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Atlantic Salmon: Lake Ontario’s ghost fish

Atlantic salmon jumping in Humber River (Photo by Tom Moffatt/ASF)

Atlantic salmon jumping in Humber River (Photo by Tom Moffatt/ASF)

The Atlantic salmon is usually associated with Canada’s east coast, where declining populations of the species have inspired conservation efforts by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as well as Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Historically,...

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In praise of perch power

Yellow perch swimming (Photo by USDA)

Yellow perch swimming (Photo by USDA)

When I was 10 years old, I spent my first morning on Lake Erie reeling in yellow perch. By early afternoon, we caught our legal limit, and I found out first-hand why these little striped bandits are a great way to introduce kids to fishing and...

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The sheepshead: A true Great Lakes underdog

Freshwater drum swimming (Photo by Florida's Online Educational Clearinghouse)

Freshwater drum swimming (Photo by Florida's Online Educational Clearinghouse)

I grew up a mere hour’s drive from majestic Lake Erie, and that meant lots of great fishing. The biggest thrills came when my dad and grandfather hired a charter boat to take us out for a day of reeling in Erie’s best game fish,...

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The legend of the blue pike: An endangered species tale

Blue pike (Photo by New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation)

Blue pike (Photo by New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation)

Species have come and gone for millennia, but the stories of those species that met their demise due to human activity have an especially strong emotional impact in the field of wildlife conservation. Such is the case concerning the legendary blue...

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Of crappies and conservation

Black crappie (Photo by Eric Engbretson, USFWS)

Black crappie (Photo by Eric Engbretson, USFWS)

If you've ever tossed a line into freshwater in eastern North America, there's a good chance that you've hooked a feisty, speckled panfish that puts up quite the struggle and is a year-round favourite of anglers everywhere. They go by a number of...

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