Ontario has a lot of fresh water. As a fishing paradise, Ontario is home to more than 250,000 lakes and more than 100,000 miles of rivers. There are many places to fish in Ontario, so where should you go?
Our campgrounds, Sherkston Shores Beach Resort & Campground, and Pleasant Beach Campground are close to many of these 10 great places to fish in Ontario. Two places, Quarry and Sherkston Shores, are on the north side of Lake Erie and have great fishing spots, as well as places to rent fishing gear.
Get ready for your fishing trip before you go. If you want to go fishing, here are some tips:
- Include life jackets, food, drink, fishing gear, and a first aid kit in your boat.
- Prepare by getting a fishing license and learning the rules for the place where you plan to fish.
- You should bring the right bait, which could be fake bait, worms, or crickets, based on what you’re fishing for.
- Practice your skill to make sure you know how to do the basics, like safely casting a rod and taking a hook off.
- Instruct kids in safety and patience before taking them fishing. Include life jackets made just for kids, hooks and bait that are easy to use.
The province of Ontario has the best freshwater sportfishing chances in the whole world. The facts make the claim impossible to deny.
Inside the province’s borders, fishermen can catch all of North America’s most-wanted freshwater game fish, in both prize sizes and large numbers. These include walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskies, five types of trout, and three species of salmon, to name a few.
People can walk across tumbling brooks and five huge Great Lakes to find these fish living in an amazing 250,000 bodies of water.
By casting, pulling, fly fishing, or just dropping a minnow through a hole in the ice, anglers can catch fish all over the province. There are lakes and rivers with big fish that will test even the best fishers, and there are also places that are great for families and great for parents taking their kids on their first trip. Going to some places lets you fish all day without seeing another boat, and going to others lets you catch a big fish and then watch a show or major league game that night.
Travel and lodging options are also wide-ranging, with something for every taste and price. Travellers can hire a charter floatplane to get to a high-class lodge with all the amenities, bring their own boat, trailer, or sled to a cabin on the water, or paddle a canoe deep into wilderness areas with no roads.
Ontario is a great place to go fishing because you can basically plan any kind of adventurous trip. There are a lot of choices, so how do you decide where to go? This is a list of 21 great places to fish in Ontario (we tried to make it 20 but there were just too many great ones), along with some information about what makes each one so special.
Bay of Quinte – Belleville, Ontario
Types of fish: Walleye, Pickerel, Salmon, Pike, Perch, Trout, Bass
This big bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario may be the best place in the world to catch a 10- or even 15-pound (4.5–6.8 kilogram) walleye from mid-October until spring. For accuracy trolling with diving lures in late fall, the best method is to use big spoons and lipless crankbaits when ice fishing. Additionally, Quinte’s north shore is home to a big (and not overfished) largemouth bass population. Many resources are available for visiting fishers, such as boat launches, lodging, and guides. The area is also bordered by Prince Edward Country, which is one of Ontario’s best food and wine regions.
Highlight: world-class walleye fishing
Frenchman’s Bay – Pickering, Ontario
Types of fish: Sunfish, Bass, Black Crappie, Carp, Perch, Brown Bullheads
Glen Haffy Conservation Area – Caledon, Ontario
Types of fish: Rainbow Trout
Heart Lake Conservation Area – Brampton, Ontario
Types of fish: Pike, Sunfish, Carp, Black Crappie
Lake Erie and Gravelly Bay – Port Colborne, Ontario
Types of fish: Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Catfish, Perch, Pike, Walleye
Especially around Long Point (a World Biosphere Reserve), Erie has a huge and plentiful population of smallmouth bass. Reasonably, Rondeau Bay is famous for fishing for smallmouth bass. Additionally, it is home to around 100 million walleye that are growing quickly. These days, Erie is even a popular place to catch big rainbow fish. Largemouth bass and walleye are usually caught by trolling, and there are a lot of great charter guides who can help you find them.
Highlight: This lake was thought to be lost, but it’s bigger than ever.
Niagara River – Fort Erie, Ontario
Types of fish: Trout, Walleye, Bass
Sherkston Shores Quarry – Sherkston, Ontario
Types of fish: Trout, Sunfish, Bluegill
Toronto Islands – Toronto, Ontario
Types of fish: Bass, Pike, Sunfish, Carp, Perch
Twelve Mile Creek – St. Catharines, Ontario
Types of fish: Trout, Pike, Perch, Minnows
Welland River – Welland, Ontario
Types of fish: Walleye, Bass, Pike
