Local angler catches nearly metre-long muskie in Toronto Harbour

A local angler had a pretty notable catch recently.

Dylan Sampson could have never imagined a muskie would be at the end of his fishing line in the Toronto Harbour back in December.

"When I saw the pattern, I knew right away it was not a pike," Sampson said.

It was only the second recorded muskie catch in Lake Ontario fronting Toronto in the last 30 years, according to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

The other angler who caught a muskellunge — more commonly referred to as a muskie — in the Toronto Harbour back in 2022 was his twin brother. The TRCA says it has had an extensive monitoring program in the Toronto harbour over the last three decades, and it has never caught one in one of its surveys. 

"I've gone out with him and he's taught me so much ... he was in complete awe when he saw that muskie and it inspired me to get out as well," Sampson said.

The fish measured one metre in length and weighed approximately nine kilograms, he said. After a couple of pictures, Sampson released the fish back into its natural habitat. 

Sampson's excitement is clearly visible in a YouTube video filmed by Darin Morrison-Beer, a friend and filmmaker, just a couple of hours into the fishing session. 

The TRCA says it's been working to rehabilitate the Toronto Harbour through measures like habitat restoration and improving water quality. Those improvements are conducive to bringing a top order predator like a muskie back to the Toronto waters, it says.

Sampson says the catch is motivation to continue pursuing his love of fishing. 

"My line has gotten stronger my lures have gotten bigger and I'm going to get another one," he said.