Hairpy

Paul , I don't ever see a roe ban happening around here. Fish eat eggs that's what they do so we use eggs for bait quite simple. At least there's a 2 fish limit on the river. A lot of people also use tonnes of flies , beads , pink worms etc and even "crickhoppers" lol! But they all have their time and place too. I use those items usually when I run out of roe.

I can't see why OFAH would be against the 2 fish idea. If you want to take fish home then take home the "put and Take fish" like coho's and chinooks that are stocked and leave the wild ones alone to establish themselves Joseph

Guys , hatchery fish are not always clipped! To identify a hatchery fish look for wonky soft dorsal fins and shorter rounder pectoral and anal fins, they get like this from over capacity in the tanks. Wild fish will most likely have very pronounced long opaque pec fins and a big stiff dorsal fin and in a lot of cases will have a warn out tail on the bottom from previous mating rituals. We spend thousands of volunteer hours each year to raise these hatchery fish to create more fishing opportunities at the same time it takes a lot of pressure away from the wild spawners. Joseph

CPH, there's no way the river guys kill more fish than the lake/charter guys. The problem I have with the charters is that they still think that all their customers want to keep all their fish (old school mind set i guess) Most places there are hatchery fish stocked for the taking and the wild fish are VERY protected! Why the hell can't we inforce the same theory on Lake Ontario? Joseph

Very true Mike , I just didn't want to russle too many feathers here as there are members of this board that charter out that way. Ricky the worst part is that 5 fish x 6 guests = 30 dead steelhead (mostly wild) that will most likely end up in someones freezer and then in the garbage. Joseph

What IS sad is the amount of fish that are killed in the spring , and everyone wonders why there's not as many fish? Joseph

Great report! The deformaties are from genetics but also from being overcrowded when they are young in a hatchery. The one with the warn out tail bottom is actually from spawning (nest building) Great fish man! Joseph

Thats Awesome Mike , great stuff! I took Emily in the pontoon yesterday and she landed 2 chromers on my pin! It's a pretty great feeling ! Joseph

Bill, I would disagree that the MNR uses Nipigon brookies to stock all Ontario rivers. Wouldn't that be taking away from the wild population? The Atlantics are stocked at many life stages to see what works best. Even though the history of stocking Ats in Lake Ontario does not seem to carry much weight we are now seeing results in the creeks and the lake. I don't get to fish much these days but I actually have caught 3 atlantics this fall and 2 in the lake last year out of 3 total outings. They are definatly there and I hope they continue because they are a great addition to an already awesome fishery!! Joseph

Saturday's weather was just perfect for stocking out the first ever batch of Coho's from the CRAA Hatchery!! We also stocked out some nice Steelhead in the 8-12 inch range Here's a few vids of the fish the first ones are teh steelhead and the second one is the Ho's Coho's Joseph

Nice fish Bill! See any atlantics in your travels? Joseph

Hi Sean , we have enough people for the stocking day this spring but I am looking for someone to cover regular duties for one hour a week at our hatchery. Let me know if this interests you. thanks Joseph

yup

The guys like to get started early and yes we have to lock the gate because it is private property and we have strict rules. If you can make it after 5 then please call my personal cell phone # 416-592-0718 and I will get in touch with the many workers to come up and open the gate for you. Waders are a good thing but rain pants will do for most of the work done. There are many jobs to be done down there and the person in charge will direct you based on how many people show. Guys , this is a really cool experience for anyone even if you don't fish! Remember you must be 16 years old to attend as well. thanks Joseph

"An ethical charter captain will leave them alone once a limit is reached" Unfortunatly Mike , this isn't always the case. Joseph

Thanks for posting this Mark Guys this will be a great event! Make sure you sign up on the website to register. Joseph

Finally managed to get out to what was an awesome day! Water was super clear and the fish were hungry. Can't wait till this weekend! Hope the rain goes away.

Like Dave and Bill , I also picked up a new/used one for $200 in the states. It's a Water Skeeter built for class II which is probably max for what I want to float through. Water Skeeter is closed up so you might be able to find a good deal out there. I fished out of a 2 man one this year and it's awesome ! Joseph

Just make sure you handle the fish as quick and gentle as possible cause if the fish goes belly up down the river , you will be in a bit of trouble Joseph

Great report wtg but please bonk the clippers! Joseph

It used to be great fishing till the fish got "netted" out of the rapids The smallies fishing is still decent though. Stopped going there altogether. Joseph

The Boyne is only open till the end of the month. Joseph

Most die but not all

I use State Farm because they insure me for the ENTIRE 12 months of the year, my boat value is $15K and the premium is $400/year. Jsoeph