September 2009 Fish Report

I am often on record as saying September is my favorite time at Long Sault. I just love the condition of the fish at this time, long, lean and mean and plenty of them. Well usually !!

September was defiantly a month of two halves. The first two weeks was business as usual. Every single angler had at least 50 fish and most up in the high 60`s and above. Then disaster struck. Two large ships went aground in Quebec and they opened the dam fully to raise the water level downstream causing us to loose 4 feet of water at Long Sault. It was frightening to see big rocks and tree stumps in areas I regularly drive over flat out in the boats. For the regulars, to give you a vision of how low the water was. Hoople bay was dry at both ends and in the Hole/Bush swim there was room to put bivvies up at the waters edge. My understanding was the ships got off within two days but they never raised the water back for some reason.

This sudden drop in water levels screwed up the water pressure and the fish stopped feeding. It did come back a bit but the fishing still has not recovered properly. This along with the unseasonably warm weather (water temp. 5 degrees higher than normal) just put the fish off. We could see fish, both in the margins, on the fish finders and topping, but were struggling for numbers. To make matters worse the fish we were catching were weighing up very light because they had not fed up. Lots of fish that we would have bet good money would go plus 30 were weighing up at 26 or 27 lbs. The water was so warm that Peter the Dutchman nicked two 30`s out of 4 ft of water. We are normally out of the shallows by July.

Hey Ho that is fishing; Back to September.

As I said first two weeks were fine, everyone on plus 50 fish. The worst catch coming from first timer Damion. Damion`s first 4 days were a nightmare, which sometimes happens with new guys, I think he had 15 fish or so in the early part of the week, and then things clicked into place and he ended up with exactly 50 fish including catching the same 29.15 fish two days apart. This was a PB for Damion who passionately wanted a 30, but as he said 29.15 is NOT a 30. Best catch in that period goes to Ian Wragg, back for his second visit of the year, he could do no wrong!!! 97 fish to 34lb.

The Magpie was back for the whole month and his fish report about sums it up. 213 fish to 34 lb. Now I could make that sound really sexy, but the truth is in the first two weeks he had just under 140 fish and then the wheels fell off. His partner in crime Mark, arrived for his second visit of the year, joining him for the last two weeks and got 81 fish to 28. His worst ever trip.
Harvey had a quiet trip this year only 39 fish, and this is a good lesson. Harvey is a very good and experienced fisherman, but this year was hell bent on trying new methods, rigs and tackle. Boy did he loose some fish!!! Keep it simple here. Strong tackle, big hooks, heavy leads and bolt rigs!!!

I am not going to torment myself listing loads of poor catches. Colin and I live and breathe to you guys a holiday of a lifetime, but fishing is fishing. As always we had fun and tried our best. Guys coming during the last two weeks averaged 15 to 30 fish each per week. No one blanked but we had three guys with fewer than 10 fish which is the worst we have ever done. Pretty much everyone had big 20`s but during that period we had only 6x 30`s in two weeks!!! We normally get that in a day.

I must say no one complained, everyone stuck at it and strangely almost everyone said they had a great holiday. A lot of the guys out normally go to France and as they said compared to that this was fantastic. But this is Canada. We sell plus 50 fish in week and plenty of 30`s.

My thanks and apologies to all the guys that suffered through this period with us. Next September will be different. I promise.

July / August 2009 Fish Report

It is always hard for me to get excited about the July and August fish reports; I have plenty of fish, just not many anglers out to enjoy them!!!! So let me spend a couple of minutes on the summer fishing at Long Sault.

In May/June I have 25 to 35 Anglers out every week. In September between 12 and 20. For the whole of the July/August I had 19 Brits out on holiday! The fishing is virtually always good here. For example out of the 19 that come almost everyone who fished every day went home with between 50 and 80 fish in a week.. All got big 20`s and most one or some 30`s.

In the busy weeks it is a war zone out here, we are out at 4 or 5 am to get the best spots and keep my prebaited swims away from other anglers not staying with us. In the summer we have the place to ourselves. We sometimes fish two or three swims in a day. If the guys want to break for lunch, they can bait up heavily knowing the swim will still be available when they come back, and we have more time to help out any inexperienced guests. The fishing goes off in the middle of the day if the sun is high and hot, but we still get 20 runs per day on average. If it is your first trip to Canada this is the time to come.

So to the tale of the tape;

Last week June was a slow week, (still 40 fish average) and as normal after a poor week first week of July saw the fish back on the munch. Roland, big Al and John all had over 60 fish with Roland top on 67, the average size was a little down but all had a lot of lower 20`s and several 27`s and 28`s.

The rest of the summer was fairly consistent. Simon Crewe and family fished some and toured some, Simon doing the early mornings and the girls joining him after breakfast. Simon now has a new PB of 32:05 and 11 year old Jane a 27. Carl and Pete had 53 and 58 fish to 34, and the Holden brothers really had a bag up but did not keep score. Some days they had over 50 fish between the three of them and during the trip landed 4 over 30 and a bonus 29 Mirror.

What is it with cabbies ?? Every time I get a few London taxi drivers in they try to drink the place dry. MIRACULOISLY they caught fish. No early starts for these guys, but Greg had 48 fish Peter 57 and Norm 61. Pete taking the big fish honors with a 36. Their fish score was a long way short of their beer numbers and Grumpy took more money off them than I did !!

Linda and Allen kept up the “ladies tradition” at Long Sault. Linda beating the old mans PB with a 34:08 ( I just love it, it almost always happens guys bring their wives so they can use two rods, get a double hook up so the wife HAS to land one, and it is a 30) Trevor got amongst the 30`s with 3 to 32:10. Ray Fenton had it bang off doing late night sessions with 80 fish to 35. He had loads of 20`s but only the one 30.

Apologies to the following six guys, I cannot find their fish reports :

Andy, Chris and Rod. were first time visitors Andy`s view of the trip has been posted on the forum, but what he did not mention were the two days I arrived to collect the gang, only to find them packed up and sunbathing as their little arms were aching……Think of the fish count boys!!. All three were hovering around the 50 fish mark. From memory Andy was over and the other two just under. However Rod had been leading all week but went down with a stomach upset on the last two days. This I stress was from Grumpies beer and not my Marians cooking!!

The Hampshire family (Father , son and uncle) had less fish but Paul in particular had a great time, beating his PB several times and fishing one of our Hook and Hold`em swims which is challenging to say the least. One mistake and they are through the bridge and you are in trouble.

Whilst we are short on Holiday bookings through July/August we do get a lot of short two or three day visits, and four hour guided trips for holiday makers. Pat Houlette travelling through stopped of one one day and spent three days catching 25 fish and a 34.
Mr Minimal had a few nights on the Darren’s Island and had 19 fish. The previous week I had had 50 in two nights from the same swim. So thinking something was wrong, went back with my Nephew after Norm left and only had 20 odd fish between us in two days. (Although they were back again a week later) So much for showing Norm how it is done J
Mike Leung stopped in for two nights with the plea ….Please put me on some fish it has been my worse year ever in the Toronto area. He had 30 odd fish and went home happy. A group fishing up in Peterborough called with the question are their any fish up your end” The answer of course was yes and they got more in the two days here than in the week in Peterborough.

On the guided trips we had some nice ones; Two Korean guys booked 4 hours and gave up after 2 hours with 12 fish caught and 8 lost, they didn’t want any more!! Three builders staying overnight at the motel and rained off site had 8 fish to 32 and had never cast a rod before. Young Craig on his birthday treat and first ever carp session had a 30. We have still never failed to catch on a guided tour!!

The locals were all catching as normal; the one that made me laugh was one of the three dudes who complained “I read on your website about these guys catching 30; 40 or even 50 fish in day. The most I ever catch is 10-15 fish!! Later I was thinking…….he only ever fishes for 4 or 5 hours at a time…….

June 2009 fish report

If May was a little quite for anglers fishing with us, June was the opposite with well over 100 anglers visiting that month.

If May fishing was great, June was truly awesome (and I hate that word as it is very much over used) what can I say, even by Long Sault standards we had some staggering catches. Big fish, big numbers and big smiles, if that isn’t awesome then it will do until something awesome comes along.

Just to give a snapshot, most weeks I do not get exact numbers, some guys do not complete the fish reports, some write things like “loads” under the numbers caught etc. But third week June I have exact figures we had 21 Anglers out and caught 1243 fish in a week. That is an average of 59 fish per rod, and quite a few of these guys were either first timers or took days off to go sight seeing etc. The Diehards were all up in the 100 fish range. The week before we had over 30 guys out and the numbers caught were even higher.

A few highlights from the month.

The Kent boys had a slow time last year, but I knew if it was buzzing they would take it apart as they are all good anglers. Darren was top rod out of this crowd with 121 fish, (including 56 fish in one day, from a new swim) his best fish was 40lb 4 oz, with six others over 30. Big Bill was next with 6 x 30`s and 90 fish. Nicks cards were marked in advance as he owed me a tenner from last year ( I often have a tenner bet with first timers that they will get a 30, as it helps pay my beer bill) He caught seven 30`s this year, so my money is safely deposited back into Grumpies, and first timers Gary and Mick both had good fish and good fishing.

Some of the regulars put in great performances, the best maybe from Mark Dimmock. Mark caught 202 fish in two weeks without fishing ANY of the noted hotspots. Mark had fish to 34lb. Dave Haynes similarly stayed off the normal hotspots apart from the odd session, had 89 fish on his trip and broke his PB twice in a day including a 36 lb fish on the float. Phil and Trevor fished the first week of June just before it went crazy. Phil still managed over 70 fish to 32.8 and Trev soldiered through a bad back and a sore finger (to hear him tell it, the sorest finger in the history of the world) to get fish up to + 30 on the float.

A challenge was thrown out by Ian Wragg. Ian has fished the Trent system in Canada for years, but due to falling sport wanted to give us a go. His opening conversation was “you will never beat my number of fish in a day record” A day in the bay of the Gods soon sorted that out, an Ian ended up with 34 fish that day. A pleasant duo for us was Keith and Neil from Swindon. (You can’t beat a pair of Irish bream bashers.) I think they broke pretty much every personal record they had and had a good laugh doing it, which is what it is all about. They had 64 and 57 fish respectively to 33lb, but that, as I think they will agree is incidental.

Of course it was of enormous personal relief that Geezer and the Carpology boys had a flyer this year. I hate anyone to have a quite holiday with me, they thought last year was good but by Canadian standards it was rubbish. This year was different. Four guys came out, the worse result was Angus with 57 fish to 32 lb, (serious trouble getting out of bed in the morning) next was Rob with 61 fish to 39lb 12oz, Joe managed 88 fish to 32 and Geezer smashed the place 133 fish to 37lb in a week with one rod !!!!!. and contrary to what some people thought these guys DID NOT FISH THE BEST SPOTS. Geez had one day in the bay of the gods, other than that they did not fish any of the top swims.

Jason continued his run of form with another 40. This time a 41.12oz from our pontoon. Carl (Indy_k) had his best day ever with 33 odd fish on the float, Nick Tietsen had his first visit to us nicking 60 odd fish…..and so it went.

To be fair, I should mention the rough with the smooth:

Sadie and Tony by their standards had a quite trip, only 140 fish and only two 30`s it just did not happen for them this year. Andrew Mac Mears had a quite time on the Island only 66 fish this year. Lionel and Sylvia had only 65 fish to 35.8. And the ones who made me laugh, Mathew and Keith. Every time we spoke were complaining (nicely) that it was slow but still had 112 fish between them in their week. That is slow by their standards out here.

I rarely get complaints, but I got mixed reviews from the Essex boys. All caught fish, Dave Reynolds had 79 fish, Charlie 68 fish to 39.6oz Ricky 76 fish, even Shaun a carp virgin before the trip had 59 fish and his first 30, but some of the guys felt I was spending too much time with Geezer and the carpology guys, and neglecting them. That’s a shame and funnily enough

Geezer who is a good mate of mine was also complaining that I did not get to spend much time with him or have a fish together. There is a lot of work behind the scenes, to stay on the fish and keep everything functioning, but I am sorry to hear any negative comments.

There are loads more stories: The huge Koi, spectacular beer consumption in Grumpies, Body shop capers etc. Some big fish coming out: Louis` 44 off the Pines, upteen big 30`s, and loads of new PB`s. Some great times, good fish, good food, and lots of laughs. In all a typical June in Long Sault

May 2009 fish report

I know, I know. I am a bastard for slow fish reports; we are far too busy catching them to spend time writing about `em. I do know they are important so apologies once again.

On the whole as always it was a great May. The records are spoiled a little as just like last year we had a horrible cold snap in the last week May which slowed things down a bit. Also because of family commitments I did not get back until early May so did not take any early bookings. However the early May fishing was fantastic. (sods law) We just did not have many people out to enjoy it.

Queen of May was undoubtedly Jason. Jay lives an hour away from us but spent on average a day and a half a week with us throughout May. We kind of lost count of his fish, but based on say 7 full days fishing he averaged well over 15 fish per day and had over 10 x 30`s. Other regulars like Vali all caught well early May.

Colin and I were smashing them up on the float rods, although I failed to get a 30 in May. (I am not prepared to say how many 30`s Colin got)

Our first UK punter was out on the 11th May, but Alan had to retire after only 3 days fishing with sunstroke and RCI (Repetitive carp injury) Alan had 40 fish in 3 days to 33lb, The Leeds boys had 68, 63 and 57 fish respectively with James getting the best at 37lb 5 oz.

Frank and Roy both had over 50 fish each and 4 30`s to 34lb. The Hamilton boys were with us for three days They did not keep a tally but had two reasonable days out of the three with fish to 29:5.

Peter the Dutchman was out with Dave. Pete had 62 fish with 3 x 30`s to 34:4 and Dave 72 fish but only one 30. (Pete was of course spending much too much time fishing with the short rod, rekindling his relationship with Tammi….GOOD LUCK GUYS)

The end of May was tough. So far the worst week of the year, when it is normally the best !!

Rip Van Scryek also from Holland was out again, and this time managed to get up early but the fish staid in bed. He only managed 20 odd fish, but had two 30`s to 32 which is a new PB. Tony and Dixie only had 65 fish between them despite Dixie feeding his swim with my rods and reels, umbrellas, a tripod, bite alarm and himself.

Wassy was also quite this year with only 42 fish and no 30`s (29; 12 was his biggest) John King still hasn’t emailed me his fish report so no idea how many he caught, but I do know he had 3 plus 30`s. and his friend had at least one. Merv, Jim and the crew also had it lean this year the biggest fish was only 27:8 thankfully they are back in September so we can put things right. I can only find one fish report for the 9 guys out with Daniel Thompson this year, from this I can see Josh had a 31.08 but I don’t know what the rest had. (Update me guys if you read this)

The last one comes under the “by the skin of my teeth” category. Last year young Cameron and his dad were out and had a great time but no +30 lb fish. This year they were back with another father and son team Tim and Harry and I had PROMISED Cameron a 30. It was made worse by Tim nicking a 30 himself fairly early on in the week. Thankfully the bay of the Gods threw up the promised fish on the last morning, so young Cameron now has a PB of 31 lbs (and it is small enough so I can beat it for him next year)

So May does not read so good, but it was far better than that. I was busy last week May when the fishing was shite and slow the other three weeks when the fishing was great. HEY HO. June was around the corner and we were VERY busy in June

September fish report

September usually marks the bigger fish getting on the feed and we did get some beauties but not everyone got amongst them. The three guys from Scotland all had over 100 fish each but only Calum had a 30 (31) with a back up 29 and the other two had to settle for big 20’s which thankfully there were a lot of. On the other hand Simon Kaller and Guy had only 87 fish between them but 5 30’s to 36. 04

The sleepy Dutchman John and Anton had 42 fish between them (4 days fishing) but both had a new PB with fish of 32 and 27 lbs, but then again 9.30 in the morning is not the best time to fish !!!

Michael Stone started off with a stinker, after the first three days he was struggling, but stuck with it and finished up with 70 fish in his week beating his PB several times including a 34.4 and a 35. His last morning alone he had 17 fish in a half day, fishing the arse end of a Hurricane (which incidentally I was bivvied up in all night..…I am getting too old for that shit)

Mick and Steve fished the cold snap in May as their introduction to Canadian carp fishing, but saw enough to be tempted back. This time Mick was rewarded with 44 fish to 28.12 (and a personal best Gobie) and Steve had 45 fish to 29.7. I promised them 50 fish each, but they took one day off, bloody lightweights.

Three others also came back for their second trip of the year ( yes it really is that good here) Mark Dimmock had a quite time for him, only 57 fish to 27 but got his Canadian PB for the smallest carp at 6 lb. The Magpie was back only 136 fish this time (you’re slacking Paul) he too couldn’t find a 30 and topped out at 29. Of course Mr. Laid Back David Haynes, did his usual (whatever the F#@& he wants) and caught 48 fish with a beautiful 33.8 Mirror.

Two virgins Stu and Brian both had new PB’s but never got the big numbers which is quite common on the first trip, I think they will agree they lost a lot of fish because NOTHING prepares you for this. A couple of second timers did better. Harvey had 60 fish with a 31.8 and some high 20’s and the Wednesday Club boys, who had a lean time last year had a lot more fish with 3 out of 5 of them going away with new PB’s and one of them (Benny) walking away with a 37.4 tucked under his belt.

As to us and the locals, Colin is out of action after trying to net a fish whilst doing the triple salko and breaking two ribs (clumsy bastard) But I am still catching, three more 30’s in September all on the light float/quiver tip gear and the usual suspects amongst the locals are still catching,

We are now in October and the fish are still coming, guys out on the bank as I write and new Brits out this week. All’s well with the world, but sadly I am off to the UK in 9 days time.

July / August fish report

I know, I know the July fish report is ridiculously late so you are all thinking it was shit and I didn’t want to put it on.

Actually the summer fishing was great, perhaps too great as I fished me little socks of myself. After record levels of visitors in May and June I had record lows for July and August. On top of this it rained almost every day (great for the fishing) so my usual local regulars were not fishing much either. What is it with you Canadians; we Brits would never miss a session because of a little rain. You fish through tiny holes in minus 30 degrees but are afraid you will melt in the rain !!!

Those that fished caught well. I should first mention Jason who whilst a true Canadian does not suffer from a PVA raincoat and fished with us 2 or 3 days per week right through the summer. Most days he was up in the 20 fish per day level a few 30 fish days and only the odd 10 or below. We do get a smaller average in the summer but he still managed 6 to 8 plus 30’s and loads of 20’s. His best day saw 2 x 30’s on the bank, and what he described as a huge fish lost at the net, and Jason has seen enough 30’s to know what a HUGE fish really looks like.

Vali another local came between showers and caught fish with a 38 being the biggest in this period. Peter the Dutchman was out catching all the time and has now returned to Holland so I can get my bloody swims back. Peter also had several 30’s in this period.
Eli another local was in amongst the big fish and even his girlfriend Alisha managed a 32lb Mirror. Alcido and Roger from Toronto were up for a few days, but Alcido got ill and they had to leave, I hope it was not the two 30’s he had on the first day that upset him. Carl another regular caught on the float, and so it went, if they fished they caught, but few were fishing.

Brits over on holiday in July included my nephew Elliot who edged his PB up to 28 ½ ( next year for the 30 Ells) Steve Hudson had 110 fish to 30lb and his mate Scott had 50 fish to 26, but Scott had never cast a rod for ANY fish before he got here. Vicky and Darren had just over the magic 100 fish between them, and of course it was Vicky who got the biggest at 34. 10. The Cambridge boys Peter and James had 60 and 72 fish respectively and Peter had the biggest at 34.8. Steve G. and Paul caught fish when sober, but only managed 55 fish between them and no 30’s this year, however there were more than a few mornings they did not surface to noon ….Think of my fish reports boys!!!!!

August was much the same as July a lot of rain showers good fishing but still few anglers. The usual suspects above kept catching. Jay who works with us had his first ever evening Carp fishing with me we had around 20 fish in 4 hours including a 29lb fish for Jay.

One of my mail order customers emailed me because he had a friend over from the UK and there were no fish up his end on the Trent system, so Steve and Ron came up for a week and caught good numbers every day, they had some good 20”s but sadly non of the big old Girls.

The 5 guys over from Romania for their second year did much better this time. Quite a few days we got above 20 fish, and they obviously liked it because they booked for 5 days went away for a day and then came back again for another 4. The carp were nervous as to why they returned, but we caught them anyway. Sadly no 30”s for this group but plenty of 20’s and as always a bloody good laugh. We also got young Viktor His first ever carp, and he is also now the undisputed king of Gobies in Long Sault.

Pete Thompson had 78 fish in his week with 3 x 30’s to 32. Sally and Mike had lots of fish (56 and 62) but not one 30 which was strange. The Bristol boys were the big dicks this month and had 172 fish between then with 6 30`s best 35.4.

As to me and Colin, we have been banging the fish throughout July and August. Mostly we do four hour sessions and pretty much every trip was 10 to 15 fish and most of these we took on the float. I even had my first 30 on the float which was nice and we both had a few each on the leads, but only low 30”s.

August did see for me ALMOST the best days fishing of my life. I decided to do a rare 12 hour session, but had to pack up after five hours with my arms and shoulders killing me. I had three last fish but then just had to give up. I don’t know exactly how many I had but it was well over 30 fish all but two were over 20 and the only reason it was not my best ever day was I did not get a single 30. 27 lb was the biggest, but it was a hell of a morning,

I can’t believe it but now as I write this it is October already and almost time to go home, only 14 fishing days left. I promise the September report will be up within a few days and for anyone fancying a late trip October is already good and likely to get better as it is only just starting to get cold

June fish report

What can I say? June was ******* GREAT.

I don’t know where to start really, everybody in June had it off. Big fish, and plenty of them. The only pity was we were very busy in the first two weeks and very quite in the last two so we did not maximize the opportunity. So let’s mention a few.

Regular readers may remember last year Colin and John had a dismal week with us. Nothing they did went well. Such is my confidence in Long Sault I promised them a free holiday if they did catch 20 fish each. They did that on the first day !!! John won the numbers game with 80 fish including 4 x 30`s but Colin got the big un 73 fish to 40.04. I am so happy for these guys I hate it if people do not have a good holiday with us.

Tony and Sadie were on their second visit with us and I can safely say have now got the place sussed. They had 151 fish in the first week of June with 5 x 30`s to 38 lb. Paul Rendell also had a good trip, he did not count the doubles, but had 29 x 20`s 5 x 30`s to 38lb and then on his last day topped it off with a 40. 08. (And he was only fishing part time)

The 4 guys from Hull, had a slow start until they worked the place out and then caught fire. James had 85 fish 32 20`s and 3 x 30`s to 37. 08. Dave was on pest control, he caught 113 fish but only 17 x 20`s and 2 x 30`s but he did get a 29 lb Mirror. Mike had 93 fish 25 x 20`s and 4 x 30`s to 34, but Billy Big Bollocks for the Hull team was the old man Trevor who had 123 fish with 5 x 30`s. Remember this is one week, one rod and no-one bothers to do nights.

John King out with his wife Carole and fishing part time in the mornings and some afternoons still managed to sneak out 56 fish with 4 x 30`s. The Mullins brothers stopped counting after 70 fish but had an expensive time breaking things. Val and Faith, I thought had a quite time this year, but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had 124 fish ( the first year everyone tells me how many they catch every day, after that they all expect it, so don’t bother !!) Derek Burrows had the strangest trip. Plenty of fish (129 and a Muskie on a boilie) but only 25 were above 20 and the biggest 29.08 Both Colin and I sat with him, he was doing nothing wrong, just the big fish God had turned his back on him this year.

Paul “the Magpie” Baxter, had a “reasonable” time 316 fish with 8 x 30`s. He knows the place a little bit I will give him that. Somehow along the way he also managed to attract most of my personal tackle into his kit, my spod rod, landing net, rod pod, alarms, catapults etc etc . Every time I wanted to fish myself I had to borrow stuff to go out. Bloody Mancs.

Mark Dimmock one of our regulars had a great trip. 203 fish with 8 x 30`s. Lionel, another Long Sault veteran, not only counted his fish he weighed every one. He topped up with 2,778 lbs of carp with 4 x 30`s and got his first Canadian 40 at 40 lb 10 oz. This fish was fully spawned out otherwise it would have been a really big one. (see photo on website)

And so it went, everyone caught, everyone had fun and then everyone went home and left me and Colin alone with the fish. This has allowed us to enjoy some time fishing ourselves and taking out a few of the locals who spend money in our Carp shop. I had a day out with Alain in a “secret spot” he didn’t know about and he kicked my arse with 33 fish to 35 lb. Phil Stinson had complained he had never got a 30 (it took us about 2 hours to find him one) I understand he took his brother to the same spot a few days later and had 65 fish out in a day, and that his Grandson now also has a PB of plus 30. Proving it is not what you know or who you know but where you know when it comes to carp fishing. Jason and Peter the Dutchman are as ever hitting the 30`s, both seem to get at least one or two almost every outing. Eli has also found a little plus 30 hotspot, as have quite a few of our other regulars. In all, at the moment every trip is an adventure.

We also had our annual CCC carp tournament on June 29th This year RJ won it with 24 fish to 28 lb, Valie was second and also took the prize for the smallest fish at 8lb 3 oz and Jason got the biggest at 34.8oz. As always it was a lot of fun and good to see the prizes were shared out this year. It seems to me the fishing is moving on here. Whilst May used to be prime time, I would now have to say June is better than May. We are also learning more about the place and finding new areas to fish. Those of you who have been here will know there is so much water to look at.

As I write this it is July 5th and we are still banging out the fish, and all is well with the world. I have just twisted Peter the Dutchman’s arm to fish a new Island spot we have been baiting tonight. We have been hitting it with 15 KG of corn every evening and it is gone by morning, but we have not fished it yet. Watch this space.

May fish report

What a strange start to the year !!!

Our part of Canada had one of the worst winters on record this year with record levels of snow. Consequently the water was very cold and stayed that way with the snow melt and the cold water from the Great Lakes coming through. Then in mid April we had a heat wave, and I have never seen so many early fish in the system. We had no customers out until May 12th but Colin and I were catching them for fun. Including some very big catches and a lot of big fish. (See the post on the forum)

I could make this fish report sound fantastic as we have had some exceptional fish and fishing in May. However the truth is it was strange!!! Big fish, just not enough of them.

We had slightly less than 80 people fish with us in May so as always I will just give highlights ( and lowlights) and apologies that I cannot name or shame you all.

The Saturday before the first 12 guys came out a strong Easterly blew in and stayed that way for 3 days. The temperatures dropped from 28/29 Degrees to 10/12 degrees and the water temperature dropped 8 degrees in three days. The weather pretty much stayed like that for two weeks. That kind of hit would close down a normal fishery but Long Sault is no ordinary fishery. We had to work bloody hard but we got the fish. As I said above, we got less fish than normal but a very large percentage of 30`s

Of the first 12 guys that arrived, 4 fished the first day and the last day of their holiday and sampled the delights of the bars, clubs and Niagara Falls in between. They still managed one 30 and 3 out of 4 got new PB’s. The Kent Boys and the two father and son teams from Dagenham actually saved my bacon a bit, fishing was tough. All 8 of these guys were very good carp fisherman (except perhaps Jack who was a bit of a wanker) they fished hard through the worse week of May. I forgot to give the Dagenham boys a fish report to fill in but I think 3 out of the 4 had at least 1x 30 each, and of course lots of 20’s. But as an indication as to what happens when it goes bad the 4 Kent boys had 3 x 30s, 57 x 20s and 45 x mid doubles between them. All of these guys were first timers and all have re booked, They are in for a treat next time.

The third week of May (usually one of the best weeks of the season) was also brutal, cold winds and cold water temperatures. Just my luck it was the week I had Geezer Grant and the Carpology boys out. Geezer had 3x 30’s out and Joe and Rob both had 30’s and as usual back up high 20’s. They all thought it was great but it wasn’t proper Canadian Carp Club fishing. As bad as it was we still had some great performances, like Jason one of our regulars who came up for two days and caught 3 x 30’s but it was tough.

The third week was all about low numbers of fish but all females so high average weights. Andrew on his yearly visit to the Island only had only had 46 fish to 34.4oz. A lot of my regulars had mixed holidays this week. Some said they actually preferred it that they caught few fish but big averages. David Haynes for example sat all day for 6 fish, but three of them were 30’s, and he followed this up with a couple more 30`s to round of his holiday. He actually counted his fish this year and had exactly 60 in his two weeks. A lot of new PB`s were set up; young James Griffiths has now moved up to 35lb. One of our favorites Crazy Carol had a 37 04. Big Louis sat all day with nothing, and then in 3 hours had 9 fish with 3 over 30. Mick Casse, a Long Sault Virgin had only 19 fish but 4 of then were over 30 and his new PB is 34lb, and so it went.

AND THEN LAST WEEK MAY THE SUN COME OUT.
Tony and Roy had 130 fish between them with 18 x 30`s.
Paul Williams found a little run of fish. He had 70 fish with 8 30’s this trip, he has upped his PB to 35:12 ( he had two 35.12’s this trip and I think he said he has had 13x 35’s since he has been coming but can’t get over it.) His friend Richard also had a 35, but his brother Tolan winner of a free holiday this year after last years biggest fish…… well, if you pay next year I will let the big ones into your swim again.

The Hamilton boys came up for three days and went through my shop like a swarm of locust (God bless them) Norm was top rod this year with a 35.4. but failed to be the biggest spender this time. Keith and Mathew had a quite year by their normal standards, but young Mathew still managed 3x 30’s to 36. Alain one of our regulars was up for two days and had a beautiful 35 mirror with a back up 33.4 common, his fishing partner Lawrence had a 33.08 This an exceptional performance as it was from a tricky swim and Lawrence is totally blind.

Really there were 30`s coming out all over the place and so it had to happen. Dixie was first with a 41. I was dancing on the rocks; we get a lot of big 30’s but not many 40’s. (He also had some back up 30’s) John Bradshaw was next with a 40.05. One of the locals who doesn’t fish with me had another, and as (I write June 10th) we have had another two this week.

WATCH OUT FOR THE JUNE REPORT IT IS FISHING ITS NUTS OFF. Anyone who fancies something special we still have some spaces after the 18th of June and the fishing is 3 or 4 weeks behind normal so end of June is going to be bang on

September Fish report

As I said in the August report September started with a bang, and mostly continued in the same way. We had a dip in the third week with an unseasonable heat wave putting the fish off a bit , but the last week saw them back on the munch again. As always in September, the great fish God waves his wand and the 15`s and 17`s turn into 20`s and 25`s and the big 30`s turn up again. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? CAN ANYONE TELL ME? The weather did not change, the water levels the same, but every year it happens.

Jade and Craig stopping off with us for 3 days as part of a round the world trip are a perfect example. Craig fished half a day on the 30th and a day on the 31st and struggled with small fish the best 18lb. then in 1 ½ days in September had 15 x 20`s to 28 and only one below 20 (16 ½ lb) WHY?

As always Long Sault threw up a fairy story for me (these moments are what make it special for me) an older couple from the UK were over, Faith and Val from near my hometown in England. Faith arrived on a walking stick, with her wrist strapped up, in the process of recovery from a serious illness and a fall resulting in a broken wrist. By day 3 the stick had been thrown away and the wrist toned up with a few 20`s. Midway through the 2nd week she was leaping down the bank, and always waiting by the van in the mornings. One day when I called her she had just landed a 28 lb fish (before coming her PB was 9lb) I drove down to pick her up with a big silly smile on my face as she was so happy, when I got there she was into a much bigger fish, which I netted and weighed for he at 35lb 12 oz. There was no question of a stick as she skipped back to the van !!! Not to forget Val who also had a great time and now has a PB of 33lb

Similarly Harvey Learner arrived with a stick, a bad back, heart, diabetes and more pills than boilies. He struggled for the first few days then found the fish. 23 of which were over 20 and in true Long Sault style he had 4x 28`s ( his previous PB) before he finally got his first 30 (31 ½ ) with one day to spare. Again after 3 days the stick disappeared, the back was straightened out and the heart had more exercise than it had in the last 10 years. Maybe I will start advertising miracle cures for next year.

Some of the old regulars were back (some for their second visit of the year ) Richard and Daniel Wallis had 68 fish to 28:12 in their 4 days, Phil Stowers had 49 fish during the worst week of September, In the same week Mark Dimmock struggled a bit with only 26 fish to 33lb ( he had a great May session so can't win `em all) Bloody David Haynes as always didn't fill in his fish report, but then again only counts 30`s these days. I know he got 3 over 30 this trip. Jason one of our regulars struggled for numbers in September but almost every fish he caught was a 30 so he is not complaining!!

As always not everyone was mega successful. Mick Haynes and the boys were here in week 3 when it was tough, However 3 out of the five still went home with new PB`s but the biggest was only 28lb. Darren Weeks and the boys also suffered a bit with only 60 fish between them. Even paradise has its off days, and a bad day at Long Sault is better than a good day in most other places!!

Top guns for September were Steve Ringer ( not THE Steve Ringer) Steve only had 48 fish but 33 of them were over 20 and 7 over 30 ( best 37) and Kevin Kearn with 57 fish 41 over 20 and 4 x 30`s.

For those staying with us for short trips ( 2 or 3 days) The Hamilton boys as always were a pleasure and got amongst the high 20`s but no 30`s (I think) Don Barrett and Bobby were up a couple of times and had some good fish, Bobby now has a plus 30 PB. The French contingent from Montreal, George, Carl and Duke were amongst the 30`s as well. The visit from Matt and "Carp" Carpenter was interesting. Carp despite his nick name was on his first Carp mission but took to it like a duck to water with plenty of 20`s and 2 x 30`s in his two day session. Carp is one of the top local Bass anglers, and could not believe the power of the Long Sault Carp. In fact he packed up early on his last day because his arm was aching and he had a Bass tournament the next day !!!

As always there were loads more carp for the locals and short term visitors to the hotel. Next year I will keep better records of the short term visitors as we are getting more and more. Carp fever is slowly creeping into North America.

Now in November we still have a few guys out but are pretty much finished for the year. I am already missing the buzz and looking forward to May !!! July/ August Fish report

Firstly my apologies for the very late posting of this. I did do it in July but lost it. I have been having some computer/site problems but now is all sorted and back to normal.

July and August is my least favorite time in Long Sault, Not that the fishing is bad, but that I have fewer anglers out from the Uk at that time. On the plus side Colin and I have a lot more time to fish ourselves !!!

It is true to say we get less big fish in July, August (plus 30`s) but we still get a lot of fish and plenty of +20`s. We also get a lot of short visits from both Traveling Brits and Canadians coming up for 2 and 3 day trips. I do not usually give these guys fish reports to complete, but that is something I will change for next year as when I leave the report for a few weeks (like this one) I tend to forget what everybody has had. So again my apologies for short stay visitors I am not mentioning. Your business is just as welcome as the Brits

In the summer months mostly, it is early morning and mid/late evening work with the fishing slow between 11 am and 4pm, but reasonable action when they are feeding. Most guys (and girls) were getting 4 to 6 fish in the morning and the same in the evening, with those who stuck it out getting a bonus 3 or so in the middle. That is of course, except for my old friend Derek Stritton, who got up when he felt like it, fished a couple of lazy hours in the sun, pottered about with his wife Maggie, site seeing and shopping, and then making another appearance later in the day. He also shunned most of the hot spots, instead he looked around and found his own areas, and caught from every one. In fact the only bad session he had was when I made him get up at 5 am to fish with me. Derek ended up with 60 fish to 31lb. Everyone catches fish at Long Sault but Derek reminded me yet again, cream rises to the top and it was a pleasure to watch him fish.

Also in July, Pete Norris had 52 fish to 34lb, Nige Walters had 42 fish to 36 1/4 and Colin had a hectic 4 hour session with 12 fish to 37lb. In early July I was back in the Uk and missed the visit of Vicky and Jess, but understand while the girls shopped the guys had some good days on the bird sanctuary and had fish to 26lb (unfortunately Colin did not give them a fish report to complete) Lawrence one of our regulars had his friend Peter over from the Uk and had some good catches in the mornings out of the Parkway but the biggest was only 26lb again. Seems we have a theme going here as Clive Westlake also stopped at 26 lb. ( I will have to move that fish it is getting stupid :)

We of course had a small tournament in July also. The fishing that day was not great but every swim but one produced and it was a lot of fun, the full report is on the forum, but it went right down to the last fish and a late 20 for Lawrence gave him the edge.

AUGUST;

Like July whilst we have some Brits out it is mainly short trip Canadian and American visitors and my local regulars from the shop having the fun. Some good catches came out, with Peter the Dutchman nicking 40 odd fish, in a 2 day session of off one of the markers, I had been baiting, ( he asked first so I didn't mind) Another regular had 30 plus fish overnight on the campsite, and again pretty much all the regulars and visitors were catching reasonably well ( Reasonable out here is 10 fish in a day. 20 is good and 30 a proper day)

Young Cameron Knee had the perfect short trip with us. He only had 18 fish in three days, but his first fish was a new PB by a couple of ounces, (19 lb) day two he had his first 20 and on his last day a 25. Long Sault does this all the time, most people seem to build up through the trip with the clonker often coming in the last session. Part of this is the fact that almost every angler no matter how good loose loads of fish in the first few days, they simply cannot believe or handle the power of these fish, you are fishing running water over rocks and muscle beds. This is no commercial carp hole, or lake filled with pot bellied pigs, these buggers are BAD !!!

I think top catch for the month were the two Forrester brothers who had 94 fish to 33 lb. A strange way of fishing, they put two rods out and took turns landing them, so both had identical numbers of fish but Jimmy had the bigger fish.

We also had a visit from a group of Romanians from Bucerest. As often happens they struggled for their first two days loosing fish after fish, but day 3 they had changed rigs, hooks, slackened the drags and landed most of their fish. Sadly it was only a 3 day trip for them, and they are back for the full 7 days next year.

I enjoy fishing with virtually all my customers but Karen, Mike and the Kids were a special to fish with. The Ladies as always caught the best fish with Karen getting a 27lb fish, and little Matt armed with one of my light Bass rods and a pot of worms, emptied the place of all manner of pretty fish and even got into a school of quite big Bass that was good fun. We don`t often fish for the other species but there is a lot of good fishing here, but lets face it a 4 lb Bass is a big fish a 15lb carp is a small fish...........What are you going to catch ??

Most others had on average 6 fish per day, this compares to an average of over 15 in the Spring and 12 in the fall, but I think a big reason the averages are down in the Summer is because we have more families and casual anglers and few people fish the 10 hour days that die hards demand at other times. ( remeber the above is fish landed and excludes missed runs and lost fish)

And then comes September..........Colins first session on Sept 2nd produced 29 fish over 20lb in 9 hours (and some back up doubles) My first produced 7 fish to 39lb 4oz (4 hours) and part of the reason my paperwork is so behind is that we have been sneaking out at every opportunity. Full report to follow.

PREVIOUS CARP REPORTS
Below is an archive of some of our older Carp Reports from previous seasons

My prediction of a massive June did not really come about. The weather continued to seesaw between high and low pressure levels, and it was all a bit stop and start. As I started this report I was thinking, June was a little crappy, but such is the power of Long Sault once you start looking at the figures, I think I can still say "it is the best carp fishing in the world" (even when it is bad)

So some highlights and lowlights for May:

Some old faithful`s back from last year had mixed fortunes. The old Codgers from Luton bought a third drinking partner this year, which reduced the catch rate somewhat, as try as I might I cannot yet get the carp feeding in Grumpy`s bar. Martin was top rod of the three with 90 fish to 32.4.

Keith and Mathew Baldock had a slow week for them with only 144 fish between them and this year only 2 x 30`s. Their two friends (Long Sault virgins) managed 123 fish and three 30`s.

Merv and Jim bought Merv`s son James this year, and as normal the Fish Gods always smile on the youngsters. James is now the proud owner of a 32 lb PB.

Martin and Mike returned for the first time since we took over they last came as one of the last guests before we took over. I think they will agree it is a little different now, and the way we fish/feed the swims produces more fish. Martin took 113 carp and Michael 68. Michael improving his PB four times in the process (as well as catching some Pike)

Mark Dimmock was back for another bash, this year he did not get into the 30`s as previously but had 107 fish in his week with plenty of big 20`s. Mr Munchie was also back again, along with Vaughan and a new face "Big John" As normal Vaughan was top rod with 96 fish and a new PB of 36.8 lb but big John was great fun, a pole angler by trade, it took him a while to get the hang of it (and to stop loosing the buggars) but he ended up with 70 fish and a new PB of just over 34 lb.

The Virgin crowd were also in town and in their three day stint on the boat, Andy landed 37 fish with 3 x30`s and the normally prolific Richard only 24 with 2 x 30`s. This was a mighty blow for "orthodox" fisherman everywhere, as the third member of the team (and the only one who follows the normal rules of fishing) ruled the day. In fact Paul Williams stayed on after the others left and was joined by his brother Tolan. Paul put in an exceptional 205 fish total with over 80x 20`s and 7 x 30`s to 34.10. Tolan did not quite match the quantity but had 3 x 30`s and a new PB of 38. The fishing was not great during this period and in particular Paul`s performance was a bit special, and proves the point that although fishing is usually pretty easy out here, when it is tough, those who work hard still get the fish

One of our new recruits Alain stayed with us for 3 days and had a spectacular 3 days with over 100 fish into the high 30`s. This was in mid June when the fish were feeding well and almost everyone was getting our target 20 fish per day, but Alain`s catch was a bit special, considering he only took up carp fishing towards the end of last season.

Newcomers to the CCC were the Janes family, fishing in early June, despite a trip to Niagara and various days out, the family managed over 320 fish (the girls only fishing around 3 days) As usual the kids led the way, Young Sophie Janes landed a 30.04, Reece had 3 plus 28`s, 4 plus 26`s numerous 20`s and a best day of 28 fish to 28lb. Their mother Clair who has never fished before now has a PB of 26 and the old man Glen.............Well he netted a hell of a lot of fish !!!!!

We also had a few "challenges on the firm" this year.

Peter Osborne was on his 4th trip on the St Lawrence (first time with us) and he had never caught a 30. He nudged it a few times bringing his PB up to 29 and then the good old pontoon swim come up trumps on his last day and he now has a new PB of 36 lb.

Of great personal satisfaction, was the Redhead party. I have been exchanging emails for a while with Roy who has been out here many times, but never with us. Roy has posted on our forum so no need for details here, but we push our guys to fish a little differently to most and of course we pre bait and hunt down the fish. All of the 5 man party had their best ever trip (and the fishing was not great on the whole) Roy Redhead was top rod with 175 fish for 2643lb with 5 x 30`s to 34.

We won the first two challenges but lost the next. Russ and Clive fished the last week of June and it was mega tough. They are again both St Lawrence veterans with other operators, but it just didn't happen, leaving them with only 76 fish between them and only 1x 30 they were great guys and I hate it when we fail. In that same week, one of our regulars Vali had a mega morning with 6 x 30`s to 38, but that was how it was going. Mat"Rip Van" Taylor, fished that same week with similar results but finished his holiday with over 100 fish as they came on later. Of course he would have had a lot more if he stayed awake!! (What can I say boys? I know you would have hammered them if they were feeding)

To sum up June, it was as patchy as hell. Some days we slaughtered them, some days we scratched to get 4 or 5 per person. There were a lot more 10 to 20 lb fish and less 30`s than normal, but a local Angler had a plus 50 out. (Story on forum) During the week 19th to 27th June I was emailing the competition thinking we were doing something wrong!!! The next week they fed again and it was smiles all around.

This is still only our second year as new owners and we obviously have a lot to learn. During the quite days the fish were shoaling up in plus 30 ft of water. We knew where they were but could not catch them!!!!

Still Colin who works with me kicked off July 1st with a 38. (I am in the UK at the moment and the bastard should have been working) and tomorrow is another day.....Jeff

May (2007) Fish Report

I am sorry this is so late, I started it two weeks ago and could not get to it to finish. As always my apologies for not mentioning everyone. As those of you who have been out know, we had a lot of bodies on the water, particularly in the later weeks. As usual there have been some staggering May catches, but early May was not up to normal standards. We had six inches of snow last week of April and then temperatures up and down like a Yo-Yo. To use a good East End expression, the fish didn't know if they needed a shit, shave or a haircut.

Despite some truly horrible conditions, cold wind and rain and howling winds, some exceptional performances stick out. I think without doubt Phil Crouchmans 50 fish 4 over 30 and a back up brace of plus 29`s was outstanding. Phil fished hard through the worse week of the Spring season. Similarly Carol, Bruno and Simon were a delight to fish with, and were rewarded with 120 fish, 4 over 30 and a top fish of 37.8. They fished very early May when believe me it was tough !!!!

Also in early May, Luke Pinder steadily broke his PB`s until he finally got a much deserved 33 lb fish. He would have caught a lot more if he hadn't tried to keep up with our guide Colin, in the Grumpie`s bar stakes. Steve and Pete Bushell also had it tough in the bad period , but scraped home with 76 fish between them Steve "nicking" a 31.5 and Peter a 29.5. Most other anglers in early May averaged 40 to 50 fish. As always all got big 20`s and most, at least one plus 30. But it was not good.

In the interest of fairness I will report honestly the worst week any anglers have ever had with us. Two guys in early April had a shocker. I will not name names, as the fault was all ours, we chose the swims, they did everything we asked and were good anglers. Just NOTHING went right for them. For two days they blanked (that is the first time anyone has blanked with us ) and it seemed every time we put them in a hot swim the fish moved out. Sometimes it happens. They ended up with only 16 fish with 4 over 20.

ENOUGH OF EARLY MAY. On the 18th and 19th at last we had two days of sun and the fish moved in. Some of the catches in the last two weeks have been spectacular to say the least.

On May 23rd John Breed had 30 fish to 37 lb AND PACKED UP AT 1.30 TO WATCH THE LIVERPOOL GAME !!!!!! You would not have moved me off a hot swim like that with a fork lift. This was John`s first trip to Long Sault. The first part of his holiday was slow, but he ended up with 102 fish, with 3 plus 30`s. He was fishing with Trevor, one of our regulars who only had 61. That will teach you to nick my hat and phone charger you bastard.

David Haynes another of our regulars, failed to fill in his fish report (as did a few others) but I know he had a few 30`s including a high 30 which pushed up his PB, and a big mirror which he didn`t even photograph. David always wins the award for being the most laid back angler at Long Sault,

One of my favourite guests of the year so far was Alan Tweed. This was a treat for his 40th birthday and he Loved every moment. Alan had niether loads of fish or a massive fish (88 fish to 31lbs) but fished every different type of swim on the system, weedy bays, fast water, the main channel, the rocky ledges, and he caught from every spot. He deliberatly avoided the normal "hotspots" and just described the type of water he wanted each day. He is not a carp specialist, but got a new PB on day one and gradually edged it up all week until he got his 30 on the last morning.

The Trace party got their act together this year, always a joy to fish with, 2 out of the three got PB`s with a 37 and a 35. (Brian, will have to come back next year for his +35)

Most others in later May had between 50 and 70 fish each with loads of upper twenty`s but frankly less plus 30`s than last year. Almost everyone got one or two, but not the numbers we are used to. The Kids as normal kicked some butt with 10 year old Josh Dickinson netting a 19 1/2 while his mate Liam Bradshaw got up to 27 lb 4 oz, but 10 year old Sophie Jane led the way with a 31 lb fish.

And then you have THE BIG SWINGING DICKS. Those who emptied the place. Andrew Short had a staggering 204 fish in his week. He wrote down the weight of every one and it came to 3281 lb. He improved his PB numerous times finishing on 35lb. He has promised to tell the full story on the forum, I believe he had a good time !!!!!!

The BAG UP BOYS Jay and Lee got off to an awful start including an all nighter on the Pines for only 2 x 20`s and then they "clicked" 79 fish between them was the start on day 3, and from then on they never looked back. They bagged up everywhere, not just from one of our hot spots. Jay had 205 fish with 5 thirtys to 35 and over 100 20`s. Lee had 232 fish with 4 thirty`s to 38 lb, and the buggers didn`t fish the last day.

I believe Glen Jane and his son Reece were also up in the 300 bracket between them and have promised to email their results from home.

Now as I write it is June 4th. it has been the latest Spring any of us can remember and the June fishing is going to be spectacular. Already the new guys are bagging up and the 30`s are at last coming regular ( I even popped out and nicked one myself 11 fish mostly 20`s best 32 with a back up 29 1/2 in 3 hours ........this is the worst job I ever had ) Yesterday the first 40 of the year came out (see photo on site) The best fishing is to come. (apologies to the above guys and girls)
THERE ARE STILL SOME SPACES IN JUNE............

September (2006) Report

September is my favourite month at Long Sault. The big fish come back in numberst to feed up for the winter. This year most anglers averaged plus 50 fish for the week and most got amoungst the +30 lb carp with everyone getting good 20`s. However frankly speaking it was the worst September I have known out here, still as one of the guys said, I was going crazy but they still had more fish in a week here than they would see in a season back home.

It was also a busy month for us with loads of guys over from the Uk so it is impossible to name them all. As always we had a good laugh and kept Grumpies beer sales high. Best pair for September were Peter and Jim form Bournemouth with 11 fish over 30 between them with the best 38 lb, and a combined total of over 150 fish. The Hampshire family had well over 200 carp to 37.6 lb with young Dayle also showing the locals how to catch the Bass and Perch ( He is another of the young anglers who have come out here and impressed the nuts off of me) Another good youngster was Daniel Jennings who had 3 over 30 biggest 38, and almost 100 fish

David Haynes, came back for his second visit of the year and finally got his 30 and celebrated by drinking all my whisky. Tom Downs had some good fish to 34 lb and John Phillips had a new PB at 36. Sorin one of our regulars found a huge shoal of big carp and spent hours feeding them, He caught two of the smaller ones at 30 and 31 lb but the rest just wouldn`t play ball.

Chris, Matt and Brian came as virtual Novices but by the end of the week were bashing the fish like masters ( You learn fast out here) they lost some big fish but still all ended up new PB`s and a best fish of 29. Richard Ballard came out as a 21st birthday present and had his own personal guille for the week ( his mother is now an expert nets women) We couln`t find Richard a 30 but he came close and had a lot of fish.

It had to happen !!! I have quite a lot of bets with new visitors that they will catch a 30. I finally failed and had to pay out a tenner to Colin Hutchinson, but I am still not sure he didn't slip one back when I wasn`t around, both him and Geoff still ended up with new PB`s though.

The Fisher brothers picked what turned out to be the worst week of the month they fished hard but only managed 8 fish over 20 with the best two at 27 and 28. My own partner Bob and a couple of guys from our shop, also struggled a little. Bob had a 31 first cast and then did not get another 30 all week.

Andrew from Scotland had what he said was one of the best holidays of his life , bivvied up on a new spot we found. He could not quite break the 30 lb mark, but got to 29 lb, I will put the photo onto the site shortly as it was a really pretty fish.

Now as I write this it is October 9th, the fishing is still a little patchy, but Lawrence from Montréal had a beautiful 28 Mirror yesterday so they are still about. Tonight I will be doing a night down on the Power Dam and then a few more stints before coming back to the Uk on the 20th.

Next stop is May which is always sensational and we start again......Happy Days

August (2006) Report.

Firstly apologies for the slow posting of the August report, We are very busy in September and I got a bit behind.

What a funny old month August was, one minute on fire the next "slow motion" days of small fish with hardly a 30 in town and then a 46 and a 52 from nowhere !!!! ( also possibly a 57 but I have not had proof of that yet)

To be fair it was my quietest month for Brits coming out, so I have amused myself teaching Canadian Bass Bods the wonders of carp, and we seem to have become the center for Rumanian Carp Anglers living in the area ( These guys are every bit as switched on as the UK boys and the two big fish above came to Rumanian fisherman)

Continuing the trend of top class younger anglers Chris Norman knocked out 104 carp to 27.3 in spite of insisting on using bloody roach hooks, he also had a novel way of feeding swims, with rods and reels (Handy things those bait runners......if you remember to switch them on) He was also a bloody jinx. I never blank, but he skunked me twice, and each time caught fish himself. His Mother and father John and Sandra, I think had a great time while I got out fished by Jonah, but still managed to catch carp whenever they fished with Sandra getting a 27 (coincidentally 2 oz below Chris`s fish, and he did the weighing)

Geoff Jones, spent a week with us but selflessly spent most of his time helping out the boys team we sent over to the USA for the tournament. Not only did he give up 2 days of his holiday but also gave up his rod and reel to a young American girl who had hers pulled in. He still found time for a few fish!! with his best at 26.

Tony Brunelle and his wife became the Pied Pipers of Long Sault, during their visit with us (their 3rd or 4 th this year) they had so many fish they were letting the local kids land them and also showing them how to get them on their Bass gear. ( see article on the forum)

The Rigsdone Boys had some good fish to over 30 lb (sorry boys I cannot find your fish reports at the time of writing) and as always we had a good laugh together.

The rest of the fishing was down to the regulars from Montréal and Ottawa who fish with us at weekends and the locals who are getting more and more switched on to carp as we go along. There are plenty of fish around in August, and as proven some very big ones, but you have to be here to catch them !!

As I write this it is September 9th and we are getting plenty of 30`s again, but then again I have loads of fisherman out here. The winter feed up is on and will it fish well now until the end of October

July (2006) Report.

The month I have been dreading has come and gone. As most will know this is the first full year for Marian and me, and everybody told us July was the worst time for the fish, so I was a little nervous. WELL.... Tell that to the punters, I think everyone had a great time.

To be fair the fishing was not as good as May/June. I could not guarantee a 30 to every customer but everyone had bags of fish. July is quiet here so we had less punters than normal, so concentrated mostly on the noted hot spots to keep the bait going into smaller areas. Out here no bait means no fish, the more an area is fished the more fish move in,and I an sure with more Anglers the bigger fish can be fed in again.

My name sake ( but no relation) Chris Vaughan took 50 fish best one just over 30lb. The Prize winners from the Robertson`s tackle shop open day had over 100 fish, the best one going to young Jamie, a 31 lb fish out of the Holy ground, between Chris, the two Jamie's and Mark, we ensured Grumpies made a profit in July ( Hes missing you boys!!)

The Evans, a father and son team from the UK on a months trip fishing Canada, Popped in for one night, stayed for three, went away and were back again a few days later. I don't know how they got on for the last day as I didn't see them, but in the three full days they fished with us they had 110 fish biggest 30: 02 and another at 29. Most of Canada has carp, but I think they will agree Long Sault is special.

Another short stop visitor was Raaj and his wife who stopped for two days fishing on a tour from the UK to visit relations. In two days on the Pines he had 28 fish, although we could only find him one over 20. Still he will have to come back now !! Very few people can only come here the once. Big fish are of course what it is all about, but a 17 here fights like you will not believe.

Another Crazy CCC story, Steve and the Wingfields, knocked out 102 fish in their week with 11 year old Joe nicking the best one at 27lb. Steve and Dave go to Spain twice a year on the Carp, and confirm the St Lawerence fish knock the spots of of their European cousins. While here they bought a boat, and have left their Carp gear with me, so I guess they will be back. That is the magic of Long Sault, They are planning to come back in September, when they see the fishing then, maybe they will but my Motel !!

My own Boys have been out here for a couple of weeks and the locals who now shop at our Carp shop are hammering the fish. A 52 has come out from one of our shop customers, he is a guy I would trust (actually he has just come in my shop while I am writing this) although I did not see the fish, I would believe him and am waiting for the picture. Sorin and Marina are down every Friday and fish every Saturday, I have stopped writing down their fish, but they are still getting plenty of big 20`s

So in all. I can say July is obviously not as good as May/June and September but if you want to bring the kids during the holiday, The sun shines and the fish still feed. The average weight drops from +20 to around 15lb but the action is great and these fish fight like hell. As to August...we will see but now is the 3rd and the new guys have already had plenty of fish to 27 Lb.

Big fish and plenty of them again for June (2006)

Biggest was 39.5 part of a plus 140 fish total for Peter Bowry with 10 over 30 amongst them, his side kick Tony caught more but could only manage 2 over the 30 mark....Tunes on old fiddles and stuff were discussed but I think it was because Tony was still half pissed every morning.

Look out on the photo section for young Dylan Lomax, only 9 years old and now with a PB of 38 lb, courtesy of the great Fish God of Long Sault (regulars will now know where this one came from !!) I didn't`t see Dylan land the big one but I saw him land enough 20`s to see he casts, hooks and plays all his fish himself. It is frightening to see these youngsters so advanced at such a young age.

Mark from my old home town said it was one of the best holidays he had ever had, in spite of my seeming to put him into all the swims that fished great yesterday, or the next day. In the end he chose to concentrate on our floating platform and was rewarded with some big 20`s and a beautiful spawned out 33 lb.

We always attract a few characters and this months entertainment was provided by Vaughan and Bill . They arrived with us by default looking and sounding like the two grumpy old bastards in the muppets, but soon loosened up with a few beers some big fish and in Bills case a constant supply of food. Marian christened him Mr Munchie, and as Vaughan said if the carp fed like Bill we would be millionaires.

Under the Strange but True section.

David Montgomery a Brit now living in Canada, flew in to buy a landing net, fished with us for a week and before going home bought a house and will be my new neighbor in a few weeks. I do truely believe Long Sault is the best carp fishing in the world, and David now agrees !!

I think top honours for June goes to Paul Williams, Paul very quitley amassed an impressive catch over 80 fish plus 20 and 10 x 30`s ( that is Paul on the website with a 100lb of carp in three fish)His brother, Tolan also had fish to 35lb, and both were great company

It was also fantastic to fish with my brother in law Keith again, It was painful to see the scales stop at 29.75 but now he will have to come back next year, and also to see my God children Rosie and Tom along with their mum and dad all get big 20`s when they have never fished before in their lives.

We also met up, and fished with a lot of old Canadian Carp Club customers, some came back to stay with us and many more stopped in to the new tackle shop. It was good to have a laugh and swap stories with these old hands like Philip and Trevor, the Heathrow boys, plus all the others. I beilieve those who stayed with us will be back, and for those who stayed else where......You know where we are next year.

The fish are still feeding. This week I had 12, fish 8 over 20 in 3 hours on the float rod. I have got up to 28 on the float but can`t yet land the big ones.

Looking forward to seeing the sun in July. The start of the season has certainly tested out the brollies.

May (2006) review

May was our first proper month as new owners and the weather certainly did not help us. The first three weeks were unpleasant weather wise, the temperatures up and down, often driving rain, and the fish confused and finicky, but every customer still caught fish and everyone had at least one 30. The last week has exploded, still some rain and miserable days but we certainly found the fish !!!

There are too many names and great people to name and shame every one, but my thanks to Aubrey, Merv, Jim and Tony for braving the worst of the weather and still catching. It was especially nice to see Tony a native Canadian with the biggest smile of the week when he had his first 30, two days after learning to tie a hair rig. Everyone but Aubrey had a PB, Aubrey`s PB is a 36 he nudged it but never beat it)

The team from Virgin and Resolution Interiors, were a pleasure, even though they broke the boat, and thank you Richard for teaching me a few things about Carp fishing. On Monday I taught him to cast by wednesday he had 2 or 3 big 30`s I think the biggest was 36 but he never filled in his fish report.

The last week, the honors went to Keith Baldock and his 12 year old son Mathew. 183 fish. 110 over 20 and 9 over 30 including one day of 62 fish with 7 x 30`s. Mathew at 12 years old, proved to be a staggeringly good angler, a great kid and we will miss him this week. Watch out for his photos on this website soon and his name in the magasines of the future.

The old codgers from Luton, quietly drunk the bar dry while Martin sneaked in 4 x 30`s to 38 lb,and Dennis 7 x 30`s also to 38 lb ( Dennis also had 35 plus 20`s but we don`t count them)

Laurel and Hardy kept us entertained, marooned the boat, broke the trailer, got lost in the fog and had to head for shore only to end up in the graveyard and .....Oh shit there were too many disasters to list. They spent so much time photographing, weighing, and admiring their fish and taking a day off sight seeing they only ended up with 118 fish and only 4 x 30`s mind you they can now tell you the name of every poxy one ...... Your always welcome back boys but let me up the insurance first.

Last but not least Jamie and the Tackle wreckers, ensured we would make no profit on the rental that week but really put on a show for the Sky Tight Lines team. We planned a few days to get the shots for the show, after 2 hours the producer had, had enough. 3 and 4 rods going at once big 20`s and 30`s all over the place, he told me he had never seen fishing like it and after 30 minutes had enough film in the bag. WATCH OUT FOR THE SHOW IN JANUARY...THE FISHING WAS SPECIAL.

Quote of the month went to an angler who came back to the motel early when I asked him why he replied, " fishing was crap this morning, we only had 8 and only 1 over 30, we packed up at lunchtime" This from a man who 5 days earlier had a PB of 17lb .....Welcome to the Canadian Carp Club. England will seem a bit tame when you get back.

In all a great first months fishing with great people

April Report

The winter has been mild, and spring early. The ice had cleared the bays by mid April and as I write this (first week May) The fish are already in the shallow water and feeding. The first 40 lb fish has already come out and a resident Brit down the road has told me of a giant Carp he has seen "sunbathing" he swears was over 4 feet long. I think it is going to be a red hot fishing period in May and June.

All the stocks for the new onsite tackle shop will arrive on the 9th May so the shop will be open by mid May, a little later than planned but just about in time. There are still some spaces in June and Canadian affair are doing some good deals on flights.

WATCH OUT FOR THE MAY REPORT, I AM PREDICTING SOME GREAT FISHING.

DECEMBER (2005) REPORT

The Robertsons mega day was a big success, with over 2000 people attending and the lucky winner for the weeks visit to the Canadian Carp Club was a Margate and \Mark Bechley of Dagenham and we look forward to seeing them in September which is the month they have chosen. Our thanks to to them, all the customers who visited and our guest celebs; Bob Nudd, Keith Arthur, Mick Brown; Danny Fairbrass, and the Mainline boys. LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEARS EVENT.

Watch this space or email for more information regarding a guided trips to Thailand for the fabled 200lb plus Siamese carp and the incredible Mekong Cats.

WISHING ALL OUR CUSTOMERS PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE A GREAT CHRISTMAS AND GOOD HEALTH AND FISHING IN THE NEW YEAR.