About "Jitterbugging the Rideau"

This piece started out with the love of fishing and the Rideau lakes. Our summer cottage is on Clear Lake just above Chafey's Lock, almost half way between Kingston and Ottawa. Tracy and I have enjoyed fishing and boating for numerous years now and we usually try to get out early in the morning to fish while the teenagers are still sleeping - peace at last!

The Rideau Lakes is a beautiful spot and attracts thousands of tourists and fishing enthusiasts from far and wide. Small mouth and large mouth bass are popular as are Northern Pike, Perch and Crapie. Indian Lake that joins Clear to the south is also home to Splake - a cross between a Lake Trout and Speckled Trout.

Jitterbugging the Rideau was a piece that took quite a while to finish - I actually had left it for some time as it wasn't really working out for me composition wise. Right near the end though was when I started to work the lily pads up in the top left corner and this small area really brought the entire piece to life and instantly I knew the piece was finished.

About Large Mouth Bass and the Rideau System

Stuart Arnett
Wildlife Conservation Artist