Forage of the fish in your favourite lake(s) by species.

[Harrison]

With winternet in full bloom, I thought this may be an interesting topic for folks to share their opinions on what one believes is the favourite prey for their target fish on specific lakes.

 

I know I could find this info helpful to pattern baits when fishing new waters or areas I do not get to much.

 

I'll start it off.

 

Rice Lake

 

Largemouth - Crayfish and Bluegill/Sunfish

 

Smallmouth - Crayfish and Perch

 

Walleye - Crayfish and Perch (Fall frogs)

 

Lake Scugog

 

Largemouth - Crayfish and Frogs

 

Smallmouth - Crayfish and Perch

 

Walleye - Perch

 

Lake Ontario

 

Pike - rainbow patterns.

 

I have more the share later.

 

Personally, I am very curious about Georgian bay(Midland and honey harbour areas) and the Muskoka lakes.

 

Thanks.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Harrison

[Rod Caster]

Nipissing apparently has an explosion of smelt which in my opinion might sway the walleye from being structure/bottom huggers to open water/suspending fish. This could also explain why some Nip regulars don't catch as many walleye as before...they haven't adjusted to the walleye's diet switch. Smelt are much better feed than shinners since they have a high fat/oil content. Nevermind all the other controversy on Nipissing, if indeed the smelt are making their way into the walleye's diet then I suspect fishing tactics would have to change as well.

Beyond that, I often find perch in the walleye's stomach on Nip. Shiners are also found in the walleye, but I suspect they often come from minnow buckets.

 

 

[Billy Bob]

Lake Erie:

Perch - Emerald Shiners

Smallmouth - Black Bucktail Jigs

Walleyes - Worm harnesses with nice fresh cold nightcrawlers

 

Chautauqua Lake:

Crappie - 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 jigs...sometimes suspended on a foam cigar bobber.

[stubbex1]

Nipissing apparently has an explosion of smelt which in my opinion might sway the walleye from being structure/bottom huggers to open water/suspending fish. This could also explain why some Nip regulars don't catch as many walleye as before...they haven't adjusted to the walleye's diet switch. Smelt are much better feed than shinners since they have a high fat/oil content. Nevermind all the other controversy on Nipissing, if indeed the smelt are making their way into the walleye's diet then I suspect fishing tactics would have to change as well.

Beyond that, I often find perch in the walleye's stomach on Nip. Shiners are also found in the walleye, but I suspect they often come from minnow buckets.

 

 

 

do you think your theory would apply to the french as well? Interesting post

[12footspringbok]

Georgian Bay Rainbows - Gobies, Sticklebacks, Spiny Water Fleas... LOL

[Rich]

I tend to find the waterbodies which host some form of shad. That breeds big predators.. bass, pike, musky, walleye.. yyeeeeaaaahhhhhh!

[Rod Caster]

do you think your theory would apply to the french as well? Interesting post

 

I've never heard of smelt living year round in big rivers, but I imagine the west arm would hold the same baitfish as the rest of the lake. This spring I'm going to check out some potential smelt creeks off of Nipissing...never heard of anyone smelting on Nipissing so it should be interesting.

 

as you said it's just a theory but some good local sources tend to agree.

[OhioFisherman]

Crank baits, chrome and black, chrome and blue, perch, just about anywhere.

 

Tubes, green pumpkin, junebug, green pumpkin blue glitter, watermelon blue glitter, white with silver glitter, just about anywhere.

 

Jig and pig, or plastic, black, black and blue, brown, brown and chartruse, swimming sstyle, white.

 

Plactics worms, junebug, black, purple, watermelon blue.

 

Spinner baits white, white and chartruse, white chartruse and blue, chartruse blue and white, black.

 

Buzz baits, black, white, chartruse.

 

Surface lures, black, white, silver, perch, frog.

[solopaddler]

Lake Erie:

Perch - Emerald Shiners

Smallmouth - Black Bucktail Jigs

Walleyes - Worm harnesses with nice fresh cold nightcrawlers

 

Chautauqua Lake:

Crappie - 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 jigs...sometimes suspended on a foam cigar bobber.

 

 

Crank baits, chrome and black, chrome and blue, perch, just about anywhere.

 

Tubes, green pumpkin, junebug, green pumpkin blue glitter, watermelon blue glitter, white with silver glitter, just about anywhere.

 

Jig and pig, or plastic, black, black and blue, brown, brown and chartruse, swimming sstyle, white.

 

Plactics worms, junebug, black, purple, watermelon blue.

 

Spinner baits white, white and chartruse, white chartruse and blue, chartruse blue and white, black.

 

Buzz baits, black, white, chartruse.

 

Surface lures, black, white, silver, perch, frog.

 

 

Didn't realize lures were considered a forage base for the fish.

 

 

I had no idea there was smelt in Nipissing either, although I rarely fish it anymore.

That could explain a lot!

Edited February 5, 2011 by solopaddler

[Garnet]

Couple things you missed. On Scugog theirs huge shiners 4-4.5 inch shiners. And I always wondered why white was a very good color on the frog pond.

 

Rice it's the gobie, and they are a game changer.

[Gregoire]

Was this topic about lures or forage? I wonder what type of forage some lures are made to imitate. Or are some lures, like tubes, so effective because they can look like a variety of forage? And how is colour vs size vs shape vs action?

 

I find around Toronto Pike seem to feed on perch, and there seems to be an abundance of small perch in some of these areas.

I wonder how much some large predators, like Musky, feed on bass and walleye, and what size they target.

[OhioFisherman]

LOL solo, just guessing that Phil doesn`t hook up a minnow often? Georgian Bay? Silver shiners, Emerald shiners, smelt, shad, perch, walleye, big fish eat little fish. I have caught perch there that were spitting out craw fish, what ever looks like an easy meal?

[Terry]

simcoe/cooksbay in the spring I have seen smallmouth gorging on smelt to the point where they can't swim can't breath and are floating squirming on the surface...I have lifted them out of the water and pulled 8/9 smelt out of their gills and another 10 or so out of their mouth so they can breath again and swim away.....

if you have never dip netted smelt from a boat during the day in the spring while bass are pushing them into a big ball near the surface you are missing some good fun

Edited February 6, 2011 by Terry

[OhioFisherman]

It`s been a while since I cleaned one but Lake Erie Steel Head? Large Emerald Shiners, small shad, small perch.

[SRT8 smoker craft]

It`s been a while since I cleaned one but Lake Erie Steel Head? Large Emerald Shiners, small shad, small perch.

 

The 2 I kept this year one had emeralds only and the other had emeralds and a crawfishabout 1" long in it .

 

I have caught pike ,bass(LMB,SMB) perch, steelhead and brown trout all out of Erie that have had emeralds,crawfish,gobies and smelt I think they will eat anything that will fit in their mouths even caught jumbo's with small 1-2" perch in their bellies.

[Rich]

Didn't realize lures were considered a forage base for the fish.

 

lol, those places are so pressured the fish actually search for lures for forage, instead of real baitfish. hahaha

[ehg]

Great topic!

Have found small black worms in the stomachs of Kawartha walleyes in the fall.

I think they feed on these on mud bottoms off deep shoals. The eyes go deep in the fall and feed on these things as well as small perch etc...

[Harrison]

Rice it's the gobie, and they are a game changer.

 

That is interesting Garnet. Would you find they are located in certain parts of the lake moreso then others? i.e. Hasting way

 

Appears they are a game changer on Simcoe as well.

 

 

LOL solo, just guessing that Phil doesn`t hook up a minnow often?

 

Live bait???? lol... only on the ice.

 

 

simcoe/cooksbay in the spring I have seen smallmouth gorging on smelt to the point where they can't swim can't breath and are floating squirming on the surface...I have lifted them out of the water and pulled 8/9 smelt out of their gills and another 10 or so out of their mouth so they can breath again and swim away.....

if you have never dip netted smelt from a boat during the day in the spring while bass are pushing them into a big ball near the surface you are missing some good fun

 

I have never seen that Terry. Would love to though. I am assuming this is in the main basin?

 

Also on Lake Simoce:

 

In the spring the large majority of "true" jumbos we get are feeding on small craws in the deeper water.

Edited February 7, 2011 by Harrison

[bluesky1713]

There are lots of smelt in Nipissing and their numbers are growing. Last spring we did really well smelting on a local creek.

[Garnet]

Rice is run over with gobies and they are everywhere.