Fisherpete

Went 0/3 on sucker locations today... the Rouge at Port Union, the mouth of the Rouge at end of Lawrence and finally the creek running thru Pine Hills cemetary. Didn't even see a fish of ANY species today, except for a dead trout (looked like a rainbow) floating down the Rouge. I am guessing that the low water levels played a role in the lack of fishies. I rarely fish rivers, but would guess that the water levels must have been at least down 18 inches or so. One guy I met on the Rouge told me to keep going up the river for quite a while and the suckers are there - so we walked until we came to an area at the top of a hill in people's backyards - way, way up from the river... and that was enough of that. Oh well, it was a great day to be outside, my son caught his first garter snake, and wifey really enjoyed the scenery and fresh air. All that walking was good for my pooch too(he is a fatty!). Might try Duffin's tomorrow, or Oshawa creek if that fails. Who's the sucker now... lol!

Yep Steve... 20 pounder is my next goal... 25 would be incredible!

Yup, just head to Fishmaster's place... I have seen some big cats caught from his shore this year.

Thanks guys, I'm going to try one of those locations tomorrow. As the saying goes... "Gonna getcha, suckahhhh!"

Solo mission this time... 11 cats for the day. The last 40 minutes before dark was incredible... might even be the best 40 minutes of fishing I have ever experienced for any species. It took less than a minute to have a cat on each time I cast out during the hot spell... wicked fun. Biggest cat was 32" and 15lbs, and of course, that is the one pic that turned out blurry lol... I love the bright yellow cats... check out the contrast between the yellow cat in the second last pic and the grey cat in the last pic... just too cool. Learnings for the day: 1) Ten foot downrigger rods + netting big cats alone = challenge! 2) My cooler makes a great camera stand - now I know how to do my muskie shots in the summer 3) When the cats turn on, THEY TURN ON! Enjoy the pics... I enjoyed making them

I was thinking about trying at the end of the Rouge where it empties into Lake O... fished there before years ago and caught a carp and some bullheads. Anyone have other suggestions where I can catch suckers in Scarborough? And YES, I am addicted to catching catfish right now! At least I am not in denial!!!

After seeing the pictures of my big kitties last Wednesday, my son begged me to go so he could catch his own... so on Saturday, out we went, with wifey and pooch along for the ride. We started fishing in the early afternoon, and although it was sunny and 15C, the winds made it a bit chilly out there. There were a LOT of boats out there compared to Wednesday. We anchored in a good looking spot, and set up our lines. We saw a few cats being reeled in, and not long after, got into a nice one. Nick was shocked at the size and weight of a channel cat - he had previously only caught bullheads. The netting process was a bit of an adventure... but she made it in into the boat! We stayed at that spot for while longer, had a few nibbles, but it didn't produce any more fish. I moved to a spot that seemed really 'fishy', and set up shop once again... turned out to be a good move! We caught six more from this location, with one being a bruiser at 33" and just under 16 pounds! Nick got to reel in three... with one being a solid 8 pound fish. Wifey actually had the rod when the big one hit... but it was soon handed over to me after the lion refused to budge for her! (I have more faith in 50lb powerpro than she does... I just gave'er and hauled that big'ol cat up from the bottom!) I had picked up a couple 8ft Walker downrigger rods earlier in the day from Fishmasters place... and I have to say, they are absolutely perfect for catfishing. You really need that soft tip to properly watch the cats hit the bait... my musky rods were far too stiff when I brought them out a few weeks ago. Sorry for the white-outs in the pictures... but I am heading out again this week, and although probably no real secret, my spot was extremely easy to see in my pictures... I think there is still a 20 pounder waiting for me right there! On the way home, this not so shy deer also stood still long enough for me to snap a quick pic of her thru the windshield... pretty cool! Hmmm... wonder if deer like cut bait? Lol... Anyways, we had a great day out there... six hours fished, seven cats, and some purrfect memories that will last a lifetime.

Steve's boat has the vinyl floor, for easy cleaning anyway, but yep, the boot mat kept all the yummy blood and guts contained quite well. The Frabill hideaway net is really well designed and built... no problems with any of those big cats.

Go outside and pick some worms! With today's rain, you can get 100 in 10 minutes or less. I was just out there... they are the best bait for bluegills...

You guys got it all wrong. The turd first has to be wrapped in cheese and bacon, THEN beer battered and served with a side dish of grubs (pretend they are corn). HOW EXACTLY DID THIS POST GO THIS WAY?!?!?!? Everyone leave their computers and go fishing immediately!!! For tasty sunfish LMAO!!!

I cheated. I used a guide LOL! We'll see how I fare on my own next time out... armed with some new knowledge and a second anchor... my new goal : 20 pounder!

Once more, Wednesday afternoon found me prowling the murky waters of the Grand River in Dunnville, hunting for my first giant kitty. This time I came armed with a secret weapon : superguide Steve Piggott and his 20' Lund! We launched around noon, and within minutes of anchoring were onto fish. All I can say is WOW, I have seriously been missing out on catching these things, they are an absolute blast. Big headshakes and strong runs, and the closer they get to the boat, the harder they scrap! I will let the pictures do most of the talking, but here is a quick summary... 5 hours fished, 10 fish landed, most were around 10-12lbs. I had the pleasure of reeling in six, but five were hooked on each rod, so I guess we call it a draw Steve lol... I also had the honour of landing the big cat of the day, 34.5" and 18lbs! What a tank... and an upgrade for Team One Rippin' Weeds in the catfish category too! (Big cat measured 35" from the tip of the tail to the tip of the mouth using OFAH rules, and 34" straight up, so I settled in the middle) Here's the pics... enjoy! Anyone who wants to have a great day of fun, and learn how to catch these things on your own - seriously consider giving Steve a call and booking a trip. You won't be dissapointed! He is a member on this site, send him a PM and get out there while the cats are hot! I can't wait to do it again...

You have been missing out... cold water sunnies are just as tasty as perch or crappie in my opinion... but what do i know BURP! Oh yeah, I just finished a plateful from yesterday!!! When they are a good size (8"+) they are much easier to fillet.

Oh skeeeeeeeeeeeeter!!! Dinner is ready! Mmmmmmm.... so tasty! And riverfisher, I think you may be right... the big one that I lost may have even pushed 5 lbs lmao! Seriously though, it was a tank, but I guess we will never know for sure... until I catch him later this week...

Went out for a day of panfishing with Nick, my 11 year old fisher-in-training. He had been bugging me for days to get out, which is odd, I am usually the one pestering him to join me on my excursions... I guess he had a notion that today would be a good day, and he was right... Target species for the day : crappies. We got on the water around 1pm, and I happily noticed that the water temps had raised dramatically since last week (went from 42F to 56F) We immediately hit a school of huge sunfish. These things were awesome, both in size and in scrappiness. A few of them were actually the biggest sunnies I have ever caught... including one at 10" and one at 9.75", and so many over 9" that Nick and I lost count. Over the next six hours we boated over 400, and kept a few dozen of the best of the best for the pan. Anything tipped with a nub of worm would get destroyed within 5 seconds of splashdown. Sooo much fun on the ultralight gear! So what about the target species crappie? Only two smallish ones were caught during the entire bluegill bonanza... oh well, can't complain! On our way back to the launch, with darkness setting in, I decided to try a few casts at a dock that has held crappie in years past... and was immediately rewarded with a nice sized gold and black treat! Next cast... my tube jig gets SMASHED, and I fight what is the biggest crappie I have ever seen to just out of nets reach - splashing and thrashing and then he is off, I was in too much of a rush and horsed it a bit, straightening the damn hook... arrrggghhh!!! I would estimate it at 14" and over 2 lbs... After I finished cursing myself, and my heart rate slowed down, I continued to pepper the dock with casts, and caught good sized crappie steady for the next hour and a half. The second last fish of the night was another biggun' - this time I took it easy during the fight, and Nick stood on guard with the net ready... SCOOP! 12.75" and thick! Beats my previous PB crappie by 2 inches! And an upgrade for Team One Rippin' Weeds panfish category, with 2 bonus OFAH inches to boot. Well, the worst part is now done (2 hours to fillet all those tasty fishies), but I have a great fish fry to look forward to tomorrow... turned out to be my best sunfish and crappie day ever, and Nick and I both had an absolute blast. So glad I took that "One last cast" today!!!

Nice work Vince!!! Team one inches baby!!! And yup, I am jealous, but am heading out again this week to get a LION!!!!

I've already had my boat in the water three times in the past week... and walked the Toronto Islands the week before that... you think I want to catch an open water fish or something????

Hi Steve, Wow, you did really well again... I wish I had that Lund, my boat is a 16' Tracker, I just threw on my brother's 9.9 Merc for yesterday. We moved around a bit, but I really don't know what to look for structure wise out there... river fishing is totally new to me! I sent you a PM...

I just typed in his address on my GPS... or Google map it. Fishmaster's Ultimate Charters 776 Main Street East R.R. 6 Dunnville Ont. N1A 2W5 Ph. 905-701-6874

I have wanted to catch a channel catfish for probably 15 years or so, and after hearing about Dunnville, and Fishmasters magical cutbait, decided to make a go of it today. My regular fishing pal Albert bailed, but the seat in my boat was filled by fellow team one member, Marko, who at least had fished Dunnville before, albeit from shore. I arrived at Fishmasters place around 8:30am, and launched the boat. Soon after, Fishmaster Steve opened the doors to the shop. Great guy, and offered some advice on rigs and depths to try. I bought the biggest egg weights I have ever used (3oz), some 6/0 circle hooks, and a couple baggies of Fishmaster's magical cutbait. I already had 150 worms in the boat that I picked off my lawn the night before as backup bait. Marko then arrived, bought some cutbait as well, and off we went... After an EPIC 30 second boat ride out to the magical depth, we dropped the anchor, tied our rigs and started fishing. Another boat with three fishermen pulled up 50 yards away, and on their second cast, bagged a beauty 19 pound cat!!! I started dreaming about having a banner day at this point... Soon after, Marko caught a chunky 26" carp on a worm... more inches for Team One! Marko then caught a decent sized sucker. After that spot cooled off we decided to try a few other locations along the river, but had no luck. We eventually returned to our original spot and tried again, and Marko got another sucker. The 3 fishermen from the morning also returned, and fished for a bit with no luck. As they were packing up and reeling in their lines, one of them snagged somebody's broken off line in the water... he proceeded to pull in all the line by hand, and guess what was on the end of the line? ANOTHER DAMN NICE CAT!!!! HAND LINED!!! Smaller than the one in the morning, but probably still pushing 10lbs. I was just a wee bit bitter at this point... Marko left at 3, and I fished two more hours, and had one hit and miss on a worm, probably a sucker that couldn't get that 6/0 into his puckered yap!!! My learnings for the day... 1) Catfishing is very relaxing! I will do it again for sure. It felt really weird only bringing a handful of terminal tackle with me, and not the normal obscene armada of lures, but I loved the simplicity of it all. 2) To bottom fish cats with bait from a boat, you really need 2 good anchors (front & back). I only had one, and the boat was constantly swinging around from the wind & current... made it really hard to watch the line properly for hits. Next time. 3) Cutbait is nasty lol. In a good way. Steve, great shop and operation you have there, thanks for the advice and the yuk bait... I'll be back soon to try it again! Great fishing with you Marko, you are welcome in my boat anytime!

Come on by my yard tonight, you can pick 500 for free lol! Come to think of it, I might just get out there and crawl around myself... where o where is that headlamp...?

If that pesky stick bites again, I will have no choice but to set the hook... HARD!!!

Lmao Jim... you made me go look up sashayed... and she did no such thing!!! The whole in and out (tee hee) took less than five minutes, and for once, that's something to be proud of!!!!

Last friday I headed down to the Toronto Islands to try casting for some spring pikeys... well, the only thing I caught was a nice tan, and while setting the hook on a nice stick (lol at myself, spring jitters), broke off the top 6 inches of my Rapala TS2 jerkbait rod. It is less than a year old, so I sent Rapala/Normark an email, which got a quick response to send in the rod and they will take care of it. I was going to mail it in to them, but was off from work today, so decided to make the short 30 minute drive to Normark in Oshawa and drop it off in person. I walked in, asked for Mary in service... and out she comes, takes the rod, and hands me a brand new one. Now that, my friends, makes me one happy man. No waiting, no shipping costs, just smiles and a free replacement.

Are you looking for a bow mount or transom? I could have a Minnkota Endura 46 transom mount for sale...