Your fishing forecast for June 19th!

BASS!

It's here, with more on the way!

Zone 17 & 18 (all bass) and Zone 20 largemouth bass opener
this past weekend was a bast!

Zones 15 & 16 bass seasons are opening up this
weekend, which we can't wait for!

In terms of bass habits and where you'll find them, we are a few weeks ahead in terms of where you may typically find fish this time of year. While we were pike fishing some weeks ago we took time to explore (observe only) what the bass were up to in central Muskoka area and how far along they were in their spawning rituals. In areas typically littered with spawning bass on their beds, all we found were empty nests, with the use of electronics we identified schools that they were already 10'+ deep. When typically at that time they would have been up in the shallows and still in spawning mode. We also took note this past weekend in Zone 17 that weed bed and lily pad growth is well ahead of a typical year.

We were out scouting with Smooth River Guiding this past Monday, we spotted many fish in the 20"+ range and many in the high-teens in his crystal clear home waters. With his upcoming guided trips, his clients are in for a bash! For your deep water fisheries like Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay you may be fishing semi-deep to deep already, while your weed hugging bass may already be under lilly pads and structure like docks and taking in the warmth.

The weather... that's what's not looking too great for this big bass opening weekend. We have a cold front rolling in with a pressure drop, cooler temps, and higher winds. You wont hear us say it often, but it may be a great weekend to get those chores knocked off the list so you can get on the water the weekend after!

We have one more bass opener we're waiting for, that's the Zone 20 (Lake Ontario) smallmouth opener. On July 6th you'll find us on the big water!

With these warmer water temps we're looking forward to getting right on the topwater bite popping poppers and slowly twitching wiggly patters.

Carp
Golden bones, we love them!

That's not fair, comparing them to bonefish... they're much harder to catch. If you've not fished for carp on the fly before, and you're looking for a challenge, look no further. If you're a saltwater angler and want to up your game for the flats, carp are it! Carp fishing continues to be strong across our region with fish in the shallows offering incredible sight fishing opportunities.

We have loads of carp flies in the shop and the knowledge on how to target them.
Give us a call and we'll give you the D.L.!

Gar
Catch a dinosaur.

These prehistoric looking fish are in our backyards and are something special.
They offer great sight fishing opportunities and are often laid-up in the shallows sunning themselves.

Guide Matt Martin of Smooth River Guiding has been getting his clients into these fish and they're a blast to watch snatch your fly with their long toothy beaks!

Trout

Lets chat about our coldwater friends, they may need a break.

For the most part, we're off the water for trout angling with these very warm air and water temperatures. We took a reading of the Upper Beaver River at 7:00 pm Monday evening, we read 71.4 degrees F.
70 degrees F is the widely accepted cut-off temperature for trout angling, so we're hanging up our trout sticks until things cool off some. While we may get some early morning windows of cooler temps, its best to let the fish stay unstressed during these warmer spells... a.k.a. go bass fishing!

There are a number of live-streamed temperature readings from the Credit and Grand Rivers that we keep our eyes on for indicators on when to head back out.

Real-Time Temperature Monitoring Links:
Grand River
Credit River

That being said, there is still one fantastic option for trout fishing that should be in-shape for the next few weeks as long as the coldwater reserves hold on. The Grand River Tailwater is running at a cool 57 degrees F, we're in great shape for trout on this river! You'll find the coldest water coming straight out of Shand dam upstream of Fergus with the water warming as it heads downstream through Fergus, then Elora and further on. We highly recommend you fish with a thermometer and probe as you go.

Dry fly fishing is still going strong, go check your floatant levels and dry fly leaders! Give us a call to learn about what to expect for hatches and flies to use.

 

Our fav thermometer?

It just so happens that it is the hot gear and product feature of the week!
The new Fishpond Riverkeeper Digital Thermometer gives you an instant read on water temps, it is fully waterproof and now lives on all of our packs and boat boxes, we don't head for the rivers or lakes without them. Keep in the know and aware of water temps with this great addition to the Fishpond line-up!

 

Fishing Forecast for June 19th

Make sure to check out the "Hot Flies" section below to set yourself up for success!