This month, rods and reels will be at the ready as National Fishing Week celebrations run July 4 to 12 from coast to coast, including a big hootenanny on Centre Island July 5. Given our appreciation for old-timey pursuits done best with a tall can of craft some such in hand, vintage accessories, and plaid shirts we feel it’s about time for fishing to get the hipster treatment. A renaissance is afoot, fellow anglers-to-be. Feel the lure of the lake. Ahem. Get it? Lure? It’s a fishing thing.…
People have been fishing on Lake Ontario and in our rivers and streams as long as there have been people tromping the shores in these parts. Some suggest the abundance of Atlantic salmon, as well as other tasty fishies such as whitefish and herring, made the area popular for settlement.
It was a standard pastime for Torontonians to head to the Don River or the Humber River and catch a mess of fish for supper.
But, with more people came increased industrialization, and soon our Great Lake and many of our rivers and tributaries were far from great. All the “progress” meant overfishing and erosion and the destruction of spawning beds and generally making a mess of things.
In addition, in the 20th century an invasive species known as the lamprey eel basically kicked most other species in Lake Ontario to the curb.
In the ’60s and ’70s a combination of reintroducing species, such as salmon, to the lake, as well as an effort to curtail the dramatic impact of the lamprey helped Lake Ontario become a top-notch fishing destination once again. And despite urban legends of all shapes and sizes, you can even eat what you catch.
Our rivers, too, are also once again brimming with fish, especially in the west end of the city, where the Humber River is a fine place to catch both trout and salmon.
Other good spots in the area include Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit (for largemouth bass and yellow perch), Toronto Islands and Ashbridges Bay Park.
On July 5, there will be a number of rods and reels available on Centre Island for the Toronto Urban Fishing’s 30th annual festival: www.torontourbanfishing.com for details.
