Evening/nightfall by far the most productive time, worms will do the trick.

Usual spots: beaver dams, deep pools adjacent to fast running water.

During the day, you have to drift your worm right under the beaver dam, as though you were trying to snag yourself in the brush. Usually the brownies are nice enough to prevent the snag from happening as they gobble it down. 

Undercut banks are also a good target during the morning/day, but be sure to sneak up very carefully, and cast from as far away from the bank as you can. 

Really? I just thought it was a jack male chinook??

That would also make sense. The rosy cheek is throwing me off. 

Did it do rodeo flips while you were reeling it in?

Pic 2 looks like a coho.

Tail is entirely spotted, but I don't think that precludes it from being a coho.

Water was down to single digits along much of Lake O's north shore after the strong W wind a couple of weeks ago. 

It's back up now. If the front today/tomorrow is strong enough to upwell the frigid water along the shoreline again, I think it would help your cause!

I think ppl will be very tight lipped about trout spots in that area.

I've seen photos of jaw dropping sized browns from locals. I never really targeted trout in that area though so can't help you out. Had too much fun with bass, pike, walleye. 

You might need to do some bushwhacking, watch out for noxious weeds, fire ants and insects and good luck!

Great report/trip.

Reminds us what a huge land we have. We are spoiled with riches in Canada.

Had to check the map - yup you can call that northern Quebec that's for sure!

Dude! That is epic. Can't imagine too many anglers have ever caught a wild tiger. 

Those are monster browns!

Looks like a cross between a tuna, brown and Atlantic.

Nice variety there, and good call not posting pics of the bass. It's perfectly legal to photograph an out of season fish as long as you release the fish right after, but some internet warriors will lose their minds if you post OOS pics. 

Shame about Goreski's landing, I think it's been 5 years since I was last there. 

Another good spot would be Palmer Park / Port Perry Marina area. 

.the good thing though is I have all boys and they all love to fish

....waiting for FisherGirl's response...3....2.....1...

1000% agree that travelling isn't for everyone. So much of the 1st world's population is obsessed with travelling. When you have to travel like crazy for work and eat out for pretty much every meal for years, there is nothing better than getting to stay home, sleep in your own bed, cook your own meal, shower in your own shower!

Do enough travelling and you'll start to see the grass is not always greener on the other side. 

These "east ditches" happened to hold a wild, self sustaining population of majestic Atlantic Salmon, brook trout and lakers not that many years ago. Fishing is fishing, whether it's with a stick, old line and rusty hook in the pond in your backyard, or a $100K deep sea fishing rig. 

Hi all, 

Hope you are enjoying this phenomenal weather we have been having.

 

I have a question and am looking to some of you for some thoughts.

 

Lately I have been spending any free time off work heading down to the lake and fishing from shore. This year I would really like to up my carp game. 

That being said, sometimes while fishing for carp, I'll see a pike sitting in casting range. What would you recommend as far as terminal tackle goes to easily switch from a carp rig, to a pike setup without having to cut the line and retie every time?

 

Is there something that won't inhibit my carp rig, but could quickly and effortlessly allow me to attach a pre-tied leaderwith a swivel?

 

thanks all! looking forward to your thoughts. Any photos of existing products would also be helpful. 

A second rod would be ideal. 

This way if you see a bass or pike or whatnot, it's as easy as reeling in your other rig and casting the other set up.

*Disclaimer: Advice coming from someone who has never carp fished. 

Will generally be least productive in the middle of a hot and sunny day, as sun starts to lower, it gets better and better. But at many spots, there will be little difference in action all day. 

That set up sounds like overkill! Go with any line of your preference, 6lb to 10lb. Screw everything else. Just tie on a small hook. No need for weights, leader, swivels, etc. If you don't need them for steelhead, trust me you don't for panfish either  

Honestly if I had to deal with all those components on the end of my line, I wouldn't bother fishing!

Hey folks, 

Just curious if there's any particular creeks/lakes/ponds etc in the Durham area that I need to be targeting for Panfish? I've tried Frenchman's bay and all I was able to pull out today were a couple of now dead Gobi's. 

I'd like to find and try a few spots out so that I can take my daughter out to them and get her started with catching fish. 

General area pointers would help. Specifics not required. I know that's frowned upon, but I wouldn't say no to a PM or two with specific info.

Cheers!

Some spots are kinda tricky because they are quasi-private water, or riddled with nesting waterfowl and biting insects.

In terms of off the dock panfish, have you tried Goreski's Landing? If I recall correctly, there is a dock with lots of space for anglers to drop a line, and a fairly large parking lot. 

Even simpler would be Port Perry, right where the lake meets the downtown picnic area. Tonnes of panfish to be caught. Even though catching panfish can be non-stop, I see a lot of anglers barely catching any.

Biggest mistake I see: Set up with giant bobber, huge hook, heavy weight, worm, waiting for a tiny panfish to sink the bobber like a stone. Ain't gonna happen. I've stood beside so many anglers doing that, I'm pulling them in one after the other, they are wondering why their bobber isn't sinking. Thing is, I wasn't even using a bobber! The second that morcel of worm hits the surface of the water, those pannies are on it like white on rice. Set the hook after a few seconds and reel 'em in. 

The fish can definitely feel the resistance of a huge weight and bobber, and unless it's a giant, the bobber will almost never plummet.

And as I've said over and over on this forum, but I see you're new to here so it's worth repeating, it's actually extremely simple to catch panfish (and many other species including bass and trout) on a bare hook. Just try to make your hook look attractive to the fish, as thought it were an insect skitting on the surface or moving up and down in the water column. 

For wave height predictions (and wind): http://lakeswell.com/

Buoys, envirocan forecast: http://weather.gc.ca...11&siteID=08207

NOAA forecast: http://forecast.weat...GLF&issuedby=LO

Sometimes a forecast of flat turns into 15-20 knot winds pretty quickly. Always be vigilant and know your abilities. 

I couldn't believe how clear the lake was on Saturday, you could see bottom 30-50ft down (didn't have a depth finder so just guessing). 

Alewives must be in thick because the gulls have been diving like crazy. 

Thanks!

 

So, how can you tell? As I said, I'd love to learn to distinguish between species. 

Shape (head size relative to body etc.), colouration, spots (location, colour of spots, degree of spotting).

Which species of trout / salmon did you have it narrowed down to?

Look up brown trout (which can look similar to atlantic salmon) to learn how they look. 

Brook trout are fairly distinct as far as streams go (in lakes, can be confusion between lakers, splake, brookies).

Coho and chinook salmon, which are plentiful in Ontario, are usually back in the lake before they reach a size that anglers will catch in the streams, or so I've heard.

Not sure what a pink salmon parr looks like but they might also be back in the lake before reaching a substantial size. 

Fish identification comes with practice and time. And you can have vastly different colouration and shape within a species depending on each fish, time of year, whether it's a resident or migratory fish, etc. A silver trout or salmon in the lake or ocean will look totally different in full on spawning colours, body shape can also completely change. 

 edit

That's a rainbow. 

Is there ROI if you're not doing it for business? I've met a couple who gave their boats away just to get rid of it because it's collecting molds and vermin in their garage/barn...

In a holistic sense, yes. Lol.

Hopefully they disclosed the mold and vermin contamination to whoever picked it up. 

I would bet those frogs work as good if not better than the most expensive ones at tackle shops. 

Fishing those things is fun and slightly more challenging because you're producing all of the action, unlike a jitterbug which has its own action.

Sure...you have to consider all of that...but how much you spend is all up to you. I was eating the freshest tuna poke each day...$5 a bowl at the local supermarkets. Spent almost nothing on food compared to tourist restaurants.

Now...as for the little boat...

I'm not even going to get into insurance, gas, REPAIRS, UPKEEP, launch / parking fee...then all the new gear you need to outfit a boat as you go into another species or another technique.

How much does it cost to repair an outboard? Changing out moldy carpets? Rotten wood? Splintering fiberglass? Leaking seams? Polishing the bottom for a more efficient ride? Additional trims to plane better? Trolling motor? Drift sock? Downriggers?

All I hear is cha ching, cha ching, cha ching...and the bank account goes from full to negative.

After all, among the boat owners...

B.O.A.T = Break Out Another Thousand...and if your boat is in the salt...Break out another TEN thousand(s).

Also worth mentioning, boat trailer, and a place to store the darn thing.

Opportunity cost, net ROI, and diminishing returns, three important economic factors to consider.

Mitchell is also littered with pike!

As are many lakes in that area. 

Or his guide called in sick and have to scramble for a replacement...

The brain can only fully concentrate on one task at a time. He wouldn't get any fishing in!

How can next year possibly top that!

His guide greets him in the morning, "Sorry, I accidentally double booked today. My other client is Eric Clapton. Are you OK with that, or do you want to reschedule?"