Joeytier Posted February 9, 2008 Report Posted February 9, 2008 Have any of you ever ice fished Frenchman's Bay? I never see all that many people out there, and I always thought that if it were actually good, there would be more than a handful of people out there, seeing as how it's right in town. Is there pike out there?
brickNblock Posted February 9, 2008 Report Posted February 9, 2008 Joeytier......... I've never icefished the bay but..... My folks condo overlooks Frenchmans bay and when ever I've visited in the winter I pull out the binnoculars and watch the ppls who are out there fishing........usually near 5-6 groups..havent been there in a few days but I usually drop by an visit mom/dad about once every 10days. When I was a kid I fished off the bridge at liverpool rd every weekend...back in the '60s and pike were in abundance either from the bridge or south shore just east of that bridge. Over the bay side proper Ive never caught much but carp........ If you look back maybe a year or so ago on this board you'll find some good reports on pike fishing the bay and they were productive. -bNb
Joeytier Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Posted February 9, 2008 Yea, I've heard stories of great fishing from that bridge on Liverpool many years ago. There isn't even enough water back in that part to hold fish anymore! Thanks for the info.
Beans Posted February 9, 2008 Report Posted February 9, 2008 Sixty years ago this winter I got my first try at icefishing at Frenchman's Bay... My buddy and I would catch the Oshawa bus at Coxwell and Danforth Avenues and get off across from Crookes Garage (Deal With Honest Crookes) on Hwy 2 (west of Liverpool road) and walk down to the west side of the bay and chop a hole with a hatchet... We used homemade tip-ups, Lake Simcoe shiners from Skinners Bait and Tackle, packed a lunch of whatever was handy and usually got a feed of jumbo perch, bluegills and the odd hammer handle size pike (BONUS !!!)... Mr Skinner would make sure we got a good scoop for our $0.25 and many times he would drop by on a Sunday and give us a lift back home (another BONUS !)(we got to use the return half of our bus ticket another time)... Fast forward a few years and I would take my own kids there the afternoons of our skunked mornings at Simcoe...rarely were we skunked at Frenchman's... Great memories !!!...
Joeytier Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Posted February 9, 2008 I don't suppose you've been there recently?
forrest Posted February 9, 2008 Report Posted February 9, 2008 The fishing is not so great there anymore. I have asked around and watched some guys fishing there. Used to be filled with perch and bass (I am sure a few Pike were there). It might be fine in the summer if your not traveling to far and want to kill time, but thats about all. forrest
Joeytier Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Posted February 9, 2008 Aw man, I was really hoping for something more optimistic than that. Oh well, thanks.
steelhedrmatt Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 Can be hit or miss there.. Ive caught LOTS of Pike there through the ice, ling, rainbows and browns. All through the ice. Years ago we used to get tons of rainbows there, but that was when the trout farm was on east shore. Set lines with BIG shiners always worked well.
moose Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 there are lots of pike in frenchmans bay big ones 2 we fish thier all the time
Beans Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 Nope...I haven't fished Frenchman's Bay since the early 70's...gave up icefishing altogether once the whitefish on Simcoe were limited to two... Ten years ago, my grandson wanted me to take him icefishing and that got me started again...until my back went wonky on me a couple of years ago, we used to get out about a dozen times a season but now I'm lucky to get out a couple of times... The OFC M&G for Tyler on 23 Feb 2008 is a must for me...see ya there maybe ?...
Roy Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 Norm said: "My buddy and I would catch the Oshawa bus at Coxwell and Danforth Avenues and get off across from Crookes Garage (Deal With Honest Crookes) on Hwy 2 (west of Liverpool road)" I did the same thing in those years Bud but I left from Broadview and the Danforth. Down on the West side of Liverpool and sit there with 3-4" bobbers and suckers 4-5 feet down. There was lotsa pike there in those days. Skinners was on Parliament eh? There was always a good smell in there :-)
Roy Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 I picked up my minnows at Morningside though....Kingston road. I wonder if they're still there? Used to be a trailer....open 24 hours.
Joeytier Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Posted February 10, 2008 there are lots of pike in frenchmans bay big ones 2 we fish thier all the time What are preferences for bait/presentations? Dead minnows/live minnows? Tip-ups/jigging?
Roy Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 Our best shots were with large, dead or live minnows dead sticking. And I do mean large.
Beans Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 You're thinking of Pollacks at Parliament and Queen Roy... Skinners was in the Esplanade between Yonge St. and Victoria St....when the Esplanade was closed, Skinner's moved up Yonge St. north of Leow's Uptown Theatre, many years later they moved to Adelaide St. just east of Yonge St but were mainly in the fly fishing end of the fishing business...no more live bait or tackle but they would still do repairs if they could get the parts (a worm for the level wind of a Shakespeare Wondereel)... Who you callin a cabbage town kid...Born on Sackville Green then grew up around Leslie and Queen Sts...
Roy Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 At that time I was on Chester between Broadview and Carlaw on the North side. Dem were good days too. There's gotta still be some good sized pike in the Bay though.
Beans Posted February 10, 2008 Report Posted February 10, 2008 Unless things have really changed, we used to catch some jumbo perch in the gap to Lake Ontario before ice-up which always supplied the bay with good size Pike...
Rizzo Posted February 11, 2008 Report Posted February 11, 2008 gave up icefishing altogether once the whitefish on Simcoe were limited to two wow! I just love getting out and fishing, limits have no bearing on my enjoyment.
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