Looking to Fish | GTAMotorcycle.com

Looking to Fish

Jampy00

Jampy00

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Howdy Folks.

Decided to start a new adventure, one to get me back into nature and hopefully enjoyable alone or with family, friends.
So I thought I would ask as I am completely new to Fishing, does anyone here fish?
If yes, I'd enjoy speaking with you as I'm looking for some pointers on how to start, what to get, where to go etc.
I already have my outdoors card and fishing license.
I think I like the idea of bobber or lure fishing and perhaps stick to "smaller" fish to start with in and around the Halton Hills area.

So, if you'd like to chat please feel free to reach out.
 
I don't love fishing. My family does so I had a lot of hours on the water in my younger days. Mostly in boats but some river and some ponds. I suck at fly fishing. I assume you are contemplating river fishing as opposed to boat/lake fishing? Fly fishing interest you or not? Ice fishing or in the summer? Eating or catch and release? Catching brook trout I have little interest in but they taste good and are reasonably accessible. Use really light rod/reel and 2 lb line and it adds a little fun. Tons of people fish in the holland canal but I've never seen one catch a fish.

For a shooting fish in the barrel fun experience, Salmon run in somewhere like port hope has enough fish that you can almost walk across. You can catch 100 in a day and let them go. They are going to die in a few days anyway. There are probably similar rivers west but I don't know that area as well. I tried to cook one lake ontario salmon in the past. Never again. You can apparently eat one a year safely but no way in hell I would. There is a book the province publishes that tells you how many of each fish from each body of water you can safely eat in a year.

Budget? If you know what you are going after and a budget, I can get my brother to send you a decent shopping list. He mainly fishes for bass/pickerel/crappie but loves it all.
 
I enjoy fishing but I’m no Bob Izumi. Having a small tin boat with a 9.9hp helps as you can move to the fish and IIRC they don’t need to be insured?? Anything bigger will require insurance and this more money invested.

Shore fishing is fine but if the fish aren’t there you’re out of luck.

If you do get a small boat there are a ton of lakes to find the fish.

I started with a $70 rod/reel combo and it works great to this day. Lures can get expensive quickly. I really like Mepps black fury at roughly $5 each


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SVeezy said:
I enjoy fishing but I’m no Bob Izumi. Having a small tin boat with a 9.9hp helps as you can move to the fish and IIRC they don’t need to be insured?? Anything bigger will require insurance and this more money invested.

Shore fishing is fine but if the fish aren’t there you’re out of luck.

If you do get a small boat there are a ton of lakes to find the fish.

I started with a $70 rod/reel combo and it works great to this day. Lures can get expensive quickly. I really like Mepps black fury at roughly $5 each


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I would have liability insurance on any power boat. My home insurance will allow you to add a boat up to 30 hp and less than 10 yo old at the time of addition to the policy. I think that costs me a couple hundred.
 
I've fished all my life, used to be every day when my boys were young, we kept a boat on Simcoe, then in the Pacific when we lived out west.

The best advice I can offer is to fish where the fish are, otherwise it's a pretty dull day.

Fishing from shore. Bass, perch, and sunfish can be taken from shore in almost any lake. A bobber, split-shot weight, and snelled hooks will get you started. You can fish from the shore, a dock, or off a pier if you're on a bigger lake. Locating these fish is easy, they are always around docks and the weedy shallows.

Many (most) of the rivers that drain into the great lakes have some species of trout. Usually speckled are and browns are there all year, rainbows only in the spring. They are tougher to catch than panfish for beginners as you need first locate them, they are also more finicky when it comes to taking bait/lures -- presentation takes dome time to learn.

Stocked ponds are also an option. These are usually landlocked and stocked with trout. You'll pay to fish in these areas, but the fish are hungry and it's a bit like shooting fish in a barrel.

Fishing from a boat. If you have a boat, find an experienced angler to come along. There's way too much to explain here and you need to study habitats, presentation, and safety. You can also arrange charters -- expensive but you almost always get an exciting catch.

Fishing hardwater. This is one way to gain access to a lot of species without a boat. You can rent a full-service ice hut for about $100/day, or simply stand on the ice. You'll need an auger ($100) and some simple ice fishing gear. It's cold (because it's winter), but you can fish perch, whitefish, trout, pike, walleye, crappie, -- but not bass. Finding reasonable spots is as easy too -- just look for collections of fishermen.

The Touring Burlington website has some info on the local area.
 
I used to fish a lot , mostly dont now as too busy with other stuff. I've been catch and release for the last 30yrs. I also used to live in north halton. You have trout, bass , some junk fish , pike in Acton. You'll want to decide what type of fishing you'd like to do and equip accordingly . You can spend $39 on a rod and reel and catch fish . You can also spend $390 on a rod and reel and catch the same fish.
If there was ever a sport where they can sell you more widdgets and gadgets and shiney crap , Ive never seen it. You can get set up and have a nice day out for $50bucks , but its a very slippery slope on the creek bank, you can get 'hooked' and like a lot of styles of fishing, and then its thousands.

I'd suggest a basic spinning reel and rod combo , then you can cast, you can cast lures or bait, you can troll or you can drift fish in creeks and streams with a bobber .

I fly fish on occasion, its a whole other thing, I really like it but its a commitment to learn and its not the most productive. There is something to it that has an allure, but its not a cheap way to outsmart a fish.
 
Subscribed! Was going to start a thread as I want to get my son into it. I've fished before when I was younger, but as dad got older and more busy that waned off.

Had the time of my life fishing in BC during my FIFO stay where you could pick up salmon / trout with your hands at times...and had to eff off once the bears got nearby!

No boat, so for us it would only be shore fishing and I want the kids to get into it.
 
mimico_polak said:
Subscribed! Was going to start a thread as I want to get my son into it. I've fished before when I was younger, but as dad got older and more busy that waned off.

Had the time of my life fishing in BC during my FIFO stay where you could pick up salmon / trout with your hands at times...and had to eff off once the bears got nearby!

No boat, so for us it would only be shore fishing and I want the kids to get into it.
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Your experience is one that many won’t see, at least not soon. Huge salmon and the legitimate risk of a bear wanting to steal it from you!!


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SVeezy said:
Your experience is one that many won’t see, at least not soon. Huge salmon and the legitimate risk of a bear wanting to steal it from you!!


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Yes it was an amazing site, and sight. We had a few guys have their fish stolen from their coolers.

There’s a reason I always went with guys older than me…and a little out of shape. It wasn’t for their experience!

You don’t need to outrun the bear….need to outrun the slowest member of the group.
 
Thanks for all the replies.
I have no equipment at this time, but doing research I will start with a modest budget ($100.00) and purchase from local stores.
Not interested in very low end equipment but no need to buy the top notch stuff when you have no idea where this hobby will lead me.
100% catch an release with as little impact on the fish and the environment as possible.
I am aquarium hobbyist so the though of causing harm concerns me. Was even thinking of using barbless hooks..
Shore fishing and want to stick to under 5 pounds, no interest in Salmon etc. (At this time) Just float/drift fishing in rivers and ponds.
Really the interest for me is just reconnecting with nature and hopefully having some peaceful times solo or with a friend (Once I find one..)
Little bit of driving, little bit of hiking, little bit of fishing etc.

I've been playing Fishing Planet and it actually teaches you quite a bit of useful information.
 
decent pliers and you can pinch down the barb on most hooks , instant barbless lures.

Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day, teach a man to fish and he will sit on a river bank and drink beers all afternoon.
 
crankcall said:
decent pliers and you can pinch down the barb on most hooks , instant barbless lures.

Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day, teach a man to fish and he will sit on a river bank and drink beers all afternoon.
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Good to know. Thanks
Ha! No beer drinking from me, but I'd enjoy an afternoon of conversation and a few fish to brag about later..
 
Jampy00 said:
Good to know. Thanks
Ha! No beer drinking from me, but I'd enjoy an afternoon of conversation and a few fish to brag about later..
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First rule of fishing is if you are taking pictures, remember to hold your arm straight out towards the camera and hidden behind the fish. Makes a guppy look like a lunker.
 
Second rule of fishing...the fish is ALWAYS larger each iteration of the story.

As for paying for gear....I was admonished online for my choice of rod for going to BC, and I started with a 3 piece Ugly Stick...and it worked fantastically!

I'll find a pic of the largest fish I caught later if I find it.
 
mimico_polak said:
Second rule of fishing...the fish is ALWAYS larger each iteration of the story.

As for paying for gear....I was admonished online for my choice of rod for going to BC, and I started with a 3 piece Ugly Stick...and it worked fantastically!

I'll find a pic of the largest fish I caught later if I find it.
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I was looking at Ugly stick rods and combos at C-Tire, I'll check amazon, and Bass pro shop in order to gain some info and insight.
 
Robbo said:
Check out sail.ca as well. They are having a clearance event (up to 60% off) right now. You may find a deal there.


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Nice, Thanks for posting this.
 
Jampy00 said:
I was looking at Ugly stick rods and combos at C-Tire, I'll check amazon, and Bass pro shop in order to gain some info and insight.
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This is the unit I purchased....still have it and I love it.

General PDP Template

www.canadiantire.ca www.canadiantire.ca

Helped me catch about a 22lb fish. The only issue that I had is the line was cut a few times by fish/rocks/branches, but the rod never failed.

Throw it in a motorcycle bag and you can fish from anywhere.
 
crankcall said:
...
If there was ever a sport where they can sell you more widdgets and gadgets and shiney crap , Ive never seen it. ...
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Golf has as many 'performance enhancers' as fishing. KLRs - more.
 
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