Fish-Hawk.Net

First of all ...a special thank you to Fishchaser from Fish Ontario for putting me onto this great site forum.

Secondly...I'm a shore fisherman interested in heading out to the Whirlpool on the Niagara sometime over the next couple of days.

What is the best method to catch fish in this area ?

I've heard of drifting from boats... but from the shore is it best to use a float or just cast out a minnow into the fast water.

Suggestions would be much appreciated.

oh...and by the way happy belated to all and all the best in 2005 !

Welcome Troutseeker,

the guy who has the real skinny on the Whirlpool on the Niagara is a gentleman by the name of Old Guy.

Send him a message, he'll fill you in on the details.

Legend

hey troutseeker,
welcome to this site, you'll find it's a great Board with a lot of information
to be had.

fishchaser

Hey Troutseeker, Welcome aboard

I'm a fellow "Trouter" myself but usually in the Spring for Brookies, Bows and Lakers

Can't wait to see your posts

Hi Troutseeker; Welcome on board. I fish the Pool often and have reasonable success. However the guys with the 13 foot poles, center pin reels and 4 pound test leaders do much better than me. Floating fresh roe with 2 or 3 eggs is generally the preferred technique in clear water. Bigger bags are Ok when the water is cloudy.
I haven't been down since late Nov. Going down is very difficult as the stairs are under construction and the snow makes it even more difficult. If you go take a ski pole for support.
Minnows are another option that you could try. Once again using a float. Bottom bouncing is not recommended simply because of the snags and it gets frustrating having to continually retie.
In Nov., I had great sucess using a 3 inch skunk quick fish or flat fish. You will need a split shot or two about 12 to 18 inches above the lure. The amount of shot will depend on the drift that you are fishing. Tie the lure directly to the line and have a small swivel above the sinkers .
When using a lure you have to get the "feel" of the drift to ensure that the lure gets in the strike zone yet doesn't get snagged on bottom.
I hope some of this has helped.....good luck. Possibilities of getting a 'bow', brown or laker.

I just reread your post. Boats do not fish the whirlpool. Fishing is strictly from shore and it is dangerous particularily at this time of year. You might consider fishing at Queenston. You can drive to the fishing area and there will probably be a few guys shore fishing who will help you out. Most fishing in this area is bottom bouncing with about an once of weight. There may be guys fishing the drift in boats as well. Markus and crew are down that way and doing great. Check out their pics.

Hey troutseeker....welcome to the board, as you see if you ask a question here, you will more than likly get a answer, looking forward to see how you do

Welcome to the board Troutseeker!

I'm sure you'll get all the help you need on here.

Carlco

u can also try casting spoons and crankbaits if the water is muddy. caught one steelhead last year doin that, probably just luck though.