What keeps you casting when the lake goes dead quiet and your fingers are numb? We sit down with Ugly Pike co-host and Passador BJJ owner, Frank Ungaro, to map the shared DNA between landing trophy muskies, leading a thriving academy, and growing a podcast people trust. The common thread is obsession paired with integrity—showing up, learning fast, and respecting the community that makes the chase worth it.

Frank takes us into a Lac Seul trip derailed by a brutal cold front, where structure, timing, and humility became the only tools that mattered. We talk fall muskie strategy on the St. Lawrence, Georgian Bay, and the Ottawa corridor, why the “fish of a lifetime” often arrives in freezing wind, and how local intel outperforms a suitcase full of the wrong baits. From blades tuned to skim thin weed windows to trolling tracks that hold under helicopter shadows, the tactics are hard-won and specific.

Off the water, we dive into building culture—how Frank refuses to be ruled by membership numbers, how attrition shapes a gym, and why promoting people is about character as much as skill. We trace the Ugly Pike Podcast from a scrappy two-episode start to a weekly platform that mixes advanced muskie talk with real life.

If you’re chasing bigger fish and bigger goals, this conversation will sharpen your edge. You’ll leave with practical fall tactics, a clearer sense of what real leadership looks like, and the reminder that patience isn’t passive—it’s active, disciplined pursuit.

We share the unspoken truth about rental boat damage, how to read buoys with confidence, and the specific checks that keep people safe and motors alive. Scotty brings years of lodge management and mechanical know-how to help guests, cottagers, and new boaters avoid costly mistakes and winterize right.

• following directions over copying locals’ shortcuts
• red right return explained for headwaters and return trips
• GPS as a tool with error margins and limits
• rental boat briefings, safety kits, kill switch and anchors
• cooling telltale checks and clogged intakes
• fuel planning for remote water with no cell service
• setting return times and basic rescue planning
• winterizing plumbing with air and RV antifreeze
• lower unit oil checks, seals, and prop shaft line

A glass wall, a dozen yellow-eyed timber wolves, and a wind that wouldn’t let up—our northern run from Wawa to Timmins had all the ingredients for a trip that teaches more than it takes. We hit record in the truck ride home to unpack what really worked: turning ugly chop into a pattern, trusting shade over sunshine, and letting a leaky tin boat and a pair of deep-diving cranks do the heavy lifting when cameras—and anglers—couldn’t stand.

We walk through the surprising spots and exact setups that changed our week. On big, windswept basins, we drift-trolled crystal minnows over 30–40 feet to target suspended walleye riding mid-column, no kicker required. When LiveScope lit up with fish that wouldn’t move on a rattlebait—after it crushed the day prior—we swung around the corner into the lee of a cliff, dropped live bait in 30–35 feet, and watched a neutral school switch on. Think of wind as moving structure: riprap gaps that funnel flow, single boulders that pin crayfish, narrow channels that compress current. We also dig into tools without the hype—Kraken/Spot-Lock anchor mode, five-foot jog moves to land precisely on marks, and the critical cross-check between traditional sonar and forward view to avoid chasing “mushroom” bottom returns.

Threaded through the stories are the small choices that keep you fishing: wearing auto-inflate PFDs, picking routes you can run back, and knowing when to call a windy hump and find softer water you can fish cleanly. We shout out local guides around Timmins, the bite heating up on Horwood Lake, and a can’t-miss sequence from Airdale Lodge you’ll see on Fish’n Canada. Come for the wolves, stay for the wind logic you can use this weekend—no matter your boat or budget.

Enjoyed this one? Follow and subscribe, share it with a fishing friend who fears the breeze, and leave a rating with your go-to wind bait—we’ll read our favourites on air.

What if the fastest way to build a profitable company is to stop building for profit? That’s the paradox at the heart of our conversation with Ron Ladner, the force behind Shaggy’s—the waterfront restaurant brand born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and powered by a mission to make every guest leave happier than they arrived. We trace the journey from storm surge and rescue boats to a million guests a year, and the surprising operating system that made it possible: solve your team’s real problems, design for joy, and protect culture with simple, scalable systems.

Ron breaks down how he and partner Rimmer turned a devastated harbour into a community hub, then resisted the urge to chase unit count. Owning their real estate, expanding existing footprints, and adopting a team-service model transformed four-hour waits into smooth hospitality while lifting take-home pay through pooled tips and shared accountability. We dig into the details—why eliminating a suspended licence can change a life and a P&L, how one mission statement outperforms a stack of checklists, and what it takes to keep average tenure at three years in an industry where 75 days is normal.

We also step offshore. From blue marlin in the Caribbean to a kids’ first-fish program with the University of Southern Mississippi, Ron shows how time in nature restores focus, deepens relationships, and quietly trains leaders. His new book, Shaggy’s Cheeseburgers, captures the playbook: turn setbacks into strength, measure success by lives impacted, and let a humble cheeseburger stand for comfort, hope, and home.

If you care about leadership, customer service, restaurant culture, or building a resilient brand without selling your soul, this story will challenge how you work. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s building something real, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

What if “luck” isn’t your enemy in fishing, but the spark that starts every great pattern? We dive into the messy, humbling, and unforgettable moments that turn random bites into reliable tactics you can repeat—from a dead-herring stalemate to a flutter spoon inhaled on the drop, and the day a kid’s toy-sized inline spinner produced a 36" pike that fed an entire camp.

We unpack the real formula behind those storybook catches: preparedness meeting opportunity. That means tightening the weak links you can control—premium snaps, fresh leaders, clean guides, solid knots—and then putting in the time that multiplies your odds. It also means staying loose enough to hear what the water is saying today. You’ll hear how a painful snap failure reshaped gear discipline forever, why post-frontal fish often slide shallow into skinny weeds, and how small, subtle blades can outfish “right” baits when conditions go flat. We revisit the “stump trap” and show how to keep principles—current, shade, wind lanes—while letting go of dead-end spots that once produced a unicorn.

Guiding lessons and campfire honesty run through it all: belief keeps you casting with focus, guests’ confidence baits can unlock stubborn days, and time on the water is the only true luck-multiplier. Whether you chase muskies, northerns, walleye, or lake trout, you’ll walk away with a playbook for turning accidents into patterns, patterns into confidence, and confidence into more resilient, joyful days on the water.

If this conversation made you rethink luck, subscribe, share it with a fishing partner, and leave a quick review. Then tell us: what “lucky” moment became your favourite pattern?

Angelo Viola and Dean Taylor join us at Lodge 88 on Esnagi Lake for an exciting fishing adventure, sharing strategies and stories while filming for the 40th season of Fish'n Canada.

• Live bait versus hard baits debate for northern lake walleye fishing
• Understanding migration patterns of baitfish to locate predator fish
• Following food sources like herring, suckers, and ciscos that attract game fish
• East Coast tuna fishing experiences and the highly regulated nature of the fishery
• Traditional fishing techniques using anchors and marker buoys when electronics aren't available
• The physical and mental challenge of fighting large fish for extended periods
• Boat control strategies when fishing without spot-lock trolling motors
• The importance of hiring local guides to quickly learn productive fishing spots

Join us for our next adventure as we put these strategies to the test and see whether live bait or hard baits will prove more effective for Esnagi Lake walleye.

What happens when someone who grew up with a speech impediment suddenly finds themselves co-hosting one of Canada's most iconic fishing shows? Dean Taylor's journey from behind-the-scenes team member to on-air personality for Fish'n Canada reveals the power of facing our fears head-on.

Dean never imagined he'd be in front of the camera. Growing up with a stutter that made classroom presentations nearly impossible, he channeled his passion for fishing into writing instead. But everything changed during an unexpected filming session at Lodge 88 when Angelo Viola threw him into the hosting role with zero preparation. Watching the footage later, Dean was stunned to see himself speaking fluently – a breakthrough moment that opened doors he thought would remain forever closed.

The conversation between Steve and Dean reveals the genuine wonder they both feel about their roles with the legendary Fish'n Canada brand. As the show celebrates its 40th season on air, there's a palpable sense of responsibility and gratitude from both men. They share candid stories about adjusting to on-camera life, navigating co-hosting dynamics, and the surreal experience of working alongside industry icons they once watched on television.

The episode takes an unexpected turn when Steve recounts his harrowing experience fighting a forest fire on the French River – what began as a small campsite fire quickly exploded into a ten-acre blaze threatening nearby cottages. His firsthand account of community members rallying with fire pumps alongside professional firefighters offers a powerful reminder about outdoor safety and responsibility.

Whether you're an aspiring outdoor content creator, a fishing enthusiast, or someone facing your own obstacles, Dean's story demonstrates how our greatest limitations often exist primarily in our minds. Subscribe now to hear more conversations with the personalities shaping Canadian outdoor culture and get a behind-the-scenes look at what makes Fish'n Canada a national treasure four decades running.

The wilderness has a way of teaching its toughest lessons at the most inconvenient moments. Steve Niedzwiecki pulls back the curtain on the chaotic realities of running a northern fishing lodge, where Murphy's Law isn't just a saying—it's practically a business partner.

Steve's first year of ownership coincided with historic drought conditions on the French River, creating a perfect storm for boat damage. With water levels so low that even experienced guides were hitting rocks, guests in rental boats faced an obstacle course of underwater hazards. Over 200 propellers were damaged that season alone, leading to uncomfortable conversations about responsibility and payment. From the guest who destroyed two engines in the same trip by hitting the identical rock twice, to another who allegedly "lost" a brand-new engine overboard while doing donuts, these stories highlight the delicate balance between customer service and business survival.

Mother Nature proves to be both the lodge's greatest attraction and its most formidable adversary. Steve recounts a recent forest fire that began as an unattended campfire and rapidly consumed 10-15 acres before being controlled by a community effort. He shares a personal near-miss when he slipped on a dock during a violent storm, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal fall into the churning water. This experience fundamentally changed his approach to staff safety protocols. Then there was the four-day power outage that created a nightmare scenario with backed-up septic systems, teaching him the hard lesson of preparedness that led to investing in multiple generators.

The wildlife stories add both charm and challenges to lodge life—from "Earl" the bear who became too comfortable entering buildings, to mischievous otters stashing fish carcasses under the dock house, to a helpful little mink that cleaned dead minnows from boats. Each creature interaction required different management approaches, balancing guest experience with safety concerns.

Through these candid stories of disasters dodged and lessons learned, Steve reveals why lodge ownership, despite its many challenges, creates such deep connections and unforgettable experiences.