Snags Posted August 9, 2019 Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 So I have put in quite a few hours searching for pike/bass/muskie this season and it has been a $#!t season. Most of the waters I have fished are all linked back to Lake Gibson, or the canal, or lake erie, or go back further ... lake st. clair and lake huron ... In my mind something was dumped that has killed off plenty of the life within Gibson/12 Mile/Martindale. Q. F*** YOU, you just suck at fishing ... A. Maybe, but talking to plenty of people the conclusion is all the same ... something is off in these waters. Q. Evidence? A. Today, fishing the 12 ... the water is down because of the rowing ... I saw no fish in the shallows, previous years they were fighting to attack my lures. The other thing I noticed is that when my lure hit the bottom, no gobies moved in to investigate, and to top it off I could not find/see one zebra mussel ... which got me thinking and I have not see many zebra mussels this year, let alone many gobies. The few times I have put a worm on ... I have reeled a full worm back in. On the subject of zebra mussels ... if they are lacking ... that would be why the water clarity has been pretty s**tty this year for those of us who like that system. Also I have seen a whole lack of minnows through this system this year. Q. Where? A. Anything that is an offshoot of Lake Gibson ... so that includes the 12 Mile and into Martindale Pond. I am thinking maybe there was an attempt to poison the Asian carp and it backfired, or some factory or farm dumped something they shouldn't have ... with how positive Erie has been for fishing it would be something coming in from the canal or in the Gibson area, doubt it would be anything from Erie. Or we just blame the cormorants and accept that those birds are the devil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwl1 Posted August 9, 2019 Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 Haha...even the dogs are turning into tin foil hat people.....run.....run....run......naw......I used to keep extensive journals in regards to fishing.......this season has seen record warm temps.....everyone's tactics have to adapt according........keep track of weather patterns....water conditions... and temps ect......you can throw a species specific pattern on it still ......although I haven't been out do to work mostly.......when I do get out... .I catch what I set out to catch........but that in my opinion is decades of keeping a fishing log so to speak.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Was down in the 12 one evening this week. Took a few different changes in tactic, and I had to work for them, but i did find smallies. As for Martindale, there is a lot of pressure on the pike these days. Water is also piss warm. I expect a lot of fish have gone deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNorton Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Carp fishing has been strange this year for sure. So I have to agree with you. Haven’t been able to get out many days but the nights I do get out I get the skunk. Same spots I’ve fished years past same time of year with success and nada. Changing baits constantly and tactics still nada. From the people I’ve talked to on the water it seems to be the same everywhere. There’s fish but not plentiful or no size to them if you get them. It’s been a weird year. Hopefully I get out this weekend again and try my luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 What you said snags I fully agree . Gibson - 12 Mile - Martindale have been much slower than usual .....all connected via the Welland Ship Canal and water from L.Erie . A few years ago Gibby was loaded with carp (and minnows) , the 12 was loaded with bass , some pike , big cats and some good carp fishing , and Martindale Pond had some good perch and big pike fishing & last fall & this spring I caught very few perch and only dink pike . I don't believe climate has much to do with it ....Erie is producing tons of walleye right now so climate isn't affecting them much . The MNR took at least 10 BIG grass carp from Gibson 2 years ago .....so maybe they did use some type of chemical as they have used for lampreys . It would not surprise me , and we may never know . If there was a "kill off" one would think we would also see lots of dead fish floating around , unless the chemical used destroys their bladders and sinks them ..... Many spots in that system are over 15' deep . Earlier in the season I did get a few carp at Gibson in 5 fow....before the weed growth . Hope to see some better fishing there this fall ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREYHAWK Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Similar happenings on the Forty. Son suggested a possible salt/acidity problem. Talked with a mar researcher who commented on saline numbers are up on many Northern L. Ontario streams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmate Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 I haven't been on here very much lately and tend to fish larger bodies of water these days (Erie, Ontario and the Niagara River). That being said, I fished Gibson a couple times this year and was surprised to pull out a nice healthy walleye along with some solid bass and pike. My limited trips to Gibson may not be representative of this year as a whole but I was very happy to land my first walleye out of there. You never know what you'll catch out in Gibson though. I've caught two rainbows and seen two others caught in the past as well. Good luck. Hopefully fishing gets better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corey Posted August 13, 2019 Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 Are there asian carp in gibson? From what I understand they just recently made it into erie from the US side. I don't understand how there could be any attempt to poison gibson in the name of asian carp which won't make it to gibson for years. I think weather has more to do with it than anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corey Posted August 13, 2019 Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 On the topic of zebra mussels... they are all but dead for the time being around here. I don't understand your question about water clarity though? Zebra mussels clean the water as they eat all the vegetation in the water. no more zebra mussels means no more water purification. When the BOQ went through this in the 90's the vegetation was all but gone in the bay. The zebra mussels starved themselves out along with being eaten by fish and are all but gone there now and the plant life and fishing is coming back to life. These are all cycles, some long, some short. At the BOQ for instance the zebra mussels came in hard late 80's or so. It took 30 years but they have pretty much eradicated themselves. Invasive species do adapt for a while and thrive but at some point they go away for the most part. Not sure about invasive "fish" as pike are invasive in a lot of bodies of water and have survived decades but crustations on the other hand come in, do their thing and die off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted August 13, 2019 Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 I remember coming to the BOQ about 20 years ago and seeing the shore lined with zebra shells 3" thick ...millions of them . I have watched underwater videos of L.Erie & seeing the bottom lined with the shells . I'm looking at the shoreline here as I write and the algae is stinking bad while ducks are in it & just saw a snake pop his head up through it ! I don't see any zebra mussels but have caught a couple of gobies while trolling a worm . Walleye seem to be doing great but hard to find the large perch but tons of those 4 - 5 " ones. and once again the bay is loaded with white bass (perch) . Basically it's the same old BOQ. ' Corey ....the carp in Gibby are regular carp with some mirrors and the MNR posted pictures of very large grass carp they got there . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted August 13, 2019 Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 4 hours ago, corey said: Are there asian carp in gibson? From what I understand they just recently made it into erie from the US side. I don't understand how there could be any attempt to poison gibson in the name of asian carp which won't make it to gibson for years. I think weather has more to do with it than anything. I googled it up & found a good article from the local paper . ( 3 photos ) , third picture is grass carp from L.Gibson taken by the mnr . I was there when they launched and headed towards Beaverdams Rd. They said those carp are sterile so pose no threat . check it out ..... https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news-story/9227342-grass-carp-pose-economic-risk-to-great-lakes/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corey Posted August 13, 2019 Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 Interesting Smerch... It was only a few months ago the US said the asian carp had breached into the great lakes. Wonder how the grass carp got into gibson. I miss the BOQ so much. I have actually stayed a number of feet away from your trailer a few times years ago when we camped there for weekends. Now we pay for the luxury of a rental trailer on the other side of the park when we come up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duck&wine Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 1 hour ago, corey said: Interesting Smerch... It was only a few months ago the US said the asian carp had breached into the great lakes. Wonder how the grass carp got into gibson. I miss the BOQ so much. I have actually stayed a number of feet away from your trailer a few times years ago when we camped there for weekends. Now we pay for the luxury of a rental trailer on the other side of the park when we come up. I think I read somewhere that the MNR figured the grass carp in gibson where direct releases from people and not through migration from the GL. I might be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 1 hour ago, corey said: Interesting Smerch... It was only a few months ago the US said the asian carp had breached into the great lakes. Wonder how the grass carp got into gibson. . I miss the BOQ so much. I have actually stayed a number of feet away from your trailer a few times years ago when we camped there for weekends. Now we pay for the luxury of a rental trailer on the other side of the park when we come up. Lots of campers here from Niagara ( St.Kitts , Welland , Grimsby , Chippawa ..)...many old birds like me too.... 👴 We had lot # 43 west for a few years & now have #3 west, right at the docks . If you are coming here again look me up . We hope to stay until first of Oct. I have no idea how the grass carp entered Gibson . If they were tossed in by someone , where did they get them and why release them there ....the mnr should have some info on that . It is on my hit list to catch one of those suckers ......👀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snags Posted August 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 If they were in Erie they can get into Gibson. There used to be stores in TO that sold them live as well. I am sure if you know "someone" you can still get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 Snags...Erie grass carp could enter the Welland Ship canal , rec.canal , and thus enter the G.L.system ( if the habitat is suitable to them ) Yes , there are "someones" who would like to see our lakes loaded with Asian carp . Huge fines & jail time needed for transporting live invasive fish . We could be fined for unknowingly having a gobie in our bait bucket.....or transporting crayfish..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 Grass Carp were available up to about 15 years ago here as a biological control for weeds in farm ponds, still available in NY, Alberta and other places. Long lived and still a bunch out there, sorta fake news, its the other Asian Carp you need to worry about. https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7973.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 13 hours ago, smerchly said: It is on my hit list to catch one of those suckers ...... I’ll join ya for some grass carp hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Tyler0420 said: I’ll join ya for some grass carp hunting. The most logical spot would be where the mnr took out 10 of them .....don't think they caught them all . We need to get some good info on grass carp baits ....maybe using a float with some aspara -grass ....sure worth a try to chase them Tyler . Don't need to walk far where they caught them ....shallow part of Gibby with plenty of weeds ( 50 lb.line) ....1000 ft. }))))) ))) > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 On 8/9/2019 at 9:08 PM, DNorton said: Carp fishing has been strange this year for sure. So I have to agree with you. Haven’t been able to get out many days but the nights I do get out I get the skunk. Same spots I’ve fished years past same time of year with success and nada. Changing baits constantly and tactics still nada. From the people I’ve talked to on the water it seems to be the same everywhere. There’s fish but not plentiful or no size to them if you get them. It’s been a weird year. Hopefully I get out this weekend again and try my luck. I decided to give some of my best Gibby spots a try this morning , about 4.5 hrs worth . Armed with fresh maize on a hair I tried some deep spots with some current ...not a sniff . I decided to try a "sure bet " spot that has a good current with a back eddy , had good luck there before but not great for walking .(rocks) I tried the maize for an hour and nothing . So I clipped the hair off & tried a corn puff ....about 20 minutes later a hookup ! It didn't fight much ...came to the surface and "rolled" in like it was out of steam . This carp looked beat up , and not healthy at all ! I fished for another 1/2 hr.and decided one sorry looking carp was all to be had . Gibby is strangely void of carp this year and this sick one makes me wonder what's going on here ? This is not what a healthy carp should look like .... ....sorry for larger photo ...it's 1/3 full size ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbocco Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 Looks nothing like the carp I used to pull out of there as a kid 30yrs ago. What a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNorton Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 Very strange. Wonder what’s causing it 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 5 minutes ago, DNorton said: Very strange. Wonder what’s causing it 😕 Wish I knew what is going on with the carp in the Gibson . ...maybe affecting the bottom feeders the most ( cats , drum , gobies ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNorton Posted September 19, 2019 Report Share Posted September 19, 2019 On 9/17/2019 at 7:58 PM, smerchly said: Wish I knew what is going on with the carp in the Gibson . ...maybe affecting the bottom feeders the most ( cats , drum , gobies ) Yea something strange because even trying to drown worms we haven’t got much gobies this year ? Weird ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyiam Posted September 23, 2019 Report Share Posted September 23, 2019 The lower Niagara saw the best smallmouth fishing in years for me, whereas last year i was skunked multiple times. And ive been fishing for years now and i've noticed that sometimes the person in the front of the boat using the same bait and presentation will catch nothing and the other person catchs lots. I don't mean to squash your conspiracy theory, but i think if something was dumped in Gibson or any waterway, it would have been much more evident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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