OT: Fishing (and other outdoors pursuits) this Off-Season?

[Cams]

Apparently the introduction of the round goby invasive species had a radical effect on Lake Erie in particular. They're a small but aggressive fish that competes with the young of all species including the bigger game fish and forces them out of protected areas into places theyre more likely to get eaten. So smaller numbers of fish are making it to like 6" long, but as soon as they make that size the goby's become easy prey and everything supersizes...so less fish but dramatically more trophy size fish

These are unfortunately really common as well in the Detroit River. Especially if using worms. For a tiny creature they can put up a surprising fight, then you pull it in and disappointment ensues. As most people should know, if you do catch these DO NOT thrown them back. Kill them. Ring Billed gulls like them!

The goby among others (zebra mussels esp) are a consequence of international trade I guess, but regulations put in place in the 80's I believe should help prevent bringing more.

 

[cannucky]

These are unfortunately really common as well in the Detroit River. Especially if using worms. For a tiny creature they can put up a surprising fight, then you pull it in and disappointment ensues. As most people should know, if you do catch these DO NOT thrown them back. Kill them. Ring Billed gulls like them!

The goby among others (zebra mussels esp) are a consequence of international trade I guess, but regulations put in place in the 80's I believe should help prevent bringing more.

Well that sucks but if they're in Erie then they're probably all the way through the lakes .

 

[Randy Randerson]

These are unfortunately really common as well in the Detroit River. Especially if using worms. For a tiny creature they can put up a surprising fight, then you pull it in and disappointment ensues. As most people should know, if you do catch these DO NOT thrown them back. Kill them. Ring Billed gulls like them!

The goby among others (zebra mussels esp) are a consequence of international trade I guess, but regulations put in place in the 80's I believe should help prevent bringing more.

IIRC the goby's were more recent than that, the result of a UK ship not dumping its fresh bilge water at sea and taking on salt water to replace it as a precaution against exactly this issue and I believe it was illegal at the time. Just a stupid mistake but now they're here to stay.

 

[Confucius]

Well that sucks but if they're in Erie then they're probably all the way through the lakes .

I read a story where this biologist was writing out a report about the structure on a lake. One area of this lake was so thick with Goby in the part about describing the lake bottom he wrote, Goby! lol! Goby are all over, even in Honey Harbour. As the one poster pointed out very accurately, there are less bass but the ones that do survive their 1st year grow huge now. 8lb smallmouth are caught in Simcoe.

 

[cannucky]

Here's the one I thought was 56 inch this was the year before the new monster lol , he's not holding it out to fool the camera he's hugging it to carry the weight

es

 

[cannucky]

I read a story where this biologist was writing out a report about the structure on a lake. One area of this lake was so thick with Goby in the part about describing the lake bottom he wrote, Goby! lol! Goby are all over, even in Honey Harbour. As the one poster pointed out very accurately, there are less bass but the ones that do survive their 1st year grow huge now. 8lb smallmouth are caught in Simcoe.

Yeah the same goes for those effing snakehead now you find them in tiny inland streams in BC and they can cross land ffs.

 

[Optimist]

Beautiful brookie, Lake Superior?

Lake Nipigon.

 

[Mad hatter]

These are unfortunately really common as well in the Detroit River. Especially if using worms. For a tiny creature they can put up a surprising fight, then you pull it in and disappointment ensues. As most people should know, if you do catch these DO NOT thrown them back. Kill them. Ring Billed gulls like them!

The goby among others (zebra mussels esp) are a consequence of international trade I guess, but regulations put in place in the 80's I believe should help prevent bringing more.

When the gobies starting getting in lake huron and Georgian bay they told us to kill them if we caught them. Now they are saying that the bass and perch feed on them so it’s ok to leave them. Almost every perch or bass we catch now has gobies in his belly which they didn’t anticipate happening at first.

When those cormorants started coming around they really hurt the fish population. Manitoulin Island definitely became infested with those birds and they’ve been heading south, I don’t like them.

 

[cannucky]

Yeah it's funny how 1 change to the food chain causes such a ripple effect .

 

[Cams]

When the gobies starting getting in lake huron and Georgian bay they told us to kill them if we caught them. Now they are saying that the bass and perch feed on them so it’s ok to leave them. Almost every perch or bass we catch now has gobies in his belly which they didn’t anticipate happening at first.

When those cormorants started coming around they really hurt the fish population. Manitoulin Island definitely became infested with those birds and they’ve been heading south, I don’t like them.

I'll have to look into that if I get a fishing licence this year, good to know which is the recommended way to handle the buggers. Cormorants are a problem in Lake Erie, especially Middle Island (south of Pelee Island), they have a cormorant cull every year because they poop all over everything and apparently it's damaging the habitat on this uninhabited island.

 

[HolyCrap]

Well that sucks but if they're in Erie then they're probably all the way through the lakes .

There’s piles of gobies all over the Great Lakes and even Trent system. They are now an important forage fish for a lot of game fish. They took over from some of the native fish but Mother Nature took advantage of it. They are here to stay now for better or worse.

 

[Smif]

Anyone ever made it to Donald lake? I'm heading there in early August. Heard the fishing is almost too good to be true even for an inexperienced angler like myself.

 

[Canadian Finn]

Optimist is a Lake Nipigon expert!

My backyard is Lake Ontario. We have been busy playing around with Chinook Salmon so far this year, as well as a few lakers and browns mixed in. Been tough with stay at home orders. Can't have anyone fish with me (all solo) and many ramps closed. Makes for early starts and busy launch conditions.

and my best of the year so far ... (dad's taking pictures...all thumbs, lol)

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I don't like trolling, that's the problem. I'm waiting on a swimbait rod, I figure I'll go after them similar to how the guys in Florida fish for largemouth with large shiners.

There are small musky rivers too. Tricky stuff but its better with the challenge of trees or limbs of tree here or there.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I don't like trolling, that's the problem. I'm waiting on a swimbait rod, I figure I'll go after them similar to how the guys in Florida fish for largemouth with large shiners.

Trolling is boring for sure. I like throwing Rapalas too

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Yeah the same goes for those effing snakehead now you find them in tiny inland streams in BC and they can cross land ffs.

Sometimes they take so long to reach water again that when they do get back to water they have forgotten how to swim and drown when they jump back in

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Optimist is a Lake Nipigon expert!

My backyard is Lake Ontario. We have been busy playing around with Chinook Salmon so far this year, as well as a few lakers and browns mixed in. Been tough with stay at home orders. Can't have anyone fish with me (all solo) and many ramps closed. Makes for early starts and busy launch conditions.

and my best of the year so far ... (dad's taking pictures...all thumbs, lol)

Awesome bro

 

[cupcrazyman]

These are unfortunately really common as well in the Detroit River. Especially if using worms. For a tiny creature they can put up a surprising fight, then you pull it in and disappointment ensues. As most people should know, if you do catch these DO NOT thrown them back. Kill them. Ring Billed gulls like them!

The goby among others (zebra mussels esp) are a consequence of international trade I guess, but regulations put in place in the 80's I believe should help prevent bringing more.

Lakers wait in Lake Huron before entering the St Clair River.Who knows what 3 eyed fish are in their ballast water being dumped into the lake.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

My kids pike a few hours ago

 

[justloveleafs]

My kids pike a few hours ago
View attachment 434319

I grew up, on the Rideau River in Ottawa, fished for seven straight years, skated on the river, whenever it froze. Total magic for me, as a kid, to have that opportunity.

I saw a monster pike two feet in front of me when I started gearing up. But dude, it was no where near that size,

That is a steroid pike, how did he get that going .

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I grew up, on the Rideau River in Ottawa, fished for seven straight years, skated on the river, whenever it froze. Total magic for me, as a kid, to have that opportunity.

I saw a monster pike two feet in front of me when I started gearing up. But dude, it was no where near that size,

That is a steroid pike, how did he get that going .

Haha nice,thanks. He’s catches big fish all the time it’s kind of bizarre how lucky some people are.
I wish i could have got the live photo to load, it slapped him in the face hard lol. Hilarious

I fished the Rideau for some fun bass fishing. A blast all the time. He picked that up with a minnow off the bottom using a bell sinker.

Hey check out the one he caught when he was around 11 i think on page 6 of this thread. It’s slightly over 4 ft long. Didn’t get a weight because we had to get it back in the water to revive it right.

 

[Optimist]

Optimist is a Lake Nipigon expert!

My backyard is Lake Ontario. We have been busy playing around with Chinook Salmon so far this year, as well as a few lakers and browns mixed in. Been tough with stay at home orders. Can't have anyone fish with me (all solo) and many ramps closed. Makes for early starts and busy launch conditions.

and my best of the year so far ... (dad's taking pictures...all thumbs, lol)

Nice playground you have there! Well, I recognize the face from the good old days but can't put a name to it. But anyone that like fishing and the Leafs is good in my books!

 

[Canadian Finn]

Nice playground you have there! Well, I recognize the face from the good old days but can't put a name to it. But anyone that like fishing and the Leafs is good in my books!

Steve-Hamilton (which became Steve after a few changes in boards through the years). Was at the original 3 lakair events.

 

[justloveleafs]

Any of you guys try these products out. I made them en mass, during the west nile crisis, hoping to make tens of millions, landed a monster contract with my best friend who ran Pet Valu. There was a government guy who sat in his office during anything that concerned electronic purchases. Deal was struck for an initial millions of dollars worth.

But the government guy had this wicked smirk on his face. He said, lets see how this does.

Next day, House of Commons passed a bill stating you cannot affect the behaviour of a mosquito via ultrasonics.

[$10.49] Ultrasonic Mosquito Repellent Wristband Electronic Mosquito and Insect Repellent Wristband for Kids with USB Charging

It appears they relinquished that bill because there are a lot of them out there now.

Mine was very good if I can say, we upped it up so it chased away black flies and deer flies. Truly an outdoorsman's dream.

I have no idea if these present day products work anywhere as well as ours did 15 years ago.

 

[HolyCrap]

Steve-Hamilton (which became Steve after a few changes in boards through the years). Was at the original 3 lakair events.

I remember you from the old fishing boards too. I don’t frequent them anymore though.