For this Fish’n Canada Show, you’re going to see what happens when Ang and Pete need a fall fishing fix but are unsure as to where to go and what to fish for. In a perfect world, they’d like to stick close to home… it’s been a long season on the road.
In setting this day up Ang said to Pete “what about Pike” and they both immediately thought of Frenchman’s Bay off of Lake Ontario. We did a shoot there a couple of years ago and had a blast catching Northerns in mid – late November.
Frenchman’s Bay it is… BUT… we better bring some extra gear because there’s “no way” we can turn down a quick trip out to the main Lake… basically today, we’re goin’ fishin’ for, whatever bites!
It didn’t take us long to get on the water and the conditions were perfect. Beautiful skies, calm water… we’re armed with Jerkbaits, in-line spinners and even live bait… Look out Pike!
Angelo states “I love trips like this one where it’s “lets grab the gear and just go fishin’”… not strategically planned out… it’s not going to be a time consuming long drive, it’s just a couple of buddies hitting the water and hoping to catch some fish”… and you know what… he’s absolutely right on!
Without so much as a sniff from the fish it was so much for plan A. The Pike were either shut down or just not there. Probably the water temperatures were still a bit high. The Pike in here become really active just before the ice moves in and 2 or 3 degrees can make a world of difference.Thankfully the boys came with a back-up plan. Next stop, the big lake.
The weather wasn’t looking stable, the clear morning skies were turning into a gloomy looking cloudy day. Things can turn real nasty, real quick in the fall…
always be prepared for the worst!
Our back-up plan is essentially opposite of our Pike fishing. In the bay we needed colder water to make things happen; out here we look for the warmest water available and there just happens to be an endless warm water supply within arms throw… the Pickering hydro plant. We’ll switch gears and concentrate on Smallmouth and Carp… and pretty much anything else that bites.
MAIN LAKE FISHING FOR SMALLMOUTH
Our set-up for Smallies are Dropshot Rigs and float rigs. “If” we can coax these babies to eat artificial s then so be it “But” we’ve been here before and the combination of gin clear water and our big black boat hovering overhead, makes these Smallmouth very skittish. Luckily we still had some minnows in the bait well, these could save the day…
As a backup to our backup, we had a great population of Carp in the area as well and there’s no way our boys can turn down
TIP
Whenever you venture out Carp fishing, you should consider feeding the immediate area to try and draw fish into your zone and keep them there in a feeding mode. It’s surprising as to just how much control you can have over a wild animal…
Angelo says “As for our Carp rigs, I’m using a light fluorocarbon line modified Carp rig real corn and a single imitation kernel, while Pete’s using a conventional Carp set-up with a heavy weight and a corn/mini boilie combination on a pre-tied hair rig. We’ve got a real difference of opinion here, I feel with the clean water light line is a must; Pete’s feeling is if they’re hungry, they’ll eat!”
Although our Carp presentations are at total opposite ends of the spectrum, there are some similarities to our equipment. A long rod is a must. It serves us 2 purposes, long casts if necessary and the ability to fight fish properly. Remember the possibility of a 30lb+ fish is very high and a long rod is the perfect weapon to tame that beast.
An interesting point in fishing the Pickering Nuke plant is it’s very confusing and frustrating. You can be targeting Carp and seeing tons of Smallies… or fishing for Smallies and seeing Carp after Carp. The bottom line is… you can’t predict anything here!
ANOTHER TIP
Here’s a little trick to use when fishing gin clear water with Minnows close to the boat. Using your polarized glasses, always look at the bait. Normally it will sit pretty much in one spot conserving it’s energy, however if a predator fish moves in, that minnow will start going berserk and you the angler will see flashes and fast movement… this is a tell-tale sign that you’re about to get bit!
THE LAW
The Ontario fishing regulations state that 2 fishing lines may be used when angling from a boat in open water on Lake Ontario… however, could you imagine if we hit 2 big smallies and 2 20lb Carp at the same time? Now that would be nuts and almost impossible to manage! It’s totally up to the individual as to which species they want to fish for but if you’re a multi species angler… good luck with that one buddy!
CURRENT
There is a constant that you can bank on when fishing current and that’s lost fish. These little creatures instinctively know which direction to go and how to put 100% stress on your equipment… if an angler could go 10 for 10 in hook-up to landing ratio in this spot, we’d be looking at a world champion!
IN CLOSING
“What an absolutely great way to end the fishing season” says Pete, “Heading out on a brisk November day, targeting and then getting denied on Pike “but” luckily bringing a back-up plan with all the extra gear and cashing in on some great Carp fishing and a couple of big Smallies. That, my friends caps our season off perfectly!”
GETTIN’ THERE
HOTSPOT
