Features
Pistilli on becoming a kayak fishing guide, movie star and pro-team member
Story by Don Theoret & photos by Don Theoret and Lisa Utronki
Jamie Pistilli is an avid carp and muskie aficionado in addition to being the Ottawa area’s premiere kayak fishing guide. Since joining the pro-staff team at Ocean Kayak this past spring, he’s not only put clients on some quality fish but he’s also joined Baja, California guide Jim Sammons in the filming of Heliconia Press’ Kayak Fishing: Game On movie.
We caught up with Pistilli for a quick muskie fish on the Rideau River in late September. Although the fish fared better than us in our couple of hours on the water, Pistilli offered some insights as to what drives him to succeed in all aspects of this growing sport.
You’re already a successful eastern Ontario fishing guide. How did the switch over to guiding solely out of a kayak come about?
I wish I knew. One door led to another and I fell in love with fishing out of a kayak. I also put on a few pounds over the winter, and there is no better way to get in shape than being on the water. As a kayak fishing guide there is also more emphasis on the whole experience, not just the catch. I have been really fortunate to represent Ocean Kayak and they have put me in touch with some great people.
Do you see the sport of kayak fishing ever booming in Canada as big as it has in the United States?
I think the sport will take off up here. We have so many great waters to paddle and explore. Kayaking adds a new dimension to the sport of fishing as well. Shore anglers can get out and fish new waters even if they are limited to a few hours. We are seeing more and more rigged out fishing kayaks around here.
Word has it that while filming this season with Heliconia Press you became very attached to a certain muskie...
We had been fishing for 10 hours and I was starting to get anxious. I really wanted to get a muskie on camera but none were biting. The sun was setting and I knew my time was limited. I hit a spot where we had moved a fish earlier and threw out a topwater. Suddenly all hell broke loose. I hooked the muskie on a figure-eight with two feet of line off the tip of my rod... she jumped and the camera started rolling. The muskie put on one heck of a fight and I struggled to land her and get the grip in her mouth. I’m not sure if it was nerves because of the camera or just plain excitement but I felt a bit shaky. Then the fish jumped at me and buried the 5/0 treble into my right thumb. It started thrashing and the barb went right through my thumb. I yelled for my bolt cutters and we cut the barb off and pulled the hooks through. All the time, I still had the muskie so we lifted her up for a photo at the end before letting her swim off as if nothing had happened.
Do you have a no-fail muskie rig?
It depends on the season. In summer, I cover the water with a large topwater prop bait like a Topraider or Pacemaker, or a bucktail with a fast retrieve over fresh vegetation. In the fall, I cast a weighted jerkbait or a large plastic like a Bulldawg on deeper weed edges and underwater humps.
Many kayak fishing guides have nicknames that speak to their personalities or particular talents. Do you have an epithet of your own?
Crazyhook is one I have had for a while. I used to be a boxer so it incorporates both of my favourite hobbies…but now I only fight things with fins.
Don Theoret is an avid kayak angler from Ottawa, Ontario. He is the founding member of Yakfisher.net, Ontario's source for kayak fishing on the web.
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