Gone fishing with Tyler Bertuzzi

In 2023, Sudbury native Tyler Bertuzzi signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bertuzzi has turn into well-known and revered for his tenacious work ethic, willingness to get into the soiled areas of the ice and need to do no matter it takes to win video games. He’s the sort of participant many would name a throwback to the nice outdated days.

What most may not know, although, is that if there’s an exercise that Bertuzzi loves as a lot as hockey, it is perhaps fishing. He shares his ideas.

OOD: Hockey followers are accustomed to Tyler Bertuzzi, the hockey participant. Inform us concerning the individual.
TB: I’m a fairly easy-going man. I grew up in northern Ontario, simply taking part in hockey day-after-day. Within the summers it was on the water, both fishing or simply being on the boat. Within the winter it was snowmobiling and taking part in hockey. I did love ice fishing developing up too. Now I’ve a bit woman and a new child son, so fishing, there isn’t a lot time for that anyextra, however I take what I can get as I turn into extra of a household man. Total, I simply attempt to take pleasure in day-after-day.

OOD: Rising up in Sudbury, that might have been the place you bought into fishing. Take us again to when you fell in love with it.
TB: I began at a really younger age. My Dad was the one which sort of acquired me into it. We at all times lived on a lake too. Whether or not it was my mother or my dad residing on a lake, or loads of my (prolonged) household residing on lakes, there was loads of alternative every time we went to somebody’s home. There was at all times a line within the water…it was sort of our factor rising up.

OOD: With out making a gift of your spots, was there a specific place you really liked to fish?
TB: We might at all times drive 20 minutes or so to the Vermilion River. That’s what I bear in mind most. Being younger as a child we might go and at all times pull over on the identical spot and fish below the identical bridge. We might at all times catch smallmouth and generally be fortunate sufficient to catch some walleye.

OOD: Having spent most of your profession with Detroit, had been you capable of spend time in and round that space doing a little fishing?
TB: Proper earlier than coaching camp we might at all times are available in a few weeks earlier than and do some fishing. My final couple of years, we lived in Michigan (full time) so we had been capable of go a pair of occasions on Lake St. Clair, which is the place I caught my first muskie, which was actually cool. And the smallmouth fishing was actually good, so you possibly can hammer these too.

OOD: If somebody stated to you tomorrow, Tyler, give me your high three bucket record fishing experiences, what would they be and why?
TB: I’d keep in Ontario and go someplace for like a fly-in. Possibly Thunder Bay means, there’s some good fishing up there. A few years in the past I went to Montana and did some fly fishing, so I feel I would need to go someplace like Wyoming or Colorado for some fly fishing, which might be cool.

OOD: Are there similarities within the feeling you get if you catch a giant fish or rating a giant purpose?
TB: I’d say sure. That first break up second is definitely the same feeling. With fishing, you must wait a bit bit longer to have a good time as a result of someoccasions you don’t know what it’s straight away. Whether it is huge, it could possibly be something, in order that anticipation is large. Scoring a purpose, it occurs so fast, however the feeling of accomplishment may be very comparable.

OOD: What would you say to somebody who needs to get into fishing, however wants a bit push?
TB: The largest factor is simply getting out, whether or not it’s with household or pals. And even alone to simply clear your head. It’s a nice interest to have.

OOD: What was it like capturing an episode of Angler & Hunter Tv with Mike Miller final September?
TB: I didn’t actually have expectations. I assumed we might catch a pair fish, however I feel I caught 10 salmon and nothing was below 15 kilos. It was loopy. It really is the best fishing I’ve ever achieved. Simply the ability of that fish. I had by no means caught a salmon earlier than, particularly on a light-medium spinning reel. It was so cool.

OOD: Any expertise with searching?
TB: No, I didn’t have any household actually into searching once I was rising up, however one factor I’m working on proper now myself is moving into it. I simply acquired my licence, and I’m making an attempt to get into it now. I’ve acquired a bow and that’s my subsequent journey.

ODD: Many hockey insiders had been shocked when the information broke that you simply had signed with the Leafs. What went into your resolution to signal with Toronto?
TB: Me and agent Todd Reynolds had been speaking again and forth about it. Final season, I acquired traded from Detroit to Boston and acquired my first playoff experience, in order that was a giant factor behind my thoughts. I wished to be on a workforce that might have an opportunity at profitable the Stanley Cup. On the finish of the day, this was near dwelling, a great workforce, and simply felt prefer it was a great match.

OOD: Is it honest to say what would represent a successful season for you guys is, not essentially a Cup win, however positively a minimum of a Cup run?
TB: Yeah, positively. All people has acquired the identical check in entrance of them and identical alternative. That’s the purpose. You bought to get to the playoffs after which you’re employed from there.

A couple of extra questions

Q: Favorite fish to catch?
A: Bass

Q: Favorite fish to eat?
A: Walleye

Q: Spinning or baitcasting?
A: Spinning

Q: Favorite lure?
A: In all probability an X-Rap

Q: Lake, or river fishing?
A: Lake