Hello, this is Firas from Mississauga

[kouma]

Hello everyone,

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Firas and I am from Mississauga. After spending the past two months trying every "good" shore spots that google and other forums suggested in Mississauga with total failure, I gave up on the idea that you can catch decent fish without a boat. Then I met a member of this forum who suggested I join OSF and get some help. So here i am

I look forward to knowing and fishing with some of you.

[MuskieBait]

Welcome Firas.

Which spots have you tried? What species were you attempting to catch? When did you fish those areas?

You certainly can catch decent fish from shore without a boat. These were all caught one fine summer day last year on the Toronto Islands. This year, I did not even get the chance to fish there at all in the summer

[kouma]

I am aiming for Bass and Pike. I have been trying for the past two months, some weeks as much as daily with pathetic results. Here are the areas I tried:

Mississauga:
Port Credit from pier all the way to the canoe club
Erindale Park
Lake Aquitaine
Lakefront Promenade Park

Kitchener:
Grand River Trail

Lovely fish btw, maybe i should try Toronto Islands.

[MuskieBait]

(09-21-2015 09:46 PM)kouma Wrote:  I am aiming for Bass and Pike. I have been trying for the past two months, some weeks as much as daily with pathetic results. Here are the areas I tried:

Mississauga:
Port Credit from pier all the way to the canoe club
Erindale Park
Lake Aquitaine
Lakefront Promenade Park

Kitchener:
Grand River Trail

Lovely fish btw, maybe i should try Toronto Islands.

Often, it is more about timing and technique than location.

I used to live in Mississauga and I've caught bass in all the locations you listed. I've caught Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass at Port Credit. Erindale Park is always good for a Smallmouth Bass. Lake Aquitaine used to be very good for bass some 15 years ago for both Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass. It's not as good today, but there are still some around. I've caught Smallmouth Bass at Lakefront Promenade, but honestly, I've only fished there twice in the past.

I used to go to school in Waterloo and I've caught bass and pike on the Grand. In fact, my biggest Smallmouth Bass (3lbs), my biggest Northern Pike (32in) and my biggest Walleye (26in) all came from the Grand fishing from shore. I have fished up and down the Grand in Fergus, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, Dunnville and Port Maitland.

In rivers such as the Grand and the Credit, I find either spinners or soft plastic twitchbait work well. I especially love to work the soft plastic just below the surface and letting it drift in the current and twitching it to imitate a dying/struggling bait trapped on the surface. Or I will bottom bounce worms sometimes and catch bass while I'm after other species. I've even caught them on the fly rod with woolly bugger, stonefly nymph and elk hair caddis. You can almost be sure to find some bass on the Grand fishing livebait such as worms, leeches and minnows, but you'll catch them of all sizes from 6" up to several pounds.

For Lake Aquitaine, we used to fish minnows under a float as a kid and catch a dozen bass easy until we ran out of bait. Later on, I caught bass fishing twister tail on a jighead. Back in the days, the weedbed by the dock and the rocky area by the lookout was very good for both Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass. We used to set up our "camp" at the picnic table on the lookout and simply fish from the railing. We didn't even have to cast more than 20 feet from shore and the minnows would not last more than a couple of minutes before they were taken. I've seen Smallmouth Bass up to 3lbs and Largemouth Bass up to 4lbs came out of Lake Aquitaine in the past. My biggest bass there was only 1.5lbs, but we were kids fishing small minnows and chunks of worms back in the days.

I've only ever had one Northern Pike hit at Port Credit and that was off a spinnerbait while I was looking for bass. I usually don't fish Port Credit much because it was further for me to travel, and it was out of the way for my parents to drop me off and pick me up (same with Lakefront Promenade...which was the reason I have only fished there twice for bass or pike).

Most of my Northern Pike from the Grand were caught on Rapala. I've caught them early in the morning, midday, late in the afternoon and at night as well. It takes more searching to find them sometimes, and with the shallower and faster areas I used to fish, it really isn't prime Pike habitat (they are more Smallmouth Bass waters). But still, some were caught.

Here's my PB Northern Pike from the Grand fishing from shore.



And here's my PB Walleye from the Grand fishing from shore.



Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of catches from Mississauga since most of them were taken when I was in elementary and highschool...and the pictures were in film. Some of those pictures were lost so all I have are memories.

[OldTimer]

Hi Kouma. Welcome.

Repeating Muskie Bait's question: What time of day have you been fishing?

and:

Describe briefly the equipment, line, baits and/or lures (and sizes) that you have been using so far............ so we might comment.

Cheers,

OldTimer

[kouma]

Thanks OldTimer and MuskieBait for your responses so far.

My equipment:

Reels: Quantum E30PTi, Shimano Curado 201E7 and 301E.
Rods: Shimano Crucial, Compre, and Clarus rods. MH/F 7', 7'8", 8'6"
Line: Braid 30lbs & 80lbs
Leader: 60lbs Nylon covered stainless steel or 40lbs Fluorocarbon
Main Lures: (wife doesnt like me using live baits) frogs (pad crashers), chatterbaits (z-man), soft plastics (5" worms and 4"-6" keitech fat swing impact), crankbaits (ArukuShad65).

@MuskieBait: When I go fishing, if its during the day then from 5pm-till sunset, if during the weekend then usually from 11am-till sunset. I dont believe in after sunset fishing using lures because fish can't see at night (my experience with SW fishing).

Port Credit from pier all the way to the canoe club: I went at least 7 times and didnt fish anything, even when i asked the people around me they said the same. I even used live worms/nightcrawlers and no bites at all!

Erindale Park: To be honest, this is more a river than a lake with fast running water and i am not sure if i was fishing correctly and whether the above baits are effective for rivers. Again, nothing.

Lake Aquitaine: Pretty small, I tried every possible fishable spot with nothing more other than 3-4" Sunfish. Also full of kids fishing and making lots of noise. I went 4 times i think.

Lakefront Promenade Park: I tried the place close the boat marina and the two spots where you launch boats. This place looks good with a lot of potential because of the depth and access to open water, however not even a single bite! using live baits or lures. Same to the people that i asked that were also fishing. Went 4 times also, at least 2 weekend with minimum of 5 hours of fishing.

After all the above disappointments, i was discouraged and to cheer up myself I purchased a fishing kayak

[MuskieBait]

Fish certainly can see at night...and fish certainly bite lures at night. As you can see in the pictures above, the Pike and Walleye were both night time catches. In fact, we usually fish in full dark without using the headlamp because the light tends to scare the fish and keeps them further away from the shore.

I've also caught Largemouth Bass at night...on Zara Puppy (smaller size Zara Spook), spinnerbait and swimbait.

MichaelAngelo on this forum has caught a Tiger Muskie and a couple of Muskies in the dark on buzzbaits.

I haven't fished in Port Credit for more than 10 years, so things could very well be different now. Port Credit is very channelized. Even back then, the river has very little structure and not much shoreline and submerged vegetation. The water is also quite high in nutrient and it almost look like pea soup with algae in the summer. All of this are contributors to the lack of fishing success...because there simply are not much habitat for fish. However, I would put effort to find those rare structures and concentrate on them. Try to focus around Lakeshore bridge and the walkway bridges, and the pier that protects "Snug Harbour". Since the water is stained, try to slow down your presentation to give fish more time to find and see your lures. It may also suffer the same issue as the Toronto lakeshore where heavy boat traffic and pedestrian traffic simply push fish out of the shallows. Summer is a very busy time at Port Credit, so I would suggest you to try some more in the spring (for pike) and fall (pike and bass).

I'm just looking on GoogleMaps and Tall Oaks Park looks like a decent place to try. You have jetty rocks and weedbeds nearby. I would put some effort into this area early morning and later in the afternoon/evening.

From what I remember of Lakefront Promenade, it wasn't too bad at all...with good rocky structures near shore and some weed clumps between the rocks. But that area has changed a lot since the power plant was decomissioned from what I heard. I would still put time there in the spring, before Pike closes and after Pike opens. I would also put time there just after bass opens. I have seen bass on nests along that shoreline before, and I have seen bass cruising along the shorelines as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to fish those times (family/friends BBQ or bike ride along the trail). Again, it is a high traffic area, so try early in the morning and later in the evening.

I'm just going to draw from my experience fishing downtown Toronto and say that in these busy urban areas where the habitat is not very rich and pedestrian traffic is heavy, fish tends to come and go very quickly between spots...unless something like bait schools, favourable water temperature, remaining vegetation or spawning needs keep them holding in one area. In most areas, the waterfront simply lacks prey items like Perch, Sunfish and Rock Bass. The minnow species tend to move around in schools. As such, fish are more apt to move around rather than hold in a certain area. I would tend to be more observant of what can be seen in the water to determine if I should put more effort in a area, vs. fan cast the area quickly and move. If I decided to put more effort, then I would switch from search baits to slower presentation.

I've fished Erindale Park many times, especially in the spring and fall for Salmon and Steelhead. It was there that I caught my first Chinook Salmon and my first Steelhead. I've even caught Smallmouth Bass on roe bags while fishing for Steelhead in May (enough times to make me think "huh"). Erindale Park is quite busy as well. I would try to downside there and fish plastics more. Try any crayfish and tubes around 2-3" in size, since that is the predominant size of crayfish that I find in the river. Like I said above, try to twtich plastic jerkbaits as well. Fish are going to hold in the deepest pools in the summer..but they may well switch to low light period hours to feed. One time, I was just there for a picnic with my church group and I was fishing with worms under a float for anything that bites. I caught a 6" Creek Chub so I put that on a larger hook and free lined the chub in the current. I saw a big Smallmouth Bass came over to chase it at the end of the drift as the current swept the chub toward shore...but the bass dropped the chase once it was too close to shore. That was pretty cool to see. But most of the bass that you'll find are smaller (unless you fish in really deep holes) up to 2lbs...so downsize your bait to appropriate size. You do get some big fish that would run up from the lake to spawn in the river in the spring, but they usually drop back out to the lake by the time bass season opens.

Lake Aquitaine has changed a lot since I fished there as a kid. I remember one year, probably 10 years ago, when I saw an infestation of juvenile goldfish and juvenile bullheads around 3-4" long. There were no sunfish to be found and it was simply full of these little fishes. Something has change in that lake after this episode. I went back several years later and there were still sunfish around. In fact, I caught my first Green Sunfish after all these years fishing there (it has mostly Pumpkinseed and Bluegill, with some Rockbass, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch). I didn't find any Rockbass anymore. They used to be very common. And with that change also went the bass. I did catch a juvenile Largemouth Bass on worms while fishing for the sunfish, so there has to be some adults around. But I used to catch many more juvenile bass also. I would say try to fish the areas away from the dock and lookout and work the shorelines toward the outlet. Most people tends to stop at the dock area and it receives the blunt of the fishing pressure. I know someone who used to fish the lake in those back areas and did well with bass. He likes to use spinnerbaits a lot because it can get quite weedy in the summer...and spinnerbait is just a good search bait in general. Again, try to focus during morning and evening. Even back then when it was good, we didn't catch much during late morning to late afternoon. The first 4 hours after sunrise and the last 3 hours before sunset seemed to be the best.

I used to ride my bike and fished at Centennial Park too (since I live on the east end). It was a lot of fun back then...non-stop sunfish with a few bass mixed in. But it isn't the same anymore. Last time I went back to Centennial Park for nostalgic walk down memory lane, I struggled to even get a sunfish to bite. It has received a lot of fishing pressure since. My friend used to sneak into the golf course and fish the ponds to catch some decent size bass...but he was a kid and they usually just tell him to beat it back then. I would not try it as an adult. I would also assume that those ponds are not as good as they used to be.

This is just a fact of urbanization...with more people in the area, these urban spots receive a lot of fishing pressure...and habitat remodeling...and things just go downhill.

One last thing I like to say...It's not necessary to fish 80lb braid unless you are flipping THICK weed mats. I find anything over 50lbs to be excessive for bass and pike. You can also consider using lighter and shorter steel leader, or simply go fluoro. 40lb fluoro is OK for most pike you'll find. With highly pressured fish and super clear water (such as Lakefront Promenade), I would actually use a 4 feet 10lb fluorocarbon leader for bass...and 4 feet 15lb fluorocarbon for pike. I've fished in a small lake in Cambridge quite often where the pike will not bite if you use any line over 10lbs. They can be that finicky. At the Toronto Islands, I've sometimes had tough time getting bass to bite on 8lb fluoro using a whole live nightcrawler...

I would also use lighter rods to 1) cast thinner lines 2) use smaller lures and 3) maximize distance to cover more water. The Pike and Walleye in my picture was caught using a medium action, 4-piece, Shakespeare UglyStik travel rod. Nothing fancy and very low end. The fish from the Toronto Islands were all caught with a medium action, 7', 2-piece Pflueger GX-7 rod. Nothing fancy either.

[MRQturbo]

if you aren't getting any bites on the keitechs...there isn't any fish there lol...those flat out catch fish and are my number one used swimbait....i use them all over the kawartha lakes with great success....

[MuskieBait]

(09-22-2015 04:16 PM)MRQturbo Wrote:  if you aren't getting any bites on the keitechs...there isn't any fish there lol...those flat out catch fish and are my number one used swimbait....i use them all over the kawartha lakes with great success....

If that is the case, I will happily take all your other lures in your collection off your hands. I'll give them proper use. You have no need for those other lures anyways if keitechs will catch everything.

That's what people say whenever a new lure comes onto the scene. At one point, everyone was fishing Swammers as if it was the greatest swimbait in the world. And then people were swearing by LiveTarget lures. There was a short period when Chatterbait was the be all end all lure. And let's not forget the Alabama Rig.

At the end of the day, it's just a swimbait. It's more about how you rig it and fish it, rather than really what it is. Swimbait isn't new. I remember a lure called Mr. Twister Sassy Shad that still catches fish today. I've tried Swammers and there are many days I can't buy a bite with it...yet somehow the new lure craze (and endorsement by MA) convinced me to bite the bullet and buy it...then we found out a tube jig works just about as well as a Swammer...the tube being something people have used for years and years fishing Lake Simcoe Lake Trout...

[kouma]

Thanks for the hints MuskieBait. I will try fishing in the PM and see if that yields any results. I did try Tall Oaks Park. Its open water, deep, and has a good potential, but again nothing. I will try your suggestion of modifying my leader, currently I have my leaders at 1-2ft, I will increase them to 4ft.

I agree 100% with you on the urbanization factor, that is why i lost faith in fishing from shore. I think my only chances are finding hot spots in deserted areas or the country side. I read through that thread about using googlemaps to identify location, but it seems like a very costly (time) trail and error effort. There are only a few weeks left before depression sets in.

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(09-22-2015 04:16 PM)MRQturbo Wrote:  if you aren't getting any bites on the keitechs...there isn't any fish there lol...those flat out catch fish and are my number one used swimbait....i use them all over the kawartha lakes with great success....

I KNOW!! I love they way they swim, Basspro has their own version, but the Keitechs are softer IMO. I even used them as trailer on my chatterbaits. If I was a fish, I would jump on it