excited to share this report with my friendly fellow fishers....
Jigged last night for 6 hours on the windless river, I was the only guy out there (everyone was at the piers) and MY GOD WHAT A NIGHT!!!
This can be a difficult river to fish, Hydro controls the current and that can affect water clarity and temperature (the river actually reverses each day). No current and the fishing slows down for most species. I would hate to drive from afar to fish this river and show up to only find that all the conditions hadn't lined up and the fishing was lousy. It is a very unique waterway, Chippewa Creek/Welland River.
Last night there was current... for a while.
As soon as the 3 inch Gulp Minnow on an 1/8 oz head gone to the bottom BOOM!!!! For whatever reason, massive Freshwater Drum were on the prowl!!!
Back to the Drum in a moment....
Last night was another mixed bag event. A river pike, some Rockies, White and Black Crappies and 6 Channel Cats between 14 and 18 inches. I caught some explosive river Smallies.... my god what fun they are on light tackle. Even a cutie Largemouth came to the boat around 1 am.
I jig the depressions in the river bottom that have a "rise" at the down current end which may go from 14 feet up to 9 feet. Last night jigging in the dark on these humps produced some of the largest Freshwater Drum I have caught in 18 years here. I battled 7 behemoths and landed 6. The lost one was a massive beast that snapped the line (sadly) after brushing Zebra mussels.
I cannot say enough good things about these Drum. They are a gorgeously magnificent fish, indigenous to Ontario, and they truly fight like a bulldog. I would argue that tail is one of the most powerful in freshwater angling in Niagara, for its size. Deep powerful lunges, huge water "boils". Last night it was crazy!!
The Drum landed last night measured 24, 24, 25, 25, 26 and 30 inches.
The sad news is that around 10:30 pm, Hydro "shut off" the current and the Big Boys vanished, scattered. It was like being at a party with friends in the basement, music playing, good times rolling, then mom comes downstairs and turns on the light and yells "Ok, party over!!!!!!!".
I was fit to be tied! I still managed fish but it just wasn't the same. The Channels were caught after this and the Crappies. I swear I had on a 14 inch White Crappie (looked like a huge frying pan!) but it "flung" the hook. The White Crappie has a massive, paper-thin Tarpon-like mouth (see photo)....
It was a lot of fun, here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. The Drum photos are of a 24, 25 and the 30 incher (my personal best I have been trying to reach for a while).
Cheers! Crimp those barbs!!
Jigged last night for 6 hours on the windless river, I was the only guy out there (everyone was at the piers) and MY GOD WHAT A NIGHT!!!
This can be a difficult river to fish, Hydro controls the current and that can affect water clarity and temperature (the river actually reverses each day). No current and the fishing slows down for most species. I would hate to drive from afar to fish this river and show up to only find that all the conditions hadn't lined up and the fishing was lousy. It is a very unique waterway, Chippewa Creek/Welland River.
Last night there was current... for a while.
As soon as the 3 inch Gulp Minnow on an 1/8 oz head gone to the bottom BOOM!!!! For whatever reason, massive Freshwater Drum were on the prowl!!!
Back to the Drum in a moment....
Last night was another mixed bag event. A river pike, some Rockies, White and Black Crappies and 6 Channel Cats between 14 and 18 inches. I caught some explosive river Smallies.... my god what fun they are on light tackle. Even a cutie Largemouth came to the boat around 1 am.
I jig the depressions in the river bottom that have a "rise" at the down current end which may go from 14 feet up to 9 feet. Last night jigging in the dark on these humps produced some of the largest Freshwater Drum I have caught in 18 years here. I battled 7 behemoths and landed 6. The lost one was a massive beast that snapped the line (sadly) after brushing Zebra mussels.
I cannot say enough good things about these Drum. They are a gorgeously magnificent fish, indigenous to Ontario, and they truly fight like a bulldog. I would argue that tail is one of the most powerful in freshwater angling in Niagara, for its size. Deep powerful lunges, huge water "boils". Last night it was crazy!!
The Drum landed last night measured 24, 24, 25, 25, 26 and 30 inches.
The sad news is that around 10:30 pm, Hydro "shut off" the current and the Big Boys vanished, scattered. It was like being at a party with friends in the basement, music playing, good times rolling, then mom comes downstairs and turns on the light and yells "Ok, party over!!!!!!!".
I was fit to be tied! I still managed fish but it just wasn't the same. The Channels were caught after this and the Crappies. I swear I had on a 14 inch White Crappie (looked like a huge frying pan!) but it "flung" the hook. The White Crappie has a massive, paper-thin Tarpon-like mouth (see photo)....It was a lot of fun, here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. The Drum photos are of a 24, 25 and the 30 incher (my personal best I have been trying to reach for a while).
Cheers! Crimp those barbs!!
