Redhorse Rendezvous

[niagarangler89]

It's that dreaded time of the year--final exam season. Stress is at it's peak and sleep at it's trough. I was desperately in need of some R&R, so I headed out to the Thames River for a couple of hours on Thursday in search of (what has proven to be) the elusive carp. The water is probably the lowest I've ever seen it, so it made searching for those 'honey holes' much easier than usual. I walked the shoreline until I found a deeper pool without too much current and I decided to set up shop. I chummed the area with some leftover corn and proceeded to tie up my hair rig. After close to an hour of no action and a couple of snags, I decided to switch things up and throw on a juicy dew worm with a lighter sinker.

 

Within the first couple minutes of my first cast with that set up, my rod tip started quivering. I tightened up the drag on my spinning reel and slowly applied upward pressure--FISH ON! Just by the way this fish fought, I assumed I had achieved my goal of hooking into a Thames River carp. It wasn't until I brought the fish to the surface that I realized it wasn't a carp...it was a GIANT redhorse (not sure which species). Common name = sucker. This first one I landed was just over 6 pounds. After figuring out the pattern to these giant suckers (whole worm on bottom), it made for a fun hour. Landed another two shortly after the first. The second one was my biggest--8 pounds and 26 inches. The third (and most colourful) was a respectable 6 and a half pounds.

I made it out again yesterday for a couple more hours, but the bite was not the same. I ended up landing four more, with the largest being roughly 3 pounds (didn't bother weighing/measuring any of them). I did hook into another giant, but it was on my last worm, and I had grown complacent over the day: I forgot to loosen my drag and the fish broke me off as it took a powerful run. That's fishin' for ya!

 

I didn't end up achieving my goal of getting my first Thames River carp, but these brutes definitely filled the void! They fought exactly how I'd expect a carp to fight, except with lake-trout-style rolls. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not sure which species of redhorse these are (river, golden, black, shorthead etc?). If I had to guess, I'd say I've been catching a mixed bag of river and shorthead redhorse. I'll include some pictures and hopefully some of you folks will have a better idea.

 

Enjoy!

Day 1:

#1

#2

#3

Day 2:

#1

#2

#3

#4

[MJL]

Awesome!

 

I've only managed to catch a few redhorses but they fight way better than white suckers. I definitely should make a trip soon to a couple rivers that I know get runs of them...Looks like great fun, especially with big ones like those.

[Float Buddha]

Nice, I've only ever caught one redhorse before.

[Garfisher]

Very nice Redhorses (I think they're the Golden variety with maybe an exception of the 3rd fish from Day 1, that might be a Greater)

Edited April 14, 2012 by Garfisher

[richyb]

Are those what I have heard people call french suckers?

[coreyhkh]

Anyone no what type those big one are. For Carp just use white bread.

[The Urban Fisherman]

Nice going dude! We used to hammer them pretty good downtown London - we laid a good beating on the carp to at this time of year when I was in school... what part of the Thames are you fishing?

[azebra]

Awesome! Ill have to admit iv been doing some sucker fishing on the fly this spring, when i cant find steel or get bored of not catching anything, ill search them out...

[niagarangler89]

Thanks everyone!

Nice going dude! We used to hammer them pretty good downtown London - we laid a good beating on the carp to at this time of year when I was in school... what part of the Thames are you fishing?

 

I live right beside the university, so I've only fished the section of river between the Richmond St. bridge and Gibbons Park. In the summer and fall I crushedd the smallies with small inline spinners. Also caught the odd walleye, largie, and white bass. I made the trip to Springbank Park early last November and did alright for walleye and white bass as well.

 

I'm absolutely blown away at the diversity of fish in this system. For the most part, all the ones I've caught seem to be in fairly good shape, so it leads me to believe that this is a healthy fishery (not to mention the abundance of non-fish wildlife).

[azebra]

here are a couple, mind the timmies cups, i hate anglers who litter, i brought out over 15 cups that day!!!!

and sorry for the mud on the one little guy.

[niagarangler89]

Awesome! Ill have to admit iv been doing some sucker fishing on the fly this spring, when i cant find steel or get bored of not catching anything, ill search them out...

 

Since nothing else is open around here, I figured I'd give some of the 'non-game fish' a shot. After a couple fun experiences, I'm going to have a hard time not referring to them as game fish lol.

 

 

Those must've been a blast on the fly! Even those little guys are super scrappy; very ignorant of their size!

Edited April 15, 2012 by niagarangler

[azebra]

they are fun, and have some shoulders, *whisper* iv been known to play em on the reel for fun* catch em on little nymphs and they seem to try and eat egg sucking leeches, probably for the egg on the end, always get em through the nose or lips, a lot of you will recognize that stretch and there are steel in there now, its open year round for trout in that area. but its close to the lake O

Edited April 15, 2012 by azebra

[JCRG]

We used to catch giant carp at springbank, saw a bald eagle there once and even an endangered turtle. Nice report by the way, thanks for posting

 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

 

I live right beside the university, so I've only fished the section of river between the Richmond St. bridge and Gibbons Park. In the summer and fall I crushedd the smallies with small inline spinners. Also caught the odd walleye, largie, and white bass. I made the trip to Springbank Park early last November and did alright for walleye and white bass as well.

 

I'm absolutely blown away at the diversity of fish in this system. For the most part, all the ones I've caught seem to be in fairly good shape, so it leads me to believe that this is a healthy fishery (not to mention the abundance of non-fish wildlife).

[The Urban Fisherman]

Thanks everyone!

 

 

I live right beside the university, so I've only fished the section of river between the Richmond St. bridge and Gibbons Park. In the summer and fall I crushedd the smallies with small inline spinners. Also caught the odd walleye, largie, and white bass. I made the trip to Springbank Park early last November and did alright for walleye and white bass as well.

 

I'm absolutely blown away at the diversity of fish in this system. For the most part, all the ones I've caught seem to be in fairly good shape, so it leads me to believe that this is a healthy fishery (not to mention the abundance of non-fish wildlife).

 

There's even some decent gator fishing in the river to. I've done well for pike below the oxford st. bridge...

 

I lived on Mill St. in a Fraternity house and got most of my buddies into fishing while living there.... We used to fish mostly from the Oxford st. bridge down to the forks of the river... A good spot for carp is below the Blackfriars bridge, just fishing from the cement wall literally underneath the bridge..... and you can walk downstream from there and fish the pools for smallies in the summer. But my fav. spot for big carp is at the forks of the river... At the corner where King turns into Thames st. there's a walking bridge ...cross the bridge and head down the bike path on your right for literally 1 minute and walk down to the sandy beach area.... toss out a bunch of chum and get ready! Throw your chum out as far as you can and try to get your bait in the same general area. We spent many evenings chillin' down there with a few cold beers and slammed the carp... Canned corn and a standard slip sinker set up always did the trick!

 

You might have to wait a few days after all this rain... it usually blows out the river pretty bad when we get rain like this, but just keep an eye on the clarity... it's been pretty dry so it might not be to bad.

 

I've actually been meaning to get my kids out there at some point so you never know... u might just bump into us!

 

Good Luck!

[niagarangler89]

There's even some decent gator fishing in the river to. I've done well for pike below the oxford st. bridge...

 

I lived on Mill St. in a Fraternity house and got most of my buddies into fishing while living there.... We used to fish mostly from the Oxford st. bridge down to the forks of the river... A good spot for carp is below the Blackfriars bridge, just fishing from the cement wall literally underneath the bridge..... and you can walk downstream from there and fish the pools for smallies in the summer. But my fav. spot for big carp is at the forks of the river... At the corner where King turns into Thames st. there's a walking bridge ...cross the bridge and head down the bike path on your right for literally 1 minute and walk down to the sandy beach area.... toss out a bunch of chum and get ready! Throw your chum out as far as you can and try to get your bait in the same general area. We spent many evenings chillin' down there with a few cold beers and slammed the carp... Canned corn and a standard slip sinker set up always did the trick!

 

You might have to wait a few days after all this rain... it usually blows out the river pretty bad when we get rain like this, but just keep an eye on the clarity... it's been pretty dry so it might not be to bad.

 

I've actually been meaning to get my kids out there at some point so you never know... u might just bump into us!

 

Good Luck!

 

 

Appreciate all that info man! I guess the Thames is one of the few rivers you can actually get away with posting specific information like that eh? In the past year I've only seen a whopping total of four guys fishing (and half of them were fly fishermen who were only practicing casting). I'm not complaining though--having the river to yourself all day everyday is hardly a bad thing!

 

I have three exams coming up this week, but then I have a week until my last one. Hopefully I'll be able to get out sometime in that stretch and have another go at those carp.

 

What was the average size you'd catch?

 

 

[The Urban Fisherman]

Appreciate all that info man! I guess the Thames is one of the few rivers you can actually get away with posting specific information like that eh? In the past year I've only seen a whopping total of four guys fishing (and half of them were fly fishermen who were only practicing casting). I'm not complaining though--having the river to yourself all day everyday is hardly a bad thing!

 

I have three exams coming up this week, but then I have a week until my last one. Hopefully I'll be able to get out sometime in that stretch and have another go at those carp.

 

What was the average size you'd catch?

 

dude I'd get torn to pieces if I posted steelhead spots lol But there isn't exactly a huge population of folks surfing the net for prime carp locations downtown london! Most of the time when people saw me fishing there they thought I was nuts... until we pulled in a 20lb carp! lol We even tried cooking up some suckers one time.. not one of my proudest moments haha Anyways, it is what it is...I felt like it was ok to post a few carp spots and if somebody doesn't like it I don't really care... I'm just tryin' to help you out and I really hope it pays off for you!

 

We caught fish as small as 3lbs and as big as 25 to 30...I'd say the average size carp at the forks was probably between 10 and 20 though.... We usually leaned our rods up on slingshot shaped stick stuck in the sand... but loosen your drag or keep an eye on your rod because we had to run into the river after our rods on more then one occasion! lol

 

Good Luck!

[azebra]

the pic if me and the suckers is in a river that starts with H in west toronto

[niagarangler89]

dude I'd get torn to pieces if I posted steelhead spots lol But there isn't exactly a huge population of folks surfing the net for prime carp locations downtown london! Most of the time when people saw me fishing there they thought I was nuts... until we pulled in a 20lb carp! lol We even tried cooking up some suckers one time.. not one of my proudest moments haha Anyways, it is what it is...I felt like it was ok to post a few carp spots and if somebody doesn't like it I don't really care... I'm just tryin' to help you out and I really hope it pays off for you!

 

We caught fish as small as 3lbs and as big as 25 to 30...I'd say the average size carp at the forks was probably between 10 and 20 though.... We usually leaned our rods up on slingshot shaped stick stuck in the sand... but loosen your drag or keep an eye on your rod because we had to run into the river after our rods on more then one occasion! lol

 

Good Luck!

 

Haha no kidding eh! Well I really do appreciate it! My girlfriend loves to get out fishing with me, so I'm sure we'll have a blast hauling in some carp!

 

Hopefully our paths cross sometime

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

[niagarangler89]

the pic if me and the suckers is in a river that starts with H in west toronto

 

 

Lol.....hmmmmmm...brrr, Am I cold..or hot?

 

 

[azebra]

Lol.....hmmmmmm...brrr, Am I cold..or hot?

LOL. bugger! . a city boy without a car just a bus token or a bicycle can only get me so far, but i always apprecieat being on the water and always smile and have fun. most always...

[azebra]

p.s. you know your on fire 'line for those TO trout

[spinnerdoc]

I've caught red horse before, I've also seen them get stranded in a pool and there must have been over a hundred of them, I've caught a big sucker also which fought almost like a steelhead.

 

That fisrt pic looks great man, nice shootin'

[misfish]

Awesome!

 

I've only managed to catch a few redhorses but they fight way better than white suckers. I definitely should make a trip soon to a couple rivers that I know get runs of them...Looks like great fun, especially with big ones like those.

 

 

:whistling:

[woodenboater]

the pic if me and the suckers is in a river that starts with H in west toronto

 

I thought I recognized that fence with the blue windbreak

[Photoz]

I generally fish for those suckers up at Beaverton . . . . . I didn't do too well this year . . . . only got one about 3 pounds. They're just in from Lake Simcoe and also average 3 - 4 pounds with some H U G E ones 2 - 3 pounds more. On a small panfish rod & 4 pound line, they can give you a helluva tussle! What large body of water do they come from out there, Lake Erie? Ya never see 'em anyplace in the summer & fall, or ice fishin?' They are also great to eat outta the cold water . . . . if ya can stand forever picking all the tiny bones out of 'em.