007

Great photos as usual Brandon. It really brightens up my day to see some B.C wilderness and wildlife instead of looking out of my Condo at all the concrete and glass in T.O! Stay safe out there. Bears are beautiful creatures but any wild animal can be unpredictable. It is worth remembering that one of the best wilderness photographers in the world - Michio Hoshino - who had spent decades in the Alaskan wilderness photographing bears in the wild unfortunately lost his life in a bear attack (albeit a brown/grizzly bear) - so you can never know exactly what they will do. Having said that, it sounds like you are respectful of the bears and know much of their behaviour and I'm sure you keep a safe distance so you should reduce the odds of dangerous encounter considerably. I would take an encounter with a bear in the wild (from a safe distance) any day over one in a zoo. I know from experience it's a totally awesome feeling to be sharing a moment with such an incredible wild animal. Out of interest are there any Grizzlies in the Mt Seymour area or coastal mountains or are they pretty much restricted to the Rocky Mountain ranges and Parks like Banff, Jasper, Yoho etc?? Keep those shots coming! Thanks 007

I sure hope I can get back out there and get that big carp before the end of the season. Only problem is I'm now in a lot more pain than earlier in the week. Went to the doc and he said I might have torn a muscle in my chest or cracked a rib! Problem is there's not much he can do for either. Went to the hospital for xrays to confirm whether I have a fracture or break - they won't give me results until early next week! Unfortunately I'm in too much pain to go fishing this weekend . I guess it gives some time to do my Killarney report from the Labour Day weekend! Good luck out there this weekend and be careful not to injure yourself like me!! 007

Looks like you had an awesome fishing trip! Thanks for posting all that walleye eye candy!

Wow - nice fish. Looks like your dad is doing some weight lifting with that huge muskie!

Is this the return of Cliff's nightly reports where he catches a different species each night? I hope so.... Nice Bullhead - what's tomorrow's catch??

Thanks guys. It sure was a big bucketmouth - I can't believe how big their mouths are - its just all out of proportion!. The ribs are still sore but no major harm done i don't think. I guess if one was broken I would be in a lot more pain! dsn - stalking the carp was good fun but I need more experience of tackling these big fish and making sure I don't lose any. Like you said to me before - the carp are not in there as thick now and it took a while to find some - but they are big and feeding. urbanangler - the weeds are still thick everywhere. Casting lures was tricky - had to find gaps in the weeds or not let them sink too much. Most fish were hiding in the weed but could occasionally be tempted out. Snag - in answer to your question on my other post - I was using 20lb power-pro. I'm guessing for carp fishing I should have gone for stronger braid. Presumably for pike the 20lb stuff should be ok? What strength do you use? 007

Hi all. It's been a while since I posted a report where I have actually caught a decent sized fish - was June I think when I caught my PB carp at 15lbs. So I headed out to the Toronto Islands today on my day off work with the goal of catching a big one! The aim was to target the big guys - Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Carp and Salmon. The weather was cooler and windier than I had hoped for but it was better than being in the office. I started the day by casting XRaps along weed edges and the canal walls in the hope of catching a good pike. However the only fish I could get to even chase the lure were perch and small bass. After a while of no success I decided to change tactics and at least try and avoid the dreaded skunk, so set up a rod with a float and worm - my favourite 'back to basics' rig. Sure enough, the fish were there, just needed smaller baits to get them cos they were small fish. For the next hour or so I had fun catching perch after perch, sunfish after sunfish and the odd small bass. There were certainly a lot more perch than usual, normally the sunfish outnumber the perch but this time it was the other way round. It then dawned on me that the commotion of all the small fish being hooked might have alerted the attention of a pike so I picked up the rod with the xrap on and had another go. Within a few minutes I had a follow from a large bass. Having attracted the fish close to where I was standing I decided to toss my float and worm rig out again as islands bass usually can't resist a live worm. Within seconds I was fighting a huge largemouth bass, that on one run even took line from my reel even with the drag set for more powerful fish like pike and carp. This fish was a brute - problem was - could I net it. Due to the dry summer the water levels around the islands have fallen somewhat and I could barely reach the water from the bank with my net! In the end I had to lie down flat on the bank over the canal wall and scoop the now tired bass out of the water. I successfully netted the fish but not without some difficulty and a worrying cracking sound from my rib cage which was balancing on the iron wall edge as I scooped the fish out (am now in some pain - maybe I should go to the hospital for xrays?). With the fish on the bank I took the vital stats - almost 20 inches in length and 4lbs 11oz on the scales! My new Personal Best Largemouth Bass, beating a fish I caught two years ago at the Islands that I estimated at 4lbs. I took a few pics but really wanted a shot of me holding it - wouldn't you know it - there was no one around. Normally at the islands there are so many people you want them to go away and now there was no-one to take a photo! As the fish had been out of water for a while now I decided against a self-timer shot from a nearby picnic table and released the fish. Feeling a little happier that I had caught a big fish for a change I decided to experiment a bit - I actually used a spinnerbait for the first time. What did I hook with it? A big pike - nope - a bass only just bigger than the lure! Time to move on. I decided that it was time to target the next species - carp. I walked along one of the large channels looking into the weed, searching for signs of carp. In one clearing of the weed I noticed the tell-tale tail of a heads-down feeding carp. So I threw in a handful of corn in a nearby clearing in the weed and waited to see if the carp would move in. Sure enough two carp came over and start sucking in the corn. So I quickly take off my wire leader and attach a small hook straight to my 20lb power-pro, put a few kernels of corn on and attach a split shot 2ft from the hook. It wasn't long before a carp of easily 20-25lbs sucked in my hookbait. I set the hook - fish on. The reel starts to scream as the fish runs, slowly at first near the surface and then more quickly straight down into the weeds. I hold on for the first run and slowly tighten the drag until the fish stops. With the first run over (or so I think) I applied pressure and started to (prematurely) reel in, unfortunately the fish had other ideas and took off on such a powerful run my now tightened drag couldn't take it and SNAP - my 20lb power-pro breaks - potential PB carp lost! Oh the ups and downs of fishing! Two PBs in a day was just too good to be true! Needless to say the lost carp and the increasing pain in my chest put a dampner on things from then on. With thoughts of calling it a day in my mind I headed back towards the ferry, stopping for a few mins to cast a little cleo to where I had seen some big fish jump (possibly a few early arriving salmon). Unfortunately no takers. So of the big 4 - I had managed to hook two of them, including a PB largemouth bass, but oh how the day would have been better still with a 20lb carp PB too! Oh well - there's always next time - though maybe I need stronger braid, a reel with smoother drag and a bit more patience to just let the fish run if that's what it wants to do! Here's a few pics... Cheers 007 p.s I will try to post a report from my weekend trip to Killarney sometime this week - lots of beautiful pics just not many of fish!

That's amazing fishing and scenery. Can't wait for Part 2!

I am hoping to use my new Power Pro line for the first time tomorrow down at the Toronto Islands. The reel with that line on would most likely be used to fish for pike, carp or maybe salmon but I have a few questions..... For the pike - assume the best think would be to tie on a wire leader between lure and braided line (as I would do when using normal mono as my mainline)? For the carp - can I tie a hook straight to the power pro or should I tie myself a leader of 14lb mono and tie the hook to that? For the Salmon (probably too early yet) - do I tie a cleo spoon straight to the power-pro or do I tie a mono leader or even use a wire leader? Thanks in advance for the advice and feedback. 007

Wow - another great carping report from what is probably the last place I would have thought of for carp fishing. Nice to know the salmon n trout don't have the river all to themselves! Looking forward to the next report Mike - still time for a few more carp this year?!. 007

OK. So who are the guys who have caught over 25 species? Don't be shy - name your species!!! Could you be the best all-round angler on OFC?

Nice fish Mike. No skunk then, just a case of late reporting due to fatigue from the sounds of it! Go put your feet up - job well done. 007

Congrats Anatz on what sounds like a very successful evening's fishing. I was thinking of heading down to Grenadier Pond one evening soon to try and add Black Crappie to this year's list of species caught. I too was pleasantly surprised to catch quite a few Black Crappie in the pond last year in among the usual pumpkinseed and bluegill! 007

Could it be that the 'Carp Kings' were skunked? What's the world coming to?

Thanks Nemo - very helpful.

Thanks for posting the report MJL. Good to see you catching something other than monster carp! 007

I knew Cliff would be beating me - you truly are an all-round angler. Can anyone beat his 20 species I wonder?

Thanks for the info MJL - will try to find those lakes on a map when I get there. HH - thanks for the fish n chips tip - will definitely give that a go instead of cooking on the stove one night!

Thanks Gerritt. I did wonder about G-Bay -very tempting - but I'm guessing we will spend most of the time exploring the park on foot or canoe but there is always time for a few hours fishing if I am permitted to in the park's lakes. I don't suppose you or anyone else know if there is any fishing in the lakes near the main camping area of George Lake - what fish would be in there? I will try to check the regs for any clues but seeing as I don't know the area it probably won't be easy to work out where I can and can't fish. Hopefully if I do take the rods there will be a bit more in the way of info at the park but wondered if anybody had first hand experience fo fishing in the park. 007

Hi everyone, I am going camping again this weekend - last one of the year and probably my last ever camping trip in Canada (if my wife has anything to say about it!). We are heading up to Killarney Provincial Park. We picked the park because of its scenery and natural beauty so we can enjoy hiking and my passion for photography. Now I have heard that some of the lakes are not to be fished as they are sancturies for fish to recover following years of acid rain pollution. But can anyone tell me if there is any fishing at all in the park? Can I fish in George Lake (where the main campground is)? Also is there any good fishing (from shore) nearby outside of the park? Just don't know whether to take my fishing gear or not. Any help appreciated. 007

LOL - has to be caught on rod and line - not trapping/netting of fish! 007

Hi all, I thought I would give you a quick update on how my quest to catch as many of the fish species in Ontario this year is going. It started off well but has recently tapered off with the only new species caught in the last 2 months being the Smallmouth Bass and the smallest Bowfin you've ever seen. This leaves my total for the year at 16 different species. The list of fish species so far is as follows: Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Common Carp, Yellow Perch, White Perch, White Sucker, Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Bowfin, Common Shiner, Golden Shiner, Creek Chub, and Round Goby. I know I'm stretching it a little by including the small fry but why not - they all count! Apart from updating you on my quest it got me wondering how many of Ontario's fish species has everyone else caught this year so far? I know for a fact that ccmtcanada and Bly have got more than me as have many others no doubt - so tell us how many different species you've caught and what they are in this quick poll! There are 38 species listed in Ontario's guide to eating sport fish plus plenty of others out there. So get counting. Who's caught the most this year? Also any tips you can give me in order to add some more new species to the list during the next few months would be gratefully received. Cheers 007 Here's a pic of each the species I've got so far...

Hey dsn. I still haven't given up hope of beating my PB carp of 15lbs this year down at the islands. Are you suggesting that it will be too late soon? I have seen big carp at the islands in September and was hoping to go for them next month. Maybe I'll get out tomorrow if the rain goes by then - will catch some bass with old fashioned worms - almost guarantee it. Cheers 007

Hey dsn - I was actually fishing that Centre Islands canal spot you and MJL were fishing for carp. There were lots of fish in the weeds and quite afew jumping but I think there are so many baitfish they just aren't as interested in angler's fake baits. Didn't see any carp but wasn't fishing for them. Looks like you got a nice sized carp there man. 007

I hear you GCD. I must confess I wasn't in the camoflaged gear but was wearing dull colours and did try to keep a low profile - but you're probably right they might have been able to see me on some occasions. I also wonder if the fish at the Islands are so used to seeing soft plastic baits that they are more interested in the real thing! Plenty of bait fish to eat and they usually love my wriggly worms too, even if they can see me!