Fishing this morning

[fishing n autograph]

Hey Guys,

 

So yesterday as I froze in Toronto Harbour, I decided that since pike season opened today in area 17 I'd head out. So I hit a few spots that I have been fishing for the last 20 years and I've noticed a slow decline in the quality and quantity of fish.

 

This is the reason why. The Conestogo River is a fragile fishery which gets hammered by over fishing. When I hit my last spot, I parked and noticed 6 horse and buggies tied to a fence on one side of the river. In the hole across from me stood 13 Menonites who each had a line in the water and each person had a white bucket for their cull. Well, needless to say the spot yelded no fish. But this spot has been amazing for years. This was the only time I had ever been skunked here.

 

Anyway, i've grown up on this river and have seen these same group of guys on the same stretch of the river with BUCKETS full of fish. They keep everything no matter what size or species...

 

This frustrates me because the fishing in this river has become terrible and the only success i've had in recent years have been in this spot and with minnows. Lures are useless here lol....

 

Just my thoughts...

 

Dave

[johnnyb]

I wonder if the Mennonites have noticed a decline in the quality and quantity of fish?....that is, the ones fishing that spot year after year.

And Jed, you make a very good point.

Edited May 10, 2008 by johnnyb

[e-z-out]

13 Menonites and not one with a fishing licence i bet.

[Greencoachdog]

It could be the fish just weren't biting this morning. ... but heavy fishing pressure will do what do described to a body of water whether the fish are kept or not! You can only catch a fish so many times one a lure before they become educated, it's called conditioned learning. You've either got to show them a presentation they've never seen before or use live bait. We have the same thing down here and is the reason I use live bait so often. I use lures and catch fish... but only under certain conditions.

 

I'm not saying the body of water you're fishing hasn't been overharvested, but if it has... you may want to look for other waters.

[highdrifter]

Menonites using white buckets?! I'll be jiggered... I thought their buckets had to be fashioned out of straw and thread! hahah

 

Not to say that menonites arn't over fishing, but they probably have precedence, as they've probably been in the area for a long time. Maybe their secret fishing holes have been fished out from non-local white bucketeers...

 

Such are the times. I think we've all noticed a decline. That makes keeping our secret haunts ever more important..

 

cheers

HD

[Greencoachdog]

Unfortunately it is all part and parcel of the times.

Too many people in the urban centers, will be overcrowding what fisheries are within easy driving distance (or horse & buggy).

The days are over as I used to know them. Where I grew up (Lake Nipissing) it is now difficult to catch fish. Back in the day, as a kid, I could walk down to the lake, and catch decent Pike, large (can you imagine) 40- 50 lb Musky , and Walleye. Then in the 1980's one had to motor out about 6-7 miles to Pickerel Rock to catch the Pickerel (Walleye).

Today, you need to cross the Lake, to get to the French River area (about 20 miles)to have a chance to catch a few small Walleye, and the majority need to be thrown back because they fall within a "slot" size. Most times, I feel it just ain't worth the bother, or maybe I'm just getting old.

 

Yer gettin' old!!!

 

I don't know what section of the Nip you're fishin', but I caught some decent Wall-ice on the West Arm at the G2G last June... but I'm pretty sure I was using a presentation they hadn't seen before.

[danbo]

[misfish]

Theres been a prison break,this thread is about to be locked down.

If anyone says MARSHM,,,,,,,, It,s game over.

[fishing]

Like Greecoachdog said, presentation is important. I can see 15 or 20 perch, big and small, look at my maggots and minnows. But they do not bite. Since hundreds, maybe thousands of people are using same bait, and most of perch were released time after time. Fish are smart and they can learn in a month or so.

Edited May 13, 2008 by fishing

[Terry]

so, did they break any laws

 

 

point being if they did nothing against the law, they did nothing wrong

 

if there is a problem with them keeping a limit because of fish populations, then the limits (laws) need to be changed

so lets "be itch" about the government and direct our anger towards them

Edited May 11, 2008 by Terry

[jediangler]

Fishing for pike in the conestoga river has definately declined in the last 20yrs. My personal record of 5 pike on 5 consecutive casts came on a cleo spoon at the Macton bridge in 1989. We used to get 10 - 15 in 3 or 4 hrs back in the late 80's. The good news is they started stocking browns, along with the rainbows that they have been putting in for years, just below the dam and at the Glen Allen bridge. So maybe the trout will make up for the lost pike. The smallies are still very good in the conestoga if you are willing to walk a little ways and explore. But not till the end of June of course.

[Garry2Rs]

Pogo once said, "I have seen the enemy and he is us!"

So First, a question; Are you practising catching and release?

I hear my neighbors complain about the loss of the good walleye fishery in the local lakes.

They tell me they used to get 6 good ones, every morning, off their docks!

Who believes that a fishery can stand that kind of pressure? What planet are these people on?

Second an observation; These horse and buggy Mennonites are the "Greenest " people on earth.

They have been trying to save the planet for at least 100 years...

Let's cut them a little slack while we tool around in our 8-mile-to-a-gallon 4X4 SUV's.

Third an observation; We currently are enjoying the best fishing in my living memory.

More people are catch more big fish in more places that at any time in the last 50 years.

If your river isn't as good as it once was, maybe you took home the breeders!

Garry2R's

Edited May 11, 2008 by garry2rs

[Beats]

Pogo once said, "I have seen the enemy and he is us!"

So First, a question; Are you practising catching and release?

I hear my neighbors complain about the loss of the good walleye fishery in the local lakes.

They tell me they used to get 6 good ones, every morning, off their docks!

Who believes that a fishery can stand that kind of pressure? What planet are these people on?

Second an observation; These horse and buggy Mennonites are the "Greenest " people on earth.

They have been trying to save the planet for at least 100 years...

Let's cut them a little slack while we tool around in our 8-mile-to-a-gallon 4X4 SUV's.

Third an observation; We currently are enjoying the best fishing in my living memory.

More people are catch more big fish in more places that at any time in the last 50 years.

If your river isn't as good as it once was, maybe you took home the breeders!

Garry2R's

 

 

A few weeks back I was fishing in London and stopped and talked to a guy for a while about fishing in the area. We discussed various spots that are good and he mentioned a few spots that he said used to be great and now he can't understand where the fish have gone. He then threw his beer onto the shore and continued to talk about the downfall of the river..... if that isn't ironic.

[Radnine]

Pogo once said, "I have seen the enemy and he is us!"

So First, a question; Are you practising catching and release?

I hear my neighbors complain about the loss of the good walleye fishery in the local lakes.

They tell me they used to get 6 good ones, every morning, off their docks!

Who believes that a fishery can stand that kind of pressure? What planet are these people on?

Second an observation; These horse and buggy Mennonites are the "Greenest " people on earth.

They have been trying to save the planet for at least 100 years...

Let's cut them a little slack while we tool around in our 8-mile-to-a-gallon 4X4 SUV's.

Third an observation; We currently are enjoying the best fishing in my living memory.

More people are catch more big fish in more places that at any time in the last 50 years.

If your river isn't as good as it once was, maybe you took home the breeders!

Garry2R's

 

Thought provoking as usual.

[pikemaster66]

From what ive heard there is great carp fishing at centre island in toronto according to a freind i do a lot of carp fishing but im bored of it i wanna go pike fishing again i could use some info on how the pike fishing is up by centre island any help would be gratfully appreciated im posting from school i gotta go lol ill be on maybe in a day or 2 i got fishing at centre island tommorow

[Stoty]

From what ive heard there is great carp fishing at centre island in toronto according to a freind i do a lot of carp fishing but im bored of it i wanna go pike fishing again i could use some info on how the pike fishing is up by centre island any help would be gratfully appreciated im posting from school i gotta go lol ill be on maybe in a day or 2 i got fishing at centre island tommorow

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, oh man..........

Not only does this have NO bearing on the thread, its also this dudes first post.....

 

HAHAHAHAHA

[ketchenany]

Pikemaster66, if your teacher sees your post (grammar and spelling) forget pike fishing, you may fail grade 4 for not shaving!

[Musky or Specks]

Pogo once said, "I have seen the enemy and he is us!"

So First, a question; Are you practising catching and release?

I hear my neighbors complain about the loss of the good walleye fishery in the local lakes.

They tell me they used to get 6 good ones, every morning, off their docks!

Who believes that a fishery can stand that kind of pressure? What planet are these people on?

Second an observation; These horse and buggy Mennonites are the "Greenest " people on earth.

They have been trying to save the planet for at least 100 years...[/b]

Let's cut them a little slack while we tool around in our 8-mile-to-a-gallon 4X4 SUV's.

Third an observation; We currently are enjoying the best fishing in my living memory.

More people are catch more big fish in more places that at any time in the last 50 years.

If your river isn't as good as it once was, maybe you took home the breeders!

Garry2R's

That statement is so far from the truth I can only assume you have no knowledge of mennonite farming practices. The Conostaga River is basically a flowing sewage line and the reason for this are the mennonite farms that line its banks. I cant beleive the amount of suspended solids that you will see in this river. Mennonites may not drive cars but by no means are they even remotely green. Matter of fact you see them in cabs all the time. So while they may not drive themselves they still use cars. Mennonites are all about getting the job done and they would never let a thing like the enviroment get in their way.

Edited June 10, 2008 by Musky or Specks

[snag]

Mennonites!!

 

Good gravy, Gunthers got a gaff!

 

 

Just when I thought that there were no races, cultures or communities left!

 

Who will be the next scourge?

 

Macrobiotics?

 

(fish mongering freaks!)

[Musky or Specks]

Mennonites love fishing, I use to have several for customers and they never thought twice about buying the best equipment.

[Fisherman]

13 Menonites and not one with a fishing licence i bet.

Ya, go stand a little closer to your cactus,

[allbusiness]

If you want pike conestoga lake is a much better choice, the fishing above the dam I find is a lot better and not as much pressure - I drive over macton bridge every day (not now because there is construction) and there is always a ton of people fishing there.

 

And like buddy said all the run off into that river is pretty disgusting, I can't believe they even stock it with brown trout, I've never seen any caught and it's a wonder if they even survive in there.

 

But if you are going for brown trout then hit up right below the dam, again, a lot of people fish there so it gets a fair bit of pressure.

 

Mennonites are pretty laid back people who love to fish and work, if they want to keep their limit, then it's in their right to.

[danbouck]

Pikemaster66, if your teacher sees your post (grammar and spelling) forget pike fishing, you may fail grade 4 for not shaving!

 

Hahahahahaha!

[e-z-out]

Ya, go stand a little closer to your cactus,

 

?????????????

[holdfast]

Hey whats the difference between a Mennonite and a Hudderites? All I know is they wear these weird hats and don't believe in fighting for our country. But they love to shop for the most modern of things. Did they have fishing rods?