The Thames River provides excellent fishing opportunities for walleye, perch and catfish. The river is accessible by boat for nearly 50 km, from the mouth of the river at Lake St. Clair up to Kent Bridge. Diana Waddick, Customer Service Manager at Canadian Tire Chatham, has been on the river since she was a kid and loves fishing for walleye. Waddick says her favourite way to catch them is using a pickerel rig with minnows, adding “careful using worms because catfish love worms and minnows keep catfish away.” When picking a spot on the river to fish, she says look for the deeper pools and especially where incoming streams enter the river - these are often the best fishing holes. If you are new to the river, Waddick says “the river is really murky, so a depth finder is a good idea to find the holes.” One of the popular places to launch your boat is near the mouth of the river at Kinsmen Park at Lighthouse Cove (end of Lakeside Dr.). There is a large parking area where you can turn left to Lake St. Clair or turn right up the Thames. The river provides great shore fishing opportunites as well. Waddick says anglers will often fish near bridges, as many of them have parking and trails down to the river. Many of the bridges have great perch fishing as they provide areas with shade where the perch will reside. In Chatham, a popular place is under the Fifth St. bridge, as there is a big parking area. Another popular spot is under the Keil Dr. bridge, which has a large dock pefect for fishing. Waddick says a lot of the river in downtown Chatham is fishable with many places to cast from shore. And for those people who like catfish, the river is teeming with them as well. They love worms!