Entries by Lawrence

My Adventures on the Water with the Late Tred Barta

I was saddened to learn of Tred Barta’s passing in August 2019 in an automobile accident. So many memories came flooding back – his desire to do everything the hard way “the Barta way” could certainly bring out the worst and best in people. People either loved him or hated him, but no one could […]

Muskie or Mayhem on the Ottawa River?

The year 2019 will go down as one of the least promising starts to a Muskie season eastern Canada’s legendary Ottawa River has ever witnessed. The combination of 100-year spring floods, and then  the four consecutive fish kills that took place just upstream on one of the Ottawa’s tributaries during the month of July, had […]

Competing Blind in the America Cup International Fly Fishing Tournament

(First published in Bob Izumi’s Reel Fishing Magazine) Few who know me would disagree that I enjoy fishing more than most.  Having been registered blind at age eight and then living through a gradual and now complete loss of sight has done little to dampen my enthusiasm.  In fact, some might say my enhanced sense […]

Walleye Opener and the Law

Getting out on the Upper St. Lawrence River for the opening of Northern Pike and Walleye season has become a sort of ritual. It entails arriving at the launch around 1 a.m. after the crush of boats are launched, and there truly are a lot. This year it was my buddy John joining me for […]

The Idea behind the Charity “Blue Fish Canada”

As many of you, my attachment to fishing began with adventures with my father and three brothers as we captured and then consumed all we caught. Even after I was declared legally blind, I still pursued my passion for fishing, and by my early 20’s, I was fishing commercially for Atlantic Cod aboard wooden dories […]

Why Anglers should Pay Attention to proposed marine Protected Areas

(First Published in Outdoor Canada Magazine March 2018) As recreational anglers, we have a shared responsibility to help safeguard our natural resources from over-exploitation and needless destruction. On a national level, Canada has joined 20 other countries in a bid to establish designated protected areas, committing to protect 17 per cent of terrestrial areas and […]

Top 10 – 2018 Highlights

As North America’s Only Blind Professional Angler, outdoor Writer, Podcaster, Film Maker and conservationist, it would appear my commitment to the future of fish and fishing is keeping me busier than ever…

Outdoor Defenders

(First published in Outdoor Canada Magazine March 2017) GLOBALLY, WILDLIFE IS IN TROUBLE. BUT NOT HERE, THANKS TO YOU According to the World Wildlife Fund’s *Living Planet Report 2016*, the world’s collective population of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish has dropped by 58 per cent since 1970. The situation is at its worst in […]