Targeted Fish Poll 2013 Soft Water - Please participate

[John Whyte]

Please choose your top 4 targeted fish during the soft water season. I would like to see how this sampling compares to the MNR consensus.  

Many of our visitors only fish during the hardwater season. It would be interesting to see how the targets change during what could be considered the off season for many of us.

Being a bass tournament angler my top targets are obvious. Every year I go through a cycle of ice out perch, then pike and walleye, then the entire focus is on bass. This season will be a change for me as salmon become more of a focus.

[LakeSimcoe MessageBoard]

[rapala_addict]

What are your top 3 targeted fish after the ice goes out?
Please choose your top 4 targeted fish during the soft water season?

[John Whyte]

Thanks
I was going to start with 3 then I changed it mid stream

[Catcherman]

On my lake I love drift casting the shore for largies and drop offs for smallies.  On a quite morning it is just amazing to watch the bows feed off the top of the water.  I just can't seem to target them effectively.  Any ideas for catching those beauties would be helpful.  I've caught them off crankbaits and spinners and always as the unintended species.  How do I catch them when I want to?  The average is not huge (1-3lbs).

[john_willy]

Brown trout?

[Mrbeee (Terry)]

looks like bass would win if small and large  mouth were only one category

[John Whyte]

looks like bass would win if small and large  mouth were only one category

This poll will run for some time so things could change. The reason I separated them was to match some creel survey data. So far there is a lot of locals responding which tend to fish Simcoe in the summer. I would expect different results for different regions.

[Longshank]

Brown trout?

Ya, I put in other because Brown trout were not on the list.

[Catcherman]

Thanks funguy2011. 

No it's not Lake Euginia.  It will remain a close secret for all those slimmy lurkers looking for a fresh place to ruin...  My lake does not have a public boat launch and is lined with private property.  Sweet relaxation.

The Rainbow catch is something I need to focus more attention to.  The bite comes on about 45min-1hr before the bass bite picks up, so if I time it right I don't have to sacrifice much to fish both.

I'm going to try a couple of your above mentioned techniques with a little more dedication, patience and hope.

Thanks again.

[Brooktrout]

With the exception of sturgeon and maybe carp, I think I target all those species at various times throughout the year.  I love stream fishing for brookies and browns - especially in May - hunt turkeys in the morning, and then slip over to one of my streams for a while.  My kids are finally starting to get old enough that they want to head out more often - so it looks like I may be able to get back into the all-day hunting/fishing adventures again! LOL

[Hitman22]

Thanks funguy2011. 

No it's not Lake Euginia.  It will remain a close secret for all those slimmy lurkers looking for a fresh place to ruin...  My lake does not have a public boat launch and is lined with private property.  Sweet relaxation.

The Rainbow catch is something I need to focus more attention to.  The bite comes on about 45min-1hr before the bass bite picks up, so if I time it right I don't have to sacrifice much to fish both.

I'm going to try a couple of your above mentioned techniques with a little more dedication, patience and hope.

Thanks again.

Sounds pretty straight forward to me. If the little guys are rising then it would seem they are feeding on aquatic insects. It is possible they are chasing bait fish to the surface aswell. The real question is how they are surfacing. If they are smashing the surface hard it would suggest baitfish or egg laying duns. If they are just sort of "sipping" the surface it would prob be emergers or spent spinners.
Ever try a fly rod?

[John Whyte]

Brown trout?

Ya, I put in other because Brown trout were not on the list.

Shank
I think I'll add brown trout. You can change all or part of your vote.

[icemilitia]

the fish im going to go for this year and concentrate on is musky, pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass. im gonna be heading up to port severn for musky opener and i cant wait. in the mean time ill be going for brookies when they open in april at the pond down the street from my house.

[Catcherman]

Thanks Hitman22.

I don't know these fish are pretty smart.

Just kidding, you have some great insight. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge.  I'll be opening my cottage soon so I'll keep that in mind.  They are not usually clearing the water, mostly turning over at the surface.  I do have a couple fly rods, but like most people I am still trying to get the basics down (haven't given up yet).  A lot of my trout experience involves colder northern lakes where trolling at or near the termocline pays off most mornings or evenings.  Trolling hasn't produced in my lake.

I'll keep learning and keep trying bc fishing is fun, but catching is better.

[Fish Fin-atic]

My first question to this thread would be "there's an off season for fishing?!?!?!"  I can't believe anybody would only fish hardwater, and then not bother with open water!! 

My second question would be - only 4 species?  WOW, that's almost impossible to narrow down for me.

I love to fish Crappie in the marinas after ice-out, and then the Perch come in thick, so I have to do a few trips for them.  Then there's Whitefish/Lakers off JP, and some serious Steelheading/Brown/Laker action to be taken advantage of around Niagara and Owen Sound area.  Then there's the Walleye/Pike action which is fantastic just after ice-out on Georgian Bay and Simcoe too, and let's not forget the Catfish run on the Grand, and what kind of a spring would it be without 4 or 5 trips for some night-time Smelt action.....each year I do half a dozen Carp trips a few weeks after ice-out and it's always a blast, and then there's ice-out Brookies up north.....I leave the SM/LM Bass to the summer and fall months, same for Musky and Salmon, just because there are so many other incredible spring fisheries to be taken advantage of.

Four favourite species are almost impossible to nail down, but since Simcoe is closer for me, I tend to do a few more Crappie/Perch/Whitefish/Laker trips than anything else, so that's what I'm putting down on the survey.

[The Spank]

Lakers, Splake  and Specks for me at ice out. Then when May long wekend rolls around it's walleye til mid June.

[poundthem]

i target mostly crappie,s  and panfish. and always do very good . 

[Longshank]

Brown trout?

Ya, I put in other because Brown trout were not on the list.

Shank
I think I'll add brown trout. You can change all or part of your vote.

Thanks, just did that now.

[Catcherman]

It's kind of funny with walleye leading the way.  Every time I fish a known walleye lake I always like to target them.  However from my experience they are more difficult to find than most of the other popular game fish.

I wonder how many people are in love with the thought of the golden meat, but like me have way more success targeting other species?

Remember folks Honesty is a virtue.

[John Whyte]

It's kind of funny with walleye leading the way.  Every time I fish a known walleye lake I always like to target them.  However from my experience they are more difficult to find than most of the other popular game fish.

I wonder how many people are in love with the thought of the golden meat, but like me have way more success targeting other species?

Remember folks Honesty is a virtue.

I think walleye have been at the top of every poll or survey the MNR has ever conducted. I think anglers answer honestly when they say walleye is the number one targeted or sought after species. The success rate may not be as high but its still the original target.

Where are you catching walleye with golden meat? Most of mine come from Georgian Bay, Lake Muskoka or Quinte and they are always firm white flaky meat.

[Miha]

Walleyes, they're beauties for sure...

[Catcherman]

I was refering to the "golden meat" as the value people put on the supreme meat because of the taste not the colour.  Sorry for the confusion.

I also agree with you that I voted for walleye because I target them. Not because I always succeed.

The honesty part was because I'm pretty sure other people also target and not succeed.  Some people only talk about their conquests.

I do love a good challenge though.

[John Whyte]

Catchman
I thought of the value angle afterward and yes its golden.

[Miha]

Catchman
I thought of the value angle afterward and yes its golden.

Yeah, something like $500/lb. But that holds true for any caught fish, not only walleye 

[familyfisherman]

Getting back to your question about targeting rainbow trout...we've had good luck on some smaller northern lakes using "Christmas Trees" with a worm trailer -- CT meaning fairly large chrome trolls with 5-6 blades on them, then a worm hooked so it twirls about 6-8 inches behind it.  Have to get fairly deep, so we would long line behind the canoe.  You can also fly fish...but I'm way out of my element there....

[grogg]

If it swims i will fish for it aslong as i am on the water thats all that matters

[John Whyte]

If it swims i will fish for it aslong as i am on the water thats all that matters

Spoken like a true angler!

[Catcherman]

Thanks familyfisherman.

The rig your refering to is my go to up north.  I have a few variations in different lengths, some with beads and some without.  I can put a heavy weight on it and really get it down there.

I'm glad you mentioned it because I have never used it on my cottage lake.  I usually have it tucked away in my portage equipment because I have them in their own box.  In the past I have bent the wire on the rigs by not taking my time putting them away and pinching them when I close my tackle box.  Hence their own box.

Thanks for the tips everyone. 

[John Whyte]

Interesting to see the targeted fish poll results so far. Looks like walleye is number one in this poll as well. Pike is much stronger than expected.

[John Whyte]

With winter now over I thought it might be interesting to see if the trend changes.

[Waltron]

Walleye trout musky smallies

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