Gone fishing with Tyler Bertuzzi

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

Bertuzzi has grow to be 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 previous days.

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

OOD: Hockey followers are conversant in Tyler Bertuzzi, the hockey participant. Inform us concerning the particular person.
TB: I’m a fairly easy-going man. I grew up in northern Ontario, simply taking part in hockey each 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 grow to be extra of a household man. Total, I simply attempt to get pleasure from each 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 bought me into it. We all the time lived on a lake too. Whether or not it was my mother or my dad dwelling on a lake, or a variety of my (prolonged) household dwelling on lakes, there was loads of alternative at any time when we went to somebody’s home. There was all the time a line within the water…it was sort of our factor rising up.

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

OOD: Having spent most of your profession with Detroit, have been you in a position to spend time in and round that space doing a little fishing?
TB: Proper earlier than coaching camp we’d all the time 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 have been in a position to go a pair of instances 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 mentioned to you tomorrow, Tyler, give me your prime three bucket record fishing experiences, what would they be and why?
TB: I might keep in Ontario and go someplace for like a fly-in. Perhaps Thunder Bay method, 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 whenever you catch a giant fish or rating a giant aim?
TB: I might say sure. That first cut up second is definitely an analogous feeling. With fishing, it’s important to wait a bit bit longer to have fun as a result of someinstances you don’t know what it’s straight away. Whether it is massive, it could possibly be something, in order that anticipation is enormous. Scoring a aim, it occurs so fast, however the feeling of accomplishment may be very related.

OOD: What would you say to somebody who desires 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 mates. And even alone to only 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 believed we’d catch a pair fish, however I feel I caught 10 salmon and nothing was below 15 kilos. It was loopy. It truly is the best fishing I’ve ever executed. 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 bought my licence, and I’m making an attempt to get into it now. I’ve bought a bow and that’s my subsequent journey.

ODD: Many hockey insiders have been shocked when the information broke that you simply had signed with the Leafs. What went into your choice to signal with Toronto?
TB: Me and agent Todd Reynolds have been speaking again and forth about it. Final season, I bought traded from Detroit to Boston and bought my first playoff experience, in order that was a giant factor at the back of my thoughts. I needed to be on a crew that might have an opportunity at profitable the Stanley Cup. On the finish of the day, this was near residence, a great crew, 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. Everyone has bought the identical take a look at in entrance of them and identical alternative. That’s the aim. 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