We spent a day exploring the Spanish River near Massey, Ontario in preparation for the Sagomok Fall Walleye Classic Tournament happening in late September. Although early July conditions are unlikely to be similar to late September, a day familiarizing ourselves with the general river makeup was certainly helpful. It is…
On a recent trip on Flack Lake, north of Elliot Lake, Ontario, we had the good fortune to dial in early for lake trout. Our host for this trip was Laurentian Lodge – a fantastic family and pet friendly facility with clean spacious cottages, dining and reception facilities, hotel rooms,…
On a recent trip (Balsam Lake, late May, water temperature 60 F) we found success fishing for walleye in 14 to 22 feet of water around mid-lake humps. The first evening was calm and allowed for slow back-trolling over these depths while maintaining contact with the bottom using a minnow…
In a previous post we looked at the temperature classification of different fish species – cold water, cool water and warm water. For each fish species there is a preferred temperature range that, given the choice, they will spend more time in. This “thermal optimum” temperature will not be too…
April 22 is Earth Day this year. Anglers, as people who routinely interact with nature, can play a huge role in helping to conserve and protect this planet of ours. Probably the easiest way to help out is to “pack out your trash”. How many times have you gone to…
I’ve signed up for trip with a large group fishing on Balsam Lake near Peterborough, Ontario. This is a new lake for me and as such, requires a bit of research beforehand to help ensure some success. Some of the things I’ve checked on include: 1) Regulations This is probably…
I recently came across the results from an interesting volunteer program called the Lake Partners Program, sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment for Ontario. This program engages volunteers to measure Secchi Depth (water transparency) and total phosphorus (TP) in lakes and rivers across the province. The results are tabulated…
Having a general understanding of the different trophic states of lakes is useful for a number of reasons. In an unknown water body, it can be a good indicator, along with geographic location, of what species are likely to be present. It can give also an indication as to the…
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Our first fishing trip of the year is usually in April fishing for channel catfish at the mouth of the Grand River, the largest watershed in southern Ontario. Generally muddy, turbid and cold water is present, but so are a good number of channel catfish. Sizes…
The effect of water temperature on fish is of incredible importance. Different fish can tolerate different water temperature ranges and, as cold blooded species, can suffer or die if they are subject to temperature outside of their range. They will also need a specific range of temperatures for successful spawning…
