2016 Ontario Sunset Country Travel Guide 2016 Ontario's Sunset Country Travel Guide | Page 9

Al Lindner on Fishing the Waters
of Northwest Ontario
By: Al Lindner
Boasting thousands of lakes and rivers teeming with fish, Northwest
Ontario is home to some of the finest angling opportunities on earth.
Many are drive-to locations where you can trailer in your own boat and
a truckload of gear. Others are remote, boat-in or fly-in destinations
where outfitters provide all the essentials, and you need only bring a
small complement of essential fishing tackle to enjoy your visit. Lodging packages range from deluxe American Plan options with furnished
meals, fishing guides and luxurious lodge facilities; to bare-bones
outpost tents or cabins where you provide and cook your own food,
and fish in self-guided boats. Whatever type of experience you prefer,
Northwest Ontario has it all.
In most cases, fishing pressure ranges from light to almost non-existent, due to the vast waterscape, broken by networks of pine-studded
granite islands.
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WALLEYE
Walleye are why most
people come here to fish,
and for good reason. They
are the ultimate table fare
and our thousands of lakes
are loaded with them! These fish have a beautiful gold colour and
in some lakes even a green or blue tint. Jigging with live bait in
20 to 30 feet of water is the most reliable method of catching
walleye but they also bite a wide variety of artificial baits.
ontariowalleyefishing.ca

BASS
Sunset Country waters harbor both small and largemouth bass but smallies are
much more common. Pound
for pound, our bass are the
best fighters in the lake so look for a wild and fun retrieve when you
hook into one. You can catch bass using spinner baits, plugs, raps or
plastic. Try a tube jig if the fish get finicky. The biggest smallies go
up to 7 pounds with big largemouth slightly larger.
ontariobassfishing.ca

TROUT
The vast Canadian Shield
landscape is dotted with
thousands of clear, deep
trout lakes which offer
some of this continent’s
most consistent lake trout fishing. If you’re up here shortly after
ice out then spin cast for lakers in 10 feet of water. Most of the
time, these fish are deeper though so down rigging or drop-shotting are two methods that work well. Our northern rivers also
have native brook trout. ontariotroutfishing.ca

PIKE
Big and nasty is one way of
describing northern pike and
they certainly have earned
this reputation. The top
predator in many lakes, the northern pike up here can exceed 45
inches and 30 pounds. Just about anything works with northerns
but many anglers love to throw big jerk baits or spoons onto rock
piles, sunken timber or along the weed lines. If you get a big one to
hit be prepared! ontariopikefishing.ca

MUSKIE
If you’re a dedicated muskie
hunter, you already know
Sunset Country is the promised land of muskie fishing.
We have these amazing predators not only in big numbers but
of the “supersize” variety. In some lakes, you’ll be hard pressed
to catch fish smaller than 45 inches and if it’s your day to shine,
there are big girls over 50 inches that await your cast.
ontariomuskiefishing.ca

CRAPPIE & PERCH
While we are not generally known for our panfish,
when it comes to crappie
and perch fishing, we can
compete with the best destinations out there. Our black crappie can slab out at 3 pounds
and boy do they ever taste good! Try jigging for them in the
spring or fall or repeat the attempt through the ice. Once you find
them you’re going to catch a bundle! Perch are everywhere and
are very easy to catch! sunsetcountry.net

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