Fishing with Piotr

When you go to your local fishing supply store you can be easily over-whelmed by all the different lures that line the aisles. Fishing really is a multi-million dollar business and those lure companies need to keep on coming out with new and exciting products to keep on making a profit and keep you buying. Buying all these products and specific baits for specific conditions can really hit your bottom line. Unless you are an avid angler I would suggest that you don’t necessarily need to go out and buy any lures for your first time fishing. All you will need is some hooks, bobbers, and weights. As for bait try using the most natural thing you can, live minnows.

What do all the lures try to do? They all are attempts to mimic the real thing, the fish’s natural prey, minnows. Professionals can only use artificial baits when they are competing and of course they are sponsored by these multi-million dollar companies so that is what they try to recommend to all anglers. However, if you are a recreational angler or a first timer, a minnow is the perfect way to go. It is also a great way to introduce children to angling. Many kids don’t like that idea of putting a worm on a hook, but baiting a fish always seems to be easier for them to stomach, and it can be very entertaining for them to look in the minnow bucket and see the one or two dozen minnows swimming around.

Minnows can usually be purchased around any major fishing lake. Your best bet is to ask a local and they can usually point you in the right direction. These are usually small mom and pop style shops and if you chat them up you can usually get a little information about where the best places to fish are or at least what seems to be biting. Depending on the bait shop, minnows can often be purchased in different sizes, small, medium, and large and they are usually purchased in one or two dozen. Most bait shops will put your minnows in a plastic bag and they will pump in oxygen to keep the minnows alive, however it is a good idea to have some sort of a bucket with you. There are several types of specifically designed minnow buckets on the market that can be purchased for a few bucks. Some are just buckets, others are buckets with an aerator to pump in oxygen so the minnows can survive longer while others are buckets with perforated holes in them so you can actually put the bucket in the lake where you are fishing in order to let the minnows survive that much longer. Don’t worry, these style of minnow buckets have a trap door that will not allow the minnows to escape.

Minnows are pretty hearty little fish and they will survive quite some time in a bucket or even in the plastic bag that they come in. Of course this all depends on where you store them. If you put them out in the direct sunlight of a hot summers day then they will not survive for long, but if they are kept in a shaded are, or better yet, in the lake where you are fishing, then they can survive all day or even a few days.

There are many ways to bait a minnow. I will cover these ways in a later article/video. However, just to hold you over before then, you can hook a minnow through the nostril, through the back bone, or even through the meaty part of the tail. The idea is to not kill the minnow but to hook it in a way that it will look injured. Fish can’t resist an easy meal like this and will gobble it up. If are lucky enough to get larger minnows make sure that you use a wire or fluorocarbon leader as this can entice a bite from a larger predatory fish with teeth like a pike or walleye. Once the minnow is hooked all you have to do is cast it out there on a bobber and wait for a bite.

Personally I love to fish so I have quite an array of tackle, but I still do use minnows from time to time. If I don’t feel like casting every few seconds or am just relaxing then I will always go for the minnow. The main time I use minnows is when I’m ice fishing. There are many minnow suppliers in and around Lake Simcoe, where I tend to go, and they are readily available. The perch, whitefish and the occasional lake trout love these little guys and by hooking up a minnow it allows me to put my rod down and warm up my hands.

The next time you head out fishing, give your lures a rest and try using the natural prey, minnows.

Catfish (Brown Bullhead)

Characteristics: Catfish are part of a much larger group (order) of fish. There are many varieties of them throughout the world, but the one that is most commonly found in Southern Ontario is the Brown Bullhead. Their bodies are a brownish yellow colour. The top of a catfish is usually a dark brown and then it lightens to a yellow colour on the side of their body which leads to their white belly. These guys get their name from the barbells that poke out by their mouths making them look as if they have whiskers. They can range in size from just a few inches, if they are young, up to 20-35cm when fully grown. Once it is more mature it can weigh in at anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds.

How to handle: Catfish are a tricky fish to handle. Be very careful of their barbells as these things can easily prick your finger and give you a nice gash. I have experienced this too many times. If you are in an area where you know you are going to be catching catfish make sure you are quick on setting you hook, as these guys will usually inhale a worm, along with you your hook making it difficult to get them off and back in the water. Once you get them on shore you can grab them around their body so that they don’t squirm around too much. Once you have them firmly in your hand grab some pliers to get the hook out. Sometimes you can get the hook out by simply popping it out with your hands, but these guys can have tough mouths so it is better to get a firm grip on your hook with a pair of pliers. These guys don’t have teeth so you need not worry about getting your fingers in their mouths.

Where to find them: These guys are abundant in many of the swampy areas in Southern Ontario. They love warm shallow water where there is a muddy or sandy bottom. Catfish are bottom feeders so they will scoop up mud or sand in their mouths and filter out any vegetation or other food that might be found. They are generally regarded as herbivores, but truth be told they will eat just about anything. Stagnant or very slow moving water is where these guys like to live.

How to catch them: As I mentioned these guys are bottom feeders so the best way to catch them is to set a hook and bobber combo in a way so that the hook goes to the bottom of the lake or pond. They will cruise around and when they come across your worm, bread ball, or even corn, they will gobble it up. Pound for pound catfish are some of the best fighting fish. When you get one on your line it will feel as if it is a much larger fish and will give you a run for your money. Personally I love the fight they put up but I absolutely hate handling them, but don’t let that put you off, get out there and catch some of these underwater cats.

Catfish (Brown Bullhead)

Rock Bass

Characteristics: Rock Bass are close cousins to largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Like their cousins they are also a brownish green color but they have rows of dark coloured spots. One of their most definitive features is their red eye. They resemble smallmouth bass but are usually quite smaller. They can range in size but are usually anywhere from 6-8inches in size and will usually weigh in under one pound.  

How to handle: Just like the largemouth bass and smallmouth bass they too have no teeth so you can feel quite safe with putting your fingers in its mouth to pull your hook out. Since they are small fish you can usually put your whole hand around them, making sure to push their fins down as your grab them so as to not puncture yourself. Once they are caught they will not put up much a fight and if they are firmly grasped in your hand you need not worry that they will flop around.

Where to find them: Rock bass are some of the most abundant species of fish in North America. They can be found in almost all lakes and slow moving rivers. They prefer to hand out in rock piles, hence their name, and can be found in anywhere from 1’ to 10’ of water. These fish are very abundant and do not seem to be spooked by manmade structures. They can be often found just off shore, in and around docks, bridges, and in weeds. I have even seen them underwater while swimming in some of my local lakes. They are active during early summer to late fall, but will provide the most action in the middle of the summer.

How to catch them: Many anglers consider rocky bass to be a pest. Since they are so abundant and do not make for great eating, when anglers catch them they usually quickly get them off the hook and throw them back into the water. However, if you have never fished before or are looking to take some kids out for a day of fishing, rocky bass are an excellent fish to catch. They are active all day and you do not need to cast out far to catch them. They do not fight too hard so a child can easily reel one in. They eat insects, leeches, worms, and other small fish, but if you wish to simply target rocky bass for fun, a worm and bobber combo are the best option for a full day of catching these little guys.  

Rock Bass

My buddy Tom with his pike

This Pike was brought in at Frenchman’s Bay, a little bay in Pickering which accesses Lake Ontario. Believe it or not this Pike was caught on a worm and bobber!