored his 40 foot fishing machine decked out in teak and stainless steel. This was truly an awesome boat.

Lake Ontario was dead calm with the only ripples coming from the boats wake. After what seemed an eternity to the boys ( maybe 20 minutes), Ryan & Lucas each chose a “lucky lure” as Terry changed over the other down-rigged lines.

The first “fish on” had both boys running to the stern as grandpa Oz started to reel it in. Lucas helped out as Ryan searched for the net!

Everyone aboard had a fantastic time with the few fish caught. Kudos to Terry for finding fish willing to bite on a blue bird day. Chris was engaging as ever and the young fishermen had a blast. Grandparents Oz & Darlene were delighted to participate during this special day out on Lake Ontario.

Afterwards it was mentioned Lucas wanted

to buy a boat just like this one for his dad so they could get out and fish anytime they wanted!

Me, well I had the time of my life taking photos of novice anglers catching Rainbows and Kings and enjoying the view from Terry’s awesome boat on a dynamite day with a great bunch of anglers.

August 29, 2007 - I had a wonderful opportunity to host Shogo Motegi for a day of

fishing on Lake Simcoe. Mr. Motegi is one of the top ranked Japanese bass fishing pros (20th when he was here). He is very well known in Japan as a pro and appears regularly in all of their national magazines. Although language was an obvious communication barrier we managed just fine in the universal language of fishing...and of course with the help of very good friends, Helen and Patrick Chow. Mr. Motegi and I were able to get a few bass but as is typical of Lake Simcoe... Storms kept us off the big water for most of the day. We managed to catch a number of perch. Mr. Motegi’s first perch in fact. We exchanged baits that were unfamiliar to both of us.

A number of photos were taken and have found their way to Mr. Motegi’s website, the OSP Bait Company website which is one of Mr. Motegi's sponsors and major Japanese lure manufacturer and the Chow's pH Japan Lure and Cafe website. He sees a lot of hits on his site and he has also written about many of his experiences here in Ontario and has talked about promoting our province as well as a number of the new products he got to use while here... He was most excited about Lund boats.

Chris is excited about the possibility of writing stories for the Japanese market on the fabulous Canadian fishing opportunities available in this great country.

August 15, 2007 - The fishing industry took the trophy this year...but not much thanks to us! We fumbled this one a little. We spent more than an hour waiting around for a poker run - that wasn't running and then decided to go for 4 species rather than get big ones as we thought this is what would win it. Wrong on two counts. However, my good friends Pat Higgins (owner of Canadian Tire, Uxbridge and Huck Finn event founder) and Jeff Hodgkinson (owner of Canadian Tire, Port Perry who quite possibly fishes more than most pros) joined me for this day. We all had a blast with enough food on board to sink a ship - thanks to Jeff - and great laughs thanks to our friendship. The most excitement of the day came when Jeff hooked what we thought was a walleye -for our four species - only to find it was another smallmouth with literally seconds to go to get back to the weigh-in on time. It appears that this event is going to become an annual thing for us as we're already signed up for it again this year. We're gonna take it this year boys!

Summer, 2007 - So the fact that I am a busy dad on top of all of the time I spend away from home in my attempt to make a living doing what I love best... I have come to depend on a number of guides to whom I will be referring much of my guiding business again this season. I have become so busy that I can't tackle it all myself. No complaints from me! Of course those I refer to are not only competent anglers, outdoor professionals and entertaining to boot... I also ensure that they have the proper insurance and equipment to offer a safe and enjoyable trip. I now also arrange trips throughout all of North America.

July 20, 2007 - It never ceases to amaze me just how much work goes into organizing any event that I run. Two week long camps for 120 enthusiastic kids takes it to a completely new level. This is the reality of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Get Outdoors Leadership Camps. Truly, OFAH money well

spent. My hat goes off to the OFAH and each and every organizer involved with the incredible camps. There is a waiting list to get in and the councillors didn't disappoint this year. Lots of smiling faces indeed. This is the reason I am so proud to be an active part of these camps. I enjoy taking a step back from tournaments and guiding to take a kid or 60 fishing! I like to teach these kids how to throw a bait or two but sometimes I wonder who is really teaching who... as evidenced the the nice pike in the picture.

July 14, 2007 - After receiving a strange request to do a personal appearance for a housing company, I realized that the 'housing company' was none other than Kylemore homes. Kylemore, a company well known for its upscale housing at affordable prices wanted to arrange an event like no other. This Newcastle subdivision is located right on Lake Ontario and so it was decided that fishing should be part of the community and the open house. I immediately made a call to rally the support of fellow Rapala pro staff member, John 'Sedge' Sedgewick. We put together a very successful kids event for Kylemore. There were banners for each of my sponsors and prizes for everyone who participated in the casting competition for mini anglers. A television and photography crew also wound up appearing. Video from this event was aired at the 2007 Canadian Open at Angus Glen Golf Course. This is to be the first of many events hosted by Chris in this location. Plans for 2008 are underway.

From left to right - Chris signs autographs, kids pose for photo, sign-up tent assembled by main entrance, boat and truck on display

June 30, 2007 - Chris arranges for and sets up a Canadian Tire Port

Perry Canada Day Promo day. DT Powersports owner, Greg Booth, Rapala Pro John Sedgewick and Set the Hook Pro Peter Savoia lend a hand to make this event successful. Chris' big DT Powersports sponsored Lund is front and center for the day. Right at the front door. DT Powersports also displays their new Ranger boat. A kids casting competition was the highlight of the day with tips and plenty of fish stories were abound inside as the pros shared their tips. There were prizes for everyone in attendance thanks to the event sponsors... Canadian Tire Port Perry, DT Powersports, Set the Hook, Lund, Rapala and Premier Marine. A full back page ad (1/2 as seen on the left) advertised the day, a front page sports photo of Chris followed (click on image on the right) and there was further coverage during the event on country radio station KX96.

June 28, 2007 - After guiding Laurie Ypya, Ontario's Near North Executive Director and outdoor writer/friend Barney Moorhouse for a day on Lake Nipissing during this year's Outdoor Writers of Canada National Conference for which I was Site Chairman, Barney submitted an article retelling the days events. It's always flattering to have someone write an article about you but this is the first time that my name has gone into the Bancroft Times! Thanks for the article and sponsor mentions Barney!

June 2007 - There is much excitement around these parts for serious anglers as Canadian Tire Port Perry and Canadian Tire Uxbridge both accept the premium product line enthusiasts have come to expect from Peter Savoia's company Set The Hook. Pictured on the left is Chris and Peter at the official release event held at the Port Perry location on the July 1st weekend. After only a short time that day you will see empty spots on that wall as anglers bought the product up. It took Chris over two months of meetings with the owners of the stores to convince them to try the product and they have been pleased by the results. Look for the product line to expand to further CTC stores in 2008.

June 22, 2007 - On this day Chris, Leah and son Grayden welcome the newest edition of the Hockley family into the world - Jenna Elizabeth Grace. Amazingly, Chris and Leah arrange to give birth to their daughter mere hours before the bass fishing season opened. Despite resistance on Dad's part... I ended up fishing a tournament two days later while my wife and daughter were still in the hospital. Although I worried that I would pay for this later the weekend on the water came with no strings and a 22lb bag of fish weighed in. Love ya hon!

June 6-10, 2007 - It takes a lot of time and planning to put together a national conference at any time let alone one to celebrate a 50th anniversary! North Bay and the Best Western Hotel proved to be gracious hosts and the conference came together well. In fact, this was one of the best attended conferences in the history of the organization. "Setting up this conference with the committee had it's challenges but was ultimately very rewarding for all of us. It may be a while before I take on the role of Site Chairman again though! The list of speakers we assembled were world class, the outings arranged by Ontario Tourism were incredible and the meals and hospitality of the Best Western along with the event sponsors made this conference a success. The best part of the conference was acting as one of the guides for a day fishing on Lake Nipissing." I encourage anyone thinking of getting involved with the outdoor media to become a member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada. This is how I got my start in the industry I now make my living from.

During the conference I accepted a second year as the Central Region Director (Ontario) for the OWC.

Click on the newspaper clipping to see the article that followed my day on the water with outdoor writer Barney Moorehouse and Laurie Ypya, Executive Director of Ontario's Near North (with her first walleye). Also pictured is me accepting a thank you plaque for organizing the conference from past OWC Executive Director Bill Thompson and myself at the podium addressing the attendees during our craft improvement morning.

May 2007 - There was no doubt in my mind that we had accomplished what I had set out to do when he looked up at me and said, "I'll never litter again". The message was getting through. Not only were we taking a day to clean the waterfront but we were teaching these kids that littering is harmful to the environment and it ws sinking in. With the assistance of DT Powersports, Lund boats, township personnel, local school teachers Tim Brown, Dawn Elliott, Mark Cole and students we were able to put a major dent in the garbage along the causeway across Lake Scugog's southern portion. 60 full garbage bags worth! Lawn ornaments, tires, carpet, clothing, a muskrat skull and a VCR were some of the stranger things found.

As a result, Chris is honoured by town for assisting in their 'Clean Sweep' program of the community.

April 28, 2007 - "I was completely impressed with the first Huck Finn event I attended two years ago

and vowed to organizer, Pat Higgins, owner of Canadian Tire in Uxbridge, that I would not miss a single one again. I decided to try to get more involved by joining the panel of organizers for the event. It makes an already amazing event that much more rewarding," says Hockley proudly. An estimated 2500 kids and adults attended this years parade, festivities and fishing. There are freebies for everyone and prizes for the biggest fish and for tagged fish. Hockley's company Blitzcreek Pro Fishing donated a half day fishing charter to be given away in a draw. Pictured on the left are the organizers, including Hockley on the far right, that was published in the April 27th Uxbridge Times newspaper.

Hockley gives fishing tips over the speaker system in interviews done by event emcee Dan Pollard. 700 trout are stocked in the pond every year. Each year a different colour tag is used on a limited number of fish. This year we saw fish caught from the last two, identified by the colour tags. Not only is this event doing a great thing for the kids but also the community in stocking a urban pond open to angling during regular fishing seasons.

Blitzcreek Pro Fishing Joins Efforts with Pheasants Forever to Raise Money for Conservation Efforts

April 2007 - I met a very good friend in the industry when I was introduced to Ian Magee during my time with Canada In The Rough. Ian is a conservation officer with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever Chapter President for the Niagara Chapter. When Ian approached me to help raise money for the conservation foundation by donating a fishing trip.. I had to say yes. Pheasants Forever is a phenomenal organization and I was proud to be able to help. Approximately $500 was raised through the live auction and Rick and Rickie joined me for a day on the water early in the summer. What a day we had! Big fish and lots of them. Rickie even got his first pike! Money raised for conservation, a fishing trip with dad and son - great memories. I look forward to supporting Pheasants Forever for years to come!

April 4, 2007 - "I was honoured to be approached by the Peterborough Bassmasters to do a seminar for them during a regular club meeting." Hockley continues, "the only problem was coming up with a topic that met all of the various angler backgrounds." The topic of the evening was 'Treating Your Sponsors Right'. The ice was broken with an initial introduction to the Set the Hook product line and the use of Spike-It scents and dyes. There were plenty of members in attendance for this evening and a great discussion was generated by the topic of the evening. "Many anglers commented when the evening was over that they now realized what they should be doing for their sponsors or to attract new potential companies for either personal or club endeavours. This made me really happy. There are a lot of incredible people and companies in this industry that do so much for fishing and fishermen. It's critically important that they are recognized for doing so. A great way to do this is to give back to sponsors what they invest in you," says Hockley.

March 17, 2007 - Following the success of the Writer's Rendezvous at the Spring Fishing show Hockley decided to initiate a similar meeting at this years Toronto Sportsmen's Show (TSS). Despite the OWC having a 50 year relationship with the TSS it had been many years since a meeting was held at this show. Walter Oster (far right in picture) and Ray Sriubiskis welcomed us with open arms. The room and a full lunch were arranged for us. Hockley had spoken with Gary Breitkreuz (far left in picture), the founder of the Canadian Outdoor Caucus, and arranged for him to speak at the meeting. Sadly, we had lost Jack Davis, former Executive Director for the OWC that week. His funeral was held on the same day.

The highlight of the entire show for Hockley was found in his presentation of a plaque in thanks for the 50 year relationship with the Canadian National Sportsmen's Shows. He writes,

"...when I was asked to present an Outdoor Writers of Canada award to Walter Oster, on behalf of the Canadian National Sportsmen¹s Shows, this year, I was ecstatic. The award was for their 60-year anniversary. The reason why this was such a proud moment for me was a personal one.

I grew up on a large farm just outside of Claremont, Ontario. Hugh Kortright, son of Francis Kortright, owned and lived on the farm. Hugh instilled in me the love of the outdoors. As a child, I would take daily walks with him as he pointed out birds, trees, fauna and wildlife. He described ecosystems and the importance of every creature within them. He also took me to the Kortright Wildlife Center, named after his father. Hugh instilled in me the passion that he and his father had shared which I now pass onto my children.

In a speech, which Walter had delivered to those in attendance of this years Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters conference, I discovered that in1948, Francis Kortright had founded of the Canadian National Sportsmen Show. Sixty years after the CNSS was founded and less than a year after my becoming the Central Region Director for the OWC I was able to present an award to Walter that represented more than 31 years of personal passion initiated by the very people I was presenting it to. I felt like I was finally able to thank the Kortrights for everything they had done for me. This was a proud moment I was honoured to be part of."

March 14-18, 2007 - After two successful years with the Spring Fishing Show the venue for the OFAH Get Outdoors Kids Area and the "Fish Like The Pros" Seminars, as presented by Chris Hockley and invited guest Jay Cooper, were moved to the Toronto Sportsmen's Show. The event was again a raging success and a total of five seminars were presented. All of Hockley's sponsors were again proudly displayed. "A very special thanks goes to DT Powersports, Lund Boats, Rapala, Set The Hook Bait Company and Canadian Tire Port Perry for all of their incredible donations that allow us to present these daily seminars to hundreds of children," says Hockley.

Spring - 2007 - In addition to the sponsors who have supported me over the years - allowing me to do what I do - this year has proven to be very successful in recruiting further support in the form of sponsorship relations. New this season are a number of companies that read as a veritable who's who in the fishing industry. A very special thanks goes to:

February 17, 2007 - Though a tradition since the inception of the Spring Fishing Show the 2007 Writer's Rendezvous was organized and run this year by the new OWC Central Region Director, Chris Hockley. "I had some big shoes to fill when Shirley Teasdale stepped down from this position. One of the first jobs was to organize an event at the Spring Fishing Show. This wasn't mandatory but it's something that I always appreciated as a member of the OWC so I couldn't let it go." With the help of Alison Degroot, of the Spring Fishing Show, a room was organized and a coffee break arranged. Our guest speaker for this meeting was Matt Nichols, editor of Ontario Out of Doors magazine. Approximately 60 members were in attendance. "I look forward to organizing many more of these meetings in the future," says Hockley.

February 12, 2007 - Formerly known as the Kawartha Fisheries Association, the new Scugog Lake Stewards have raised more than a million dollars for incredible rehabilitation and conservation projects all around the lake. Projects such as waterfront restoration, lake mapping, run-off control and nesting boxes are but a few of the dozens of projects this volunteer based organization has to its name. Hockley was honoured to be asked today to join the Lake Stewards in their latest project of producing a website that will not only encourage tourism in the area but essentially be the one-stop information compilation for anyone in or visiting the area. "They (the Lake Stewards) have asked that I act as 'the fishing guy' and help put together a list of tips and general information for anglers visiting the Lake Scugog area."

February 2007 - After many years as a member of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) Chris Hockley has made arrangements to offer a 10% discount for clients on all standard trips booked through Blitzcreek Pro Fishing. "The idea is to reward members of the organization with a discount for their support of OFAH programs. As a bonus, those clients who sign up to become members of the OFAH will also save," says Hockley. "I can sign them up with a credit card right from the boat! The OFAH has done enough for me and the resource from which I make my living that I feel this is only appropriate,"

January 2007 - Anglers who were unable to catch the first airing of the Last Cull will be able to tune into the complete 13 episode reality show thanks to WFN. The Last Cull which was filmed in North Bay, on Lake Nipissing, three years ago was the first fishing based reality show to hit television. It originally aired on CHUM across Canada as well as in the USA on OLN. "It's always fun to see the show again. Although I did "draw the short straw" I would do the show again a million times. I met a lot of really great people while filming the series and I spent a LOT of time with fishing legend Roland Martin. The man just exudes fishing! What an honour." says Hockley of his experiences with the "Cull".

January 2007 - Chris has taken his "Guidelines" column to "Big" Jim McLaughlin who has agreed to a regular tip section written by Hockley. Look for Chris' first piece in the Winter 2007 issue of "Just Fishing" Canada's largest free fishing publication. Three quick tips for a great ice fishing season and a full thank you to all of his sponsors. Future pieces will include tips on tackle, species and techniques for catching more fish throughout Ontario. "I'm really proud to be writing for fishing icon Jim McLaughlin. 'Just Fishing' is in it's 14th year and can be picked up at any fishing shop or show throughout the province. Jim has also agreed to allow me to promote my sponsors in these pieces for which I am grateful." says Hockley.