adam lancia Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 So I primarily fish for bass but since the season opens relatively late, what do you other bass fishermen fish for before that? This is my first season waiting for fishing season to open in Ontario (I used to just fish once we went up to the cottage which wasn't until June anyways...). I was living in Halifax the past two years so there was a lot of trout to be fished, is that the case here? I'm going to be fishing from the banks primarily. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!
Woodsman Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 Lots of other species to fish for here in Ontario. Many of the river mouths that run into the Great Lakes have runs of trout. Walleye, perch, pike, carp, crappie just to name a few species can also be caught from shore.
manjo39 Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 (edited) Right now, ice fishing for Perch, Pike, Lake Trout and Whitefish. When the ice breaks, Steelhead, Crappie, Walleye, Musky ... then Bass. For Steelhead there is a lot of pressure here in Southern Ontario, so it may be crowded for you compared to Halifax. Edited March 1, 2015 by manjo39
dave524 Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 Being the last to open I always found bass opener to be kinda anticlimactic.
Steve Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 i fish a lot of bass.....but in comparison to the rest, its actually not a lot at all. in march, from shore, park your butt on the shorelines of niagara river or pt dalhousie. enjoy strong fighting trout. that'll last through april. once pike and walleye open in May, hit the harbour mouths of lake ontario.... finally, once june comes, you can play with your preferred green or brown backs. but nothing worse than calling yourself a "bass only" fisherman. Your limiting 12 months of fishing down to 4 (or less).
manitoubass2 Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 I consider myself a bass angler but in all honesty I spend more time chasing other fish. Especially now that the zone 5 regs changed last year. Bass here used to be open all year(which was awesome) Now its walleye/pike/crappie/lake trout and whities through the ice, which is a blast. Eager for spring to come though for big walleye and big ice out pike! I shorefish alot too but i dont know that area at all. Pike can be a ton of fun from shore!!!!
lunkerbasshunter Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 get some light gear and panfish until may opener for walleye and pike. Then while walleye fishing pay attn for good bass water on the lakes your on for opening weekend for bass.
porkpie Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 Get yourself a ten foot steelhead rod, and a decent reel, some floats of different sizes. Add some small splitshot and hooks, some micro tube jigs, twister tails and some small marabou jigs. A small bag to carry it all in, and I can guarantee you will never be bored. From first melt steelhead in the open all year sections to spring panfish, then your summer bass fishing and that long rod makes a great carp tool when the bass aren't co-operating. If your stuck on shore, you will never be bored.
grizzlybri Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) I'm gunning for everything thing this year, but last year i had a blast with the channel catfish, pike and walleye. However it seemed like catfish in general were my specialty last year Edited March 2, 2015 by DynamicBear
Gnote Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 I cant believe nobody mentioned carp or suckers. You wanna feel the sheer power of a monster fish from shore on a budget carp is the way to go. You can catch them in a lot of places with corn or worms.
mike rousseau Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 I cant believe nobody mentioned carp or suckers. You wanna feel the sheer power of a monster fish from shore on a budget carp is the way to go. You can catch them in a lot of places with corn or worms. I don't know about staying on a "budget" Other then not needing a boat carp fishing can be very expensive if you get into the euro style... I carry around $1200 in gear when carp fishing... That's just gear for me... And my stuff is mostly low end carp gear... Yes you can get some on a hook and worm with an ugly stick... But euro carping is the cats meow
Mister G Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 WOW Mike, $1200 on a fish you can't eat without throwing up is way more then I would of thought.
Acountdeleted Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 Spring crappie is fun. Same with pike. They are pretty easy to catch too. If all else fails, go to perch fest in Orillia. More then enough jumbos for everyone with a hook and a worm.
Gnote Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 Yes i understand you can spend thousands on carp gear but you dont have to in order to have a good time. I have recently dumped some money into carp gear but my 2 biggest have still come on spinning equiptment, 1 on worm 1 on corn.
Old Ironmaker Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) It's Perch on Erie after ice out until the beginning of July. Channel Cats from ice out until water temps hit around 50. Then Pike in upstate NY in May for 3 days. Then Walleye in the Grand River until the 3rd Saturday in June when it's Bass time. Then chase the Walleye as they migrate east to west on Erie. A few Rainbows thrown in as a bonus. Fall we head to 30 to 50 feet of water and try and coax a big Mama Smallmouth to bite. It's quite common to hit the 7 pound mark and may be lucky enough to get beyond 8lbs. My brother in law from Mt. Uniak N.S. calls bass garbage fish. ?????? Edited March 2, 2015 by Old Ironmaker
mike rousseau Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 Yes i understand you can spend thousands on carp gear but you dont have to in order to have a good time. I have recently dumped some money into carp gear but my 2 biggest have still come on spinning equiptment, 1 on worm 1 on corn. That's right... Like anything it's as expensive as you want it to be My buddy's gear he brings has to be over $5,000... Minimum Or you can go with a can of corn and sit on a rock... Whatever suits you... My gear allows me to do more and fish better... Without getting into the high end euro gear... So it was worth the inicial cost for me...
manitoubass2 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 Maybe because not many people eat them? Ive had to keep a few over the years and did not enjoy them at all. Shallow cold water fish. Maybe a deep bass would taste better??? Weird because for their diet consisting so much of crawfish(up here) you would think the meat would be awesome. Instead its like the meat is half spoiled, spongy. Sure love catching them though!
Old Ironmaker Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) Eat a Bass!!! Blasphemy I say, blasphemy. I might eat one if it is obviously going to die, I'd most likely give it away.. Otherwise it would be like eating the family pet Rabbit. I have said here before that we can sit on the deck and watch the Bass spawn and then guard the beds. When we first bought the place I would eat a few but once I realized they spawn right here I can't bring myself to eat any Bass now. Spending 5K on Carp gear is no more crazy than spending 50K on a fishing boat and not keeping any for the table, is it? Even crazier is spending over 30 grand on a used cruiser that never leaves it's slip because of the cost of fuel. An old saying was " If you have to ask how many miles per gallon a Cadillac gets you can't afford one." Edited March 2, 2015 by Old Ironmaker
manitoubass2 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) Eat a Bass!!! Blasphemy I say, blasphemy. I might eat one if it is obviously going to die, I'd most likely give it away.. Otherwise it would be like eating the family pet Rabbit. I have said here before that we can sit on the deck and watch the Bass spawn and then guard the beds. When we first bought the place I would eat a few but once I realized they spawn right here I can't bring myself to eat any Bass now. Spending 5K on Carp gear is no more crazy than spending 50K on a fishing boat and not keeping any for the table, is it? Yeah if i deep hook anymore bass itll be dog food. I watch them bed here too when the water is clear. Its actually pretty cool to watch them. They get nasty, even a stick floats by in the river and theyll hit it lol Edited March 2, 2015 by manitoubass2
Dave Bailey Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 If you want bass fishing you might want to take a trip north, Zones 1 to 9, and much of 10, are year-round seasons.
Old Ironmaker Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 Rick, isn't watching them the neatest thing to see? Sometimes they will hit a leaf floating by and sometimes they will ignore it. Those things can move and move fast. They will head butt carp and Gar 5 feet off the bed and be back in a few seconds. I also notice they leave the beds to feed (I will not give the time they do here). They have to feed sometimes. Feeding time they are really aggressive.
Mister G Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 Actually smoked bass is pretty good, so is muskie and pike.
manitoubass2 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Posted March 2, 2015 If you want bass fishing you might want to take a trip north, Zones 1 to 9, and much of 10, are year-round seasons. Not sure of the other zones? Im in zone 5 and it changed last year. Bass is no longer year round season
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