Ontario’s most popular freshwater sport fish

Walleye/pickerel

Identifiable by their glassy eyes and olive green colour with yellow and gold hues, Walleye, also known as Pickerel, are one of Ontario’s most popular game fish. They are fun to catch and great to eat, whether cooked as a shore lunch or baked in an oven.

Tips for catching walleye

Thanks to a voracious appetite, walleye are often willing to take a lure or bait. An exception to this is during cold fronts or bluebird sky days, when they may stop biting.

This species is found in a wide variety of habitats, from clear, deep lakes to shallow, stained rivers. They tend to congregate around main lake points, on rocky reefs and at the base of drop-offs. In waterways, walleye like to lie in wait at the tails of pools or where pilings or boulders break the current.

Jigs tipped with a minnow or coloured twister are the number one presentation, but a Little Joe-style spinner with a crawler or leech is a great summertime trolling presentation. Don’t overlook casting a Rapala Husky Jerk or trolling #9 Rapala Shad Rap as both are exceptional crankbaits.

Walleye fishing lodges

• Pavillon Silver Water Wheel, Lac Seul
• Pavillon Lac Des Mille, Upsala
• Brace Lake Outfitters, Nakina

Northern pike

The northern pike is a major predator fish and an intense and persistent fighter, making it one of the most unpredictable and exciting of Ontario’s game fish. Anglers love the challenge of catching a northern, whether on a lure or with a fly.

Many anglers keep smaller pike from two to four kilograms (four to eight pounds), and if cleaned correctly, they are also a great-tasting fish.

Tips for catching northern pike

The pike is an ambush predator that lies in wait in weeds or sunken wood, waiting for food to swim by. When that food appears, the pike bolts out and clamps it with a long mouth filled with needle-sharp teeth. So, when a pike sees a flashing spoon pass by its lair, they will likely attack the lure. Pike have been known to follow a lure up and take it right at the boat side.

Ontario has healthy populations of pike throughout the province, but the majority of fishing activity is concentrated in the north. Pike prefer cold, clean water and thrive in the northern lakes and rivers. Expect to find them around large weed beds and near fallen trees. They will also patrol rocky reefs and rockpiles, hoping to surprise a whitefish or sucker.

Fishing for pike is relatively simple, as a spoon or spinner will always get attention. The Eppinger red and white Daredevle remains a popular pike lure, but the Johnson weedless Silver Minnow is a close second. The Mepps Musky Killer spinner is another proven pike bait that can be reeled quickly over the tops of weeds. Always use a steel leader when fishing for pike, as those needle-sharp teeth can cut a fishing line like a pair of scissors.

Northern pike fishing lodges

• Camp Narrows Lodge, Rainy Lake
• Sunset Lodge, Red Lake
• Hidden River Lodge, Whitefish Lake
• Bear Paw Lodge, Caribou Lake
• Chaudiere Lodge, French River

Muskellunge

Famously known as the fish of 10,000 casts, muskellunge (Musky) are unpredictable, moody, picky and reluctant, which is why they are so challenging to catch.

Most anglers will tell you that you don’t fish for muskies, you hunt them. And they put up a powerful fight, even for the most experienced angler, which is why they are highly prized. Seeing a monster muskie, mouth wide and gills flared, is to see a true water dragon.

Muskies are handsome, with mottled green sides and cream bars along their flanks. Larger muskellunge in deep water lose much of their markings and are called “clear muskie”.

Tips for catching muskies

Muskellunge are found throughout Ontario. There are some small lakes where high numbers of smaller muskie exist, but most anglers prefer chasing the big ones. Trophy-sized muskie are old, wise and will reject lures. Yet when an angler hooks up with a fish that is 127 centimetres long (50 inches) and weighs 18 kilograms (40 pounds) or more, all that rejection suddenly seems worth it.

Most muskies are caught by casting large lures or bucktail spinners to weed beds or reefs. The lures can be 25 centimetres (10 inches) or more, and the spinners are just as long and heavy, with large single or double blades for maximum water movement.

Muskies are attracted to noise and vibration and will come to attention when a big lure flies by. Yet being interested does not mean they will strike; many muskies will follow a lure right to the boat before turning away. Some muskie anglers perform what is called a “figure 8”; they push the rod tip into the water to keep the muskie’s attention. When the trick works, the fish is usually hooked with just a foot or so of line.

Trolling is another popular technique, especially in the fall when the water is cooler. Large diving baits, such as the Jake or Headlock, are a popular choice. The trick is to cover as much water as possible. Some of the best muskies each season are caught trolling in September, October and November.

Read more about muskie fishing in Ontario.

Muskie fishing guides and lodges

• Ben Beattie’s Fishing Guide, Lac Seul
• Vermilion Bay Lodge, Eagle Lake
• Memquisit Lodge, Nipissing

Smallmouth Bass

Ontario is home to both smallmouth and largemouth bass. Bass fishing is a favourite of new anglers, and Ontario is blessed with trophy-sized fish in both rivers and lakes. Both are aggressive fish and spectacular fighters; however, smallmouth bass are generally a more popular target due to their abundance across the province.

Smallmouth bass are all muscle and attitude, ripping line off reels and leaping into the air when hooked. They will go for worms, lures, flies and most small baits.

Fishing tips for catching smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass are open-water game fish and are primarily active during the summer and into the fall.

Smallmouth can live in a variety of habitats, but they gravitate to rocky shorelines, reefs and main lake points. They also thrive in rivers, gravitating to deep pools, but can be found in relatively swift water.

Bass love eating crayfish, and presentations like a jig with an orange or brown grub or tube will get results. Casting a jerkbait, such as the Rapala X-Rap, to shorelines or exposed reefs is an effective technique for targeting fish.

The most effective way to catch smallmouth bass is with topwater lures, such as the Rebel Pop-R or Rapala Skitter Pop. Few experiences in angling beat the sight of a smallmouth bass taking a lure off the surface. A topwater take is heart-stopping every time.

Smallmouth bass fishing lodges

• Ole Resort, Whitefish Lake
• Kashabowie River Resort, Shebandowan Lake
• Totem Resorts, Lake of the Woods
• Birchland Cottages, Clear Lake
• Lauzon Aviation, Hastie Lake

Brook trout

The brook trout is the crown jewel of Ontario’s sport fishery. They are remarkably sporting on spinning tackle and fly-fishing gear and are therefore popular with both gear and fly anglers. Ontario brook trout are found primarily on smaller, clean and cold lakes and rivers and possess a fight that is never forgotten by any angler.

The province is home to the world record for the species. In July of 1915, an angler named Dr. Cook caught a 6.7-kilogram (14.8-pound) and 78.74 centimetres (31 inches) long brook trout in the Nipigon River. The average brook trout is 20 to 22 centimetres (8 or 9 inches) long.

Fishing tips for catching brook trout

Brook trout live in a wide variety of habitats, from tiny, spring-fed creeks to the vast waters of Lake Superior. Brook trout do surprisingly well in lakes but are most often targeted in tributaries and rivers.

The largest fish usually come from the largest waters. Both Lake Superior and Lake Nipigon have huge brook trout. Yet places like Algonquin Park and the Haliburton Highlands have lakes that will occasionally produce trophy fish.

Catching brook trout on spinning gear can be great fun, as they will hit a spoon or spinner with gusto. The Mepps Aglia spinner or Panther Martin Black Fury are both time-tested brook trout lures.

Fly fishers can rely on some classic patterns to catch brook trout. The Muddler Minnow is a tough fly to beat and can be fished on the surface or just under in rivers or creeks. The Woolly Worm and Clouser Minnow work well in both lakes and rivers.

Bait anglers can catch brook trout with a bobber, sinker, hook and worm.

There are special regulations in many areas regarding brook trout, so be sure to check the rules.

Brook trout lodges

• Blue Fox Camp, Kirkpatrick Lake
• Esnagami Lodge, Thunder Bay
• Miminiska Lodge, Albany River

Lake trout

In Ontario, lake trout are a very popular sport fish. They are closely related to brook trout but grow much larger. The Ontario record lake trout was caught in Lake Superior in 1952 and weighed 28.58 kilograms (63 pounds). However, most lake trout average between 1.8 and 3.6 kilograms (4 and 8 pounds).

Lake trout are found in all the Great Lakes and are well distributed throughout inland lakes and rivers. Many consider them one of the top fighters to catch on a lure or fly.

Tips for catching lake trout

These fish spend most of their time in deep water, between 12 and 18 metres (40 to 60 feet), where the temperature is more to their liking. However, in the late spring and early fall, the water temperatures are cool enough that lake trout move into shallow waters.

During these periods, anglers in boats can cast the shallows with spoons, and even shore-bound anglers can try their luck. Mostly, lake trout are caught in deeper water, either trolling spoons like the Williams Wabler or J plugs.

Anglers can also vertically jig for lake trout in deep water with spoons such as the Swedish Pimple or Hopkins Smoothie. Laker trout are not explosive fighters, but they are determined to stay in deeper parts of the water and use their size as an advantage.

Lake trout fishing lodges

• Pasha Lake Cabins, Lake Nipigon
• Manitou Weather Station Fishing Lodge, Manitou Lake

Salmon

Salmon are in just about every river and every creek flowing into Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. People travel just to watch the salmon runs in September through November. The types of salmon anglers target in Ontario include pink salmon, Atlantic salmon, coho salmon and chinook salmon.

For sheer brute power mixed with large size, few sport fish in Ontario can match the chinook salmon. These silvery fish are also delicious, so a successful day of fishing often yields a fine meal.

Chinook salmon are not native to Ontario. They were introduced into the Great Lakes in the 1950s to help combat a surge of baitfish called the alewife. That experiment worked, and soon anglers in all the Great Lakes were discovering what an exciting sport fish salmon are.

They can also grow to impressive size, often topping 10 kilograms (20 pounds). In many parts of the Great Lakes, particularly Huron and Superior, salmon are reproducing and have become naturalized. Most angling for salmon takes place on big water, in boats.

Fishing tips for catching salmon

Salmon can be caught in the lakes during the spring and summer. In the fall, salmon head to rivers to spawn and this is where shore anglers can connect with these excellent fish, using lures and flies swung in the river current.

Fishing charters are available in most communities with a salmon fishery.

Fishing is typically done using a downrigger, a system that lowers the lure to a predetermined depth and maintains it there. When the salmon strike, the line pulls off a clip, and the fight is on.

There are a variety of techniques used to catch river salmon, including fishing with bobbers and a coloured bead, fly fishing streamers or casting lures such as the Krocodile or Blue Fox Vibrax spinner. On larger rivers, where you can fish with a boat, trolling diving plugs such as the Rapala -J 13 or Live Target smelt accounts for a lot of salmon.

Salmon fishing charters

• Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing, Lake Ontario
• Dwindle’s Dream, Lake Huron
• Archie’s Charters, Lake Superior

Rainbow trout/steelhead

Another transplant from the west coast, the rainbow trout (or steelhead) has now naturalized in all the Great Lakes, and there are inland populations that are naturalized or stocked. The name “steelhead” is derived from the nickel-like colouration of a rainbow trout that lives in the Great Lakes.

Rainbow trout are beautiful fish with a red or pink blush on top of a silver side. Rainbows are also hard fighters and are known to leap repeatedly when hooked.

Tips for fishing rainbow trout

While anglers fishing for salmon or lake trout in the Great Lakes occasionally bump into steelhead, most of the angling is done in the tributary rivers where these fish spawn.

In the spring, concentrations of steelhead are found in the coastal streams along the Great Lakes. Most anglers use rubber egg imitations or yarn flies suspended under floats to catch them. Some anglers drift salmon eggs or rubber worms along the bottom.

Fly fishing is a popular method for catching steelhead, often using coloured beads or small nymphs. Inland rainbow trout respond well to spinners and spoons, too, as well as small crankbaits like a shad #5 Shad Rap. When mayflies and other insects are hatching, rainbow trout will hit dry flies.

Rainbow trout fishing guide and resource

• The Franklin Club, Franklin Lake
• Ruben on the River, Milton

Perch

Yellow perch are schooling panfish and tend to travel in large groups, which means they are an excellent fish for beginners and kids. They are also a tasty fish to eat.

Fishing tips for catching perch

Perch can live in a variety of temperatures and habitats and are therefore widely distributed throughout the province. Lake Simcoe and Lake Erie are popular fishing destinations for catching well-sized perch.

In the spring and early summer, find yellow perch in shallow, weedy areas around submerged wood or along docks. As it gets, perch will move to deeper waters.

Attract perch with live or cut bait, such as worms, leeches or minnows.

Perch fishing chargers and guides

• Jimmy Riggin’ Fish Charters, Lake Erie
• Wood Angling, Lake Simcoe

These popular fish species are just a few of the diverse sport fish anglers target in Ontario. Learn more about great fishing opportunities, where to fish, fishing regulations and of course, how to get your fishing licence.