Is Canada Your Only Annual Fishing Experience?

[Barley]

My family settled in the Kansas City area in the late 60s. As an early teenager I got my dad interested in fishing just by catching little bass and bluegill off a dock at a nearby park. Now, 51 years later, I’m still living in the same area and am close to abandoning fishing in my immediate area. Other than privately owned strip pits located southeast of KC, I’ve almost given up fishing locally. The State of Kansas has the most archaic conservation laws in the country. When I take my bass boat to local reservoirs I find jug and trot lines strung along the best shorelines, preventing real sport fishing. I see rednecks with stringers of legal largemouth bass removing the lakes precious resources from local lakes. Kansas has to be the worse place to fish in the entire country. The nearest reservoirs and those in the Missouri Ozarks are so over-run with ski-boats and jet-skiers that fishing is a waste of time.

My wife and I go North every year to get away from crowds and we still run into conservation laws that cater to meat fishing more than sport fishing. Why do lawmakers continue to establish limits that deplete the most valuable resources so that so-called sportsmen can fill their already ample bellies?

For example, we found a fly-in several years ago to lake in Ontario where the smallmouth fishing was incredible. It took only three years for the fishing there to be completely decimated by groups that would keep dozens of breeders, caught and eaten during the spawn, to ruin the lake.

Thinking outside the lines, we have been able to find a unique location to fish where catch and release policies have greatly sustained the fish populations. I’m sure this won’t last so we’ve been looking further and further north to find a truly world class environments that could easily be found closer to home if only our legislatures were not so influenced by fat-assed deep frying Bubba’s.

[kswalleyer]

Originally Posted by Barley

My family settled in the Kansas City area in the late 60s. As an early teenager I got my dad interested in fishing just by catching little bass and bluegill off a dock at a nearby park. Now, 51 years later, I’m still living in the same area and am close to abandoning fishing in my immediate area. Other than privately owned strip pits located southeast of KC, I’ve almost given up fishing locally. The State of Kansas has the most archaic conservation laws in the country. When I take my bass boat to local reservoirs I find jug and trot lines strung along the best shorelines, preventing real sport fishing. I see rednecks with stringers of legal largemouth bass removing the lakes precious resources from local lakes. Kansas has to be the worse place to fish in the entire country. The nearest reservoirs and those in the Missouri Ozarks are so over-run with ski-boats and jet-skiers that fishing is a waste of time.

My wife and I go North every year to get away from crowds and we still run into conservation laws that cater to meat fishing more than sport fishing. Why do lawmakers continue to establish limits that deplete the most valuable resources so that so-called sportsmen can fill their already ample bellies?

For example, we found a fly-in several years ago to lake in Ontario where the smallmouth fishing was incredible. It took only three years for the fishing there to be completely decimated by groups that would keep dozens of breeders, caught and eaten during the spawn, to ruin the lake.

Thinking outside the lines, we have been able to find a unique location to fish where catch and release policies have greatly sustained the fish populations. I’m sure this won’t last so we’ve been looking further and further north to find a truly world class environments that could easily be found closer to home if only our legislatures were not so influenced by fat-assed deep frying Bubba’s.

What? Im not sure how far you are going or what reservoirs you are talking about, but I live in Kansas City and disagree with just about every word of this post. We have some of the best fishing for all species on each side of the state line within 150 miles if you throw in Pomme for Muskies. 225 miles gets you to a ton of great water in Northern Arkansas...

As far as going north...Maybe a few places like Mille lacs right now for walleyes are struggling...but the fishing is pretty good anywhere up there. Fly-in Smallmouth fishery getting fished out? Really? where was that? There is a walleye tournament that happens VERY close to KC every spring, it takes a 1 day bag of 25-30 lbs to even have a shot....I guess its in the eye of the beholder....

[JRelyea]

For me....

Local NJ lakes- I have about 9 within an hour 1 way, all highway driving

Multiple trips to the Adirondacks, NY each year:
2 weeks each July on Lake George
May & October weekends on Black Lake

Trying to make time for Hudson River stripers during May again in '21, in either Kingston or Albany

& a few insane day trips to Saratoga Lake (around 5 hrs driving round trip)- a "day trip" means I'm up at 1a, launching at 530a & back home around 11p or so-- exhausted, swearing I'll never do it again, have some amnesia--- 'cuz I do it a few times each year!



That's pretty much my year

How often? ...
Ice out til the end of October, I'm out every other weekend with a rod in my hand. On the boat July & August every other weekend when my kids call it a "tubing boat that's ocassionally used for fishing". When the temps drop into the low 40s, upper 30s, shorter days out & maybe 1 day a month. Winter if roads are dry & lakes are launchable, I'll target lakers just to be on the boat mostly


(I did take 10 yrs off from fishing post-divorce to focus on my kids growing up...they're 13 now & I'm on season 2 being back with what I love doing)


Happy fishing!!

[Anonymouse]

The farthest Anonymouse goes from home is to the sewer grate over the hot water discharge pflume from the MG&E power plant in a cul-de-sac on the other side of the lake.
The bluegills are kind of small but it saves having to chop a hole in the ice for the Starcraft cuddy cruiser & if they were any bigger they wouldn't fit through the grate slots anyway.



Truthfully though, even though the Old Man used to go to Canada for 2 weeks northern fishing every year, Anonymouse has never set foot in Canada with a fishing rod even once.
Been dere, just ain't done dat dere.

[7 Mag]

I typically go on two trips per year, Northern Minnesota or Northern Wisconsin. For 2021 I’m planning a spring trip to Minnesota, Leech & Cass lake & a Canada trip to Cedar lake in August. I occasionally fish Erie & I spend several days fishing a few local lakes.

[Lamp40]

We are very lucky to live 20 minutes away from Lake Erie. Walleye and perch make for a great spring, summer, and fall. Generally try to go a couple times a week. This year would have been our first Canadian trip in over 30 years. Now waiting till next October.

[gordy28]

Great thread!

It's interesting as there are a few variables in my opinion
Lake Size, Lake Pressure, Lake Type

But without knowing where the angler is going I would say put in the time researching

I am always amazed at the information thats out there - before our Ogoki trip I found a years old thread on a city of Toronto tourism board that had some great info that really helped

So for me use the tools available - google is your friend, so is google earth and youtube

Have a rough game plan for area's, tactics and structure that you want to hit before you even arrive

Cheers
Andrew

[gordy28]

Originally Posted by gordy28

Great thread!

It's interesting as there are a few variables in my opinion
Lake Size, Lake Pressure, Lake Type

But without knowing where the angler is going I would say put in the time researching

I am always amazed at the information thats out there - before our Ogoki trip I found a years old thread on a city of Toronto tourism board that had some great info that really helped

So for me use the tools available - google is your friend, so is google earth and youtube

Have a rough game plan for area's, tactics and structure that you want to hit before you even arrive

Cheers
Andrew

Doh! My apologies - some how I posted this in the wrong thread!

[Lmbkiller]

I fish around 300+ days a yr, Canada included. If I only fished a week a yr and it was in Canada, how would I ever know how good Canada truly was?

[elway12]

Unfortunately, I seldom fish here in my home state of AZ, though there are some great places to do so. My passion is Canada. I fishing up there once every 4 and NOW 5 years!...ok sometimes it's been every other year But to me it's not just about the fishing it's the whole Canada fishing trip experience: the planning, packing, flying, driving, the stories, the traditions, loons, bears, shore lunch, the smells, the scenery. I am sure glad I have W.C. and Borger's fishing trip videos to curb my cravings in the years between times!