18 replies to this topic

[ReelAddicted]

I've been reading some of these pike threads and have been thinking about working the harbourfront one day an giving it a shot!

I live in Halton Region so I don't know what the conditions might be like, but I'm thinking of giving it a shot this coming Sunday. Can any of you with experience there shed some light on whether it's going to be fishable this weekend?

I'm going nuts just staring at my gear and not being able to wet a line (ice isn't even safe enough around here) so I think this will be a good way. Steelheadings also been a bit slow for the last little while, so I really want to get out!

Anyone willin to join me? Wouldn't mind the company, I can offer a ride as long it's not too drastically out of the way! Feel free to PM me or reply here, thanks!

RA

[MichaelAngelo]

I've been reading some of these pike threads and have been thinking about working the harbourfront one day an giving it a shot!

I live in Halton Region so I don't know what the conditions might be like, but I'm thinking of giving it a shot this coming Sunday. Can any of you with experience there shed some light on whether it's going to be fishable this weekend?

I'm going nuts just staring at my gear and not being able to wet a line (ice isn't even safe enough around here) so I think this will be a good way. Steelheadings also been a bit slow for the last little while, so I really want to get out!

Anyone willin to join me? Wouldn't mind the company, I can offer a ride as long it's not too drastically out of the way! Feel free to PM me or reply here, thanks!

RA

Definitely should be fish-able. I was there last Monday and there was hardly any ice. It's been colder lately but still not enough for ice to form. I'm just waiting for another sunny day to head down there, maybe the cold-water fish will be more active in the sun... but I need something to balance the cold myself hahaha =D

[ReelAddicted]

Definitely should be fish-able. I was there last Monday and there was hardly any ice. It's been colder lately but still not enough for ice to form. I'm just waiting for another sunny day to head down there, maybe the cold-water fish will be more active in the sun... but I need something to balance the cold myself hahaha =D

I didn't end up going down there today as the weather was pretty cold and I wasn't sure what it would be like down there before I made the trek.

I'm thinking of headin out this week sometime on a warmer day.

[MichaelAngelo]

Awesome, I'll update you on how things go if I manage to make my way down there.

[MichaelAngelo]

Awesome, I'll update you on how things go if I manage to make my way down there.

I was there today, got skunked and a crayfish... my report here or here.

Otherwise, I'd be glad to catch up with you if you're going down. Just PM me when you're going to be there and I'll let you know if I can make it.

[ReelAddicted]

I was there today, got skunked and a crayfish... my report here or here.

Otherwise, I'd be glad to catch up with you if you're going down. Just PM me when you're going to be there and I'll let you know if I can make it.

Hey thanks for the update MA.....

Glad to hear you made it out! I'll definitley PM you in the next day to see if we can plan a little outing. Thanks!

[tangledline]

update: feb 18 and 19
fished the three harbours at foot of spadina quay
feb 18 no pike...sighted two carp..one actually surfaced in front of me .
both carp had been following my lure...one stayed on the bottom as the other followed the retrieve to the surface.
feb 19 had a couple of hits but they were strange in that they were pulls with a bit of head shake...brief attacks...
few minutes later a solid hit...head shakes...a strong enough run ...i knew i had a pike....another run headshake....
line bit off....i had a 6 inch sampo leader that cost $6 how was i bit off ???
i re-rigged and with frozen hands tried to re-locate that pike....
4 casts later i know i'm being followed...but water clarity was poor
2 casts more and i've been followed to the wall by a 3 foot gar pike
2 more casts to intice a strike and she just sits in front of me....
i take some pics...water is not clear...but its worth a try
i tried 3 more times....she swam away towards the deep....
near the end of my day i found a 3 foot regular pike just lying 2 feet up from the bottom in about 18 feet of water
a few casts slowly along side of her.....she turned on it...got a good look at it...i shoulda sped up...and she swam away to the deep.
its the middle of february....i got a smile on my face ....february is never this good...it feels like late march....

[tangledline]

so i guess gar pike in feb require photo proof ....sorry i did not catch her and have some decent pics...these are all i have
i have only seen one gar pike before in the wild and it was toronto harbourfront as well....
to have fought and lost ...it was still an awesome experience.....

[salmotrutta]

Wish you had better luck tangledline, but that is still a cool report. We've all experienced that, sometimes pike will follow, approach, stare but not bite.

The gar pike pics are pretty cool, I've never seen one in person before and they kind of fascinate me because of that.

I wonder how you would have fared jigging minnows? Sounds like the lures were fairly effective, hard to say if live bait would have been better.

[Alfiegee]

My 2 cents worth. Gar is an amazing fish. I get them here in Hamilton Harbor as well as in the Grand River from Caledonia on down to Lake Erie. Minnows work very well but for the ultimate experience you need to fling a fly when they are near the surface in the summer. They can perform like an Atlantic with their aerial show.

Alfie.

[mikeh]

so i guess gar pike in feb require photo proof ....sorry i did not catch her and have some decent pics...these are all i have
i have only seen one gar pike before in the wild and it was toronto harbourfront as well....
to have fought and lost ...it was still an awesome experience.....

The marina at Alexandra sometimes has a couple skulking around when the perch are in there.

[ReelAddicted]

Wow that Gar looks pretty cool!

Sounds like you had a great day out! It's not always about catching fish anyway, even seeing and observing them like that is pretty interesting and makes for a good day!

[MichaelAngelo]

Big thanks for the report and pictures TangledLine! I never new gars were in Ontario, I have a pet one lol.

[Split-shot]

so i guess gar pike in feb require photo proof ....sorry i did not catch her and have some decent pics...these are all i have
i have only seen one gar pike before in the wild and it was toronto harbourfront as well....
to have fought and lost ...it was still an awesome experience.....

Nice fish tangledline! I never knew they had gar in toronto, it must have been nice to see!

I think I will try my luck there next week. Hopefully there are more pike hanging around!

[MichaelAngelo]

Colin did you have any luck? I was there last Thursday and I get anything, let alone see anything. Maybe because it was cloudy. *shrugs*

[Split-shot]

Colin did you have any luck? I was there last Thursday and I get anything, let alone see anything. Maybe because it was cloudy. *shrugs*

[Split-shot]

I had a couple of follow ups but fish don't seem to be very active this time of year. I went out again today but the water was cloudy and still pretty cold, I tried a variety of lures with no luck.

[MichaelAngelo]

I had a couple of follow ups but fish don't seem to be very active this time of year. I went out again today but the water was cloudy and still pretty cold, I tried a variety of lures with no luck.

Yes I was a the base of Spadina on Thursday and I didn't find any fish. At least you found the fish. Where were they? Under docks? near the walls? Deep? they must be cold still.

[Porter86]

Even with the bad water clarity, those were some pretty cool pics!! Def would've been nice to reel it in eh.

Reel Addict, next time going should shoot me a PM if you want, I'm in Oakville and i'd join yeah. I don;t do much during the day since theres no snow hahaha.