MJL

Great hauling Jacques and Paul Well done with a great report to boot!

My fluorocarbon hierarchy for steelhead leaders (4-10lb) Tops in my books - Drennan - Seaguar - P-line - Scientific Anglers I've had good and bad experiences with these: - Maxima FC - Siglon - Raven I'd rather use 20lb mono in gin clear water before I used it (I never had a good experience with these): - Berkley Vanish - Froghair The cheap red-wing tackle fluorocarbon has really impressed me this season. It's my first season of trying it out and so far so good. At $9 it looks like it's great value for the money. Will probably go another season with it before fully recommending it to anyone though.

Not sure what the numbers are for wild VS hatchery stocked fish but in the rivers I fish, I’m catching good amounts of chinny smolts while fishing upstream for steelhead above weirs, fish ladders, dams, etc. I asked the local fish hatchery and the MNR and those particular fish haven’t been stocked there (in most cases, they were never stocked in those particular rivers to begin with). The smolts also didn’t swim upstream from the river mouths (where they seem to be traditionally stocked) past the dams to get there. I’m guessing there’s a good amount of natural reproduction happening for the Lake O tribs I fish. I’m wondering to what extent the biological impacts these salmon have to our Great Lake tributaries when they do die? Out west in BC, Oregon, Alaska, California, etc, when salmon die, they provide nutrients to their rivers which in turn feed everything from beneficial bacteria to aquatic and terrestrial insects to baby salmon and trout to Grizzly bears directly or indirectly. I personally don’t enjoy the circus the salmon bring with them. Beyond snaggers and some of the less polite/friendly anglers, I’ve seen people using spears, pitch forks, baseball bats, machetes, rocks, nets and volleyball nets. I generally wait for the colder weather when most of the poachers leave the river and I can have my fun with the steelhead in relative peace…In the mean-time I’ll be happy fishing for carp till then. I’ve eaten 2 salmon from Lake O over my lifetime – Both were fresh silver fish…They didn’t taste bad and I’m not glowing in the dark. The grey mushy flesh just turned me off from eating another one.

Can't really elaborate on what the others have said. Start them off like kids and take them to a place with a ton of panfish action. I usually leave my own rod in the trunk and end up being the 'guide' for the first few trips till they get the hang of things. A lot of the time I'm usually too busy re-tying, unhooking fish, pulling hooks and sinkers out of snags and trees, etc to be fishing myself...It really does pay to be patient and encouraging even when the proverbial bird's nest happens. You and me both...Cheers to that! I've posted this story on a past thread but it may come in handy one day A few years ago I decided to take one special lady angler to a quiet stretch of river for some steelheading. She fished quite a bit…More than any girl I’ve ever met and she was a trooper when it came to the cold and rain. She was new to river fishing though along with wading, rock hopping and felt sole boots. I hook into a nice fish, engaged the clicker on the centrepin and handed her the rod. She was thrilled to fight her first ever steelhead. Got the palming technique just right within seconds…She was a natural with the pin. The fish runs downstream a bit, around a bend and into a pool where the bank is a fairly steep muddy slope. You might’ve guessed it…Mud and felt don’t mix and she was going in fast!… As she was sliding in, I made the mistake of yelling out, “Save the reel!”...Apparently a VERY BIG mistake. We left IMMEDIATELY afterward and it was a long and uncomfortable ride home. She was soaked and if it wasn’t for the SPF50 sunscreen I was wearing, she would’ve burned a hole through my head with those “what the hell looks” she gave me every 30 seconds. I’ve never been so afraid for myself and my tackle…

Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to grow up to be a fireman. If I remove my reproductive organs, will I grow big and strong like that fish? Seriously though, I wouldn't mind something like that at the end of my line. That would make a lot of sushi!

Legend I'm hoping one day I'll get into a fish that size I remember reading an article saying that the Seeforellen strain of brown trout (which were stocked in the great lakes) could possibly reach weights of over 50lbs

Great report Doc with some beauty bass to boot! I absolutely love that last picture. That's one great looking dog.

Agreed. I remember fishing a carp tournament one year and the digital scales, even of the same brand and model, weighed differently when we had to check them before the start. Some were off by just over a pound. The spring scales that some of the anglers brought with them were more accurate on average – They were high-end spring scales though not readily available in North America. I found out my digital scale has been weighing 4oz too light for all these years In Europe and the UK, the gold standard scale to use are made by Reuben Heaten (spring scale). They are used in a lot of the carp and match fishing tournaments. The last few world record carp have been weighed and verified on a set. For my own recreational, pleasure fishing, my 50lb Berkley digital (when combined with a dampened weigh sling for bigger fish or shopping bag for small fish – I hate weighing fish by the gills) gives me a good enough ball-park estimate of how heavy a fish is that I might want to know the weight of (I just subtract the weight of the sling at the end). I've caught thousands of carp and steelhead over the years that I really don't weigh very many unless they're approaching Leviathan status

The way I see things. It was free to sign up and it costs nothing to leave – Why complain? Everything about the use of this message board is done voluntarily by its members. You can give a lot of tips out to others and you can get a lot back (In most cases like others have said, you get what you give)…You however are not guaranteed or entitled to getting answers for questions or replies to your posts. Be prepared to receive replies you weren’t expecting (if any). OFC is what it is…The information contained within these pages is free for members, lurkers and Google-bots alike to view and make use of the information. I personally don’t reply very often to requests asking where I’ve been fishing (especially to those who have a post count of zero) – I’m not an ass (Really I’m not) – I just don’t appreciate seeing spent fishing line and empty beer bottles dumped in my favourite fishing spots by those who might have less of an appreciation of the environment than I do. I’m sure you would agree with that as well…If I remember correctly, you yourself ripped the piss out of a 17 yr old kid earlier this spring for posting the name of a certain steelhead creek who was only trying to help somebody out. Would I feel the same if my home spot was posted on the net? Probably…I certainly would’ve handled it differently though. If you absolutely need an answer for fixing a motorcycle, car or lawn tractor, like GCD mentioned, a reputable mechanic is the way to go…You’ll pay some $, but you’ll get an answer for it. Failing that, try an automobile based message board. Failing all of that, OFC – but be prepared to receive replies or answers you might not be looking for or ones that won’t be as helpful as if you went to the mechanic yourself. If OFC doesn’t provide you the answers for your fishing questions, there are other resources available to you: Stop in at the nearest tackle shop and chat with the owner, take a walk or scout out the lake/river/stream you want to fish and talk to the anglers there (I see very few people doing this). You can also hire a fishing guide for the day, pick up a few books from the bookstore or library (definite goldmine here), use the “Ask Italo” feature on the Canadian Sport-fishing web-site or ask a pro on WFN (a couple of which already use OFC), etc. As great as OFC is – I really hate to say this – It isn’t the “be-all” of fishing information. Be pro-active and resourceful in your quest for information. I still can’t understand why so many people get worked up about message boards…People were fishing long before the internet came into conception right? At least I was… OFC is great, I’ve met so many people who share the same passion of fishing that I have and can communicate with those who are literally thousands of km away. I’ve posted fishing reports in the past and received free advice on where to try next without even asking for it from members I’ve never met or spoken to previously. Lurkers who have never posted a single thing on OFC have recognized me out on the water and given me tips and free bait when they see me. The members of this board, given an introduction with some participation now and then, are some of the friendliest and most helpful people you can find. Several of the members have guided me around their home waters FOR FREE (a $375 value each trip). Saying please and thank you really does go a long way. I came for some fishing tips but stayed because of the people.

This past Friday was my mom’s birthday. For her birthday present she wanted nothing more than to go over to Buffalo, NY to do some shopping (Anyone who knows my mom knows she’s going over for some new shoes and CorningWare). Sunday was the day she wanted to go so... Like usual, my family drops me off at the Niagara whirlpool parking lot and goes over the border to do their thing at around 9am (they usually pick me up around 5-6pm) I walked down the path with around 40lbs worth of gear, food, water and bait strapped to my back and made my way down to the water. I opted to leave my rod pod at home and took my tripod adaptor + 3 banksticks with me instead. The slack-water areas I like to fish were already occupied by anglers fishing for salmon and bass. From what I could tell, it was slow going for them with very few fish to show for their efforts (only sheepshead and 1 channel cat were caught with worms). I chose to try my luck in a swim with some fairly fast current and set-up my gear. View of the swim The aero-car that travels across the whirlpool. My set-up The baits I brought with me were maize, boilies, jumbo corn, flavoured chick peas, a few packs of rubber corn and a bucket of stiff method mix. The method mix I made was a mixture of stuff I had around the house: Stale white & whole grain bread run through a food processor, breadcrumbs, molasses, maple syrup, a handful of maize and a small opened can of sweet corn that I found in my fridge which turned almost into a gluey, jelly-like mush but smelled great. Mixed together, dampened with water and formed into balls, it could certainly handle being tossed into some serious current without breaking apart till it reached bottom. I did a few rough calculations in my head and figured how far upstream I needed to be to bait up my swim and how fast maize, boilies and balls of method mix would fall to the bottom. I baited up the swim with maize and balls of method mix and waited an hour till I got my first run. I lost the fish but a few minutes later I finally managed to bank my first Niagara carp of the year. The fishing itself was a little challenging. There was an ever present current flowing through my swim which made baiting up and holding bottom a little tricky – 5oz barely held bottom and leads 2.5 through to 4oz bounced along bottom and got hung up in the rocks downstream (or upstream depending on which way the current direction switched to). I had issues with a few bits of terminal tackle that kept on breaking (i.e. lead clips – The things I attach my lead sinker to the line with). In the end, here’s the rig I was using for my fast-water carping for the day. From left to right: Size 6 carp hook, braided hair rig material, swivel, "broken" lead clip + tail rubber, 5oz lead sinker (these ones were designed for sea fishing), 15 inch piece of rig tubing (to prevent tangling on the cast) From 12pm to 4:30pm the action was almost non-stop. I managed to land 16 fish and lost 8. I was in “tournament mode” and was concentrating so much on catching fish I took far less pictures than I would’ve liked. Fish ranged in size from 10lbs to 18/19lbs and many would take within seconds of the rig hitting bottom. A couple of times I saw my tripod tilt over but managed to catch it in time before it toppled over – The takes couldn’t have been more violent! I actually saw one guy’s rod get pulled into the water TWICE yesterday (he got it back both times). This one was one of the bigger fish of the trip around 18-19lbs Overall I had a blast. It was great that I could make it down to the whirlpool again this year (I only did 1 session so far down there for steelhead earlier this spring). A few people who were hiking around the gorge recognized me from OFC and stopped by my swim for a chat – Didn’t get their names but they were quite friendly and interested in carp fishing – Always a pleasure to talk fishing. One of the hikers had his 2 children with him and they had absolutely no reservations on getting carp slime on their hands. Kids are always the best carpers...They don't get repulsed by the slime Despite the long walk down (and back up), I absolutely love that place. I always feel at peace staring at the gorgeous scenery and battling some of the hardest pulling carp I've ever come across. Can’t wait to get back down there again. Cheers and all smiles

Well done Cliff & Carole Looks like a day well spent. Great report and pics!

It's probably a little late now, but you can't get much simpler than 3-4 kernels of canned corn threaded onto a size 6 hook and an egg sinker 8-12 inches further up the line. Other baits you could try are bread, dough balls (lots of recipes online) or chick peas. Keep a close eye on your rod and stay close to it...Seriously! I'm not too familiar with the Brantford area so I can't help you much there.

The last few weeks, Victor and I have been planning to do an overnight carp fishing session somewhere. Our plans finally came into fruition on Wednesday. We decided to hit up the Kawarthas. I’ve done a few night sessions in the Kawarthas over the years and have done reasonably well in a few spots. Victor has never tried fishing there at night. I wasn’t expecting the action to be all that great. The locals told us that the fishing was slow the last few days. There was also a full-moon overhead which according to carp fishing myth, means slow fishing. I didn’t have anything better to do and neither did Victor so we were up for fishing anyway. Victor and I got to the swim 7pm and set up our gear. We invited Randy (Wolfville) to come with us and he just finished setting up his gear when we arrived. After 10 minutes of setting up, Victor’s rod goes. I managed to steal Victor’s fish while he was taking a short walk to a swim 30 yards next door First fish of the trip at 14lbs caught at 7:15pm This trip we took a more scientific approach to recording our catches. We weighed every fish in a weigh-sling and Victor recorded the times, the weight and who caught the fish on a piece of paper. The total results are at the bottom of this report. An hour later, Victor gets into another fish with fermented maize. Randy gets his first fish at 8:50pm. It was 15lbs. Victor gets his biggest of the night at 22lbs I wasn’t getting much action compared to Victor or Randy even though we were next to each other in a swim that was 15 yards wide – I was on the left-hand side of the swim. I think I was just a little outside of the ‘zone’. I switched up to a tiger nut and cast my rig out 10 yards further and got into fish almost immediately. My first official carp for the night. It was quite a handful on the bank Overall, the action was fairly consistent once the sun went down. We had several double headers during the night. I managed to get a double header with Victor. My fish was 24lbs and Victor’s was 19lbs Randy and I had another double header as well It was a little cold at night. All night a cold mist blanketed us leaving a layer of dew on just about everything (including my camera and bedchair!). We started a fire in Victor’s coal BBQ to keep warm and cook our sausages. Randy caught a fish with some funky scale pattering near its back. In carp angling circles, we call these muddlers At 3:40am I get a fish that peels line off the reel in a hurry and keeps on going. 7 minutes later I bring it close to shore and realize I have to maneuver it around 3 sets of submerged stumps and a couple of other snags – It was certainly a little dicey doing that in the dark. It was 19lbs Victor with a long torpedo shaped carp Around 4am, Randy left for home. The sun starting to creep above the horizon at around 6am Enjoying a misty morning at the lake Victor crashed in the morning after a night of hauling Once the sun came up, the fishing got tougher. In the morning, I managed to land 2 fish at 18 & 15lbs and lost 2 fish to snags. Victor didn’t get a run on his rod all morning. Around 7am, Beans came by to visit Victor and I and fished a swim 30 yards to our right. He chatted with us and told us about what carp fishing was like when he was our age (That’s almost 50 yrs ago!). It was certainly a pleasure listening to him tell his stories. Unfortunately he lost the only run which came to his rod. He left around lunch time. The afternoon bite was better. Once 1pm hit, both Victor and I started getting into some fish. One that just didn’t cooperate for a photo-op We left our rods out while we packed everything away in our car for the ride home. Victor hooked into a fish while reeling in for the last time but lost it – The net was already packed away In the car. Most of the fish we caught came to maize but a good number came to tiger nuts and pineapple jumbo corn. Victor tried some honey flavoured boilies but they didn’t get any fish. We used basic ledgering rigs either with a straight lead or a method feeder. Here’s the result break down for our trip from 7pm Wednesday through to 7pm Thursday: Captor: M=Mike, V=Victor, R=Randy Weight: Ounces were rounded down to the pound Time/Weight/Captor 7:15pm, 14 lbs, V/M 8:10pm, 19 lbs, V 8:45pm, 15 lbs, V 8:50pm, 15 lbs, R 9:00pm, 22 lbs, V 9:15pm, 24 lbs, R 9:18pm, 15 lbs, M 9:45pm, 16 lbs, V 10:25pm, 19 lbs, V 10:25pm, 24 lbs, M 11:10pm, 14 lbs, R 11:35pm, 19 lbs, R 11:56pm, 14 lbs, R 12:30am, 14 lbs, M 1:10am, 18 lbs, R 1:40am, 19 lbs, M 1:40am, 15 lbs, R 1:43am, 15 lbs, V 1:55am, 16 lbs, M 2:00am, 18 lbs, V 2:05am, 16 lbs, M 2:10am, 15 lbs, R 2:50am, 12 lbs, M 3:10am, 15 lbs, M 3:40am, 19 lbs, M 4:05am, 17 lbs, V 4:10am, 19 lbs, M 5:30am, 22 lbs, V 5:45am, 13 lbs, V 5:55am, 13 lbs, V 6:20am, 16 lbs, M 7:05am, 18 lbs, M 9:40am, 15 lbs, M 1:25pm, 15 lbs, V 1:50pm, 18 lbs, M 1:55pm, 14 lbs, V 2:15pm, 20 lbs, M 2:45pm, 19 lbs, V 3:00pm, 13 lbs, M 4:00pm, 18 lbs, M 4:05pm, 19 lbs, V 5:50pm, 15 lbs, M 6:20pm, 12 lbs, M Totals Captor/ Number landed/ Total Weight/ Biggest fish Victor: 15.5, 263 lbs, 22 lbs Randy:8, 134 lbs, 24 lbs Mike:19.5, 321 lbs, 24 lbs • The 0.5 in numbers landed represents the fish I stole from Victor • I lost 8 fish all together and Randy lost 2-3. Not sure how many Victor lost Victor, Randy and I all had a blast. This is the 2nd all-nighter Victor and I have done together (We did one last year). This time we were prepared to sleep a little – I brought my bedchair and Victor had his cot. I didn’t use my bedchair much. I just can’t sleep when I’m fishing - I’m too busy scanning the water for activity. The full-moon phase didn’t seem to phase the fish much and the fish were of a bigger average size than what I’m used to catching at that spot. One of the locals who stopped by to chat with us said, “You guys are crazy…I can see myself doing an all-nighter with a blonde, maybe even for walleye, but for carp???” YOU BET!!! Can’t wait for the next one Hope you enjoyed

I fished it once back in May 2004 for trout...Didn't catch anything. According to my "Fishing in Algonquin Provincial Park" book, there's only lakers to be had. If you're looking for smallies, the lakes along hwy 60 are your best bet Hope this helps

It's literally the backside of the reel...In your case, it's the piece of metal with the word MATRIX on it. My islander has a ported backplate - Meaning there are holes drilled into the back of the reel

That catfish looks like he's smiling Awesome report Jacques with great pics too. Thanks for sharing

Here are some vids to help you out with understanding what a feeder rod is and does. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B5...tt+hayes+feeder Hope this helps

Beautiful musky. Congrats! Great report and pics too

Thanks guys for your help. I really appreciate it I'm not sure if it's the same island. We'll be fishing a little downstream of the conservation area

Can anyone recommend a place to stay in Dunnville? My dad and I are looking for a decent (yet inexpensive) motel to stay for one night (this Friday). We’re just need a goodnight’s rest and a shower - We’ll be roughing it out at a carp tourney the next couple of days. Thanks

Ditto on the point about location. It's easier to fish a natural 'carp highway' than it is to try to attract them to an area that they may only use during one part of the season - For example, carp might only use shallow bays and marshes during the pre-spawn and spawning periods. A few weeks after the spawn, the entire bay (which probably held several hundred if not thousand fish) could be entirely devoid of all but one or two stragglers. After the spawn, most fish seek deeper water or cruise deep channels wherever they can find them. Here's a link which shows opportunities around the GTA for fishing http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/STEL02_163569.pdf

Awesome report Jacques. Beauty bass all around. Congrats to the both of you on a fine day out.

As a kid I used to play with perch and bluegills that were 'living' in my uncle's "white bucket". I'd get poked and had similar reactions to what you have. The next morning I had rashes that itched a little on my hands and arms - A day or two later they were gone. Since then, I haven't experienced anything like that for almost 20 years despite getting spined by some feisty sunfish and perch. With that said, getting cut or poked by fish spines or other fishy parts is definitely no laughing matter. A few years ago, my aunt told me a story about one of her friends getting a small cut while holding a pike by the gills. The pike thrashed a bit and his hand slipped. He received only a small nick. 3 days later it was infected to the point where he had to have several fingers amputated.

According to Shimano's website, the only parts of the new Stradic that are carbon fibre are the: Frame, Sideplate and Rotor Construction. The gears are still metal (Paladin Gear Durability Enhancement). Still a reel I'm definitely going to play around with at the shop

I don't think I'm a 'Carp King'...I'm more of a carp violator TJ, what did you have in mind?