Jet

I decided to head down to the Humber River today at the Old Mill to show my sister and brother the spectacle of Salmon jumping over the dam. When we get there, indeed the Salmon are jumping and at the top of the dam stands a photographer catching the moment. Just 10 feet from the bottom of the dam on the west side are two fishermen. They're in waders, decked out with fishing vests, a large net and are chucking Cleos with their spinning rods. No sooner did we arrive, one of them snagged into the back of a large Salmon. They fought it to shore, scooped it with the net and celebrated with high 5s. They must of thought it was as successful angling moment. The photographer walks by me and I ask him, "Did you get pictures of those guys illegally fishing?" "I did but it doesn't matter. You call the MNR and they never come. I see it all the time," he replies. Unfortunately he is right, I also see it all the time and even if a C.O. arrived after a call they'd be long gone. And long gone is reality because within minutes of landing the fish, the getaway began. The two "fishermen" proceeded to make their exit after their proud high 5s and I decided at the very least to follow and get a picture of their vehicle. They reach their car and I watch from afar as they load their catch into a cooler. Then coming down the path is a Metro Toronto Police officer in his squad car. He is stopped by a witness and pointed in their direction. The cop rolls up on the "fishermen" and is immediately backed up by another officer. As they deny catching the fish at the dam, the photographer walks over and points them out showing the officers he has pictures. Both individuals were fined. I spoke to the officer and he said he was there because they received numerous complaints about people fishing at the dam and because the C.Os only work Monday-Friday he was here to check it out. I went back to the dam to watch some more fish jumping only to see three more guys fishing within 10 meters of the dam. One of them was fighting a snagged fish. Little did they know the cops were already on their way down the trail. Add three more to their tally. I definitely want to give a shout out to the police for coming down there and catching these guys red-handed after people called in to complain. Even though fish may sit at the lower end of the priority list when it comes to crimes to respond to in the city, it just goes to show you that if people make enough noise things can happen.

That's great to hear. Kudos to the OPP for catching these guys.

Great to see you guys succeeded in your mission to find your first Salmon. I remember my first (I was 13) and don't think I'll ever forget.

I noticed some people had issues, but I've had mine for over a year and not one problem and use it frequently. Regardless, having a light that you can use both to charge lures and light up your surroundings is a nice solution.

Get one of these: http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Au...2BSpotlight.jsp Got mine on sale for $15. Always seems to be one on sale at CT every Friday. It is super powerful, can light up the landscape, has adjustable beam and best of all charges itself; no batteries! To charge your Cleo just put cover the lure, turn on and it charges in no time. And when you're not charging lures it's a great light for night fishing and lighting up the scene so you can get your battles on video. On full blast (3,000,000 candle power) it last for about 15 mins, so you can't keep it on all night.

The other guys there laughed when I told them it was hooked on the Double D. I have to admit I didn't think that Dare Devil was going to work at all. I figured I'd let him practice with it before he'd "lose" it. I've had that piece of hardware in my tackle box forever and honestly have never used it. I guess fishing gear doesn't always need to be as fancy as some of it is now!

I went down to Lake O recently to see if the Salmon had arrived. Didn't see much action on the surface, but decided that since I had driven all that way I might as well try a few cast. Low and behold the Salmon were biting. I only stayed for two hours but my friends and I hooked three Salmon. We caught two on Jointed Rapalas and hooked one on the tried and tested Dare Devil. One of my friends is a rookie angler so I gave him my 20-year-old Dare Devil to use knowing that snags are common at this spot. I guess the karma fishing gods showed me, cause he hooked the first one and it was a very big male close to 30 lbs in my estimation. After about 10 minutes the spoon popped out, but it hooked his enthusiasm. Here are two pictures of the only hen we landed.

Second Plank Road. They are really great and don't gouge you on gas like some places. They charge $10 for the full tank before you leave. Instead of charging you for what you use when you get back which mysteriously always seems to be $15 - $25 at other places even though the tank is still almost full.

Man that is awesome! Way to go Victor. Looks like they did a good fillet job.

First some lunker bass. Now TPB! You're having a great week. Man I love that show. Started watching it when it first came out. What was the event?

You really got those Largemouths dialed in this this year. Nice job.

Nice job L2P. When you hitting our Simcoe spot again?

If you want a pin that can be used like a spin check this out!!: http://www.skreel.com/ I got my Okuma Sheffield off ebay for about $170 with shipping (bid), so that was a great deal. Like others have said for $200 that's about as good as it gets. Islander would be a great reel to buy if you don't want to reconsider your purchase one year later. It's toggles that line between entry and premium. So if you're the kind of person that tends to go affordable first only to upgrade shortly thereafter the Islander would be worth the extra cash. I have the Okuma Sheffield its a great reel, spins nicely (especially after a kerosene bath and oil massage) and once the fight is on, it performs like any good pin should.

I was in your situation last season. Ice fished a lot without one. When I started to fish back lakes more and more, often being the only group out there, I decided like you safety was worth the cost. So I did a lot of searching for one that had lots of useful features and would fit my budget. After comparing the popular brands, the suit I went with was the Helly Hansen Alpha float suit, that I got from Hirks in Courtice for $280+tax. There is also a cheaper model of Helly Hansen Delta for about $250, but I've seen it on sale for $199 though often late into the season. That model has fewer pockets and doesn't have the internal suspenders of the Alpha which come in super handy on those warmer days. http://www.helly.ca/EN/products/124-product.cfm

Nice catch man. Been trying my luck at the piers on and off for the past few weeks with no luck. Glad to see you found them.

All I can say is WOW! Solo your reports are always a pleasure to read, especially when I'm at work! And with the Steelhead season coming I know you're going to be a busy man at the keyboard. Cheers!

I collect mine in a bag and drop it off at Bass Pro for recycling.

What you're doing is a great way to start: go out and see what's happening at the Ganny and see if the fish are running, talk to other fisherman and observe what others are doing. You'll be able to tell who's getting the job done and try what they're doing. Any decent fisherman should be happy to share some knowledge with you. That's what I used to do when I was 13 years old. I'd bus down to the piers and eventually through trial and error I hooked my first salmon. When you see a plan through to success it will be thoroughly satisfying.

Use some good moisturizing soap and add just a touch of bleach and dilute it well in a bucket or sink of water. It all depends on how sensitive your hands are, but you don't need much bleach. It works every time for me and is the only thing that completely gets rid of that fish smell.

I really hate seeing when people bash other about holding fish vertically, especially when they take the time to contribute a report. What better way to say "Thank You" especially when they bash someone for holding a fish and not first asking if they kept it. They always seem to assume the worst first. Regardless of who's right, you can educate without bashing. As GCD and others pointed out, people get bent out of shape about fish held vertically, touching the shore, on grass, but ignore the fact we rip hooks through their mouths, often with great force. Let's not forget about the times it gets stuck in the gullet. The whole sport starts by hurting fish, regardless of whether they feel it or not. Since that part cannot be avoided to enjoy fishing then after that mandatory procedure takes place, we owe it to these fish to be as proactive as possible for the well being of the fish when releasing. That said, I think if you apply the golden rule of "Treating others how you want to be treated" is a good rule of thumb when dealing with fish. Do you like to breathe? If you do then get the fish back into the water as quickly as possible. Do you like to be held by the neck or foot? Perhaps it doesn't hurt fish as much as some might believe, but I'd sure rather be cradled with two hands. Some common sense can go a long way.

I've watched Italo Labignan hold pike vertically many times on his show and he always indicates he's not holding it by the gill but rather the bone at the top of gill opening closest to the mouth to show he's holding it safely (in his opinion at least). http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/conser...olding-big-fish

Anyone here have experience with the albright knot vs double uni when attaching smaller diameter braid to larger diameter mono leader? I ask because most fishing sites I've checked recommend the Albright.

Awesome pictures, appreciate the report. Look forward to more.

They don't call fishing a sport for nothing! It's like littering. It's so obviously wrong but some people still and will always do it. That's why I love ice fishing. I can always get a good spot away from the crowds.

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