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I met Rock Bouchard back in 1993 after catching a nice fourteen and half inch perch.
I heard about his taxidermy work so decided to bring him my perch to mount for me.
When I walked into his shop I was taken aback by the quality of work he did.
While talking with him the conversation naturally turned to fishing and his passion for it.
Back then, the tournament scene was just getting under way with new walleye tournaments starting to popping up.
I had the opportunity to learn more about Rock when we helped advise the Timmins Kiwanis Committee back in 1995 with information on setting up their live release tanks and tournament rules for their Walleye Tournament which was held at the Cache Campground on beautiful Kenogamissi Lake.
With the start of a new family and working Rock decided to close his taxidermy business however being a fierce competitor and with the support of his wife Josee, Rock continued to fish tournaments.
Over the years Rock fished with multiple tournaments partners Craig Salmonson, Jim Patry, Tory Garneau, Camille Bois, and Paul Ethier.
Each of these partners helped him to accomplish 3 first, 3 second, 3 thirds, 3 fifths, 2 sixth and multiple Top 10 finishes in both the walleye and bass tournaments.
His first win was at the Mattagami First Nation Walleye Tournament in 2000, then in 2005 he won a bass tournament on Gowganda Lake held then by the North Eastern Ontario Bass Association (NEOBA) and his most memorable win was with his two daughters, Amelie and Dominique, when they won the Lund Angler Young Angler tournament in 2012 on the Mattagami River in Timmins.
This season saw Rock step out of his comfort zone and fish a tournament that only a few other anglers have done by fishing the Mattagami First Nation spring Walleye Tournament with a young angler named Cohen Courchsne.
Rock told me after the finial results were posted that Cohen played a big part in them being able to capture their fifth place finish for the tournament.
According to Rock this was his highlight for the 2014 season and ranks as one of top memorable tournaments he has fished.
Rock would like to thank his wife Josee for all her support over the years, Craig Salmonson and Jim Patry for sharing their knowledge of Walleye and Bass with him over the years.
He would also like to thank his sponsors Martin Fuels and Con's Electric for their support in 2014.
This season seen Rock joining the Wannabe Fisherman Pro Staff Team.
For rods and reels Rock uses Quantum and Okuma reels matched on St-Croix or Simax rods.
Now that Rock has more free time he has just informed me that although he did do some taxidermy work over the last 25 years that he has decided to open his taxidermy business again under a new name called River's Edge Taxidermy which is located at 815 Airport Road in Timmins.
Having seen the quality of his work and his attention to detail, I can honestly say that this is great news for anglers and hunters to have their trophies mounted as his work is second to none.
Are you passionate about fishing or hunting? Would you like to be featured in my series or do you own a lodge that you would like to be featured? Please feel free to contact me via email: [email protected].
