St Lawrence River Fishing

[Jan Borkowski]

Hi Everyone.

I was wondering if you could help me, I am going fishing at the St Lawrence River near Kingston (Treasure Island to be exact). I have never been there, nor fished on such a big river. Do you have any tips for me? I will be there during late July early August. I will most likely be fishing from the sore, no boat licence, so do you think I can catch anything? Do I have to get up early in the morning to fish or just go at any time? Any tips will help. Also can I eat the fish from the St Lawrence River?

Thank you!

Jan

[Toasty]

I have fished there many times growing up, but mostly closer to brockville and other small towns in that area. There are some nice piers that you can fish (Most of them are technically private but just ask whoever is working in that area if they mind, sometimes you can find great fishing spots).

We used to use crawfish and worms for bass which was really good before the gobies came. Might have rebounded by now like other goby waters. There was also some nice channel cats caught every once and while using a big ball of worms. Seen big muskies (48") come into shore when they were injured by boat motors.

On rainy days, I find that using a large spinner bait from shore can hook some nice pike. I used to visit my grandmother and fish at the bottom of her waterfront apartment. Pike were mostly on the bite when it rains I found.

I used to talk to the boat fishermen and they used to fish at the bases of the bridges leading to the states. They would catch buckets and buckets of huge perch!

Besides that, I know that the carp fishing it great on St. Lawrence but I guess you would have to know where they are to catch them lol.

[tweedwolfscream]

(05-12-2014 05:58 PM)Jan Borkowski Wrote:  Also can I eat the fish from the St Lawrence River?

For the "can I eat it" question, refer to the MOE consumption advisory map/tables: http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-en...sport-fish Each size class of each included species in a given water body is rated from 0 to 8, 0 being most contaminated and 8 being safest (in theory the ratings are the number of meals per month you should eat of the fish). For the Thousand Islands section of the St. Lawrence River, the tables are here: http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-en...d=44207600

So, glancing at that, as an adult male (general population) you could eat just about everything except big channel cats and record-pushing walleye, and don't go overboard on big carp either. Children and women of childbearing age (sensitive population) should avoid big pike and walleye and really big bass. As with any fishery, the smaller fish (within a species) are safer than the larger ones.

[MRQturbo]

i've fished in prescott before.....lots of big pike....we were using lg sized minnows and spinner baits to get them.....

[Eli]

I've lived (and fished) in Kingston for two years and having talked to some of he guys who work at the Dupont Chemical Plant..they say they wouldn't let their kids swim anywhere downstream of that Plant. It's right at the effluence where the River exits Lake Ontario, so probably eating fish from anywhere in that river is not a good idea. At least, I wouldn't.
...and when you look at the disproportionately high cancer rates at just about all the shoreline communities along the St. Lawrence, it's easy to think there might be something in the water.

Some great fishing to be had, though!