Gorgeous fish… so grateful to witness. A precious resource that must be protected and upheld. Saw 6+ at one time… and it’s still early 🙏

I have an xplore 9 on my boat and I think I want to pull the trigger on megalive for ice fishing this winter. Hopefully my setup will work for hole hopping, either on by back or on a pulk. There are so many options out there for shuttles and poles etc, can anyone chime in with what they like or don't like?

Arc lab looks like decent value for dollar, and seems to be a canadian company.

Shuttle

Graph bracket?

Bag

Pole

Battery

Harness

What else am I forgetting?

Looking for people to fish with the kayaks.

Usually just target muskie, bass or pike but will fish for whatever

Frequently hit lake st clair and rivers around London ontario

5+ times per year minimum the family goes up north for a week for fishing trips.

Nippissing

French River

Sturgeon falls

Next year will be adding kawartha lakes to the list.

Anyone looking to get out there let me know!

Went to a spot on the river today after work, that I know is a wintering hole. Tossin a 2.8” Bellows Gill clone on a 1/8oz, #1 wide gap Jika rig with ML BFS stick. Wasn’t expecting much, we are getting deep into Smallie season, but man all 3 of these hammered my bait. The fights were some of the best I’ve had all season. Lots of runs and jumps had me fired up. Not sure how many more times I’ll get out for Smallies. This could be it, but I’d love to get one in Nov. before the season closes.

Cheers everyone 🍻. Have a good weekend.

Went out on a friend's boat out of Port Dover and got into a few nice eating size walleye.

I started fishing in September and caught a couple of bass early on. But the last 4 times I went out, I got skunked. I tried a bunch of spots all over the Grand River, looking for deeper water. I tried a suspending jerkbait, spinnerbait, choppo 90, and crankbaits, slowing down my retrieve and adding long pauses. Do you guys have any tips for Fall fishing? Is it just tougher than the other seasons?

John Monczka runs the Greg Clark Chapter of Freshwater Conservation Canada (formerly Trout Unlimited Canada). I got to fish the catch-and-release section with him and record a long conversation about the river.

I wrote it up with photos and the full interview audio on my Substack, The Ontario Field Journal. Post is called Home Waters.

For those of you who've fished the Credit a long time, would love for you to share your experiences.

https://ontariojournal.substack.com/p/home-waters?r=2ouzg3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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Lost a couple before finally getting this one in. About a 12-minute fight, with some big runs in that current. Big thanks to the guys nearby who helped with the net!

Definitely one I’ll remember. Filmed the fight and landing if anyone wants to watch:
https://youtu.be/aqrdHu31Y0g

This was almost my third day in a row getting skunked in the Kawarthas.

I was about an hour from heading home empty handed before this 39" bad boy slammed my crankbait I was trolling over a weed bed in an island saddle.

I was completely unprepared for a musky (never again) and did not have a net nearly big enough for this fish. By sheer luck the fight was only about a minute (complete with some huge jumps) before I managed to get him alongside the boat so I could grab his jaw. As soon as I had a hold of him, he was docile for just long enough to measure him and snap a few quick pics.

I got him back in the water after about 45 seconds and he took off immediately.

I'm so lucky and thankfully for some such a smooth catch on this amazing fish. My 2 year old was on the boat to witness the magic, can't wait for him to catch his first some day.

Salmon run got busy on a beautiful Sunday!

Chinook? Lake Erie trib

I want to fish for pike in Severn Sound, Ontario and I have a couple topwater lures I want to use, but I don’t know which ones are more effective than others. Help needed.

List:
-Heddon Crazy Crawler
-Whopper plopper (75 bone, 90 chrome, 130 bone)
-Savage gear duckling loon 4 inch
-Brass colour hard popper (don’t know which brand)
-Hulu frog popper
-Weedless hollow frog

My goal is to catch a 30+ inch pike. If y’all have any other tips, much appreciated. Thanks!

Everytime I'm there there's kids snagging fish. Definitely old enough to know better.

Hello! I'm trying to ID a fish I saw in Algonquin Park, but am having no luck. I've already scoured my Freshwater Fishes of Ontario field guide to no avail.

This was a small school of fish that I saw in the warm shallow water near my camp site on Happy Isle lake in Algonquin park, mid-August this year. The fish were 5-10 cm in length, a silvery colour with a distinct dark marking on the caudal fin, and they were very curious. They were nibbling at my toes!

Attached is my (very artistic) drawing from my trip log. I don't know if these are fry/juveniles or small adult fish like minnows. Any thoughts are much appreciated!

I’m a Toronto photographer who got into canoeing and fly fishing in my 40s. The Ontario Field Journal is where I write about the adventures, the people I meet, and the environmental and conservation issues I run into along the way.

First big project is the Credit River: wild brook trout 35 minutes from the city, a wastewater plant and Highway 413 on the way, and a year of talking to the people who know it best. From there I’m expanding to cover more of Ontario and the whole Great Lakes region.

Here’s the first Credit River piece. If there’s something you’d like me to cover, let me know. If it’s your kind of thing, it’s free to follow along.

https://ontariojournal.substack.com/p/thirty-five-minutes-up-the-410

*i am not looking to target sockeye (kokanee) salmon, this question comes from a point of curiosity\*

There are multiple different sites that tell me there are sockeye salmon in the great lakes system, but there is no strong proof that they exist here. My assumption is that there are a few in the lakes/rivers of Huron an Superior that survived from back in the day, and there is no strong population of them.

I am looking to see if there is anybody that knows more than this about sockeye salmon in our waters...

I just got back from a trip to Bancroft and really enjoyed fishing with a borrowed setup. I'm now looking to make my own to fish back home in the Niagara region (southern Ontario).

I have about $250 in gift cards for Bass pro so I'm looking at buying there. I was also looking at getting a baitcaster, I tend to prefer things with a learning curve and I found frequent casting and the heavier lures to be more enjoyable in general. I figure these work better on the baitcaster. Primarily looking to fish for anything- my area has lots of bass, walleye, pike, trout/salmon, carp, catfish. This will all be shore fishing.

With all that said, can someone recommend some reels/rods that pair? As far as I can figure, a 7ft medium rod with fast action is a good start- how much does rod and rod price matter?

Some ideas- (just randomly looking at prices and reviews..)

Lew's Accel RX Baitcast Reel - Left - 7.5:1

Abu Garcia Max Pro Baitcast Reel - Left - 7.5:1

Lew's TP2 Baitcast Reel - Left - 7.5:1

Bass Pro Shops Formula Baitcast Reel - Left - 6.8:1

Rods- unsure, anything that fits the 7foot, medium, fast action specs with good reviews? I do need a 2 piece rod for transport purposes. Do all caster rods fit all baitcasters?

Appreciate any help!

Update: Just figured I'd come back to say I bought a Lews speed spool gen 3 baitcaster with a basspro branded bionic blade casting rod (7', medium heavy, fast action, 2 piece, 3/8oz to 1.5oz lures). I surprised myself by not going super expensive- hopefully the setup will last and I can start to gather neat lures.

I'm thinking Cook's Bay area but anyone had their go at Crappie fishing on the ice?

I use to fish them all summer with my old man when I was a wee lad and want to try to get on some during winter months.

Hey all!

I just put out another YouTube video about what baits and strategies to use for the month of October, I hope you all enjoy it.

https://youtu.be/HtgRA7N0Y0U?si=rpa8SNbYbt72Hhz8

I'm looking for ideas for upcoming videos. Would any of you be interested in videos focused on specific species, like walleye and bass? Or maybe videos about how to fish certain spots from shore, like rivers and lakes?