I caught this beauty in May 2006 at Toronto Islands. Somehow I forgot to post it here and just came across it while looking through some old photos. The fish was caught on opening day while I was back in Ontario briefly to fish with Jon at Little Vermilion (which probably explains why I never posted it). I only visited the islands three times that year and the fishing was tough.
I had caught a small pike at the same location just minutes before this one smashed my Mepps Aglia #5. I had just made a long distance cast in one of my favorite spots. A small boat was passing by about 50 feet from where my lure hit the water. After a few cranks of the reel everything just stopped. Instinct told me to set the hook, but when I did nothing happened. It was stuck. I knew it wasn’t a snag, because I had fished that area and was familiar with the depths. Suddenly I felt a heavy head shake and I knew it was a big one. She bulldogged down into the weeds and what had felt like a big one now felt like a huge one! I managed to pull her out of the weeds after what felt like an eternity and finally got a good view as she thrashed around on the surface. I got the big pike close to shore and struggled to setup my camera on a picnic table and set the timer. She looked a little beat up, but swam away strong!
Saturday May 2nd marks the first day of pike season in select areas of Ontario. Luckily for me, one of those areas happens to be nearby the place I’m visiting, so if all goes well, I’ll be reporting about some slimy green monsters by this time tomorrow. Every fisherman has their favorite go to lure for pike, and some will tell you it doesn’t matter what you use, you get them. Sometimes pike fishing really is that easy, but the high pressure pike of Toronto Islands cant be tricked by just any lure. Several years ago, when Jon and I first started fishing in Toronto we had enormous luck on Mepps spinner baits, and as far as I’m concerned, you cant get a better early season pike lure off the shelf. People will tell you you need something to fish slower for those inactive pike, but if you use a spinner as much as I do, you know they can be fished at any speed.
I know a lot of our readers will be out tomorrow, so good luck! I’ll be carrying plenty of Fishing Fury stickers with me, so feel free to come and talk to me if you see me, and I can hook you up. I don’t have a proper pike rod with me, but I’ll be attempting to cast out my very own Rockstar Lures that were specifically designed for Toronto Islands pike. Not only are they larger then your average spinner bait, but they are an ideal weight for shore casting the canals throughout the islands.
Heres a shot of an average Toronto pike I caught back in 2006, the last time I had fished the islands heavily.
In the 1960’s tournament was virtually unheard of in the Caribbean. A man named Jim Needham, the owner of the Flamboyant Hotel. Jim fell in love with the coastline of Grenada, an in his little 14 foot open boat “Mambo” and raised and caught dozens and dozens of Billfish. In 1964 he met my father, Martin Mathias and together with Louis Rostant they dreamed up the Spice Island Billfish Tournament. The tournament took off, and his still held to this day, celebrating its 40th anniversary in early 2009.
“He just had to share this love with someone and so in 1964, he called his friend Louis Rostant (Trinidad) and they met in Grenada with Martin Mathias, owner of a beautiful sports fishing vessel named “Bahari”, to formulate and stage the first ever Grenada Fishing Tournament.
Sadly, no records have been available but we do know that less than 10 boats (Grenada & Trinidad) participated in what was essentially a gentleman’s tournament. No formal rules were in effect at the time.”
Flash forward to the seventies. Short shorts, aviator glasses, bikinis and mustaches were all the rage. I wasn’t even born yet, but my soon to be parents were living the good life down in the Caribbean. My dad was was charter boat captain, specializing in catching big game such as tuna, sailfish and marlin around the island of Grenada.
The year was 1976. A woman by the name of Sue Gallibrand stepped aboard the mighty Bahari a mere mortal, and stepped off a legend, setting the womens world record for yellowfin tuna at 138 lbs (62.5 kg) using 20 lb test.
Sue Gallibrand (center) and Martin Mathias (far right)
While the record has not stood the test of time, I’m certain the story will live forever.
As some of you know, I was born in the British Virgin Islands. I haven’t lived there since I was a little boy, but I did enjoy a prolonged stay there in 2006. I still feel homesick whenever I think of the islands and maybe one day, my family and I can move back. For now, I resort to watching old videos we made while we were there a few years back. Lots of warm weather and lots of excellent fishing, it doesn’t get much better then that.
PS. If anyone needs an island fishing guide and has the cash to cover my expenses to get there, I’m all yours!
You can’t get much more remote then this. This island is located in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Endless shallow flats, and deep drop-offs, looks perfect.
Most people think fishing isn't dangerous, but they are wrong. Very wrong. Hundreds of people die each year in fishing related accidents. Don't believe me? Then check out these seven videos that illustrate how dangerous fishing really is.
