Search the Community

Me and a couple buddies are gonna head up to ragged lake in Algonquin park in a week I was wondering if y'all had any suggestions on what to use for bass and trout?. I've tried Rapala's and other diving baits with minimal success on the trout front, and little to no success with the bass in the park. love to hear some suggestions thx

Hey everyone. I tried inflated worms for steelhead the last couple years and had my best year yet this past spring. I know there are other options but not sure what else might work as good for me. Usually fishing in small creeks/rivers. Also, just wanted to share this video from FFTROU since they covered inflated worms earlier this year. Tight lines!

Looking for trout, bass, perch? We have them all. Visit http://ontario-fishing-ponds.com . Great family fun. Open all weekend. Cash Only. Bring your equipment. No season, no limit, no fishing licence required.

Lots of trout caught at the ontariofamilyfishing event held at Wilmer Trout Ponds in Durham, Ontario.-313706 Hwy #6. Great spot to bring the kids.

Hey there, I am new to fishing and new to Ontario and I will be up in the Midland area this weekend. I am hoping that someone could give me some suggestions as to where would be some good spots to fish and what I should be fishing for at this time of the year. Any and all help is greatly appreciated

The St Catharines Game & Fish Association is proud to announce that the 43rd annual Spring Salmon will be running from Sat April 7 to Sat June 9 We are thankful for the support of our generous sponsors and all the participating anglers over the years which has allowed us to keep this event running and to offer the prize structure that we have. Back again, is the Early Bird Draw; purchase your Spring tickets by Mon March 26 and you will be eligible to win a Scotty HP 2116 Downrigger! (Cutoff is 5pm for online sales and at Peters & Grimsby Tackle) Tickets will be sold up until the time of draw at our March General Meeting, on Mon March 26 We will also be having an early bird draw for a free 2018 Lunch Ramp Pass in Port Dalhousie. Everyone who purchases a 2018 SCGFA Membership by March 26 will qualify. We have also expanded the Junior Division; there will now be 3placings, for all 4 species! While we are at it we are also pleased to announce that our Summer Derby will also be back from Sat June 16 to Sat Sept 15. Yes we have decided to combine our Summer & Fall derbies into one, and to offer the exact same prize structure as in the Spring! For all of the guides and charter boats who purchase boat tickets for our derbies, we will be adding a listing section on our website to link to your websites and/or social media pages. There is no additional charge for this and you will be added to it shortly after your purchase is complete. Please contact us if you are not listed and should be. We appreciate your support! Finally all those who purchase Spring & Summer derby tickets will again eligible to win an additional Scotty HP 2116 Downrigger, which will be drawn at our Derby Awards Night on Fri Sept 28 Our ticket Prices have not changed with the exception of a $1 surcharge added to online purchases. We do encourage participants to purchase tickets from your local outlet if possible. Tickets & Memberships can be purchased online here: https://scgfa.ca/event/spring-derby/ For online purchases please print your invoice, that will serve as your ticket. Your transaction ID # is your ticket number to enter at the time of weigh-in Please join us Mon March 26 at The Rib Crib & Smoke Shop (106 Lakeport Road, St Catharines) at 7pm for our next General meeting. We are excited to have Joscelyn Leung from Angling Outfitters as our guest speaker. He will be sharing his knowledge of marine electronics and also what’s new, as well as making sure you are getting the most out of your units. All are welcome!

Here are 3 short videos from last week from local school's lots going on and not much time for sharing everywhere drop by every once and a while to check out what's happening. There are some videos of the Kincardine Trout hatchery with the little Browns about a month old and the Rainbows and Browns from last year too. They are getting to be a nice size. Tight Lines SBK Blog Videos

A good compilation from 2017. Love the these videos. A Little different from some other fishing channels. Fishing For The Rest of Us Top Catches 2017

Custom built fiberglass rod. Built on a Japanese made E-Glass blank, 7'5" 4/5 weight. Burl reel seat, Ritz grip, Snake Brand guides. Blank colour is a light olive, similar to the Orvis Golden Eagle colour. Very nice casting rod, enjoyable softer feel than graphite. Can handle a 4WT line for lighter presentations, but will also handle a 5WT line for small streamers. Shorter length is a bit nicer for tighter streams, would make a great brook trout rod. Would like to get $350, but feel free to make an offer. Includes a rod sock to keep it pretty.

Hey everyone! New to the fishing scene - both this forum and on the water. Last year was my first year out in well over a decade and truly enjoyed each time out on the water and reading and learning as much as I could from forums, videos, and local fishermen like all of you. This year is my first attempt at "real" trout. (My dad and I used to fit stocked trout farm ponds back in the day.) I've talked my dad into picking up a rod again and joining me. We're going to make a day of it this week at Big Otter Creek near Tillsonburg. I know with all the rain we've got that the water is going to be high, fast and resembling chocolate milk. It'll be tough fishing I'm sure but it'll just be fun to get out there with the old man. Now my real question is how do I insure we've got the best chance possible to get on a fish or four. Could I get some input on my approach? Any tips on location or what to look for while out on the creek. My Approach: So I've got some neoprene waders that can get me out there a ways but my dad will likely be fishing from shore. We'll have three rods total. All spinning gear and light rods. Setup 1: Small-ish Hook, Split shot or weight connected after swivel for Powerbait, worms or Roe. Setup 2: Small-ish Hook, split shot and a slip bob for worms or roe. Setup 3: Spinning setup: swivel + small spinners. I'm thinking with this setup we should cover some basis but definitely open to suggestions before I get all rigged up and hit the creek. Thanks in advance! D

Here are some pics from my fall fishing adventures scattered around the various stocked lakes in my area. Small lakes will likely be skimmed over this week, so I think my next trip will be of the hardwater variety! Lakers...Didnt spend too much time on them as there is only one yr-round laker lake in my area but it produced some real nice ones for me this year. They were post-spawn and voracious! Rainbows...the inland bows have been a struggle for me to catch with any consistency but I believe Im starting to get them dialed in relatively well. Post turnover in the fall seems to be the hot time of year for them. Splake...My last two trips were targeting splake. No big fish, but the numbers were off the charts! 35-ish fish over 2 trips, trolling and casting in shallow water. Didnt make time for brookies this Oct/Nov but they will be priority once the lakes firm up!

A Spring So Far From TROUT to GAR!!! It seems like an eternity has passed since last sitting down to write a report, days have truly been flying by... April was a month I thought rather planned out until that fell apart, while May was expected to be time for a whole lot of whatever and it ended up being quite scheduled. Winter trip ideas that had been brain-stormed for June walleye and pike, some July Slave guiding, and an August float in Northern Ontario all slowly vanished, and becoming rather late in the date what remained was one totally clean slate. What will become of 2016...? For starters, because of being away before and after the Christmas Holidays for work, Bren basically decided we needed a family trip... and as usual she was right. We didn't let the girls in our secret but knowing if they had the choice, the one place on earth both would want to visit is Costa Rica. They absolutely love it there. After being in Nunavut, once settled back home we let our two in on the trip plan. Excited was an understatement. This time around instead of checking into an all-inclusive resort we rented a condo in Tamarindo for first week of April. With access to a resort pools, infinite restaurants on the streets outside, the beach in view, shopping and tour operators all around us, and a hot tub on our deck, the plan was to try and lessen the trip cost without losing any luxuries and experience. It worked some... although it was more work to make happen. Prior to arriving in C.R. I had sold the girls on surfing which turned out to be their favorite entertainment day-in and day-out. An ocean beach and waves popular with surfers world-wide allowed those two cheap fun while serving a more relaxing pace to Brenda and I. Incredible dinners out each night, drinks, zip-lining, horseback riding, tubing, a jungle safari and a catamaran cruise rounded out the rest of our vacation perfectly. Yet did I fish? Yes! Having packed a travel rod and 4000 series spinning reel I pulled a saltwater Rapala behind the catamaran for a couple hours on the last evening, until something crushed the lure and completely spooled my 30lb braid in less than ten seconds. Rooster maybe? Yellowfin? Will never know what actually caused my reel to smoke red hot. Home again the softwater season kicked off April 11th with a week that will be remembered for a real long time. Starting with steelhead and finishing on lakers and browns, Lake Ontario provided three fine samples of some local trout. The river run rainbow was definitely the favorite because she just tore me to shreds under rainy skies... but that broonie was a best for me too. The thing of it all is that these were actually bonus fish. Having put in availability for a few weeks to work in Nunavut, the only offer which came way suitable to dates was in Pangnirtung on Baffin Island. Wanted it greatly but, while at a car wash with my phone in the truck I missed the call. A little over an hour later I learned someone else just beat me to it. Little was left to do to but fish the rest of the month, fish May, even fish June, and pick up some shifts in the local ER's while beginning to re-plan work, family and fishing times through the summer. So casting away into mid May some oddballs and incidentals were caught, along with a few usual suspects which arrived with the different openers nearing end of the month. The time was hectic. Work around the house, a decent number of call-ins for ER work, preparations for new plans made mid June through to mid September, a fishing boat build project and, a friend's and my own 40th Birthday parties (with recovery), usual spring fishing days took a bit of a back seat to other life choices... Gar are always on the docket though. Making time despite the windows fewer and far between, freakish spring weather and summer plans for other fishing fast approaching, even the average gar days fished will fall short this year in the quick season. So, I'm making the best of the time I have... When gar kicked into gear it was intense but short-lived, 50+ inchers a plenty and on track for a banner spring things suddenly slowed, and 2016 might likely go down as the year the gar game changed. Just seven years ago when really starting to get into gar, the Ottawa River that I know of had but myself and three other buddies who were on the water regularly chasing after these fish. There might have been a couple other anglers but, on any given day I'd either see no one, or I'd see one of those three; and believe me, the schedule in May and June permits many days during those months off work, so I get out there plenty. This season it has been seven days, a couple solo and five with family and friends. Many others now on the hunt, the fish are becoming more and more weary of boat traffic and the splash of a lure. The percentages of bigger gar which allowed greater opportunity in the past is dwindling, finesse and stealth becoming ever more necessary. This said, the numbers of fifty plus inchers I still see on any given day remains astounding, while that odd true giant of 55 and up holding girth is still a rare chance. During the first solo outing which is usually more of a search, I luckily found fresh fish ready to play the game. Day 1. Day 2. Bren joined up quick for the next outing. She is always adamant about catching her own fish and as hungry as can be when it comes to wanting the biggest and best. Gotta love that about her, as it's that same pride and drive to succeed which she lives by. And to mention, she is the best mother and wife anyone could ask for, with some serious big fish experiences of her own to brag about as well...... although, she never does..? Day 3. A most welcome guest drove from Kingston to grace the Lund. I had told my friend Doug that it was going to be a great day for gar. Calm, sunny and the weather warming up nicely in the afternoon, it looked too perfect. Well, it wasn't quite case. Night before temps dropped to frost and that pushed gar deeper. Our time on the water they were quite slow to come back shallow and the few which did stayed a little deeper in the low-vis waters. We fished shadows, guessing at our fish and sizes and, we stayed in one area reluctant to move around the river much as many other gar hunters were out and occupying other spaces. End of the day though, Doug was surely satisfied with his initiation to this unique little fishery. He'll be back. Day 4. A childhood and lifelong friend, Steve and I both had our 40th Birthday Parties back-to-back this year. We see each other a couple times annually, and because he lives in Ottawa now I think a gar day for the two of us should be scheduled for every spring. In the past we worked together, golfed and fished, played a little in a band, and were always hanging out. Distanced for years we never had to try to keep a friendship going as it just did on it's own. We've grown up together on a parallel wave length I believe, and he gets that too. What he also gets, is a kick out of the gar every time we end up fishing them. Day 5. A day off school for Leah and Summer at work, I told her she had no choice but to come along. The girls for the moment just aren't that into fishing. Summer lost the Tom-boyish way probably three years ago, and now Leah a same pre-teenager Summer was then, she too would rather do "girly" things. But on this day Leah had fun despite the fishing being super tough due to gusty winds, some cloud, and the most skittish gar ever seen. I made a choice after an hour or so fishing the usual haunts to just go explore new waters and secondary spots. The kiddo liked that, and in the process reeled in a few fish that weren't scared shiznitless of us cruising by. On the way home she was grinning happy and thanked me for the fun day fishing. Maybe there's still hope? Day 6. Better late than never, my friend Simon slid on into the boat one cold and windy morning for what may be the last day fishing gar for my season. An annual trip, from southern Ontario Simon has been coming all this way for a visit the past few years now, for his will to fish gar each spring cannot hold him back. When finding fish Simon will cast at anything. He knows I'm usually good to give him a couple smaller ones early, but after accomplishing that it's urged we move on to the big girls. Yet... he just loves to cast at 'em and I have to remind myself I get to do this all the time, whenever I want. Simon enjoys a day or maybe to a year, and needs a much faster big gar fix. With that approach and perspective, we actually ended great on a tough weather gar day. Big and small fish and plenty of 'em. Day 7. At some point throughout the month there was a banner day. A couple guys canceling out on the gar fish I went it alone. The first hours on the water were absolutely terrible, the fish hardly around or real jumpy. Finally when that midday sun got high and the heat sweat the brow, the gar rose to the occasion. Over a short few hours five fish over 50-inches came topside, one almost being my longest fish to date at 55.5 inches. It was an awesome specimen although she had not a bit of girth, being absent eggs and a belly of fish. Longer than the current and new record holding fish at only 51-inches, she would have been a serious contender... ahhh well. Snapped up some pics of a few but lost two over the bow while setting up for the shots. In fact, this year I had a terrible time with fussy gars getting the step on me and escaping the boat. Twice with Leah, once with Bren, two more times on my other solo outing and twice this day, they weren't just spooked in the water, they wanted no part of usual procedure. As each year passes, gar fishing for me personally loses a smidgen of its luster. They are fun and enjoyable don't get me wrong, and probably the best thing going during their certain season, yet the hunt is becoming more a feeling of been there and done that, and big fish including Ontario Record breakers have already been caught again and again. Much time and stock is usually put into the season while some other things have been missed because of it. Thinking next year to maybe break it up with a fly-in north for pike and eyes, like in the past days. Since my gar beginning I have fished local waters more and harder than anyone known, and it's either wearing off or wearing me out some. Other than the real big, pound for pound these fish are actually kinda wimpy, but the hunt, chase and the initial take remains the excitement of it and man, they are gnarly looking beasts. Still fun overall! For me, honest, genuine and shared experiences with my girls, with others, and to a lesser degree out there hunting solo, are the gar moments and memories worth fishing them for, and why it will always continue. Continued...

Well here we go, for me the season of 2015 is done. 2015 Was a fun year for me covering a little bit of everything. Ice fishing late January and Feburary, great success on the creek this spring with the Rainbow’s. Walleye wasn’t amazing but the two times I got invited out by my friend Glenn we caught some fish and had awesome weather to do it in. Bass opener soon followed then one two week camping trip and a 6 night trip in September. All in all I can’t complain too much I got to fish lot’s and enjoy my summer. Didn’t break any PB’s this year except a big trout but aside from that I sucked. Didn’t catch any 5lb+ smallies on the inland lakes I stay at. Largemouth this year were bigger on average but no giant’s, some nice low to high 4lbr’s breaking 5lbs once. Maybe next year well break the PB Largemouth and find that 7lb’r I’ve been searching for. With my last trip out back in September fall has been slow just working and picking up things for the boat project next spring. We finally got away from the rental so should be able to fish a extra week or two next summer. Rental’s are expensive so the 14’ deep and wide open floor style boat I picked up will be perfect for the smaller lakes. On with some pictures now! First trip out for 2015 was Rice Lake Ice Fishing. We mainly were after a few cold beers and some good food from Rhino’s but got out on the ice for a few hours managed to catch a little over a dozen Perch and Sunfish. Was a good “ice breaker” after many weeks of cold and snow. Back to basics, no wind so had all I needed lol. Decent Perch Got out on Lake Simcoe for 2 trips out with a hut rental operator. Caught lot’s and had to bring lunch and tackle was awesome! Clean fish always a nice treat Trout opener soon followed. I was surprised this year how busy the creek was, decided to wait until the first weeks in May, less fish but no crowd and could actually enjoy a hour or 2 down there tossing small spinners and crankbaits into the pool’s. Here are a few pictures from my trips out. Dozen’s of these guys, fun fish New PB, no scale or tape I would guess 7-8lbs the fight was intense on the 6’6 Light Fast Spinning Rod. I did good work keeping the fish on deffinately test’s the “light” equiptment. And another Beauty little trout love this shot Walleye then opened up next. My first of the year haha dink from Rice Lake always happy to catch a couple there. Another day another pair to take home 2015 Lineup ready for war with bass season around the corner, lineup always changes have added another rod and reel I think since then Bass opener wasn’t great. I got out with another friend of mine on Clear Lake for the day. We caught dozen’s of bass many small smallmouth and a few walleye also that day. I hooked up with the 2 only decent bass that day. After so much open water and rock I convinced my friend to steer the boat into a backbay that was shallow. Not a 10 minutes in I hooked up with a nice chunky largemouth. Made my day had me wanting to be on my home waters in Eastern Ontario right at that moment love slop and heavy cover. Next trip was first 2 weeks of August. Lot’s of pictures I choose some of the better pics. First of the trip, morning fish on the jerkbait out deep Not many frog fish this year but here was a pair My papa came with us on this trip. This was his first bass and ended up being the biggest of the trip. Went 5lbs 9oz and is his new PB. Life took us apart for 6 or 7 years so now that things are good again I expect to take more trips with my Papa, Dad and Uncle in the future. Still mad he beat me haha not next year! Very thankful he brought me into fishing when I was very young. Every morning I love throwing the popper around. Didn’t produce any size this year. Caught lot’s of nice bass like this one but no piggy’s this year. Lot’s of these 2-3lb class fish on the plastics and jigs. They sure do love that 3.5” TRJ Big fish from pads close to deep water. Love that new Aldebaran 50HG incredable reel very strong. Every summer I tangle with a few of these here was the biggest of the trip Swim Jig’s were a important addition to my techniques this year caught big fish and lot’s of them. Good for covering vast weedy areas, I used this on outside edges and when going from slop bed to slop bed anywhere I could, even sinking it deep and fishing it like a crankbait worked well on tougher days. More Largies from the deep on jerkbaits Few smallies too finally showed up Got off shore this year learning to visually follow weedlines, flipping a jig down them worked in the afternoons pretty good got to expand on this more next summer My dad and I wanted to start a tradition with my uncle and friend out where we go fishing. So here was the deal. 2 boats Dad and I vs the other two guys(locals). We did cooler’s with running bilge pump’s(Home made livewells) and went for a 4 fish limit. We set out at 5am and had until 11am so 5 hours made for a quick derby. Dad and I only boated 6 fish that morning I think with 2 in the well. We won and took bragging right’s for the summer with 8lbs 10oz the other guys had 4 fish for 7lbs 10oz haha. Nobody caught a kicker and we had basically 3 2lbr’s with one bass around 3lbs. Can’t wait to do it again always fun a little competition Last round was my trip I took back in September. We went for the last 6 days and it was fun. Fish were biting and I did pretty good. First morning, cold but got a nice smallie to come up and crush the spinnerbait Another spot another Smallmouth Only got 1 bass from slop this trip was nice to get one pitching the plastic around Back to my friend, the Jig Big fish of the trip Spinnerbait bite was strong, was happy to come across it After the rain And another Last outing for me was a fun one. After a tough 1 bite morning I was mad at the fish. I went out solo after breakfast until 3 or 4 that afternoon. Burning a spinnerbait on some weedlines produced nothing but Pike, did the jig in the same spots and came up empty. Abandoned my gameplan and went shallow and to a channel where there might of been warmer water. Sure enough I found decent slop and dead weed in the channel so we got onto a stretch of maybe 3 or 4 bites in a hundred yards. These 2 were nice so they got seats in the livewell. Made me happy and I turned a terrible day into a good day, was nice to put pressure on yourself and when you can be successful it all becomes worth it. https://youtu.be/c4qaz8wZzDg This summer I got a GoPro so am just starting editing and making little clips. Here was one I put together from my trip in September. Can’t wait to do more of this next year, thanks for reading and viewing all the pictures everybody! Be safe this winter and good luck to everybody in 2016 MTBF

Hi guys. I recently purchased a cottage on Haliburton Lake and was wondering if anyone here has ice fished this lake before? Any tips or locations worth checking out? I can't wait to get out there! Thanks in advance. Chris.

A few weeks ago, I joined my friend Glen with his buddy Alan for browns on the shorelines of Lake Ontario. It was a great day out, as we caught a bunch of feisty browns in shallow water. Storm Thundersticks were the hot ticket trolled at 1.8mph. A great way to kick off the open water season! Glen and I fished with Tony on the north shore of Lake Ontario this past Sunday after Glen and Tony fished for lake trout on Saturday. It was an absolutely beautiful weekend to be out, and the fishing was fantastic! Glen and Tony did well catching lakers on Saturday, and managed to boat a behemoth over 25 pounds to currently lead the SCGF spring derby in the lake trout division. The guys asked if I wanted to join them on Saturday as well, but I declined as I didn’t have a derby ticket. I had a feeling! I bought my ticket on Saturday, and headed out with them on Sunday morning. Glen with his derby leading laker We got out Sunday bright and early, started setting lines and it didn’t take long to find the kings. Riggers and Mag Dipsys were the ticket. We didn’t get a bite off a standard Dipsy or planer boards. All the action came at 2.3mph at the ball on custom Big Erns done by Mike Blake. Mike does the nicest custom colours I have ever seen, and it regularly pays off for us. I also love the Shoehorn spoons, as they also have great colours and run well at slower speeds in the spring. As a bonus, the Shoehorn spoons are compatible with Big Erns. My favourite set up is a mix of Big Erns and Shoehorn spoons early in the season. The water temp was 38F to 39F from top to bottom most areas we fished. We all had a blast hooking up with almost 30 fish mostly kings. We even had a couple double headers, but it was a steady pick for the most part. At one point, it was hard to keep the hottest Big Ern down in green/silver with black dots. Some kings didn’t even wait for it to be let fully out before nailing it! The three hottest spoons. I get the feeling this will be a great year on Lake Awesome! It was great times with great friends. It doesn’t get any better than that. We are all thinking about making the next trip out again! Good fishing! Aaron

Hi Everybody! It's been a while since I've made a new post, but there will be more to come! It’s been a busy year and with a new addition (it’s a boy!) to the family in May (Just in time for pike season) I haven't hit the water as much as normally would. I did find the time to finally start working on a tattoo I have had planned for years. Each fish represents a time and place in my life. 1. The catfish - This represents my time spent fishing in Virginia in a private pond back when I was 5-6 years old. My parents had just split up and we relocated from the BVI to Virginia to stay with family friends while we planned where were were going to go next. I spent hours fishing this little pond with my buddy, often with a bamboo rod. We caught plenty of panfish, but we always had a blast when a big ole cat would come along and take our bait. These are my earliest memories of fishing, and the time where my addiction truly began. 2. The smallmouth - fast forward a few years to Ontario, location Jack Lake. Another family friend had picked up a cottage on the North east side of the lake in the early 90s. This is where I really learned about the joys of bass fishing. These days the lake can be tough to fish, and I primarily target musky when I do visit the lake - but those days chasing bass on Jack Lake taught me the importance of using the right lure at the right time at the right place. 3. The pike - I was torn between getting a musky or a pike tattoo. These days at least 80% of my fishing is dedicated to musky, but I decided pike fishing is where it all started. I can remember the very first time I saw a pike, it was watching Bob Izumi's fishing (probably 20 years ago!) and he had caught an absolute monster pike, well over 40 inches. I went to bed dreaming of that monster and in 2003 I realized that I didn't have to go way up north for big pike, we had them right here in Toronto. I joined OFC back in 2004 to show off some of the awesome pike Jon and I had caught at the Islands. 4. The brook trout – When I moved out east to Halifax 7 years ago I was heartbroken to be leaving behind my pike and musky. I quickly learned that while the brook trout of Nova Scotia don’t get too big, they are unmatched in their beauty. With light gear I explored small rivers and roadside ditches teaming with brookies. I haven’t targeted brook trout since I moved back to Ontario a couple of years ago, but the memories of these fish are as vivid as their colours. I am 8.5 hours in so far, and there are a good 8 hours left to go. The work was done by Scott Duncan (fisherman/fly tier/artist/hunter) at Sugarshack Tattoo in Kincardine, Ontario. (http://www.sugarshacktattoo.com) The pictures! These are are early photos, and there is additional detailing that will be added during the final sitting. The initial planning sketch. The outline The catfish The smallmouth The Pike

Well..It has been sometime since I last posted a report. Few changes in my life this year ended up with me working more and definitely fishing more!! Not much sleep this summer it was pure fishing, work, guiding and weddings. In that order! Haha even with no reports from me this summer, I was still checking out the board pretty much daily. Didnt want to miss a Bunk or Mike B report ( dunno where those guys find the time!! Seriously). Now to the fishing. My summer fishing began fishing the St. Marys in the boat for Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead/Residents in both the Upper main river and rapids. A cold summer combined with the gates opened up in the rapids again kept the St. Marys in the 50s for most of the summer. This kept an abnormal amount of bows around gorging on various minnows, insects and crayfish. The Atlantic bite was great this year. We had a ton of fish in the 3-6 pound range with a few pluggers in the mix. My sis with one of the best fish of the year, if not the biggest! All kinds of bows were hanging around Once the Sun went down we would drop our Atlantic and steelhead tackle and switch gears to night time walleye. Pulling stick baits at night for walleye is one of my favourite ways to catch eyes on the St Mary's. One of the best ways to catch big fish too. Fidel (HighDrifter) from the board was in town one weekend. We have communicated a few times over the past 2 years I would say and this year it worked out that I had an evening free while he was in town. We hooked up for 3-4 hours out on the river and had a ball. Maybe he will chime in with a few pics if he reads this and if you are. It was great having you out buddy! Anytime! I dont normally like to post pic or reports about my guide trips but there was one trip this summer, that made my year for guide trips so far. Mid summer lakers on the fly! Quite possibly a guides nightmare! I knew going into this trip it was going to be a great 2 days/1 night or it was gonna be a real long, exhausting, fishless trip for the 2 fly anglers. There was one spin fisherman so I knew he would smash them. I had them set up at my motel for one night and they spent a week camping in the park with a home base at Agawa. I met them part way through their trip and took them to my fav lake trout lake in LSPP. Weather was too good to be true with warm, windless days. We paddled over to the campsite for the night, set up the gear and hit the water. 10 minutes into the fishing one of the fly anglers hooks up on the tip of a reef that is in about 8-10 feet and drops into 40 then 80 off the side. Im thinking laker forsure until this beautiful brookie graces the net. A PB brookie to start the trip, which was never measured before being released but was a solid 20 inches. 2 more lakers were lost on the fly and the spin fisherman hooked half a dozen lakers before we pulled the to go in for a laker fry. Day 2 we went to other part of the lake where I knew the lakers would be and was our best shot and getting good numbers throughout the day in a few different spots that were close to eachother in case we had to deal with wind. Well the wind just never came again so we hunkered down on a spot and laid into some beauty lakers on the fly. We even managed two double headers and one triple!! The spin angler laid a beat down on the fish, I had him in my hobie kayak on day two and he landed 8-9 lakers himself. Next up was a bit of yak fishing at two new spots east of the Soo. One was a large river system and the second two inland lakes connected by a small river About two weeks after this trip was my annual trip up to Lake Nipigon! We have always fished the SE part of the lake but this year we ventured up to Onamans on the NE part of the lake. Well, Im sure glad we switched it up this year. Robert at Onamans is great, I dont have a bad thing to say about our stay there. It was absolutely fantastic there! We fished Lake Nipigon for 3 ½ days and onamans lake for one due to weather on the big lake. 3 ½ days on the big lakes is nothing..We barely touched the area. We fished a few recommended areas (which were huge) and when we found the fish we were looking for we worked them over hard. Trolling was the best tactic for covering water looking for the speckled beautys. Thing was your gonna be dealing with a million pike in the 30-35 range on your troll..which was great!!!!! Once we did put a speck in the boat we would stop and work the area. These areas were typically rocky structure between the weeds that littered the bays. We only went 3-6 on the brookies between everyone but there were some serious brook trout..I am to this day still haunted by the one that broke my 15# pp like dental floss These were the two from our boat Ted hit the speck of the trip coming in at a little better than 25 inches We would typically target brookies until 6ish and head back towards camp and do some piking at the mouth and a few other areas. We caught hords of big pike with most in the 36-38 but a few 40s were thrown in the mix. Walleye fishing in the river wasnt very good, so we didnt mess around with that much. Onaman Lake is where we got our fix. Of course on the last day the weather rolled in and the big lake was a no go. We were satisfied with our pike fishing already so took the tour to Onamans and laid an absoulute beat down on walleyes. We fished the lake about 5-6 hours and put so many walleye in the boat I couldnt guess how many. 80 fish a boat? Id say 75% of the fish were 22-24 inches with a few bigger (biggest was just under 28")and maybe 4 under 18. We didnt even catch enough small ones to keep a full limit lol. Thats ok with me! Got back from Nipigon and headed out on the St, Marys River the following weekend and fish the first Annual St. Marys Small Jaw Slam hosted by the Lake State University fishing team. Fished the tourney with Kevin King and our plan pretty much went the way we wanted it. We put together two good bags on both days that weighed just under 36 pounds for the 10 bass. Good enough for 3rd and only .5 out of 2nd. This might be a tourney some of you southern guys might be interested in fishing next year. Heres the link to the Fb page. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=723216211079668&id=474306409303984&ref=bookmark Big fish was a 7.33 largie!! Not long after, I headed back out for some bass with my cousin Ted and my buddy Nate and we put some solid bass into the net on this day again. Killed one rainy Sunday afternoon chasing bass again. The fish moved to deeper water so it took me a little while to figure them out. The average sized dropped for me but I still managed around 20 largies with a few descent bites. We had a ton of rain this fall here on the northshore, so I had Superior steel on my mind early this fall. Fished the north tribs a bit after work for a few hours each time in late sept early October and hit some silver coho and a few squirrelly steelhead. A few weekends ago, I took as ride out on Superior with my buddy and float fished from his boat up one of my favourite tribs. We didnt have an amazing day but we hit some nice fish. What the day did do, is open our eyes up to a few new places to try Was able to get out in the boat on the upper that same weekend and hit a few in the cold conditions I haven't been out the last two weeks. Too busy with a few other things as well as the early days don't help. My last outing was in the rapids chasing some steel and whatever else bites Hoping to get out this weekend for steelhead and brave the freezing cold weather they are calling for. Hope you all enjoyed!! TDunn

Well I finally got time to put a little report together of my fall excursion to Alaska. This year’s trip was excellent and probably one of if not the best one so far. The weather was excellent, the company and the fishing were even better!!! It was a pink year so there were millions of pink salmon in the river (mostly in the middle section) so I spent a lot of time down river hunting the giant bows that feed on the roe that litters the river during the spawn. I did spend about 1/3 of my trip fishing the upper river at the beginning of the trip while waiting for the middle river to turn on and caught plenty of fat bows and dolly varden. I had a weekend trip fishing for feeder kings and halibut out of Homer while I was there also. Enough jabbering, on with the pics!!!! A little grizz chasing some anglers off their spot. My buddy Joe from North Carolina came up for a week. I taught him how to cast his centerpin and he managed a bunch of fish on it. I even caught a fish or two. I did a ton of fishing with my buddy Ed from Palmer AK, both on the upper and middle river. Here’s a nice upper river bow. He brought his pooch along when we fished the upper river. It was a bit of a gong show with both our mutts in the same drift boat at times. Heading out of Homer to chase some salty fish with my buddy Keith his girl and a couple of friends for the weekend. As usual in the off season FV/Time Bandit is docked in the harbor down in Homer. Heading out to the fishing grounds. First order of the day was to try and hook up on some sammins!!! After catching a couple it was time to try for some tasty halibut. We did well on them on Saturday with a 60# fish as the biggest of the trip. We also caught a couple of large skate. At dusk we headed for the village of Seldovia where we had a cabin rented for the night. Seldovia is at the end of the rainbow!! The next day dawned clear and sunny. I knew it would be a nice day but the fishing would not be stellar. We saw plenty of sea otters including this fella in the harbor at Seldovia. I was right about the fishing as I caught the only halibut this day. The spots that produced the day before only held Irish Lords on day two. Tons of them. We must have caught 100 of the things. Continued.............

Been a while since I have posted a report. Actually it has been quite a while since I have done some real fishing as well. This year I hadn't been to my favourite park for some real fishing, so I decided to go the weekend after Labour Day. What a great decision to not go on a long weekend. Peace, tranquility, scenery, fishing was just great. Below are some pics. I was targetting Specks using this new technique but I ended up with lakers. Hey, I don't mind. I love trout. I actually thought I had specks until I fillet two for dinner, at which point I looked for the signs - forked tails vs square tail, and the worm like markings versus the halo spots. Ofcourse, how could i forget that beautiful Speck I caught a couple years back. Anyhow, was there for the weekend. Hooked 8 fish on two tries, landed 7, kept 2 for dinner. Peace out, hope you all had a great summer. Miro

Hey Guys, My dad and I are heading up to parry sound this weekend for some trout downrigging. Last year we did a guided trip with a friend of a friend who no longer guides but did a special trip out for us...anyways we caught some big big fish with consistency. Unfortunately I have been really struggling to find the specific lures that the guide suggested we use. The specific lures i am looking for are Dreamweaver Super Slim holographics. I have even looked online however, amazon wont ship these lures to canada and the only place i found was a mail in order shop out of michigan with a website looking like it was made in 1993. Ive tried bass pro, al flahertys and sail and none of them seem to carry much of the dreameaver line. I was able to grab flies from al flahertys but no one seems to carry Dreamweaver spoons. Any suggestions? I am in the GTA but would be able to stop anywhere between the GTA and Pointe au Baril. Maybe someone even has a suggestion for a similar set of spoons?

I had a friend Glen out on Monday for some spring trolling on Lake Ontario. We caught a lot of fish and had a blast! We couldn't keep the lake trout off our lures, and we also got some great brown trout, coho and chinook salmon. A few double headers had us busy as well. We had an incredible day with a mix of sun and cloud, warm temps and calm water. I absolutely love it! We launched at Port Dalhousie on the south shore and fished stained water from 20-feet to 40-feet in depth. We thought about going in tight for brown trout, but we were getting browns where we were fishing anyway, so we stayed a bit deeper hoping for kings. We only got 2 chinook in a double header, but the lake trout and browns kept us busy. The best water temps we found were 43F. The colder clearer water was not productive. The stained warmer water was full of fish from top to bottom. Four-inch Shoehorn spoons did the most bites off divers, although we did get some fish off mono and stickbaits with inline Church planer baords. We let out approximately 120-feet with a deep diving lure such as a Reef Runner and Storm Thunderstick, then clipped on the board and let out another 250-feet. We got most of our fish off the Shoehorn spoons in yellow/green colours. Our best speeds were roughly 2.4mph. Good fishing! Aaron

I had an opportunity to get out trolling for winter/early spring brown trout on Lake Ontario a couple of times recently. I had a great time and caught some nice fish. There is something special about trolling Lake Ontario in March with ice-covered piers and shoreline while most anglers aren't even thinking about their boats yet. Very few brave souls engage the icy elements and tricky launch ramps with salt and ice chisels to get out early in the year for trophy brown trout. Most of the time, I don't see anyone all day. The launch ramp is the most difficult part of the equation most times. Some ramps are simply not available or frozen up, requiring extensive chiseling and salt to launch. A four wheel drive truck is helpful, especially at the end of the day on an icy ramp. With the right conditions, a cold day in March can warm you up in a hurry when you tangle with a trophy sized brown trout! The shoreline from 5- to 15-feet of water seems best with in-line planer boards and shallow floating stick baits. The Storm Thunderstick has been my go-to lures of choice most days. I typically start with 60-feet of line out, attach an inline planer board, then let out another 160-feet or more. I then add another board inside approximately 75-100-feet out from the boat. I try various lures until I get bites on any given day. I find speeds of under 2mph is best in the cold water. Brown trout are available in shallow sandy areas on Lake Ontario in good numbers early in the year. If you can find stained green water on a beach or creek mouth, brown trout may be present. Brown trout are located all over Lake Ontario, but few anglers take advantage of them in March. April can see a bit of pressure for spring browns. The early spring can be a good time to catch big brown trout, and having little wind is a big factor when venturing out in the cold elements. I keep a close eye on weather and head in quickly with unstable conditions. Even then, I got screwed the other day. All weather reports said NO WIND all day. Well, it picked up bigtime and I had to pound back in big waves in icy cold conditions over 25k's!!! Not the most fun part of my trip, but it was worth it with the quality of browns I got. I spent well over an hour chiseling out a boat ramp this morning. Still about 2" of ice in the harbour, but I should be able to chisel that out when I launch the boat to get to open water. Maybe another hour worth of chiseling ice from the boat to get out. Hopefully I get to take advantage of my hard work this week, my arms are still jello! There are not many boat ramps free of ice yet, so you may need to take a drive with a chisel and shovel. I checked out 4 boat ramps today before I went to work on one. The only one of four that was even close to being ready. Good fishing! Aaron

Hi, I am wondering if anyone can help me figure out when the steelhead will be comming into any of the rivers. I am looking to fish the credit, saugeen, beaver, and bighead river as well as possibly the grand river. I really want to catch some and also just see the runs of fish to learn more. Any help on timing and possibly locations would be great. I cant wait to giver a go. Thanks so much

Trout season ends soon and today was a great day….. to get the kids off for school/daycare and then go…... to work. I did have a little bit of time before I picked up the kids, so I hit the stream just down from our house. No monsters. No interesting tales, or tails for that matter, but a nice couple of hours splashing in some riffles. May get out for some grouse and trout this Friday. Looks fishy Caught another brownie same size as the photo and maybe 4 chub all on flatfishes.