<p>At long last the sights and sounds of spring have come to Eastern Ontario. I spent equal time over the Easter long weekend with both rod and camera.</p>
<p>Pileated Woodpecker. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13954343156" title="IMG_8015 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8015" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/13954343156_4bb7486647.jpg" width="333" /></a></p>
<p>Having visited my usual spring carp locales the weekend prior and found them to still be frozen, I opted to take a drive to an old haunt of mine near Kingston, Ontario. On arrival, I was discouraged to find the bay to still be well over 50% frozen. The first 150 yards of shoreline was open, but everything after that was locked up tight. Not exactly carpy in my mind but having driven all this way, drowning worms was a must.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>An hour later the rod tip started bouncing in that sweet familiar way and I was into the first carp of the season. The afternoon wore on and with the sun high, the carp started breaching at the edge of the ice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13976967265" title="IMG_5007 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5007" height="375" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/13976967265_49af30dac9.jpg" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>I ended the day with four fish. Didn't bother with the scales but estimated weights were 13, 26, 6, and 22lbs. The two bigger fish:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13977413244" title="IMG_4995 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4995" height="375" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/13977413244_3c3bed39ba.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13973775662" title="IMG_4996 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4996" height="375" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2913/13973775662_62305ea0dd.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13907562392" title="IMG_5016 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5016" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/13907562392_b51e6e46af.jpg" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>Snowshoe Hare. Still white.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13974234111" title="IMG_8147 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8147" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/13974234111_31acc25eea.jpg" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>I also paid a visit to my favorite white sucker run. There are no trout in this stream which limits angling opportunities on one hand, but on the other ensures that I have the shoreline to myself without fail. No, here be just beautiful lake-run white suckers and this year they did not dissappoint. Interesting thing this session was the 1:1 male to female catch ratio.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13974970621" title="IMG_8405 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8405" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/13974970621_513b067d41.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13974957852" title="IMG_8357 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8357" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/13974957852_78dfa2fe07.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13974957362" title="IMG_8315 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8315" height="350" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5136/13974957362_bd2218e486.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13978159035" title="IMG_8278 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8278" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5087/13978159035_5d500f48f3.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13974958232" title="IMG_8248 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8248" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/13974958232_72502a41e8.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13976950365" title="IMG_8269 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8269" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/13976950365_a459c7f1b3.jpg" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>Garter Snakes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70937256@N08/13977833494" title="IMG_8148 by Eli_Fridland, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8148" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2928/13977833494_bf76ca43ab.jpg" width="500" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spring is here so get out there, fish, and post reports.</p>
<p> </p>
Great report and pictures!! Season opens in 2.5 weeks here and I cant wait.
http://thebeardedangler.blogspot.ca/
Awesome Eli, I estimate at least three weeks before I can find an open water fish.
mike b
Love to see you catching that caliber of carp under the still-remaining ice. And the beefy whites are soooo cool.
That size aint too common around my parts. Them make Rosie O'Donnel and Oprah Winfrey look like toothpicks. Sheeze man nice ones. And how come I never see any whites like that in the spawning colors. I catch them early and they never look cool like that. Very cool post Eli. Nice work.
Someday I would really like to make a drive up that way. For sure!
Very nice!! Congrats man!!
Sweet! Nice catches. Looks like a nice day out.
Nice work!
Man, those are some cool Whites! Spawning colors look great. They ain't tiny, either.
What a cool report, man. Some serious carpsiewarpsies, too. I can't imagine that kind of carp action right next to a sheet of ice.
That Pileated Woodpecker is great too. I've heard them, and seen their beakywork, but have yet to see one.
Fishn sure is neat
Thems are some monsters dude! Nicely done Eli, congrats on a fine outing
Nice fish that day , and nice meeting you too
That is some fantastic spring time action. Great report and pics!
Yep those white suckers are some real trophies man. Seems to me that in Minnesota they get bigger and darker the further North I catch them. Lake Superior tribs have some real dandies and so do some of the streams connecting lake systems up North. And boy, in Canada there are some huge white suckers.
If you call a normal Southern MN white sucker a "Jake", I woul call brutes like Eli's fish a "Tom".
Nice fish Eli, I've spent around 15 years hoping to catch a 20 pound carp. I know where lots of them are close to home and have had my line broken by some nice ones but still haven't landed one. Great wildlife shots too.
"There's always a bigger fish"