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.

Another fish kill feared

By RANDY RICHMOND, The London Free Press

After a brief rainy respite, rivers and creeks in the region have returned to the "worrisome" low levels that may have led to the recent fish kill in Pottersburg Creek, scientists warn.

"We've got levels in mid-July that we usually have at the end of August," Mark Helsten, a senior water resource engineer with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, said Tuesday.

Read more...

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.

F You and the Bass You Rode In On

I took the day off because the kids had a PD Day and needed supervising.  We decided to hit a local hole and do some fishing. Well I did at least, the kids mostly played around the water. I got 4 bass (about 1lb each) and some micro perch.  The we caught on a tube dragged across the bottom and on worm on a perch rig.

It feels great to get some bass.

Basses, we don't  need no stinkin' basses.

Getting my Bass Kicked

On the Bas Opener I got my ass kicked.

I threw all different kinds of lures, all different presentations and all different locations. I had one nice bass on, but it threw the lure on a big jump.  That was the only bass sighting I had on the weekend.  Clearly I was in the wrong spots for hours and hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Weekends like that really kick your ass. Everyone I spoke to was getting shut out last weekend on the bass.

I did manage a white sucker on a Live Target perch down at Gibbons Park on Sunday morning.

I will soldier on and get back at it this weekend.

Carpe Carp.

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.

Rock Bass Opener

I went down to Labatt's dam on Saturday,  after picking up a dozen minnows from Angling Sports on Adelaide. It was about 10 AM when I got there.  There was one other fisherman and his son on the other side of the river. It didn't look like they caught anything.  I fished from 10 AM until 12:30 PM. No trout, but I did hook into a bunch of rock bass. They ranged from 6 inches to 15 inches and maybe a pound in weight. They were not what I was looking for, but 10 fish are better than nothing.

The water level was really low at the dam. You can see the gravel and rock at the base and it looks less then a foot deep there.

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.

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.