Thames River London Ontario Help

[blakenty]

I'm still a little green at this but i love it, i guess you could say i'm hooked (sarcastic drum noise here) but i don't seem to be having any luck and i don't have a car to drive anywhere so my options are limited. I was wondering if there are any hotspots for bass or if anyone could suggest some techniques for the fish in the thames rivr. Thanks for the help.

[DeRock]

I am in the same boat (sarcastic drum noise here) as blakenty. I Love fishing but have never really done any in and around London or the Thames River. A few suggested hotspots would be awesome!

[MuskieBait]

I lived in London for about 4 months. I was there for the winter months so I didn't do any bass fishing. However, just before I left London in the spring, I did walk along a stretch of the Thames.

Just taking from experiences fishing similar river environments on the Grand, I would say your best bet is to look for deeper areas in the river in the summer and fish near any structure that could provide resting areas from the current, or areas where food may wash into the area. In the summer, try fishing tube jigs around these areas, fishing dropshot rigs, or using a spinnerbait to cover areas quickly.

In areas with faster current, I have also done well with a floating twtich minnow style bait fishing either weightless or with a small split shot near the surface. It's great to see smallies come up to smash them.

In the fall, when smallies fatten up for the winter, you can use all the techniques mentioned above, plus using poppers as well. Fall popper bite can be good.

While covering the shorelines, move slowly and stealthy. Sometimes the fish can sit very shallow. I've seen fish sat in a foot of water immediately next to shore against a boulder. If you had moved around clumsily and made too much noise, you would have never seen them there and not even have a chance to cast to them.

I don't think specific hot spots matters...but more so identifying productive areas in general with similar characteristics. Good spots are where you have a decent set of riffles entering into a deep pool with lots of covers like boulders, wood and weeds. A little bit of moving current in the pool is always better for me personally. Fish the pool well covering the head of the pool, the middle of it and the tail end. Depending on the mood of the fish and what they are feeding on, they could be in different part of that environment. I always find smallies like a bit of current though.

Good luck.

[mjr]

Send me a Private Message and what kind of fish you are looking for. I fish the Thames a lot in London.

[DeRock]

Thank you for your help MuskieBait! I will definitely be taking your advise into consideration next time i get out.

[Clive]

I spent 2 summers on the Thames a few years back, there are a few short reports on the main page. There are tons of bass around, most will be small but you will find the odd big one! I recommend spinnerbaits! #3 Black fury or Aglia are perfect.

You will snag a lot, so I always go with 30lb braid or higher ( I know it overkill for small bass, but you will thank me when you dont have to buy new lures every other week.)

I'd also recommend switching up the treble for a single hook, or simply cutting off 1 or 2 points to reduce snags.

I've caught walleye, pike, smallies, rockbass, white bass and carp right near downtown London...there are lots of fish to be had!

http://www.fishingfury.com/categorie.../thames-river/