Creek Fishin'

[JohnF]

Some of us here are constantly extolling the virtues of crick fishin'. Here's why. I shot these standing hip deep all alone, just me & a few smallmouths who dropped by.

 

 

 

This was upriver and downriver from the same spot where I tied into a couple of friendly little smallies using a silver Daiwa minnow. The pool's only about 3-4' deep and not all that big, but there's usually a bass to be caught there, and it's easy to get to, if you know where it is. I didn't bother with pics of the visitors. They were just average little Thames bass, 12".

 

JF

[Greencoachdog]

Looks like a nice little spot you got yourself there John!!!

 

A 1/16th or 1/8th oz. inline spinner like a Panther Martin or Roostertail on a good UL rod spooled with 2-4 lb. test Flurocarbon line should kick Bass and Panfish in there!

[Leecher]

That is a beautiful spot you got there John Just by looking at it, makes me feel like I would keep going back.

 

Great pics!

Leechman

[Wild]

Hmmm this get's me wondering, what defines a creek and a river? size? flow? distance? Also why were you standing all alone in the creek John? Did you forget your fishin rod again??

[tbayboy]

Very nice looking spot John. Little piece of heaven when you add a few smallies

[JohnF]

Very nice looking spot John. Little piece of heaven when you add a few smallies

 

This year "few" is the operative word, unfortunately. Other years I could wade into at least half a dozen spots just as pretty along a 4 or 5 mile stretch of the river and know there'd be a few smallmouths awaiting me in each. I'll get some shots of a few of the other spots next time out. Some evenings it's enuf just to stroll down the creek (trailing a lure, of course) and enjoying the ambiance.

 

On the plus side we're seeing lots of young bass in some of the pools. In fact we've been avoiding a few of our spots because of the youngsters all beating themselves up on our trebles. We left a couple of places like that on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully next year they'll be all growed up and ready to play.

 

JF

[JohnF]

Hmmm this get's me wondering, what defines a creek and a river? size? flow? distance? Also why were you standing all alone in the creek John? Did you forget your fishin rod again??

 

Often wondered that myself. In this case it's the Thames River, but as you can see in a lot of spots it hardly warrants more than "crick". Anyone who knows how wide the Avon River is when it passes the theatre in the park in Stratford might be surprised to see what it becomes when it trickles into the Thames just a skip and a jump from where I took these pics. We keep thinking that a watercourse this pretty should hold trout, something graceful and pretty, but all it has are smallies (pretty in their own way), suckers, carp, hammerhandles and snapping turtles.

 

And I had a rod with me that night - a nice little 5 1/2' UL that never gets heavy, even after 2 or 3 hours of tramping in the water chucking lures at imaginary bass.

 

JF

[Beats]

Often wondered that myself. In this case it's the Thames River, but as you can see in a lot of spots it hardly warrants more than "crick". Anyone who knows how wide the Avon River is when it passes the theatre in the park in Stratford might be surprised to see what it becomes when it trickles into the Thames just a skip and a jump from where I took these pics. We keep thinking that a watercourse this pretty should hold trout, something graceful and pretty, but all it has are smallies (pretty in their own way), suckers, carp, hammerhandles and snapping turtles.

 

And I had a rod with me that night - a nice little 5 1/2' UL that never gets heavy, even after 2 or 3 hours of tramping in the water chucking lures at imaginary bass.

 

JF

 

 

The Avon is hardly a river. I know it is a river by name but that's about it. Take the dam out of downtown and its a creek. It's a creek leading into town and it's a creek by the time it's 1/2 way to the Old Grove. They just give it a nice name to make it more picturesque for the tourists IMO.

[JohnF]

The Avon is hardly a river. I know it is a river by name but that's about it. Take the dam out of downtown and its a creek. It's a creek leading into town and it's a creek by the time it's 1/2 way to the Old Grove. They just give it a nice name to make it more picturesque for the tourists IMO.

 

The water moves so slow in the wide part that we're still waiting for last winter's melt to get to the dam.

 

JF

[Beats]

1947 Fish Data map

 

Edited September 30, 2008 by Beats

[JohnF]

1947 Fish Data map

 

 

Thanks. I haven't seen that before. I'll try to figure out where those sections are down around St.Marys. I would think the interesting spots are all east of the golf course heading back towards Wildwood. I've not had any luck at all just above the St.Marys dam and having grown up right on Trout Creek a block from the dam I can tell you there sure weren't any decent fish there when I was a kid either, just shiners, sunfish and rock bass (all small), carp (which we didn't know were game fish in those days), snapping turtles, wild mink, muskrats, frogs and mud puppies. I once saw a rather large pike up under the Sarnia Bridge and we used to catch lotsa smallmouths upriver from it. Of course Wildwood and environmental reform has changed the rivers around St.Marys. The biggest change I notice is more weed growth between the bridges (beside my old house) where the river used to be pretty much weed free.

 

I keep saying I'm gonna take a walk along Trout Creek from the dam upriver past the first bridge just for the helluvit, a kind of nostalgia trip for me. It would be fun if it produced some fish.

 

JF

[Wild]

And I had a rod with me that night - a nice little 5 1/2' UL that never gets heavy, even after 2 or 3 hours of tramping in the water chucking lures at imaginary bass.

 

JF

 

The perfect rod for the purpose especially when it's a sensitive one. Just picked up two myself a 5 ft and a 5.5 and when coupled with a micro reel and very light line it's just plain fun whether using spinners or top water micro plugs.

 

Thanks for the pics John and the inspiration!