18 replies to this topic

[salmonkid]

I have been told that the Thames River doesn't have a great salmon or trout run but it is close to home so I was wondering if anyone knew where and how to fish for a salmon or trout in the Thames River?

[kabes]

I've heard Delaware can get some good numbers. Not sure if many will make up this year with the water levels so low.
You would have better odds fishing the Maitland.

[salmonkid]

The Maitland always has a decent salmon run but it is a bit of a drive thats why I was wondering if there was any salmon near home.

[Addicted]

Your not going to see much for salmon or trout in the Thames. I have heard that there is a certain "place" along the river that certain "people" like to string nets across and thats pretty well the end of that topic.....There are some good spots that hold resident browns and brookies but there not near London, you have to explore the branches of the Thames as well as the head waters.....Living in that area is a brutal place to be for a steelie fisherman....

[Rileysowner]

The Bayfield river is a little closer, and have a pretty good Salmon run.

[Robtheplumber]

The Bayfield has a shitty Salmon Run!!!

[navairum]

The Bayfield river is a little closer, and have a pretty good Salmon run.

I was at bayfield yesterday....
A few fish in the river below 21 bridge, but none caught that I saw. Absolutely nothing in the river more then a km up from the bridge. Also went in from Varna and didn't see a single one.....some nice size bass though

[salmonkid]

Bayfield has an amazing run what are you saying! I have caught a lot of chinnys from my honey hole I was up there on friday but the water level is too low. I hate not being able to walk to a good fishing spot

[chromaticaberrations]

Steelhead are in very, very small numbers in the Thames as it is. I would recommend against trying to fish for them. I've caught 2 in London and 1 in Delaware in my 30 years of living there, and that was using in-line spinners going for smallmouth. There is no salmon run. I've heard from a local in Delaware that there used to be many, but I don't think there's a whole lot of truth to the story. The walleye population has really diminished over the years as well. The thames is an excellent smallmouth bass fishery, and you will get surprise species rarely: gar pike, musky, etc. Take the Thames for what it is. A mish-mash of species that you don't target, just get surprised to catch.

[navairum]

Steelhead are in very, very small numbers in the Thames as it is. I would recommend against trying to fish for them. I've caught 2 in London and 1 in Delaware in my 30 years of living there, and that was using in-line spinners going for smallmouth. There is no salmon run. I've heard from a local in Delaware that there used to be many, but I don't think there's a whole lot of truth to the story. The walleye population has really diminished over the years as well. The thames is an excellent smallmouth bass fishery, and you will get surprise species rarely: gar pike, musky, etc. Take the Thames for what it is. A mish-mash of species that you don't target, just get surprised to catch.

Couldn't have put it any better!

[salmonkid]

even i agree

[Rileysowner]

I didn't even know there were any salmon in the Thames up in the London area. I figured maybe some resident trout in some of the feeder streams that would enter the Thames at times, but not much. Sad to hear the walleye numbers are down. I used to fish for them there when the season opened and there were lots, but since I have moved further North closer to the Bayfield, Maitland, and Nine Mile rivers, have not really fished in the London area for 14 years.

[Rileysowner]

Talking with a guy from London today while we fished in Bayfield, and he said that he has seen Salmon as far up at the Springbank dam. I personally have never seen them there, but I have not been living in London for 15 years or so. Even if they got that far up, I am guessing they would be as black as can be by then.

[chromaticaberrations]

Talking with a guy from London today while we fished in Bayfield, and he said that he has seen Salmon as far up at the Springbank dam. I personally have never seen them there, but I have not been living in London for 15 years or so. Even if they got that far up, I am guessing they would be as black as can be by then.

Dark like... a carp? I think a lot of the folklore is a case of mistaken identity. Local yokels spotting large fish from bridges and thinking they're something that they're not. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone in London or area call a carp a salmon. There are a TON of large carp in the Thames. And they do migrate to certain areas like dams in large numbers like any other fish at given times. Is there a possibility of salmon in the Thames? Sure there is. I've seen and caught stranger fish in stranger waters. There is always the possibility of Salmon or Steelhead, plus many others in any river connected to a large freshwater lake. Not every single fish will migrate back to the stream in which they began.

[Rileysowner]

Dark like... a carp? I think a lot of the folklore is a case of mistaken identity. Local yokels spotting large fish from bridges and thinking they're something that they're not. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone in London or area call a carp a salmon. There are a TON of large carp in the Thames. And they do migrate to certain areas like dams in large numbers like any other fish at given times. Is there a possibility of salmon in the Thames? Sure there is. I've seen and caught stranger fish in stranger waters. There is always the possibility of Salmon or Steelhead, plus many others in any river connected to a large freshwater lake. Not every single fish will migrate back to the stream in which they began.

He is not the one who said they are dark, I am. I am with you, I highly doubt salmon would go that far up the Thames since there are many tributaries further down the river that would be appropriate for them to spawn in. In my opinion any that went that far would be dark and exhausted.

[navairum]

There's a video online from a guy in london who caught a nice 10lb rainbow at springbank...
Youtube 'Ghetto fishing show' - about three seasons from a guy who only fishes the thames. Has some stupid crap in it, and catches lots of carp - but there's lots of nice bass/pike vids.

He has a top10 vid too I couldnt find again - one of them is a tiger musky caught at the fork of the thames.

Mind you the 'bow/musky are one-off's...but anything is possible since the Thames connects to St.Clair!

[Mobywan]

Your not going to see much for salmon or trout in the Thames. I have heard that there is a certain "place" along the river that certain "people" like to string nets across and thats pretty well the end of that topic.....There are some good spots that hold resident browns and brookies but there not near London, you have to explore the branches of the Thames as well as the head waters.....Living in that area is a brutal place to be for a steelie fisherman....

I lived in London in the 80's. We caught many salmon at springbank park. Also caught 5 steelies in one morning in Delaware while other guys fished for pickerel.

[thameriver]

I have been told that the Thames River doesn't have a great salmon or trout run but it is close to home so I was wondering if anyone knew where and how to fish for a salmon or trout in the Thames River?

The Salmon run on the Thames River and North Thames River are quite small and the numbers have dropped considerably over that last ten years. The Trout (Mainly Rainbow) runs have increased over the last few years thanks to stocking by various groups.

Delaware is an excellent location for fall rainbow and salmon. it can also be productive in the lower sections of the river down near chatham. Trout and Salmon will run as far as Fanshaw Dam on the North Thames River and up as the Hunts Weir in the City of London.

Fall fishing for White Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, and, Channel Catfish has been very produvtive this year.



Tight Lines and great fishing.

[troutbasssalmonpikefisherm]

salmon are in the thames, catch kings near the end stretch of river where medway creek is, theres some 15+ lbs