# Where are some good fishing spots?



## solarz

Apart from driving downtown to High park or Lake shore, what are some good, quiet fishing spots that aren't too far from Vaughan or North York?


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## AquaNekoMobile

There is a pond/park that is also a camping ground near the Pickering/Scarbrough border (A pinch above Markham Rd. & Steeles Ave).

IIRC there is a catch and release program there. I forgot the park name as I saw it a few days ago looking at local camp sites which isn't bad for local camping to test out some gear before you go on your tours.

IIRC it has something to do with the water dam in that area. BTW Can.Tire has $15 fishing kits on sale right now with 8-10lb test line.


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## Kerohime

I soooo want to go fishing. But its not something I can find alot of people want to do in the city. D=


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## AquaNeko

Kerohime said:


> I soooo want to go fishing. But its not something I can find alot of people want to do in the city. D=


Well we should try for a GTAA fishing meet thing and ty many different methods. I've always wanted to try the survival fishing methods I've seen on youtube, read about, etc.

We could try casting up and down the waterway and dig up our own worms and such.  More people with the fishing skill and such the better as we'll have more survivalist if the crap hits the fan.


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## AquaNeko

Are you allowed to fish at ontario place? Like inside or outside the grounds?


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## hojimoe

I find fishing in the very close toronto vicinity to be useless, never had luck, let alone the fact that places are always crowded with people who bring a lawn chair, a cooler, and about 5 rods... becomes loud with a lot of people, and that's not what fishing is about IMO 

you need peace and quiet, leave the GTA many places outside of the GTA have public fishing areas that are empty!


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## ChuckRum

hojimoe said:


> I find fishing in the very close toronto vicinity to be useless, never had luck, let alone the fact that places are always crowded with people who bring a lawn chair, a cooler, and about 5 rods... becomes loud with a lot of people, and that's not what fishing is about IMO
> 
> you need peace and quiet, leave the GTA many places outside of the GTA have public fishing areas that are empty!


I second that, not even the noise but any place within in the city is overfished and youll be lucky to catch a few sunfish in a days fishing.

Where i go fishing thats not that far is a big lake in barrie, i believe its called Little Lake. and theres a few good places around stuffville/newmarket area. Id rather drive far and actually catch fish than fish near the city. I caught a few northern pike in barrie this weekend.

oh theres also a place a bout an hour away off of hwy 9. I know it sucks that we have to drive far. The farther you go, the bigger and more fish. The farthest ive ever driven for fishing is about 3 hours from vaughan. But we did non stop fishing for a good week and you catch big fish left and right so it was worth it .


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## solarz

I wouldn't mind driving 1 hour, but farther than that and it becomes impractical for an afternoon thing.

I used to live in Montreal, and my dad and I used to go to the Lachine Canal for fishing once every few weekends. It was just 15 min by car, so it was something you could decide to do when you're bored on a weekend. I miss that.


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## hojimoe

solarz said:


> I wouldn't mind driving 1 hour, but farther than that and it becomes impractical for an afternoon thing.
> 
> I used to live in Montreal, and my dad and I used to go to the Lachine Canal for fishing once every few weekends. It was just 15 min by car, so it was something you could decide to do when you're bored on a weekend. I miss that.


I hear ya, I drove all the way up to coboconk at least half a dozen times last year (my sister rented in the area for the whole summer last year so I was able to stay if I wanted to, but mostly would drive back at 8pm and get home before 10 easy.

I would leave around noon and fish for around 6 hours with lunch in there at some point lol


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## AquaNekoMobile

Are sunfish ediable?


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## Westender

Pretty much any fish is edible. As long as you prepare them properly!

I used to live in Richmond Hill and had a great time fishing for bass on the kettle lakes just to the north. Most had bass. Some had pike.

Some had huuuuge largemouth. The only problem is you needed to wade or float to really fish them.


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## Brian

I heard about a lake in Barrie apparently by the name of Duckworth, it`s supposed to be a private lake and no fishing license required and has catamaran rentals for $90 a day.

Can anyone confirm?


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## Jamblor

Sunfish are edible, although I personally would never eat anything from anywhere remotely close to the GTA.

And like everyone is saying, I've given up fishing the GTA. Overfished beyond belief. I do a lot of fishing and more often than not its always up north past Barrie at a minimum. 

It's really sad how the days when I could head out to places an hour away and actually catch fish are over


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## mrobson

i go to a place 45mins outside of orillia a friend of mine is part of a german hunting and fishing club so he has access to their lakeside club house. Ive also got grand river and lake erie not to far but still dont get to fish as much as i like.


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## AquaNekoMobile

Well I've not fished in a long time. Totally relearning how to use the gear and what gear does what. I'm wondering if people can fish around in different ponds/lakes/etc and note what they caught there and report back.

I'm not after big fish but would like to at least catch something to learn (other then a cold ). I recently caught a crayfish and that was about it. Only got nibbles and stolen bait from the fish before when I was fishing last Sunday. 

I know there is a pond at Hwy 7 & Leslie and Hwy 7 & Kennedy by Franks Aquarium.

Going to test the waters at both places and see what can be caught.


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## ameekplec.

I've been to mountsberg reservoir a few times - it's just about an hour away near Milton (at the speed limit....), and there's good fishing there.



> This site is an anglers mecca for largemouth bass with fish hitting the scales at more than 5 lbs. The shallow weedy waters of the reservoir also include northern pike, black crappie, pumpkinseed and brown bullhead. Fish from shore or non-motorized boats.


http://www.conservationhalton.on.ca/ShowCategory.cfm?subCatID=1070

It's super convenient as it's just off of the 401.


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## AquaNeko

Anyone do any night fishing? If so what times were you out and what gear did you use/lure/etc. I was thinking of getting some glow-in-the-dark stuff and DIYing some lures.


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## Kooka

Brian said:


> I heard about a lake in Barrie apparently by the name of Duckworth, it`s supposed to be a private lake and no fishing license required and has catamaran rentals for $90 a day.
> 
> Can anyone confirm?


The lake is actually called "Little Lake" and it's just off Duckworth Rd in Barrie. I've been checked by the MNR several times while on that lake so a fishing license is definitely required. As for the fishing there, expect to catch a lot of hammer-handle pike, largemouth bass and sunfish.


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## ChuckRum

Kooka said:


> The lake is actually called "Little Lake" and it's just off Duckworth Rd in Barrie. I've been checked by the MNR several times while on that lake so a fishing license is definitely required. As for the fishing there, expect to catch a lot of hammer-handle pike, largemouth bass and sunfish.


little lake maxes out at 14 ft. So its shallow and that means that if its a really hot day you want catch a thing. Ive tried many times, if its hot, the fish stay deep in the cooler water and arent active. You can catch a lot of pike, bass, and sunfish like stated above, even the odd pickerel. But dont try on a hot day, i did this a few times and all i could catch was baby sunfish and perch.

I go when its not too hot, or if it just rained the night before.


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## AquaNekoMobile

Ok I tried the pond at Leslie St & Hwy 7. 'somethings in the water'  I've had my bait snatched a few times and I've seen goose plucking stuff out of the waters but because they are futher away I can't tell if they're nibbling on seaweed or fish.

I saw a beaver moving a tree branch. I also saw what looked like a fishes head come out of the water about the length of 3 fingers and what appeared to be gulping for air then went back into the water. I almost caught something as my bobber was bobbing like nuts and being tugged around. Would be interested in what is catchable in the waters. I was using spinners and bobber+worm. The worms seemed to generate the most action.


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## AquaNekoMobile

*W00t W000t!!*

Finally caught my fish fish today. 

It was at the Markville Mall pond. Around 2130 I decided to use an artificial lure I used a bright orange long tail gurb which I found at the Centerville fisihng week last sunday. I guess the baking last sunday was rewared with a first catch his sunday?  Anyways It was a like a 4-5in fish by eyeballing it nose to tail. Took a pic of it then released it back into the water. Funny I was fishing for 2 odd hours with worms and all the bait was snagged away but when I went artificial I got a solid hook on bite.

Heard there is something like a 5-10lb'er in that pond randomly checking google on forums.


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## vrb th hrb

AquaNeko said:


> Anyone do any night fishing? If so what times were you out and what gear did you use/lure/etc. I was thinking of getting some glow-in-the-dark stuff and DIYing some lures.


this is the best time to catch walleye/pickerel as they're very sensitive to light


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## Riceburner

AquaNekoMobile said:


> Ok I tried the pond at Leslie St & Hwy 7.....


There's a pond at Leslie St & Hwy 7?

this one?
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Leslie...35,-97.15369&sspn=45.99612,79.013672&t=h&z=17

where do you park?


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## AquaNekoMobile

Riceburner said:


> There's a pond at Leslie St & Hwy 7?
> 
> this one?
> http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Leslie...35,-97.15369&sspn=45.99612,79.013672&t=h&z=17
> 
> where do you park?


You could park at the Asian Legend and come in down the back. I went in via biking via that route. I've seen a couple times something come up out of the water like 1inch with what looked like a fish head about 3 fingers wide then went back into the water. Not sure if it was feeding on somehting floating on the surface of the water. I don't fly fish so I don't know if it was a fly or something that attached it up. Give it a try who knows what you'll catch.


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## AquaNekoMobile

*Fishing while rain?*

Anyone have any luck fishing while raining? I was doing some reading online recent about fishing and I randomly found some sites talking about fishing in the rain and IIRC something about fish getting excited.


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## AquaNekoMobile

Westender said:


> Pretty much any fish is edible. As long as you prepare them properly!
> 
> I used to live in Richmond Hill and had a great time fishing for bass on the kettle lakes just to the north. Most had bass. Some had pike.
> 
> Some had huuuuge largemouth. The only problem is you needed to wade or float to really fish them.


What do you mean by prepared properly? Can you explain in better detail how to prepare it properly?


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## AquaNekoMobile

*Fall/Winter fishing, lures, and places inside GTA*

Ok, want to go fishing but not sure what lures to use this time of year, what fish are active and biting, and places to go inside the GTA. Any help, helps.

Thanks


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## Kooka

AquaNekoMobile said:


> What do you mean by prepared properly? Can you explain in better detail how to prepare it properly?


Ok, first off, not ALL fish in Ontario waters are good to eat, however, the ones you're allowed to catch are _edible_ and by that I mean they wont poison you. Personally, I catch and release most of the time, however every now and then I do eat the fish I catch.
There are alot of myths out there regarding which fish are tasty/good to eat and which ones are not. In my own experience and opinion, the most desirable fish for the table that we can catch here in Ontario would be (in no specific order): trout, catfish, sunfish, perch, walleye, and smallmouth bass.

Smaller pike and largemouth bass are also considered good eating, but not as good as the fish mentioned above. A general rule of thumb is the older and larger a fish is, the worse the meat's flavour will be. Fish taken from muddy or weedy water also have an undesirable flavour. Another false misconception is that carp and freshwater drum are not good to eat. These species are considered "garbage fish" by certain anglers, and in all honestly they can't be more wrong. Fish smaller than 10lbs are very good to eat; in fact, carp is a staple food fish in many parts of Europe and Asia. Of course, the way you prepare the fish in the kitchen will do a lot when it comes to enjoying it in a meal


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## df001

sun fish are eddible - but they are VERY boney - you dont get a lot of meat from them.

If I recall correctly - in most areas they are considered coarse/panfish and thus there is either no-limit or a 40 fish limit on them.

Larger sized ones are similar to crappie. 

I've fished all over ontario, I prefer central ontario region because of the diversity of species available, 

I can fish trout as soon as the ice is safe in January, till the ice isnt safe, then once the ice is out etc. then before you know it northern pike season, and pickerel, then bass, etc etc

my favorite fishing hole is about 5km from the nearest road, about .5km into a big swamp, and in the middle there is a pool that is about 10' across, 30' deep, spring fed, you can see the water bubbling out of the clear sand bottom. and In that pool are the most delicious brook trout I've ever had the pleasure to catch and eat.

They are so skittish that when you walk up, you have to wait sometimes as long as 2 hours for them to come out of hiding after your disturbance. But they are SO SO Worth it.

And no, dont ask - I'm not telling


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## Kooka

I love fishing for brookies, and yes, everyone has their own "honeyholes" they never want to reveal... I don't ice fish, but I catch quite a few on my flyfishing setup whenever I'm out on the river. But in my opinion, nothing beats a nice sized steelhead on a 13' rod and centerpin reel.


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## offalmangler

Come to Rice Lake in Hastings. I will show you fishing. Just pay for the fuel in my boat!


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## Kooka

Any good boat rental places that you know of on that lake? I'd like to head out there next year for the pike opener. I heard it's getting to be over-fished, just like Little Lake in Barrie.


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## AquaNekoMobile

http://www.finefishing.com/1freshfish/aahowto/baits/temps.htm

Just found this. Wondering what fish are active this time of year. Any sunfish/bluegills in the area to try catching?

I think the chart said that there are some regional acclimation differences so just wondering what the adjustments would be on that chart for the ontario/toronto area?

Thinking of giving the markville mall pond another go.


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## Kooka

Try some river mouths for offshore steelhead and brown trout. I wouldn't bother with bass/sunfish now. Save those for the spring/summer/fall... I usually bottom bounce using an egg sinker attached to about 50cm of flouro line and a small (12-14size) wide gape or octopus hook baited with some tied chinook roe and colored styrofoam bits.


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## AquaNekoMobile

Kooka said:


> Try some river mouths for offshore steelhead and brown trout. I wouldn't bother with bass/sunfish now. Save those for the spring/summer/fall... I usually bottom bounce using an egg sinker attached to about 50cm of flouro line and a small (12-14size) wide gape or octopus hook baited with some tied chinook roe and colored styrofoam bits.


I'm lost at the explaination of how you rigged up your stuff. A video or multi photo step by step or a photo of your setup would give me a better idea what you're talking about. I'm more of a visual/hands-on person.

Does that mean that bass and sunfish are not around anymore? What happened to them? Did they migrate out of ontario to warmer waters in USA southern waters? Did they die off and thier eggs rehatch in the spring? Just curious.

Thanks.


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## Kooka

No problem, sorry for being so vague, I hope the attached photo helps you out in visualizing what I said earlier. Basically, you need some 8-10 lb test mono line as your main line (can be any color you want, doesn't really matter). First, you attach a 3 way swivel to your main line. On the bottom eye of the swivel, tie on a 3/8 oz pencil or egg weight using about 10-20cm of line. Finally, using 6-8 lb test flourocarbon line, tie on your hook to about 50cm of line and attach that section to the centre swivel.

The whole point of this setup is to allow your bait (salmon roe) to be suspended right off the lake or river bottom where the fish are located. I use this setup for other species of fish as well, including channel catfish and walleye. 

Oh and the bass and sunfish are still there, but in colder temperatures they are much more difficult to catch, so I don't bother with them during the winter. If you're really determined on catching them now, you could try south-facing bays where the water is a little warmer.


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