Urban Fishing in Metro Toronto

On Saturday, after watching the premier of No Country for Old Men at the Varsity Cinema in downtown Toronto, Fuel Ghoul began thinking about the rough country at the perimeter of society.  His thoughts ran loose on the frontiers of civilization where anything can happen...

 
While walking his dog in the woods that very afternoon, Fuel Ghoul found some fishermen with their lines in the shallow current of the Humber river near Scarlet Rd and Eglington Ave. 

‘Hello. Do you eat the fish you catch?’

‘Yeah you can. I do. There’s nothing wrong with it. You know what I had a good summer of catching and eating good fish from this spot right here.’ The man said. Alright... okay. that's not exactly what he said, but that was the sum of it. He was proud, and dedicated to the sport of urban fishing. Unfortunately, he was also rather camera shy.

Having spent time in Kenora Ontario, the home of really big fish, Fuel Ghoul is always keen to learn the specifics – the bait and hook combination and species related geographic considerations are very interesting to him. So FG watched (at a distance) with fascination as the man tied a second hook onto his line above the first. The long dew worm was threaded onto both hooks! The man would use the gang hook strategy to draw the worm through the shallow

Humber river against the current. It was an impressive display of superior fishing strategy and Fuel Ghoul waited with anticipation, his digital camera in hand, for a shot of him catching a fish. He waited and waited… For as long as Fuel Ghoul watched, for almost an hour, this poor sod didn’t catch a thing!

When Fuel Ghoul finally asked if maybe he could come closer and get a picture, the man yelled back ‘Please no pictures’ but the Ghoul snapped one anyway. There’s no need for anyone to be concerned – there’s no law against fishing in urban creeks, but there is a Ministry of Natural Resources advisory which I will include in this post.

The fisherman in the picture probably doesn’t have a license, or he wouldn’t have minded getting his picture taken.

The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. The Humber was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999. The Humber collects from about 750 creeks and tributaries in a fan-shaped area north of the city. One main branch runs for about 100 km from the Niagara Escarpment to the northwest, while the other major branch starts in the Lake St. George in the Oak Ridges Moraine near Aurora, Ontario to the northeast. They join north of Toronto and then flow in a generally southeasterly direction into Lake Ontario at what was once the far western portions of the city. 

Urban Fishing in Toronto – Ministry of Natural Resources has lots of good information on the subject. 

If fishing here on the Humber in Toronto, use the map above to be sure you don't trespass. Before you begin fishing, ensure that you are not trespassing on private property. Most public urban fishery sites in the Greater Toronto Area have signs designating public access. If you are unsure, check with your local municipality.

Know the rules and regulations. For many fish there are open and closed seasons and limits on quantity and possession. A free copy of the Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary with these and other rules can be picked up at any MNR office, most tackle and sporting goods stores, ie Canadian Tire.

 Know your species. Our urban fisheries are home to many different types of fish and anglers need to be able to identify what they catch. A fish identification chart can be found at the back of the Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary.

 MOST IMPORTANT! Know which fish you can eat, and what species you can't eat!  Every other year the Ministry of the Environment's Contaminant Testing Program produces a comprehensive Guide to Eating Ontario Sportfish. This is available free of charge at local beer and liquor outlets or by calling 1- 800-820-2716. Or click on the 2008 edition above...

Urban Fishing is a significant component of our future renewable resource based society. Fuel Ghoul snapped that picture because he believes this is the start of a new trend toward Urban Gaia. Imagine rooftop gardens and park lands with huge fruit orchards and garden vegetables available for any citizen’s consumption. In the future, the streams in our city will be teaming with fish and sport fishermen.