When you need to escape the chaos, grab your rod and get fishin’ in the great outdoors. Bait your line and cast it long to reign in the biggest, baddest fish in all of Canada. Maybe it’s not about the big fish for you? Maybe it’s just about getting out on the water or listening to the lake or the ocean, and soaking in a bit of sunshine? Whatever your reason is for going fishing here are a few places we recommend to get out on the water.
Lake Ontario
Ontario
Lake Ontario is famous for its salmon fishing. Among the many species present, the chinook or Pacific salmon rule these waters, with many topping out over 30 pounds. Just cast out with a sinker and let the spawn bag float off bottom. Salmon fishing is best in July, August, and early September.
St. Lawrence River
Quebec
The St. Lawrence River is an angler’s paradise, famous for smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge fishing. Breathtaking scenery, unique attractions, and world-class accommodations and recreational facilities assure you an outstanding fishing trip.
Lake of the Woods
Ontario & Manitoba
Few lakes provide the variety of fresh water fishing and angling adventures like Lake of the Woods. With over 14,000 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline, anglers can experience world class fishing for muskie, northern pike, yellow perch, crappie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, and lake trout.
Langara Island
Langara Island, British Columbia
Langara Island lies just south of Alaska, off the northern tip of Canada’s majestic Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). This remote island is the centrepiece to one of the richest marine environments on earth. Come for the wild Pacific salmon, stay for the incredible variety of other species, including halibut and lingcod.
Bay of Quinte
Bay of Quinte, Ontario
Fishing in Bay of Quinte Region draws both pro anglers, like Bob Izumi, and amateurs from all over North America, year-round. Throughout the fall and winter, large walleye –often weighing more than 10 lbs –migrate into the Bay of Quinte making it Canada’s walleye capital. The annual Walleye World fishing derby happens in Quinte West during the first weekend in May and attracts thousands of anglers.
Nipigon River
Nipigon River, Ontario
The Nipigon River that flows into Lake Superior at Nipigon, an hour east of Thunder Bay on Hwy 11/17, is uniquely suited to growing big brook trout. The Nipigon River is challenging for anglers, because of its size and depth. However, with some adjusting, just about any angler can potentially connect with the trout of a lifetime.
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe, Ontario
Lake Simcoe is a short drive north of Toronto and offers some of the best fishing in the province. The lake is fished year-round, and is famous for its winter lake trout and whitefish bonanza. The main lake has many humps, points, and shoals; home of the legendary Lake Simcoe smallmouths.
Fraser River
Fraser River, British Columbia
The Fraser River is historically known as one of the major sites for BC’s gold rush. In fishing terms, it’s known for white sturgeon fishing. If you haven’t hit the gym lately, these big fish aren’t for you. A typical white sturgeon can weigh between 30 to 100 lbs. The largest white sturgeon ever caught on a fishing rod was 1,100 lb and it came from the Fraser River. Yep, we’re talking River Monsters.
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba
Within a two-hour drive of Winnipeg, almost every freshwater fish species swimming in Manitoba’s waters is available to the open-water angler. Lake Winnipeg is the 10th largest lake in the world, and it drains more than 984,000 square kilometres of productive farmland, fertilizing the best possible crop of all: bountiful 16-pound-plus walleye. Oh boy!
Lac La Ronge
Lac La Ronge, Saskatchewan
Just inside the rugged Canadian Shield about two-and-a-half hours north of Prince Albert, Lac La Ronge Provincial Park is located in the heart of the storied Churchill River system, where voyageurs once transported furs to Hudson’s Bay. Northern pike, walleye, and lake trout are among the most popular species. However, rainbow trout is stocked in three lakes. The thought of a northern Saskatchewan shore lunch, prepared with freshly caught fish cooked over an open fire is enough to make the mouth water.