And just like that, summer break’s end fast approacheth. Soon the kids will be back in school and the banks will get a little bit quieter. Not that such a prospect is unwelcomed amongst our community! July was a hot one, and thus far August has been a busy month here at CCS HQ. The SSF has come to a close, the Challenge Series has entered its Semi Final round, and eyes are set on the Socials and Fall events to come. Let’s catch you up on all that has happened and what is on the horizon!

SUMMER SSF

The Summer SSF was a bit of a quiet one in terms of participants this year, nonetheless there was indeed some heated competition particularly in the solo event. With the first place position switching hands several times over the competition and some massive shake ups in the top five on several occasions as upgrades and quality fish were being caught throughout the ten day span. Ultimately, there could be only one winner and big ups to Ryan “The Manitoba Machine” Ginter for putting up an impressive all 30+ lb top three for the Gold. In our teams, we saw a very quiet pool with only four teams, of which only two posted captures. Congratulations to Carp Family Team for their first place finish. With our Fall event being the last SSF of the season, we hope that more participants will sign up for their chance at glory. Ultimately, it can only be as exciting as our members make it. Congratulations to our winners of the 2024 Summer SSF!

CHALLENGE SERIES – SEMI FINALS

A huge congratulations to our semi-finalists in this year’s Challenge Series. For this round’s match ups, we will see Sean Martin go head to head against Amenofis Vidam, and Abhi Kunnanath up against Jeff Christian. These competitors have been consistently putting up amazing results and as we have seen in seasons past, it can come down to mere ounces to decide a winner. We are sure that these combatants will be preparing their swims in the coming days to prepare for their upcoming showdowns. Best of luck, all.

LEAVE NO TRACE – CLEANING UP AFTER OTHERS

It becomes abundantly clear after a weekend that not everyone who shares spaces with us, thinks like us. Namely, not everyone who wets a line cleans up after themselves. Unfortunately, it is the nature of the beast that some people were not listening in school and/or did not have role models in their lives modeling what eco-consciousness and respect for the environment looks like. It is maddening, when one shows up to their swim and finds evidence of these ignorant individuals strewn about the grounds and in the water in the form of cans, bottles, discarded fishing line and the lot. We encourage our members to carry a garbage bag with them in their vehicles so’s to be able to clean up not only after themselves, but also after these incompetent buffoons. Even though we ourselves may not be the cause or ultimately responsible for the state of these locations, we should not be blind to the fact that it isn’t nature’s fault either, and that without our willingness to try and make amends the ecosystems that are immediately present as well those surrounding could become exposed to harmful ailments. If possible, try and see the act of cleaning up as a therapeutic alternative to wishing harm upon the perpetrators. If every one of us would be willing to clean up after one other person other than ourselves, just imagine how clean this world could be! #leavenotrace

BENEFITS: WOOLOVE

Hard as it might be to believe, those cooler nights are fast approaching. Soon enough, we will be donning sweaters and coats in the mornings and evenings to keep the chill from rattling our bones. Want to deck yourself out in some sweet drip… or whatever the kids call it nowadays? Check out Woolove! Made in Canada, Woolove supplies Merino wool base layers for fishing, hiking, skiing. products boast thermoregulating and antimicrobial properties – which just means they help keep you cool when it’s hot out and warm on those cold fall and winter days. CCS members receive an exclusive 20% discount on Woolove products! Members can check out this awesome benefit and more on the Benefits page.

CCSTV: A CHALLENGE?

Perhaps you tire of these calls for your content to be featured in our CCSTV. Well, we are hopeful that perhaps you might take us up on a little challenge? Once upon a time, John Bulmer and Will Muschett had a little challenge that they wished to partake in. Covid got in the way of these plans eons ago. So, perhaps, it is time that we turn this over to the CCS Members to see how many anglers could get in on this little competition. Wish to learn more? Reach out either to John or Will for more details… this could be a jolly good bit of fun! Perhaps an annual tradition? Please connect with us for more details..

CCS SOCIALS – FAST APPROACHING

If you haven’t already heard, there are two locations for this years’ socials! In addition to our annual social along the St. Lawrence River, we are ecstatic to announce that starting this year we have also confirmed a location for a second social for our western members in Saskatchewan! As we continue to grow, The CCS is aiming to create more events such as these to help connect our incredible demographic and bring our motley crew together. What can one expect at these socials? BBQs, a buy and sell table, draws and giveaways, and of course world class carping… What more does one need? One need only ask previous attendants of their experience to get a grasp of the magnitude of laughs and fun you will have. Tickets are on sale now and can be found in the CCS Store. We hope to see you there!

AOTY – FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Those who exemplify the very best amongst our community deserve their flowers and recognition as outstanding, and that could very well be you! Be sure to share your stories of triumph, of overcoming adversity, of introducing people to this addiction and so on for your chance to be recognized as one of our finest and deserving anglers of the 2024 season. Recently, Louis Philip Lortie had a memorable session on the Mirror Lake where he went on to have some quality specimens. Perhaps this story is worthy of the Most Hardcore Angler?

“Story time. Yesterday was day three at the infamous Mirror Lake and probably my last go at it for a few years. At 7 pm my left hand rod completely melted off. I grabbed it quickly, jumped in the boat and she took me far away. I got on top of it at a 45 degree angle and nothing was happening, I tried to change my angle but in my head, all I could think was that it was over. I gave some slack and picked up my mainline by hand and started pulling on it and surprisingly I began to gain some line, but I don’t feel a lot of tension. After hand lining some 75 yards of braid I felt like my line was going to snap but suddenly I could see my line get tighter and tighter… the fish was still on! I picked up the reel and started reeling, but in a flash all the slack braid in the boat got stuck around my reel. Without hesitation, I dropped the rod, picked up the mainline by hand. After five minutes of hand lining and fighting in the boat I was getting beat the hell up, but I wasn’t giving up. My fingers were bleeding from the braid when I saw the mono leader and thought to myself, here goes nothing. I wrapped my hand around it and pulled as hard as I could. With my other hand, I grabbed the net and I scooped her. A crazy battle and a stunning fish, it was my second handline fight, but that was the best fight ever. A 28.9 pound beauty.” A tale on par with that of the Old Man and the Sea. Bravo, Louis! Be sure to post your adventures, no matter how small on our socials, and remember stories like Louis’ when it comes time for casting your vote at the end of the year.

NEW CONTENT: WAYNE’S EASY NO NAME RIG & JEFF’S JOURNAL

With just three components, you could be fishing a rig with confidence. How you may ask? Check out Wayne Smith’s latest rig walkthrough article on what he calls his “Easy No Name Rig.” This rig is a great all rounder and with some minor modifications can be adapted to almost any application.

Jeff Christian’s latest installment in his Jeff’s Journal series has him reflecting on a challenging start to his summer season. Sometimes the best results are lessons learned, and in this entry, Jeff battles with himself more so than his quarry. Do you have any ideas for an article? Or a video showcasing a great little tip? Be sure to send your submissions in!

AND FINALLY

As always, we hope that this Newsletter has found you well. Though we are now in the dog days of summer, we hope that you still find some time amidst the chaos and back to school shopping to wet a line in search of gold. Be sure to get those kids out fishing and get them off of those devices! The AC might be inviting, but how can we possibly raise a generation of eco-conscious advocates if they spend more time in a virtual world? Let’s try and be those role models and give them real life experience before they are back under those fluorescent tubes! Fall will soon be here, and with it the final assault on this year’s campaigns.

#theccs