Just one hour from Toronto we experienced guided platform raft fishing on the Grand River in Paris. The river offers abundant small mouth bass, fall/spring rainbow trout… as well as pike, walleye and big carp.

The platform fishing was excellent. Two fishermen could easily fly fish for bass or trout with lots of space. For those that bait cast, there were deck chairs elevated above the water allowing easy vision of striking fish.

The speed of the raft allowed many casting opportunities. At each pool and swift there was lots of time to hit every spot with numerous casts.

In April to mid-May rainbow trout or steelhead are abundant in the river… as the river gets warmer these fish head for Lake Erie… but return in September, offering lots of action. There was also excellent fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout in the pristine cold waters of Whiteman’s Creek, which joins the Grand River.

In July/August the small mouth bass dominate the Paris section of the Grand River. Locals expressed no surprise at catching 40 bass in several hours at the beginning of the bass season.

Pike and pickerel were present in this section of the Grand River, but minor in comparison to the trout and bass. The nearby Nith River offers much better pike and pickerel fishing opportunities.

People that are traveling in the area and in need of tackle can simply rent from the Big Catch fishing shop in Paris for twenty dollars per day. If looking for accommodations, the countryside setting of the River Ridge Bed & Breakfasts caters to fishermen. It offers excellent accommodations and breakfast… but it is the soothing outdoor hot tub for the tired fisherman that appeases most!

Part of the Grand River in this area has been zoned Exceptional Waters to preserve the fish populations against heavy fishing pressure. This barb-less, bait-less, catch & release zone contains some very healthy fish populations.

The biggest surprise was soaking in a wilderness fishing experience so near to the city of Toronto. The platform raft fishing offers some of the best fishing on the Grand in Southern Ontario. Definitely a great river for a days fishing!

With all the tension and stress in life the last thing you need is more stress when bass fishing.
If you’re fishing tournaments, going after that big hawg or just bass fishing with friends and
have competition between the few of you that fish together, then maybe it’s time for a break.

What kind of break you ask? A break from bass fishing stress! A laughter break! Yes, they
say laughter is the best medicine and if you’re uptight every day you just might find out a truer
statement has never been spoken.

If you’re bass fishing is no longer relaxing and no fun anymore then back away for a little while
and get a cup of coffee and start reading. What are you going to read, why fishing stories, bass
fishing jokes and how about a free bass fishing e-book that is hilarious?

Here is just an outtake of the e-book I’m talking about:

Have you ever tried to catch those little minnows that dart all over the place? It’s
not easy is it? I mean even with a casting net in a whole herd of them you still
don’t get very many for the effort. Well, you’re in luck I have made a plan that
makes it a lot easier.

Here is what you do….First, take your wife along for moral support. That is a
main step in this technique. Second, go to your local bait store and get a 10 foot
casting net.

Ok, now for the technique itself. Go out in your boat and find some minnows on
top swimming. You will know there are millions of them below the surface. Then
take your boat and start to go around in circles, this will gather them into a
smaller size gathering. Keep going around in circles for maybe a half hour letting
the group get into a smaller circle each revolution.

Now, once they are in a circle, give your wife the cast net. You take a quarter
stick of dynamite and light it but be sure to have your wife with the catch net and
ready beforehand. The next step in crucial in timing. The second the dynamite
is lit and thrown in the water have your wife spread out the cast net and jump in
the water with it and gather all the minnows she can immediately. This is very
important because if the minnows are shocked too much and go all the way to
the bottom, then you wife might not be able to hold her breath that long to go all
the way to the bottom where the minnows are located.

Believe me, I am talking from experience just last week we had to call the
emergency squad for her because she came floating back to the top and can you
believe it, she didn’t have one damn minnow in that cast net when she finally
surfaced. I guess the EMT’s couldn’t believe it either because I heard them say
“you’re not going back and do that again, I guess?” I have to agree with them, I
mean they couldn’t believe it either she came back up without one minnow in that
net.

You do have to show some sympathy for her though so this is what I do. She
comes up usually crying and holding her ears. So, I put my hands over my ears
too and throw water on my face so when she surfaces she thinks I am in pain
and crying too. Then she will start yelling and I will just point to my ears and say
“I can’t hear you sweetheart”. Make sure you have some kind of painful look on
your face as I assure you she will when she comes up. I got her some ear………..

If you want to read more of the story, you can get the e-book free. Just look in my
resource box below.

Alaska salmon fishing tours were started on a simple premise. A need was spotted in the fishing market, and several folks decided that if no one else was going to satisfy this need, well, heck, they sure would do it. More than 30 years later, many of these businesses have created huge empires for themselves.

If you’re a fisherman, and you haven’t really given much thought to planning a fishing vacation for yourself, then there’s no better time then the present.

Imagine yourself in Alaska, far from the urban sprawl of everyday life, standing in a clear, crisp river that’s loaded to the brim with trophy salmon and healthy, beautiful arctic char. A short 100 yards from the rivers edge is your private Alaskan fishing lodge. All around you is the pristine wilderness of Alaska, and no one to interrupt the view, and no one to disturb your concentration as you attempt to land “the big one”.

Every fisherman dreams of the day he or she can make the pilgrimage to the fabled Alaska Salmon Fishing Mecca. Living your Alaskan dream doesn’t have to wait any longer. It’s actually much more affordable than you realize. There are many Alaska Salmon Fishing packages available that are designed to fit just about any budget.

It takes a special breed of angler to flock to this nook of the world, where many a fishing lore is born. Alaska fishing legends are home to salmon runs so thick you can walk across their backs, halibut so big they’re called barn doors, and bottom fish so plentiful, fishing for them is called “catching”. Historically, Alaska’s fishing bounty has been so rich that it could feed a hungry world, and continues to do so to this day.

If you plan an Alaska fishing trip, you will definitely want an experienced, well-seasoned guide. Ideally, you need to find someone who can pinpoint the best time, place and specific areas to fish. The best fishing guide is one who knows these waters thoroughly. Many companies have seasoned and friendly Alaska fishing guides and charter captains who will make your Alaska fishing trip a very pleasurable experience.

If you want to experience great Alaska fishing, the Kenai is the only place to be!

While other parts of Alaska are experiencing increasingly limited salmon runs, this area has experienced predictable solid runs of each species. Many times, operating in small groups not only adds to a guests’ experience, but more importantly it limits any interference in the natural processes of the lands being utilized.

You can choose to fish with award winning guides who specialize in big fish, who have the best equipment, and you can just about guarantee yourself a great experience. Whether you’re considering fishing for a single day, whole week, river or fly-in fishing these guides can hook you up. And it is often surprisingly affordable no matter what you budget might be.