Hairyfish

Dude....

 

Just wanted to jump in and point out some "fish interactions":

 

The suckers, chubs, shiners etc. are all NATIVE SPECIES that lay the groundwork for a Healthy Bow (Introduced species) population.

 

Suckers eat "some bow eggs"....  (Cull the harvest - thus keeping the wild populations stronger)

Bows eat "TONS of Sucker eggs"  (They regenerate / feed like pigs before heading back out to the lake)

 

The suckers who live in DEEP LAKE WATER most of the year ... help a dozen or so other species.

Without their generous GIFT of LIFE ...   we'd all be pooped.

 

 

*Next time you head out ... go find the sucker pods and watch for the Bows feasting like pigs behind them!

 HINT:  if you use the Real Mckoy for bait or an imitation,  I can bet you will have a great outing.

 

 

Hope you can at least Respect the Sucker.

It has done more for sustaining the BOW FISHERY than anything else, period.

DamNation

2014 Film

8.1/10-IMDb

The change in our national attitude regarding big dams is explored in this documentary. It has transformed from having pride in them as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond Edward Abbey's fictional "Monkey Wrench Gang" to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. We observe rivers and landscapes altered by dams and also the metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

Initial release: May 9, 2014 (USA)

Directors: Travis Rummel, Ben Knight

Running time: 94 minutes

Executive producer: Yvon Chouinard

Screenplay: Ben Knight

Music composed by: Todd Hannigan

 

 

 

Well, it finally happened! I got my first Pike in Canada!

I had a little time Sunday afternoon, so headed along to Ashbridges Park in the hunt for my first pike. I had been out the island's a couple of times in the last few weeks, on one occasion I did manage to hook a pike, but it spat the lure before I could land it.

Started at around 6pm, fishing the marina area.
Overcast, and looking like a thunderstorm might roll it at any moment.

I had no luck, so moved around to a new spot I never tried before - spotted 3 or 4 really big carp. Tried for a while to catch them, but they had no interest in anything I had to offer. Still - very interesting to watch them so close.

Rain started, light, but heavy enough to send everyone out the park. This was a good thing for me. I went back to the boardwalk that had been too busy with kids, dogs and runners before. Was trying a crank bait I bought recently at one boardwalk, nothing.
It was time to call it a day, so I packed up and was walking out, passing the last boardwalk I thought I would give it a go "just one last cast" I am always thinking....took my favorite red and white spoon...first cast..BAM...pike on.
Put up a real good fight, tried to run under the boardwalk, but I managed to keep it out. It was a real rush to finally get one.
A good looking 28"

Chinook salmon are a nuisance fish and their introduction to Lake O was most likely the largest contributer to the demise of Atlantic Salmon. Having said this i no way do i condone the excessive taking of hens for their eggs and anyone here who fishes wilmot creek knows what i'm talking about dead hens lying slit open on the banks w/ skeins still in them b/c some knucklehead didnt like the look of the roe, ppl ripping redds for hens so they can throw litres of eggs per day chumming rainbows. one of my favorite parts of trout and salmon fishing is coming home to orillia after a 36 hour run down the 401 in early sept and scrapping skein into the curing bucket. my roe harvesting schedule breaks down somewhat like this 3 fish from port hope/newcastle in early season 1 for skeins 2 for scrape. mid season 3 fish from GB) late season back to lake O looking for hen if needed to get through to march. at no time will i have eggs from more than five fish in my possesion and will always have a good variety of bait and not be forced to use generic stuff the fish see attatched to every treb and seywash in ontario. One afternoon when fishing the slaughter pool this fall the fishing was so good my buddies and i made a pact land a hen pick up 10 peices of garbage... by the time the United Salmon and Steelhead Rapists showed up we had two contractor bags filled with power pro and chip bags with funny writing on them and had caught and released over a dozen big hens into the log jam above it. as of right now i have eggs from 4 fish in my possesion 1 wilmot salmon, 2 coldwater salmon, and one brown from creek x. I like catch fish thats why i cure my own bait.

So you're saying that I didn't induce a strike?

 

LOL I'm just playing around bud (trolling), everyone is going crazy this time of year!  Of course the salmon bit, I catch them all the time like that.  I feel exactly what you are saying, they lunge forward and BOOM fish on.  

I grew up fishing 120, both Catfish pond (west pond) and Grenadier. Every spare weekend I'd be down there, might not be the best fishing in the world, but I love the place.

Grenadier produces decent largemouth and the odd pike. You've got to be willing to walk the banks and cast to cover. It's not fast action, but the bass are in there. Spinner baits are pretty good. Tons of action for little kids and panfish junkies though: white and yellow perch, bullheads, bluegills, pumpkinseed and crappies. The dock on the east side of the pond gets way to much fishing pressure, so wander around and find a nice shady spot under a big ole tree, throw on a worm and have some fun. There are some very big carp in grenadier. Corn is killer, go the day before, chum a couple spots around the time you plan to fish. There should be some fish cruisin around when you come back to fish the next day.

Catfish (west pond) has carp, bullheads and sunfish. I've only ever caught bullheads and sunfish though, but have seen some big carp cruisin' around. If you can access it from the swansea ravine (below swansea public school) it's more scenic for sure. The fishing is ok off of Ellis ave. though.

Also 119 is the humber bay park. The man made ponds are full of carp. There's also largemouth in them, but they aren't too big. You can cast from the lake side break water for salmon and trout in the fall. The mouth of Mimico creek is right there as well so there's a good sucker run in the spring. The available species are pretty similar to Toronto Islands. Apparently there are pike, but i've never caught or seen one caught. The go to species in the ponds are definitely carp, they're pretty easy to catch if you're set up for them. Humber bay pond is right on the martin goodman trail, so it's easily accessible by bike from downtown. You can take the Queen streetcar or the go train to Mimico.

Sorry dont agree. I watch them bite a lot of the time so i know they hit. I drift above the pod so its pretty hard to floss. Never seen a 25 pound nook tip up like a trout and smash a chunk of.skien i guess eh? Chinook salmon are eating machines for 3 years offf life and it just doesn't shut right off. They definitely slow down tsteelies are the same, btw

My wife and I officially moved back to Ontario. Between the house hunt, two moves and searching for a job I didn't have too much time to fish but I still managed to get out a couple times. It's nice to be back in a province with bass!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://forthemassesf...ng.blogspot.com

Glad they were actually able to get this guy. Unfortunately catching them doesn't happen enough, hopefully this will deter other 'fisherman' from doing this in the future. 

I assume police? Are you guys allowed to enforce the conservation act and fishing regs?

Yes we are. It's written into the fish and wildlife conservation act that we are Co's as mentioned in the act.

Frankly I have worked 11 years in an urban environment so the intricacies of the act I do not know. Just the major / common offences.

I have no issues in confronting people when they're doing something blatant and have done it in the past.

anglers are stewards of their sport. if they want the fishing to be better they must practice conservation of the resources. do not mess with an ecosystem that has existed in these waters before man did. when you see violations such as the ones posted in the vid call your mnr enforcement officer and make a report...its the best thing you can do legally.  more violations that are reported = more enforcement officers required. maybe one of you get hired as one and do to the violators what we all are thinking should be done.

Thanks for the updates!

It looks like today's awesome action coincided nicely with this:

Most of the recent talk here at OFF has been focused on salmon fishing and there seems to be an influx of new fishermen searching the forum for salmon info. So, I thought that I would take this opportunity to share some of the basics I’ve learned over the years while fishing for salmon at Port Credit.

The following info is geared towards fishermen who are new to salmon fishing and should serve as a quick primer/reference that will get a “noob” catching salmon in the least amount of time (hopefully). This info may be useful to some, but redundant for other more experienced anglers. So, noobs keep reading and salmon pros click the back button

I should point out that while this is written about Port Credit, most of the basics covered should also apply to other pier fishing scenarios, whether it’s Bronte, Port Hope, etc… Additionally, the following guide is based on my years of fishing Port Credit from mid July to early/mid September.

The largest salmon run in Ontario enters the Credit River through Port Credit in Mississauga, and there’s no better way to get ‘em while they’re fresh than “pier fishing” AKA “spoon chucking” at the mouth of the river... There are other techniques, but none as fun, exhilarating or rewarding as hooking up via the spoon in open water in my humble opinion…

So let’s begin. The first consideration people usually have when they get into salmon fishing is what gear to buy. There is no one right answer, so rather than getting into a drawn out explanation, I’ll just quickly tell you what I use, as it has worked nicely for me. Mileage may vary.

My Gear:

Rod - I have 3 rods that I use for this type of fishing, a 9’, 10’.6” and an 11’.6” (which also doubles as my river rod for steelhead).
Reel – Spinning reel with a spool capacity of 8 – 240 (the spool can hold 240 yards of 8 lb test diameter line)
Line – I load my reel up with 20 lb Power Pro braid (6lb diameter)
Lures - My “spoon chucking” arsenal includes 3 basic lures: Little Cleos, Krocodiles and Rapala J-13’s in various colours and finishes, all tested and proven at Port Credit. More about this later…
So now that you know what I’m packing, I’ll tell you what you need to know about catching salmon at Port Credit, spoon chuckin’ style:

Rule 1) Timing is everything.

If you take anything away from this guide, this should be it. I don’t care how skilled an angler you are, if you don’t fish when the salmon are within casting distance, you obviously won’t catch any fish. Remember, this is shore fishing, so unlike those with a boat, we must wait for the salmon to come to us.

Not to beat this point to death, but I’ve read posts from people who say that they didn’t see any fish being caught. Well, the reality is that if you were there at 1:00PM on a sunny day in clear water in the middle of August, it’s usually a foregone conclusion that you’re in for a good old fashion skunking… A savvy salmon fisherman may have caught 2 or 3 fish just 7 hours earlier and you would be none-the-wiser. I used to feel bad when I would run into guys at Port Credit while I was on a Sunday afternoon jog, seeing them casting cleos in the middle of the day… I would ask, “Any luck?” and they would say “No, nothing… I think it’s still too early in the year… Maybe anther 2 weeks”. It would be the 3rd week of August and I had already landed well over 2 dozen in the past month.

Here’s the deal, when it comes to casting lures from shore at the mouth of the Credit, to have any reasonable expectation of actually catching salmon, you have to time it right. So, when it comes to “timing it right”, you have 4 basic options, listed from best to worst:

a) Crack of Dawn.

This in my opinion is the very best time. When I say “crack of dawn”, I mean you should arrive at Port Credit while it is still pitch black and stay until the sun has risen.

At this time, the salmon are tight into the shore, actively and aggressively feeding. You will often see large boils on the surface of the water… these are salmon. When you see that happen, immediately cast past the boil and retrieve through the spot.

You have about a 2 hour window (depending on when you arrive) to hook as many salmon during this time before the sun gets too high in the sky and the salmon retreat back into deeper water, out of casting range. The window can be extended by an hour or so if it is overcast, but by 8:00 am, it’s usually game over, time to go home.

I usually show up well before dawn, at around 4:30 AM or so, and start with my glow in the dark cleo and stick with this lure until it is completely light outside, when I’ll then switch over to my other standard (non glow) lures.

b ) Fishing during overcast / inclement weather OR when a well defined mud-line exists within casting range.


If there’s a well defined mud-line, you can catch salmon all day long by casting right to the mud-line edges as illustrated in the image below:



Mud-lines form during and after a significant rain event. Salmon can often be found at the edges of the mud-line. If the edge of the mud-line is within casting range, work the edges and you may have a very good day

c) Night Fishing.

Beginning in mid to late July, the salmon begin to stage at the mouth of the Credit. During the day, they are in deep water, way out of casting range. However, at night they move into the river mouth… within casting distance.

What you need is a “glow in the dark” spoon, such as the standard ¾ ounce green/white glow cleo and a camera flash to charge the lure. I usually flash the lure every 5 casts or so.

This is pretty straight forward. Cast, cast, cast, cast, cast, charge… and so on. Put in your hours and you will eventually hook up. Yes, I said hours. Be patient and you will be rewarded. This type of fishing can be hit and miss. Some nights you’ll have multiple hook ups, other nights, nadda.

d) Dusk.

This can be hit and miss, but occasionally the salmon will creep to within casting distance while feeding anywhere from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Signs to look for are birds (terns?)diving into schools of alewives and seagulls grabbing fish off the surface. Chances are the birds are not the only creatures actively feeding on them. Cast right into or preferably past where you see the birds diving, and reel your lure right through the school of Alewives. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hooked into salmon doing this. The birds can be your best friends… Aerial fish finders.

I don’t waste my time chucking spoons at Port Credit unless it is during one of the above 4 times. I guess that about wraps up rule 1)

So, this brings us to

Rule 2) Replace the dull treble hooks that came with your spoons.

Ditch those trebles and replace them with super-sharp Owner siwash hooks, or at the very least, Gamakatsu siwash hooks if you want to save a few bucks. The bottom line is to get rid of the trebles and replace with siwash hooks. You will get much better hook penetration, and I’ve never had a siwash-hooked salmon get off unless my line snapped.

A pack of Owner siwash hooks will run you about $9 for a 6 pack, but given all the time, energy and expense you’ve already invested, is it really worth skimping out on the one single most important piece of fishing tackle?

Rule 3) Have confidence.

If you strictly follow rule 1) and 2) above, you are maximizing your chances at hooking up with Mr. Chinook Salmon. A good fisherman is a confident fisherman.

A final note about lure selection:

The reason that shore fishermen use spoons is primarily because they are heavy. This allows you to launch your presentation as far as possible, which is vitally important when shore fishing at Port Credit. For this reason, I recommend a ¾ ounce Little Cleo, as opposed to the 2/5 and 1/3 ounce models.

Similarly, Krocodiles come in a couple of sizes. Again, you want the largest size.

Lure color: I’ve found that the best colours are yellow/silver, blue/silver, green/silver both regular and hammered finish (cleo) and fire-tiger.

For visual reference, here is my Port Credit salmon line-up:

My Cleos:



edit to add a pic of the yellow/silver cleo... This is probably the best colour of them all. You may have noticed that it's missing from my collection. That's only because I lost it the last time I went salmon fishing, and I haven't got around to replacing it yet. Here is what it looks like:



My Luhr-Jenson Krocodiles:


My Rapala J-13s:



I think I've pretty much covered the basics, but in case I've missed anything, members with knowledge of this subject should feel free to add to this if you have any additional info.

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107 is close to the zoo. 

 

107 is Amos Ponds, an old quarry. I have been birding there often, and saw a school of goldfish years ago, in the south pond. There are mink in the north pond, so they're finding something.

Bottom feeders....I have caught bass, walleye, brown trout, perch, bowfin, blue gill, pumpkin seed, crappie all taking bait from the bottom. My knowledge of bottom feeders is to my advantage and opportunity.  

 

Carp are my 2nd favourite fish to catch after bowfin. Very happy to know that most of you will not be competing with me for the opportunity to catch one. I really like fishing for suckers in the dead Don River too.

 

If I had to fish for bowfin, carp and suckers standing shoulder to shoulder along the banks of the rivers trying to fair fish for my catch while others illegally snagged them before me then I would be an angry angler too.

 

I would rather fish Toronto in my little spare time then wait to go outside the city fishing the three times I would get to otherwise. I have caught bigger and better fish in TO waters than anywhere else I have fished with the exception of walleye and muskie. I grew up in Peterborough and Ottawa....I would rather fish Toronto. Thanks to you for making the drive out of Toronto to fish!