J-M

As most may know, in Lake Simcoe, Round Gobies have taken over the lake. The food web has changed and Lake Trout and Whitefish are starting to feed heavily on them. This has changed the angling tactics on how and where to catch them. I wrote a little article on it. I also talk about a Hand Tied Jig I made called the Neo (See pic below). This little jig helped me ice a few Whitefish last winter as it looks like a Goby. Hope you enjoy the article... The Round Goby Invasion and its Influence on Angling Tactics

Not sure if the program has reset on you? I assume you were running some type of skin/build before which had a pre-loaded set of addons? You may have to re-download your build. I use Ares Wizard to download a build. This link will help you set it up. Or it may be best to take the box back to to the seller and they might be able to reload it for you but it can be done yourself below...... https://seo-michael.co.uk/tutorial-how-to-install-ares-wizard-kodi/

Awesome fish! Could that first pic be of a splake? I'm not very good with my fish ID and have never caught a splake before but just curious......

I fished Costa Rica this past January on the Pacific Side in Tamarindo (Langosta Beach area). I wasn't able to take a fishing charter but I did bring down a 4 piece 6.5 foot rod and a tackle box of assorted swimbaits, rapalas, topwaters etc. I ended up fishing right off the beaches (best time was just as high tide was coming in). Didn't catch anything the first few days, threw just about everything I had in my tacklebox but then I spoke with one of the local fishermen and he pointed at my Silver Acme Kastmaster (one of the only lures I hadn't tried) and said "that's all you need to use". After tying on that lure, it was literally fish after fish - mostly small 'Green Jacks' - AMAZING fighters and also caught a small bonefish which just about spooled me. The key was fishing during high tide and keeping an eye on jumping baitfish. If you do plan on chucking gear on the beaches (highly recommended), another lure to bring down is a white/pearl zara spook type topwater bait. Skip that bait along the surface during high tide and look for schools of jumping baitfish and you could get yourself into a few Jack Crevalle. JM

The real secret is to fish during the week! You're odds increase dramatically..

Just curious if anyone has dissected a Simcoe lake trout - what are they mostly feeding on at this time of year? Is it cisco, perch, shiners? Thanks for your insight! J-M

Its hard to say without knowing what equipment/lures you are using (Do you have a flasher/fishfinder?) but I will tell you that the fishing is much better right at first ice, the first few weeks are always best... Its quite typical for the fishing to slow down at this time of year in areas such as BBP and Bear Point where there are hundreds of fishermen who fish these spots on the weekends and durin the week, theres so much pressure, the fish have seen just about every imaginable bait possible and some suggest the larger predatory fish follow the baitfish, which may have moved elsewhere (out into the mainlake perhaps). Having said that, there are obviously still fish around, they just need to be 'finessed' that much more. These crazy weather patterns may also be affecting the bite. Be patient though, the fishing usually picks back up in March near the end of the season. At this point, finesse the fish, move around and try to find those active fish. A snowmobile helps

Check out the latest aerial photo for today. Lake Simcoe is in the top left corner of the photo link. Its quite amazing to see how much ice has already formed on Lady Simcoe. It might not be safe just yet, but its getting there! http://tinyurl.com/m2lp4uc

Hi Misfish, I helped run the sturgeon program with the Nottawasaga Conservation Authority a few years back. Not sure where you're getting your information from but the MNR isn't currently stocking Lake Sturgeon in Georgian Bay/Huron. Currently, the NVCA/MNR are monitoring there presence, mapping their spawning habitat and improving riparian habitat which indirectly improves habitat for species such as salmon and trout in the Notty. SO, actually, the fact that sturgeon are protected means there is more government funding to help imrpove the habitat in the Nottawasaga which will also help salmon/trout. You need to understand the mandate of the MNR, its not about improving the populations of gamefish for anglers, its about bringing back native fish to their historic populations. Which I totally agree with....

We have an online zoomable map of Lake Simcoe. Check out www.fishingsimcoe.com Click on the depth chart link above and wait for it to load...

Does water gremlin have weights in smaller sizes though? Or are you guys using larger shot? I don't mind using larger shot for larger river systems, but for smaller creeks, I like the small BB's...

Has the DFO been involved??

Hey guys, I find I'm always running out of small BB split shot for steelhead. Just wondering if any of the steelheaders on this board have found a supplier that offers larger quantities of shot? I'm talking large quantities that will last me more than a season or two. Thanks guys JM

Wow, that article says the Saugeen is producing a run close to 45,000 adult steelhead !!!!!! (When you combine fall and spring runs). Thats a ridiculous amount of fish! Wow...........amazing.

The notty is one of only a handful of rivers in Lake Huron which receives a run of lake sturgeon in the spring. There's a small population but they've been deemed threatened recently. This means that there is no legal fishing for sturgeon right now. This change just happened a few years back. Its too bad, would be quite the adventure to try to target sturgeon..the mnr is currently funding research/rehabilitation projects on the notty....

Me and my bro use google sites simple to use and free Fishingsimcoe.com

For sure, you can thank zebra mussels and excess phosphorus too in lake simcoe. Does temperature affect weed growth though, I'm sure to some extent there is a correlation..

That's a great question. I'm going to assume stratification will start much earlier pushing coldwater species to deeper zones much earlier than normal. Like you mentioned, I could see less oxygenated water (more condensed thermocline) during the summer months which in some circumstances may condense coldwater species into a smaller area of the lake (which may make it easier to catch fish?). I think having little ice coverage into the spring has a huge impact on surface water temperatures, no doubt water temps will warm up much faster. I think seasonal spring migrations/spawning would occur much sooner as long as we have a normal summer. I'm sure weed growth would begin much sooner as well.

Very cool vid! Very nice looking river too!

That perch is a TANK. Gotta love how it dwarfs average sized perch. Did you say you caught your jumbos at night? Or at dusk? I always thought perch shutdown right after dusk... Awesome Report!

Oh man, what a report! A nice variety of species - some monster perch in that one pic! Well done man.

Way to go Aaron! Nice looking fish. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday..

I heard Clear Lake just north of Lake Joseph has whities, never tried myself but worth looking into..

Oh yah, I remember that. I've been icefishing for a number of years now and that was by far the loudest rumble - not only that, it felt like the ice dropped about half a foot and came back up. It was crazy. I remember the fishing completely died off after that!