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 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.

A... Trout Hole?

So, we get an insider tip that there could be some good trout fishing inside Komoka, close to the bridge. This is potentially amazing news, as we'd heard there was some limiting factors on them getting that far up the river.

Anyway, needless to say we're taking the information we've got and heading out Saturday morning.

One concerning suggestion was to have a fishing buddy tag along. Generally, this isn't a big deal, but Mark and I don't always get out together, and if this hole pans out to be good for trout, I'm going to be keen to get there often. The advice suggested that while the fishing buddy probably couldn't directly save your ass if it starts going down river, at least they can call for help. What?! I guess if it's not difficult, it's not fishing!

Finally, it'll be a bit of a sore point if this advice turns out to be true. We've been fishing that bridge for cats going on 4 or 5 years now! It always delivers fiesty cat fish once the sun goes down. If there's trout in the same neighbourhood, think of all the times we could have been sporting the evening away, and then slumming it with cats after dark!

Weekend Report

The weather was nice when I arrived at Port Burwell on Saturday around 7PM.  I setup and fished some worms on a perch rig for a while.  A number of little bites, but no real action and no fish.  I spoke to some of the locals who had been out on the Friday night and were slaying the catfish, so I was excited. As soon as the sun went down the temperature dropped and the clouds came in.  We fished until 10:30 but never got a single bite. It shows what one night's difference there can be in fishing. It looks like a promissing spot, so I might go back at some point.

Weekend Fishing

I have high hopes for the weekend.  Full moon, warmer weather and an insider tip regarding catfish.  It may turn out to be a false lead, or a week or two early, but I am hopeful. I'll be getting all of my catfish gear and bait together and be off to fish this weekend.

I've been hearing about this place for almost a year now, the excitment is palpable.

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.

Still have the skunk on

I went out a couple of time Easter weekend with my new rod Charlene.  I tried a number of areas to get some catfish but turned up empty.  I am assuming that the combination of the weather, bait and location were not what the fish were looking for. I tried bacon on the bottom at Springbank, warm water discharge at Greenway and the Forks of the Thames.  No nibbles at all.

In good news I watched Derek play with his new 3 segment Live Target lure. The swimming action was great, just like a fish and it kicked around and did a 180 when stopped on the retrieve. It looks like that could be a devastating lure come bass season.

I need to get something soon to get the skunk off my new rod. The weather looks decent for Saturday. I'll have to give it a try.