Thames Pickerel Opener

[Beats]

So I decided last night that I would get up early today and go out and attempt (as i do every year) to catch a thames river pickerel. Today was the first day that the river upstream of Chatham is open for the species. I started by getting to the bottom of Fanshawe dam around 6:30 this morning. There were already 13 other people fishing down there. I stayed for an hour and saw no pickerel caught. One guy hooked what I can only guess to be a carp by the way his rod bent but I saw no other fish caught of any size. I then spent a couple of hours at Labatt's dam where I managed to catch a decent white bass and a few small smallmouths.

 

 

 

 

I tried a few holes on the way to and from the dam and only managed a few small sm bass and one fat rock bass.

 

I then figured that since the regs were changed this year and we weren't able to fish for them in April like usual that the fish had a huge advantage and had probably already come and gone back to the lake. I decided to try further downstream and drove towards Chatham. I noticed a few cars pulled over here and there along the river between London and Chatham but not nearly as many as I expected. I got into Chatham and pulled into Thames Grove Conservation Area. I spoke to another guy fishing with his kids for a few minutes. I asked if he had caught any pickerel and he said

"I wish!". Not exactly the answer I was hoping for. I told him that I had tried the Fanshawe dam and the Labatt's dam with no luck and had decided to try and find the fish on their way back to the lake. He said that he had been out on the lake a few days ago and hadn't seen any sign of the pickerel and that in his opinion the run hadn't yet started due to our past winter. He said that when the fish are running the spot we were standing at is great for catching them. Now I was just confused. Either the fish had gone up river from the lake and returned before the season opened, or there were a lot of people out there fishing for fish that have not yet arrived. I cast into the river for 25 mins or so and then headed back home. I had essentially fished the river from its near beginnings in Chatham and its "end of the line" spots in London. When the river forks in London the North branch coming from St.mary's is blocked at Fanshawe dam and the south branch coming from Woodstock in blocked at Labatt's dam.

 

I decided to make one last effort and try a well known area that I go to each year.

 

 

 

I waded out to an island of sorts and saw tonnes of sm bass in pairs on nests and tonnes of suckers all over.

 

 

At one point I thought I saw a gar but I wasnt sure. I then went to a little stream like area cutting through the island that a board member had told me about last year. I noticed hundred of minnows swimming around. I then noticed pairs of gar all over the place. I had never seen one in person before. All around the island in the reall shallow water were gar paired up all being around 2 feet long. They had cool looking spotted tails and patterns on them. I counted up to a dozen of them and then walked to an area where they were swimming all around me. In total I saw over 2 dozen in one small area of the river. They were all the same size except one (pictured) which was not far from 4 feet long (seriously) and had no colour to it at all. I walked right up to it before it took off. I took a few more pics of all the gar to show how many there was but the glare off the water makes the pics useless.

 

 

Other than that I caught 2 sm oos bass at this spot. One being 1.5 pounds and the other was 2.4 lbs(pictured). I had my boga grip scale with me so I put it to use on the bass. Both were released quickly. I quit for the day after this as I did not want to catch bass. The bass that were caught were hooked in the middle of the river and not from nests at shore in case anyone was wondering. The only bait I used all day at all the places I fished was either a white jig head with a white power grub or a black jig head with a white grub.

 

 

Again, another year of no Thames pickerel for me. I might try it again in the next week or so but I think they have come and gone already. I heard of someone catching 2 near to where I was fishing but that's just word of mouth and I saw no signs of any.

Edited May 11, 2008 by Beats

[Sandbag]

I grew up in Chatham and we used to pretty well in the Thamesville area at opener,all on yellow twisters. I've heard that things have slowed up substantially in the last few years.

 

Some very nice pictures you took. Must have been pretty neat to see all the gar.

 

 

Cheers

 

Craig

[Beats]

Great pics of the fish in shallow water!

I think that maybe it is too bright for the pickerel to be in that shallow of water. Maybe when the sun goes down, they might move in. Or maybe they have left for deeper holes.

 

 

Yeah, I know what you mean. I just happened to be standing in the middle of the river when I took those 2 shots. I wasn't really fishing right there, just passing through. I hit every hole I knew of and could find as well as spots recommended to me by members here over the years. I was scouting out the little creek-like spots off of the main channel where the water slows down and has gravel and sand bottom, but no fish to be seen. A lot of the spots I figured pickerel would be had gar instead. All in all not a bad day as I saw with my own eyes that gar do in fact exist in the river. Now if only I had seen pickerel it would have been perfect. I don't even necessarily have to catch one, I'd be happy to just see one or see someone catch one. I really want to catch one in the Thames. I live right at the forks and I know that if I consistently fish the holes near here over the summer I am bound to get a resident fish eventually.

Edited May 11, 2008 by Beats

[shane]

Great report. Thanks for that. But.............

 

There are no pickerel in the Thames. But there are walleyes.lol I usually catch a couple every year but I only ever caught one during the spring run. I think you're probably right that the run is over for this year but keep at it and you'll likely get one of the resident walleyes. Any time of the year.

 

This is one I caught last year in late sept.

[Mattones]

Great pictures! see you had a great time!

[tbayboy]

Cool pictures Beats, sorry to here you didn't get what you were after but it still beat sitting at home I'm sure

[splashhopper]

As a newbie to the board last fall.. andi live in London too... I had NO IDEA that there was even a chance at pickerel in the Thames.. Especially 5 blocks from home at (labatts dam).. geesh..

[Headhunter]

Good report Beats! Too bad about not catchin any Pickereyes, but ya got out... BTW .... I know that spot! LOL

Nest time, try a little closer to the Delaware bridge, in some of the backwater eddys.

I've heard from some buddys that the netting going on in the river has really killed the run...

HH

[fishindevil]

Well too bad you didnt catch any walleyes ,but it was cool to see all those gar spawning,as well as seeing those smallies too !!!! better luck next year cheers