Top ten record fish caught in Ontario

Brook trout

The record brook trout catch

Weight: 6.57 kilograms (14.5 pounds)
Measurements: length 80.01 centimetres (31.5 inches), girth 58.42 centimetres (23 inches)
Date: July 21, 1915
Angler: Dr. J.W. Cook, from Fort William
Body of water: Nipigon River
Bait used: a minnow

Ontario’s record “brookie” has the extra distinction of also being the world record brook trout catch. The story is a classic fishing tale, even though the fish was caught over 100 years ago.

On July 21, 1915, Dr. J.W. Cook, of Fort William, was part of a large fishing party that had put in at the headwaters of the Nipigon River on Lake Nipigon. The group set up camp at a large pool called Rabbit Rapids, located one mile below Virgin Falls.

“The river that day was covered in brown flies,” Cook recalled during an interview in May 1950. “I was fishing with a minnow. When it had settled below the surface, the big fish took bite and was away.”

Cook was using a five-ounce fly rod and played the huge trout for some time before finally leading it to shore. The fish was so unusually large that Dr. Cook had the mounted specimen identified as a speckled trout by scientists at the Department of Biology at the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology in Toronto.

Where to fish for brook trout

Giant brook trout still reside in many waters of Ontario, including Algonquin Park, Lake Superior and the Albany River. Many stocked lakes throughout Ontario have also produced brook trout that have weighed over 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds). Yet avid anglers believe that if a new record is achieved, it will be in the Nipigon system again.

Tips for catching brook trout

Brook trout will hit spoons like the Nipigon Spoon and Little Cleo. They also like spinners, with the #Mepps Aglia and Panther Martin Black Fury well-known favourites. Fly fishermen use classic flies like the Muddler Minnow, Strip Leech and Butt Monkey to fool these fish.

Brook trout fishing lodges

• Miminiska Lodge, Albany River
• Bowman Island, Lake Superior

Brown trout

The record brown trout catch

Weight: 15.6 kilograms (34.4 pounds)
Measurements: length 96.52 centimetres (38 inches), girth 71.12 centimetres (28 inches)
Date:  September 9, 1994 
Angler: Richard Matusiak
Body of water: Lake Ontario
Bait used: Little Cleo

In the fall of 1994, Mississauga resident Richard Matusiak and his 12-year-old son Albert were fishing from the shore at Lakefront Promenade Park on Lake Ontario.

Matusiak was casting and then sporadically retrieving a one-third-of-an-ounce chartreuse Little Cleo spoon with orange dots. Suddenly, something enormous hit the spoon and immediately tore off over 90 metres (100 yards) of line as it ran for the safety of deep water.

"I was sure I'd hooked a chinook until some 30 minutes later when another angler managed to stuff it in a small net and unceremoniously dump it onshore," Matusiak told the Toronto Star. " That's when I discovered it was a brown and my knees when to rubber."

Where to fish for brown trout

Today, big brown trout can still be fished in Lake Ontario and the lower Niagara River. Large brown trout also appear in the most unlikely places, including on the north shore of Lake Superior and occasionally in Lake Nipigon.

Tips for catching brown trout

Breaking the brown trout record will not be easy, but it is possible. Brown trout will hit spoons such as the Little Cleo, Krocodile and EGB spoon when cast or trolled. Crankbaits like the Rapala Countdown #9 in silver and black are also great for catching brown trout. Brown trout take a fly well, with wet flies such as the Sex Dungeon and Marabou Muddler fooling some whoppers. When browns are feeding on top, a dry fly such as the #4 Stimulator or a hopper pattern can elicit exciting strikes.         

Brown trout guides and charters

• A Perfect Drift Guide Company, Orangeville
• Grand River Outfitters, Grand River
• Niagara Fishing Adventures, Lake Ontario

Coho salmon

The record coho salmon catch

Weight: 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds)
Measurements: length 101.6 centimetres (40 inches), girth 61.60 centimetres (24.25 inches)
Date: September 24, 2013
Angler: Glen Hales
Body of water: Ganaraska River, Port Hope
Bait used: egg pattern fly

In September 2013, Glen Hales visited the Ganaraska River in Port Hope, hoping to catch migratory species of salmon and trout.

“I was particularly looking and scouting for coho,” said Hales. “But to my surprise, I saw nothing but Chinooks and only one small coho at the tail end of a pool.”

Hales then moved to another spot and saw a half dozen large salmon holding together in a school. He got out his fly rod and cast a red/orange egg pattern fly. On his second cast, a fish lunged and took the fly. It ran downstream and then jumped out of the water.

“I saw everything,” said Hales.” The colours, the type and the size. It was not a Chinook; it was a giant coho salmon.”

The coho Hales caught beat the existing record by almost one kilogram (two pounds).

Where to fish for coho salmon

Your best chance for breaking the Ontario record remains in Lake Ontario, where conditions are perfect for growing massive coho salmon. Many charter boats target these hard-fighting fish.

In the late summer and fall, Lake Ontario’s tributary streams like the Ganaraska River and Duffin’s Creek are ideal for catching giant coho salmon. Coho can also be fished on the tributary streams of Lake Superior, located between the communities of Wawa and Nipigon, although the average size is smaller.

Tips for catching coho salmon

Coho salmon in the Great Lakes are often caught trolling a variety of spoons and flashers. A Hotspot flasher and a hoochie fly are a popular combination on the big lakes. Additionally, consider spoons like the Luhr Jensen Coyote.

In rivers, a silver #4 Vibrax spinner is a go-to, as is the Luhr Jensen Kwikfish. Fly fishermen use egg patterns, including the crystal fly and a coloured Creek Candy bead.

Salmon fishing charters

• Salmon Express, Lake Ontario
• Dwindles Dream, Lake Huron
• Archie’s Charters, Lake Superior

Walleye

The record walleye catch

Weight: 10.1 kilograms (22.3 pounds)
Measurements: length 92.71 centimetres (36.5 inches), girth 53.34 centimetres (21 inches)
Date: May 26, 1943
Angler: Patrick Noon
Body of water: Niagara River
Bait used: worm

On May 26, 1943, Patrick Noon rowed his boat under 30 metres offshore on the Upper Niagara River near Fort Erie and set his anchor down on a big sand bar. Noon cast out onto the bar, known as the Pickerel Hump, with a hook, sinker and worm.

To his delight, he hooked a walleye that would become the Ontario record.

Where to catch walleye

While the Niagara River remains a hot spot for catching walleye in Ontario, it is far from the only place. Giant walleye are fished from the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie has recorded some trophy-sized walleye. Massive walleye can also be found further north on the French River, in Lake Superior near Thunder Bay and on the Rainy River in Northwest Ontario.

Tips for catching walleye

The vast majority of Ontario walleye are caught with a lead head jig baited with a minnow, worm or leech. Some anglers use a plain hook, sinker and worm or minnow supported beneath a bobber to catch walleye, and that works well. Trolling a Little Joe spinner and bait is another time-tested technique as is trolling a #9 Rapala Shad Rap.

Walleye fishing lodges

• Northern Walleye Lodge, Missanabie
• Ogoki Frontier, Armstrong
• Anderson’s Lodge, Sioux Lookout

Chinook salmon

The record Chinook salmon catch

Weight: 21.04 kilograms (46.38 pounds)
Measurements: length 119.39 centimetres (47 inches), girth 76.2 centimetres (30 inches)
Date: August 7, 2000
Angler: Harry Oosterveld
Body of water: Lake Ontario
Bait used: Rac Spoon

On the morning of August 7, 2000, Harry Oosterveld, of Rockwood, reeled in Ontario’s largest Chinook salmon.

After approximately a 40-minute fight, Oosterveld finally netted a giant salmon. He weighed it on the boat scale, and it read 46 pounds. The men quickly powered to shore, where the salmon was weighed again at Bronte Harbour. The official scale read 46.38 pounds, a new record in the province of Ontario. The catch won first prize in the 2000 Toronto Star Salmon Hunt.

Where to fish for Chinook salmon

Lake Ontario remains the best place for a new Ontario Chinook record, but great salmon fishing can also be enjoyed on Lake Superior, from Sault Ste. Marie to Wawa and in the Nipigon area.

Tips for catching Chinook salmon

Chinook salmon in the Great Lakes are often caught trolling with spoons, flashers, hoochies or plugs. The Hotspot Flasher with a Silver Horde Ace High Fly “hoochie" is a popular choice. Trolling with the Luhr Jensen Coyote spoon or Silver Horde Coho Killer flutter spoons also accounts for many Chinook caught. Casting with a bullethead jig and 4-inch Berkley Power Minnow accounts for many fish each season as well.

Fly anglers in rivers use Creek Candy green or red-coloured beads, as well as Chartreuse green Caddis Mop flies, to catch Chinook salmon.       

Chinook salmon fishing charters

• North Shore Charters, Lake Ontario
• Grand Bend Fishing Charters, Lake Huron
• North Superior Charters, Lake Superior

Muskellunge (Muskie)

The record muskie catch

Weight: 29.5 kilograms (65 pounds)
Measurements: length 147.32 centimetres (58 inches), girth 77.47 centimetres (30.5 inches)
Date: October 16, 1988
Angler: Kenneth John O'Brien
Body of water: Blackstone Harbour, Lake Huron
Bait used: 4" Rapala Countdown

On October 16, 1998, Toronto resident Ken O’Brien achieved a milestone that thousands of muskie anglers across North America can only dream about. He caught a giant muskie.

During a week-long fishing holiday with friends in the Moon River Basin on Lake Huron, O’Brien began to retrieve and felt his Rapala snag bottom. However, the "snag" started to move. The net in the boat was too small for the fish, so it was gaffed through the mouth and deposited into the 14-foot boat.

The muskie was weighed on a 100-pound scale provided by Deer Horn Lodge. The scale read 65 pounds and measured 58 inches long, with an impressive 30.5-inch girth. The Royal Ontario Museum aged O’Brien’s muskie at 29 years old.

Where to fish for muskie

Ontario remains home to some of the best trophy muskie fishing in the world. Popular muskie fishing destinations include Lac Seul, Eagle Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lake Nipissing and the Ottawa River. A new Ontario record muskie seems inevitable.

Tips for catching muskie

 Casting bucktail spinners is the most popular way to catch muskie across Ontario. The Mepps Musky Killer still does the job, but there are many others, including the Buchertail and Muskie Attacker. Larger lures such as the Suick and Reef Hawg are cast and pulled over the tops of weed beds and reefs. Trollers do well with a 10-inch Jake or Trofik crankbait. 

Muskie fishing lodges

• Musky Island View Cottages, Lake Nipissing
• Silver Muskie Lodge, Rainy Lake
• Wiley Point Wilderness Lodge, Lake of the Woods

Largemouth bass

The record largemouth bass catch

Weight: 4.7 kilograms (10.4 pounds)
Measurements: length 55.88 centimetres (22 inches), girth 49.53 centimetres (19.5 inches)
Date: August 26, 1976
Angler: Mario Chrysanthou
Body of water: Preston Lake, York Region
Bait used: red and white jitterbug

On August 26, 1976, 15-year-old Mario Chrysanthou, his parents and his girlfriend decided to drop a line at Preston Lake, a small fishing hole they frequented while driving from Willowdale to Lake Simcoe.

"On the 4th or 5th cast the jitterbug just disappeared. I thought all right! I got something!"  

When the giant largemouth hit the shallows, it started to thrash and roll. Not knowing what to do, Mario simply put the fishing rod over his shoulder and walked away from the lake, dragging the fish up on shore. The fish was weighed at just over 10 pounds.

Chrysanthou says the fish was cooked by his mother, but he still has the jitterbug he used to catch the bass with. It was the only bass he caught with that lure.

Where to fish for largemouth bass

Largemouth bass fishing in Ontario has improved in recent years, making a new record a real possibility.

Great largemouth fisheries include Rice Lake, Bay of Quinte, the St. Lawrence River and Big Rideau Lake in Lanark County. Lake of the Woods, in Northwest Ontario, also has impressive largemouth bass.

Tips for catching largemouth bass  

The largemouth bass is a species that tends to live in heavy cover, so most lures are designed to be weedless. Safety-pin spinners like the Strike King run through weeds well and catch many largemouth. Rubber worms that are “Texas Rigged” are weedless, as are the many weedless topwater “frogs”, including the LIVETARGET frog. Crayfish-coloured tube jigs also work well on largemouth bass in open water.

Largemouth bass fishing guides and lodges

• Tyler Dunn Guiding, Sault Ste. Marie
• Elmhirst Resort, Rice Lake
• Stirling Lodge, Rideau Lakes
• Lake of the Woods Lodge, Lake of the Woods

Rainbow trout

The record rainbow trout catch

Weight: 18.45 kilograms (40.68 pounds)
Measurements: length 99.31 centimetres (39.1 inches), girth 74.68 centimetres (29.4 inches)
Date: September 21, 2005
Angler: Joanne Vendramin
Body of water: Lake Huron, Little Current

On September 21, 2005, Joanne Vendramin from Sudbury caught a 40.68-pound rainbow trout off the shores of Little Current.

The monster fish surpassed the previous record, caught in 1975 near Midland, by over 11 pounds and became the new official Ontario record. The Royal Ontario Museum and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters verified the fish.

“We’re just happy to go out fishing. We never thought of catching a record fish ourselves,” said Vendramin, who enjoyed frequent family fishing trips with her husband and two boys.

Where to fish for rainbow trout

While a 40-pound rainbow will be hard to beat, the waters around Little Current and Manitoulin Island continue to have big fish.

Record potential rainbow trout can also be caught in Lake Ontario, in the Niagara River and in Lake Erie. Rainbow trout of substantial size are also caught at the St. Marys Rapids at Sault Ste. Marie.

Tips for catching rainbow trout

Rainbow trout are aggressive and will chase down spoons such as the Krocodile and little Cleo when cast or trolled. Trollers also catch rainbow trout on crankbaits, including the Rebel Fastrack and the Rapala J-11.

Casting anglers will find black bucktail jigs and white tube jigs to be very effective. Fly anglers can’t go wrong in rivers if they use a black nymph pattern or a Blacknose Dace streamer. Ontario steelhead anglers often fly fish or float fish with Creek Candy beads and pink, purple or orange Cactus flies.

Rainbow trout fishing charters

• Can Am Charters, Lake Erie
• Swing Bridge Charters, Manitoulin Island

Lake trout

The record lake trout catch

Weight: 28.6 kilograms (63.1 pounds)
Measurements: length 130.81 centimetres (51.5 inches), girth 83.31 centimetres (32.8 inches)
Date: May 25, 1952
Angler: Hubert Hammers
Body of water: Lake Superior

While little is known of the story behind Hubert Hammers’ massive lake trout catch on Lake Superior, it remains the long-standing Ontario record.

Where to fish for lake trout

Several fisheries in Ontario continue to have record-breaking potential for lake trout, notably Lake Superior, where this record was achieved.

Other good fishing spots for record-sized lake trout include the Great Lakes of Ontario and Huron, and the vast inland Lake Nipigon. Some large lakes in the northwest produce huge lake trout every year, such as Lower Manitou, Clearwater Lake and White Otter Lake.

Tips for catching lake trout  

Trolling is how most lake trout are caught, generally in deeper water.

The go-to lures for big lakers look like the food they eat. Top trolling spoons for lakers include the Williams Wabler and the Lucky Strike Canoe Spoon. Large crankbait-style trolling lures for lake trout include the Flatfish and Rapala Super Shad Rap.

Anglers who want to vertical jig can use a one-ounce Buzz Bomb or Swedish Pimple. Casting anglers will be well served by a white tube jig, Bullethead jig and Berkley Power Minnow or silver Eppinger Daredevle.

Lake trout fishing charters

• Fish NV, Lake Ontario
• McCollum’s Reflection Lake Resort, Lake Nipigon
• Archie’s Charters, Lake Superior

Northern pike

The record northern pike catch

Weight: 19.1 kilograms (42.1 pounds)
Date: July 14, 1946
Angler: Harry Bell
Body of water: Delaney Lake, near Kenora

In 1946, Harry Bell was on a fishing trip in Ontario, visiting from Covington, Kentucky, in the United States. He was after a big pike and was not disappointed.

On July 14, Bell hooked a pike on Delaney Lake, near Kenora. His catch remains the Ontario northern pike record over 75 years later.

Where to fish for northern pike

While Bell has managed to hold the record for a long time, there are still many Ontario fishing locations with huge pike that could topple it.

Lakes such as Lac Seul, Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake and Lake Nipigon have record fish potential. And one should not discount the Great Lakes; Superior, Huron and Ontario all have impressive pike.

Tips for catching northern pike

The northern pike is a fish species with simple tastes. Flashy and bright lures usually get the strikes. The red and white Eppinger Daredevil spoon is still a fantastic choice, as is the weedless Johnson Silver Minnow. Spinners are also deadly, with the Mepps Musky Killer and Blue Fox Classic Vibrax.

Northern pike fishing lodges

• Kesagami Wilderness Lodge, Kesagami Lake
• Wilderness North
• Gull Rock Lake Lodge, Red Lake

If you reel in a “big one,” contact the Ontario Federation of Fishing and Hunting—you might just set the next record.

Find more exceptional fishing resorts, lodges and lakes in Algoma Country, Superior Country, Sunset Country and Northeastern Ontario.