My Ontario Fish Quest continued today...2 more species!

[007]

Hi everyone,

 

Well it's not often I get to go fishing two days in a row but after the despair of losing my personal best pike yesterday I decided to use my day off work to go fishing again to see if my luck had changed. I had planned to meet up with dsn for some carping at one of his secret locations but unfortunately he couldn't make it. Having had a long day on Cooks Bay yesterday I was pretty whacked and sunburnt so didn't make it out until after lunch. Destination - the Toronto Islands.

 

Once on the Islands I went for a walk along the main channel at Hanlan's Point - the great thing about fishing during the week is there are lots of good spots to fish - at the weekend its a different story with little space due to moored boats. I've caught a few small pike along this channel in the fall so I started casting xraps through the gaps in the thick weeds in the hope of making up for yesterday's misfortune. No such luck - so still no (landed) pike this year. I switched to a float and a worm on my new 8ft 6 Ugly Stik rod but apart from one good sized perch that I lost and tiny 2-inch bass (this year's babies I guess) chasing the worm, it wasn't working out and lookedlike it was going to be one of those days.

 

I walked on a little further and noticed a number of carp cruising around. This is not an uncommon sight down here - I always see huge carp at the islands cruising high in the water but not feeding. A little further on, no more than 3m from the bank in about 8ft of water I noticed a carp winding its way through the weed on the bottom. Could it be feeding or at least interested? Not far away I see a patch of sandy lake floor surrounded by thick weed, so I toss a couple of handfuls of sweetcorn into the gap in the weed and watch and wait. Five mins go by and the carp comes back but cruises on by. After another five minutes and another handful of corn I notice a number of shapes on the bottom - possibly a carp and a large bullhead. The water is getting murkier so they I assume they are feeding, so I change my worm to corn and try my luck. Not long later and under my float goes and at quite some pace - so I set the hook, the reel screams as the fish runs and sure enough..... snap! That's when I realised that the reel I was using only had 8lb mono on it!

 

Ok, so I'm not going to land a 20lb islands carp on 8lb test unless I'm really lucky. So I change to my 7ft medium heavy rod with 12lb line (the strongest I have) and try again. Not surprisingly after all that ... nothing. But I said to myself be patient and bait the area again. This time I attach a sinker not a float to make sure the bait is on the bottom. Ten minutes later the rod bends round and I have a fish on! The reel screams at me again as the line races out. Its a good strong fish - definitely a carp. I hang on tight and let it have its first run, I then tighten up the drag and reel in line... off it goes again.... so I tighten the drag a little more and walk down the bank to get more line back before I run out of line! A few minutes later I have a nice looking carp rolling at the surface - now to land it! The good news is - I actually remembered my net! One swoosh of the net and it was mine!

 

As I lifted the heavy fish ashore it became clear to me that I had caught my biggest carp ever and in fact my biggest fish ever! As I unhooked it a couple walking past decided to come over and take a look. Once unhooked I asked if they would take some pictures and they obliged. I then took its vitals - 15lb in weight and about 30 inches in length - a personal best and far bigger than my previous biggest fish - an 8lb carp. I know its not the biggest carp in the world (nor the Islands) and not everyone likes carp but I was so happy with my prize catch. Here's a few photos....

 

(I realise that the picture shows the background and I have said where I was fishing but I don't think it is anyone's secret location, most people who have fished the islands have walked the area I'm sure, the carp are everywhere and not in one spot, most of the summer the boats will prevent anyone fishing there anyway, and most importantly the nice lady that took the pictures did such a good job getting me, my PB fish and the CN Tower into the frame it seemed a shame to crop or photoshop the images - hope this doesn't upset anyone).

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all that excitement, I knew the rest of the day wouldn't compare. But I continued my walk around the islands, taking in the peace and quiet and casting as I went. Didn't see many bass today, no pike but lots of carp, and lots of pumpkinseedfish on their spawning nests. In fact I spent about half an hour enjoying watching them in the shallows flirting or guarding their nests from other fish.

 

The carp wasn't my last fish of the day though. I managed to catch one more species for the year, though nothing to get too excited about - a goby! That's when I knew it was time to go home! From the sublime to the ridiculous.

 

 

 

Thanks to all those who have given me advice or words of encouragement recently - particularly the carp boys - dsn, MJL and ccmtcanada.

 

Hope to post another report and another species soon - perhaps I'll get even with a pike soon too!

 

Cheers

007

Edited June 19, 2007 by OO7

[Kev]

Great report and pics , congrats on the pb.

[urbanangler1990]

this report is useless without info on boat rentals, haha, kidding, nice carp there, wtg

[lunkerbasshunter]

right on man!

 

Cheers!

[wolfville]

Thanks for sharing...I enjoyed the read.

[xrap]

Another great report 007, congrats on your new pb. Well Done!!

[motv8tr]

Well done 007, congrats on the PB

 

Maureen

[MJL]

Awesome report and pics..Glad you finally got into a carp at the islands - Especially a PB at that! Are mirror carp on your list?

[ccmtcanada]

Great job 007! I knew you'd pick yourself back up after that pike. Carp are a lot of fun that's for sure. The thing I like about them is that ANY shore angler has a good shot at landing a 20+ pound fish. Just need a little patience and put in the time. Congrats on the personal best!! Now, go and get that pike with re-newed confidence!

[007]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

 

MJL - I wouldn't say no to a mirror carp, but I know they are quite rare here. I prefer the common carp though - much better looking! LOL

 

Just a quick recap - the species caught so far this year is as follows:

 

Yellow Perch, White Sucker, Brown Bullhead, Pumpkinseedfish, Rock Bass, Bluegill, White Perch, Common Carp, Common Shiner, Golden Shiner, Creek Chub, and Lake Chub. + Largemouth Bass (accidental OOS) + Northern Pike lost at boatside.

 

Hopefully in the next two weeks I will be able to add an in season largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and maybe my first walleye from my trip up north to Restoule for the long weekend!

 

007

[007]

In relation to the line strength I was using for the carp - what strength do other people use?

 

If my fish was 15lb and I used 12lb line, what size fish could I catch on that line?

 

Or should I be changing my reels to say 20lb line in case I hook into one of the monsters at the Islands?

[ccmtcanada]

Because of where I fish...lots of obstacles shall we say, there is a need for me to "muscle" the fish at times. That being said, I use 30 lb power pro main line with 20 to 25 pound leaders.

[MJL]

In relation to the line strength I was using for the carp - what strength do other people use?

 

If my fish was 15lb and I used 12lb line, what size fish could I catch on that line?

 

Or should I be changing my reels to say 20lb line in case I hook into one of the monsters at the Islands?

 

On average I use 12-15lb mono when ledgering. 8-10lb mono when stalking and float fishing. 50+lb PowerPro when fishing areas with heavy zebra mussels and snags. On the Islands I find I don't need to use more than 10-12lb test.

 

In general I find using mono heavier than 15lb unpleasant to use on most spinning reels - Even with big-pits and large baitrunners.

 

With 12lb mono I've caught fish to 36+lbs without trouble. The rod acts like a giant shock absorber and the drag helps to cushion the line. If you play the angles you can land a large fish on light line in no time.

[Victor]

congrats on nailing another 2 species off ur list!! it's a great way to come back after losing that pike!

 

for line weight ... it also depends on what rod you're using ... if you are using a 6' bass rod, it would be tough to land a bigger one with 10lb test ... as MJL said, the rod acts as a shock absorber and a longer one would really help you out. After fishing with longer rods i'm in love with them now lol.

[bbog]

What a difference a day makes, eh! Congrats on your PB.

[dsn]

Hey OO7 sorry I couldn't make it. But hey you did great!! Maybe one of thses days we can meet up and I'll show you where the big boys live on the island if you want to play with a fish in the high 20's to 30's.

 

As for line.. I prefer fireline black 14lb test. For mono I have used berkley vanish transition 8lb test. It worked great for me. But I find that mono sometimes catches the wind too much on a windy day and I can't see or feel the hits before the fish runs. I find that fireline after its worked in a bit becomes very limb and cuts through the wind easier. Which make detecting the bite easier. I've tried power pro but didn't like them either. It all about Preference.

 

As for a mirro carp I have seen two in the GTA. One last year and one this year. I have been chasing it for awhile now but this guy is smarter than your regualr common carp.

 

dsn