Fishing Report September 6th, 2012

With the impending rain, I decided to get out last night for a short fishing trip down to the Forks of the Thames. I got there about 8:30 and left at 10:00.  We used hot dogs.  I caught a white bass around a pound in the first couple of minutes and thought, great they generally travel in large schools and we would be hitting white base every cast. No suck luck as he was clearly the only one in the area. My next catch was my first Spiny Soft Shelled Turtle. The one was big, at least half a meter in length. She was released without incident. (That brings my Thames River Turtle species count to 4: Snapping, Spiny Soft Shelled, Painted and Red Ear Slider) That was it for my night of catching.  My daughter who was almost asleep at 5 to 10 jumps out of her chair and her reel starts screaming.  This fish pulled off well over 100 feet of line before she turned it. After her initial panic, she settled into the lift and reel down rhythm.  After a good 5 minutes she pulled in and released a nice sized carp ( 8-9 lbs) It was then off the home. I know she's telling every kid at school this morning about her monster fish.

Fishing Report September 2nd, 2012

I went back to the Forks of the Thames with the rest of my hot dogs.  We arrived at 8 but didn't get out first bite until 9:30. What a difference a night makes.  The first fish was the smallest catfish I have ever caught. It was a 7 inch channel cat, very cute trying to eat such a big bait. The next bite happened soon after.  This fish fought for a good 10 minutes and made several impressive runs.  When we landed it the channel cat was almost 2 feet long and easily 10 lbs, which makes it the largest catfish I have ever caught.  We decided to call it a night shortly after that.

In addition I met another angler Matt tonight who had some great stories and advice on catching fish and he watches the Ghetto Fishing Show.

Fishing Report September 1st, 2012

Well it was the last night of the full moon, so I thought I should get out and get fishing.  We went down to the Forks of the Thames at about 8:00 PM.  My son likes to come and watch but not fish.  I fished away from shore for a bit and didn't get anything, then we noticed a lot of carp only 5 or 6 feet away from the shore.  So we decided to bring in the tackle.  I was using hot dog pieces on hooks.  Shortly after we pulled in a 5 lbs catfish. Over the next 45 minutes I got a number of bites and hook up, but nothing ever got the shore.  About 9:45 I got a monstrous bite and the fish pulled out almost 200 feet of line before I could turn him.  We fought for about 6 or 7 minutes with a number of close calls, including him wrapping my line around a branch. Luckily we got him in and it was a nice 10 lbs carp.  After releasing the fish we were out of hot dogs and my tackle was really tore up, so it was time to come home.  I hope to get out at least once more this long weekend.

Fishing Report August 29th, 2012

Headed down to the Forks of the Thames for some lazy evening action.  I took my daughter and we were fishing with worms. We got there at about 7 and there were some girls who caught a couple of rock bass.  I caught a 2 lbs sucker quickly and followed it up with a 6 inch perch. My daughter was playing with her line in and around some rocks.  She kept say she saw fish there, I told her it was her imagination. Then in rapid secession she pulled up, but not all the way in a couple of rock bass and some perch.  Her hook was too big and they dangled on the worm until they hit about 4 feet out of the water.  I'm going to have to trust her eye sight (but not her judgement on what constitutes a reasonable fish) in the future. After that excitement I pulled in a 1 lbs sucker. After dark I got a couple of big bites, but the fish was gone and they didn't reoccur so we called it a night.

As a side note it has been nice to see a lot of fishermen using the Forks of the Thames this summer. Past years it seemed like it was just me most of the time.

Fishing Report August 12th, 2012

I decided to hit the Forks of the Thames on Sunday afternoon. It was the middle of a sunny day so I didn't expect to hit too much, but my Fantasy Football draft was in the evening, so daytime it was.

I was using worms on a perch rig. Instead of catching a lot of fish I talked to a lot of people and took a brief nap on the dock.  The water was up and flowing well from the rain on Saturday. I fished from 3:30 until 6.  My first bite and fish came at 5:55.  I caught a nice little (14") Redhorse sucker.  Not much of a fight, but I was grateful for not getting skunked.

I'm hoping to get down to Hamilton on the weekend to fish.

Bread Bait Ideas from FishToronto.com

Toronto area Carp will take bread from the surface, off the bottom or even suspended mid-water. The local Carp all along the Toronto waterfront clean up a lot of bread thrown at the waterfowl by the kids at the duck pond, and across the Harbourfront parks. Learning to use bait that your local fish routinely come across as a free food source is a key tactic for sight fishing Carp in shallow waters. My friend Blair is the absolute master of free-lining a bread crust, while sight fishing for Carp in the margins here in Toronto. Blair routinely lands big Carp on bread crust like no one else I have seen.

But what about using hair rigged bread fished at distance on the bottom? Bread doesn’t have a very good reputation for this style of fishing and I hear the same complaints time and again.

Read full article...

Fishing Report - July 12, 2012

I went to the Forks of the Thames last night for a couple of hours.  Tossed in some bacon. I caught a small bass and a large snapping turtle. Both were returned to the water.

Fishing Report July 10, 2012

My daughter and I hit the Forks of the Thames after dinner tonight. We were down on the dock from 7 - 8:45 PM. We used worm and bacon on perch rigs for some lazy fishing. On the worm we landed a white bass and a small sucker. (both in the 1 - 2lbs range) We switched to a piece of cooked bacon I brought.  Thanks to the Ghetto Fishing Show for the tip. In the 30 minutes we fished the bacon, two fish annihilated the bait. The first was a small carp (3lbs). Carp normally play with their food, this guy hit so hard and fast I assumed it was a giant bass being eaten by a pike at the same time. The next fish was a 5lb catfish who hit and ate with normal catfish gusto. All fish were returned to the water no worse for wear. The cooked bacon really cam through for me. I can't wait to try it again!

3lbs Carp

5lbs Catfish

Fishing Report July 8th, 2012

My friend from Burlington came down today and wanted to do some urban fishing. What place is more urban than Labatt's Dam.  I cast in with a perch rig and worm and right away land a small rock bass. My friend is using a hook and weight on the bottom and is getting nothing but snags. I throw in again and get a nice 2lbs channel cat.  Across the river there are some guys starting to smoke crack, so it's time to move on.

We go to the Forks of the Thames next. Over the next couple of hours shooting the breeze my friend snags 2 little bass. About 8 inches. These are the first bass I've seen in this area in a long time. Needless to say they were put back with care.  I manage a small turtle that was let go with harm or trouble.

Not an awesome afternoon fishing but it was good seeing my friend.

Fishing Report - July 3, 2012

I'm battling bronchitis, which has kept me away from fishing for 3 days. I went to work today, so I figured I'm well enough to fish.

We hit Dorchester for all of about 10 minutes before thunder storms rolled in. On the way back to London things started to clear and we decided to hit the forks of the Thames.

We went down to the dock and I was casting a perch rig with dew worms on it.  In the hour we were there I caught two 5lb channel cats and a 4lb carp.  Not bad for a what the heck excursion.

I hope to be better soon and start hitting the water after work more often.

Secret Carp Bait

I like to fish for carp. I've caught them on a lot of different baits, but the one that always brings them in is bread. I work a small dough ball in my hand until it is a little sticky. Just use the white parts, the crust isn't as good. Cover the hook completely, or you can use a hair rig.

The secret ingredient I use on my bread is vanilla extract. A few drops in a sandwich bag with the bread will make the bread smell irresistible to the carp.

I like to use a perch rig with two hooks covered in bread. It takes a little while until the carp zero in on the bait.

Happy Carping

Fishing Report - May 29th, 2012

Hit the Forks of the Thames with my daughter.  Lots of ducks, lots of geese, little bit of fish.  I got one carp (7lbs)  It was a nice night with the temperature gently going down.

Long Weekend Report

I fished a lot this weekend, in a bunch of different places.

Saturday night I fished Black Creek while visiting, a couple small sunfish. We did get a boat ride on the Niagara River, which was very cool.

Sunday I fished Hamilton harbour for a bit, lots of gobies and a nice sized bullhead.

Monday I hit the Thames and pulled in a nice 10 pound carp. I've never fought with a fish for so long. It took me 10 hard minutes to land it and my arms were like rubber. Awesome fish though. Carp are definately heating up in the warm water.

Weekend Report - May 10-11

I only got out once this weekend. I was supposed to meet up with Derek on Saturday morning, but I couldn't get out of bed after a late night Friday. My daughter and I hit the forks at Ivey Park in the afternoon.  After some nibbles, I did manage a Redhorse sucker and she fed the ducks. The weather was great and it's fun to get out for the afternoon.

I discovered a new bass hole last week and can't wait to try it.

Trout Opener

As you already know Saturday April 28th is the Zone 16 trout opener.  I've never been a real trout guy and I've only ever caugh one wild trout in my life and it wasn't targeted.  That said I think I'll grab a dozen minnow, some perch rigs and try my luck at the river tomorrow.  I doubt I'll catch anything, but it's still good to get out there and fish. I'll probably hit Labatt's dam mid morning.

Good luck to all the real trout fisherman tomorrow.

Lost My Skunk

I went out in the rain tonight, since the fish are already wet. Rebecca, Charlene and I hit the forks of the Thames.  With hot dogs on steel leaders and 1/2 oz sinkers we went after catfish. Only one was caught. A 3 pound cat on Charlene. (no picture because of the rain) I am very pleased that I have wiped the skunk off my new rod. I was getting a little nervous.

Fishing Rights Erroded

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty—power is ever stealing from the many to the few"
~Wendell Phillips

Our fishing rights are being erroded! Every day we see new threats to our recreational activity and for some their livelyhood. Here are 3 stories from just this spring that will change the way we fish. Some of these are just test cases that will allow other municipalities to put severe limits on our fishing.  If the city of London goes ahead with their Forks of the Thames revitalization plan, we must make sure that our fishing rights are guarded.


1. Loss of fishing grounds in Woodstock, Ontario
Southside Pond Lost

2. Loss of fishing grounds in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto Harbour

3. Loss of bait fish in Ontario
The MNR is looking at severely restricting the use, harvesting and transportation of bait fish.

Keep vigilant, talk to your MPP and city councilors, make sure they know that our fishing is an issue we will vote on.