Fishing in canada

[straittactical]

me and my father in law is going to canada to fish for some pike. we are going within the next month. Has anyone been up there fishing before if so what are some tips, baits, or other precausions that i should know about thanks.
when i get back i will post some pics of the Fish we catch

 

[Mrmonte]

What lake are you going to? Have you been there before? I go to Canada once a year to fish and have been on numerous lakes there. The summer pike fishing is more challenging to me, the larger ones should be in deeper water as opposed to the shallows of the spring fishing. If you can find walleye, they should be schooled up at that time of year. Catch one and you can catch a pile of them.

Regardless of where the fish are at, steel or heavy floro leaders are a must. Dont skimp on the bug spray, you will need it. If you find Alexander Keiths India Pale Ale at the beer store, try it out. Be aware, beer is shockingly expensive in Canada too.

 

[1032JBT]

Check with fpdshooter. He goes up there every year. I have been up there with him once and it was a complete blast. I would go again right now if the wife would agree.

 

[Jack Ryan]

me and my father in law is going to canada to fish for some pike. we are going within the next month. Has anyone been up there fishing before if so what are some tips, baits, or other precausions that i should know about thanks.
when i get back i will post some pics of the Fish we catch

Pike are a blast to fish for. Stock up on red and white daredevils, swedish pimples, any thing chrome, shiny with treble hooks on it. If you are looking through your tackle box from bass fishing you want the biggest, shiniest, wobbling things you've got. You need a good stiff medium action rod, 15-20 pound line and a steel leader, three inches or so. Big, shiny, deep diving, rattle traps are good too.

Get about 10 feet of dog chain and wad it up in to a dangling mess of chain and hook it all in a wad and tie it to quarter inch heavy line about 20-30 feet long. Hook a carabiner to the wad of chain and tie a loop in the other end of the line you can dog off on the boat. You troll around the lake a lot for pike, up where the dead falls fall in to the water and you are getting hung up all the time. If you are not getting hung up you aren't fishing. When you get snagged and can't get it loose then snap the carabiner on your line and keep the fishing line tight. Let the chain slide down your line and then jangle it up and down until it gets tangled up in the other hooks and you can pull your lure back up or break it loose with out loosing it.

Take about 50 orange and black 1/8, 1/4 jig heads with you incase there's walleye to fish for. Take a couple raw livers too, freeze a couple then you'll have leeches to use for walleye. Tie off a piece of liver to the dock at night and pull it up in the morning to pick the leeches off it in the morning. When you stop getting bait on it then thaw out another piece of liver for the next night.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Pike went nuts for #5 mepps dressed with red and white or black and white. I also caught a lot on Johnson Silver minnow with a skirt or short rubber trailer like a split tail grub. For max fun take along some buzz baits as well. My heart still pounds thinking about seeing that toothy mouth come up and devour your bait 3 feet from the boat! If you are driving in moose country please take heed of the watch for moose signs. They are huge and a car moose collision has no winners.

 

[straittactical]

we are going the first week of august. the lake he went to a few times is
Five Mile lake or camp ground ( or somthing like that ) it is in ontario.
He said he dont care where we go tho so if you guys have had a lot of luck on a certain lake at around august let me know about it.

i am going to make a list and order some lures that you guys have mentioned. i think it will be a good way to start.
thanks for the help

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Good point about the beer in Canada. $45.00/case. Take advantage of the duty free shop as you cross if possible. Pretty good deal and they make it clear what you can and cannot take across. Also if you are a smoker be prepared to pay a fortune. Something like $10.50/ pack for cigs.

 

[Lex Concord]

we are going the first week of august. the lake he went to a few times is
Five Mile lake or camp ground ( or somthing like that ) it is in ontario.
He said he dont care where we go tho so if you guys have had a lot of luck on a certain lake at around august let me know about it.

i am going to make a list and order some lures that you guys have mentioned. i think it will be a good way to start.
thanks for the help

I used to fly out of Five Mile Lake lodge the first week of August...went 5 times from 97 to 04.

There are (were) several outfitters on that lake...some you stay there, some you fly in....who are you going with?

We used to fly in to outpost cabins with Frank Yuhas...until he decided he wanted to be a bush pilot in the Amazon and sold the rights to the lake...name of the company was Northwoods something-or-other...he sold to a guy named Denis...Canadian Airventures...he flys to the same cabins, but out of Chapleau instead of Five-mile lake.

If you go in the first week of August, stop at Kathy's Kitchen at the Golden Route Motel (about 5 or 10km past Chapleau on 129). There is a group that stays there last week of July every year...they are from Alpena, MI. The guy is (was) a teacher, but owned a farm...every year he would bring his brothers, brothers-in-law, and sons up for a week of fishing...why go, because when these guys come out, they have a mess of fish and have a friendly fish fry (free of charge, though I'd buy some beer and tip Dick and Kathy for their efforts) after the restaurant shuts down...he may only invite motel guests, but it's worth a shot.

Anyway, another reason to stop is because Dick is a master at filleting pike...no nasty Y-bones.

I miss the Mississagui valley...you MUST post pictures!!!

I don't know about the other lakes in the area (only fished Five Mile itself once while waiting on the plane, only caught a couple small pike), but the fish in all of the outpost lakes we fished did NOT like chrome backed spoons.

They liked everything brass or copper, and they liked Daredevles... classic red with white stripe, and they really seemed to like "Hot Mackerel"...other baits that did well were one-ounce deer tail spinners (gold/brass, of course) and some deep-diving plugs (rapala...6-8 inch).

Also, bring steel leaders, and long ones...pike attack bait from the head, and it is nothing for a big one to snip your line above a 12 or 18 inch leader when they go after it...I prefer 24 to 36 inch, and heavy...also, look into the braided Spider Wire....good stuff.

Be sure to get yourself some LONG needle nose pliers to remove hooks...you do not want to stick your fingers into the gaping toothy maw of a 40-inch pike for ANY reason. Rapala makes good ones, and I know they have saved many ounces of my flesh.

Another thing is, be sure to grab some BIG Daredevles. You won't find them at Dicks, or anywhere else around here. You still have time to order them, and you may find some at the Wal-Mart in Sault Ste. Marie on the states side (assuming you are driving). When I say big, I mean 3 ounce. There are fish that will take them.

We fished the same lake three out of five years that we went, and during our second trip to that lake we had a fish finder...after trolling the lake, we found a long ridge that came off of a point; it had a saddle in the middle of it. We trolled our 3-ounce spoons through there several times and BAM! My father-in-law's line got tagged...he thought it was a log, until we cut the motor and, while we were reeling in, whatever hit that thing splashed topwater. When I turned to look, I heard metal clanging as I saw the 3 ounce spoon get thrown at least 20 feet above the lake and fall back in!!! This is why we will be going back to that lake if we ever return.

I have so many good memories up there...again...PLEASE POST PICTURES

Let me know if I can provide more info...I'll dig up links for the places I mentioned.

 

[Lex Concord]

Here is the link for Canadian Airventures:

Ontario Fly in Fishing Lodge Canada|Canadian Fly-In Outpost Cabins | Canoeing In Ontario

The owner and pilot, Denis, truly flies the plane, rather than driving it. This makes a HUGE difference in a small plane. He flies a DeHaviland Beaver...that is a sound that will echo in my soul throughout my days....sniff...ahem

Anyway here is the Golden Route Motel, home of Kathy's Kitchen...another reason to go there is that they sell fishing licenses...if you go with Denis, he doesn't have them there, though the price of the license is included in his quoted package price. IIRC he discounts the license cost from your bill when you settle up.

Golden Route Lodge

That brings up another good point...ask your guide (whether doing the housekeeping bit or flying to an outpost) what works best...they usually know and are generally happy to share...though not quite everything (they get days off to fish, ya know ). They want you to catch lots of fish, have a good time, and spend more money.

If you plan on bringing back fish, be very careful with the type of lake you get and read up on the bag limits as they are odd. We always went to a conservation lake (many of them are going that way now), which basically meant you could keep what you wanted to eat for dinner that night, but no more. If you want to bring them back to the states, they are very rigid on the limits, or so I hear.

I have also heard of an outfitter in that area by the name of John Theriault (said together, it rhymes with Ontario). He is supposedly good, but I have never met him.

 

[Jack Ryan]

we are going the first week of august. the lake he went to a few times is
Five Mile lake or camp ground ( or somthing like that ) it is in ontario.
He said he dont care where we go tho so if you guys have had a lot of luck on a certain lake at around august let me know about it.

i am going to make a list and order some lures that you guys have mentioned. i think it will be a good way to start.
thanks for the help

Thats getting kind of late, walleye may be thick in the Rainy river by then, running out of Lake of the Woods.

Ontario Canada fly in fishing vacation trips at Tang of the North Lodge and fly in fishing resort in Northwest Ontario Canada near Nestor Falls - Home Page - Ontario Canada Fly In Fishng Trips
I've never stayed at Tang but I've been to their camp and fish that lake. I stayed at Tim and Terry Minerz fly in camp the next lake over, Hector Lake and used North West Fly in service. Lawrence lake has some excellant fishing and several species with out any portaging to other lakes, there's bass, walleye, pike, and lake trout all there in the same lake. The ads at that link are good representations of the camp and what I saw while I was there visiting looked exactly like those pictures.

We went back to the same place year after year for about 6 years in a row and was well satisfied every year.

 

[Lex Concord]

If you are not getting hung up you aren't fishing.

That is gospel

Get about 10 feet of dog chain and wad it up in to a dangling mess of chain and hook it all in a wad and tie it to quarter inch heavy line about 20-30 feet long. Hook a carabiner to the wad of chain and tie a loop in the other end of the line you can dog off on the boat. You troll around the lake a lot for pike, up where the dead falls fall in to the water and you are getting hung up all the time. If you are not getting hung up you aren't fishing. When you get snagged and can't get it loose then snap the carabiner on your line and keep the fishing line tight. Let the chain slide down your line and then jangle it up and down until it gets tangled up in the other hooks and you can pull your lure back up or break it loose with out loosing it.

Great idea...I'll be sure to try it if I ever get back up there.

Another thing...some of the lakes up there do have some killer smallmouth fishing (3 - 4 lbs back then). Many days, we would catch more smallmouth off the dock in the hour before dark than we would catch in pike all day. Just be sure to bring a minnow seine, as they like to eat local.

 

[straittactical]

ok may be a dumb questions but what size daredevils and sweedish pimples should i get.

 

[fpdshooter]

I do all my fishing up there in the spring with live bait so my patterns are pretty worthless to you in August. Some other advice though, buy your booze here and take it up. Pay the duty on it at the border, it is much cheaper that way. NO HANDGUNS! That is a very quick way to se the inside of a cell. You may not like it, but remember it is another country and they don't enjoy the same freedoms as we do. If you take a long gun, prepare to have your vehicle searched and make sure all your paperwork is filled out properly. Gas is about $1.09 or so a litre. There are roughly 4 litre's to a gallon, so make sure to budget for this is you need to stop for gas.

Bring you wife or kids back a bunch of chocolate bars. The chocolate doesn't have near the wax content that ours does, as a result it is outstanding! Especially the Jersey Milk bars, yummy. If you are a caffeine freak, don't buy Mountain Dew up there as it contains zero caffeine!

I'd call up there and ask the place you are staying what is working there now and what has been proven to work in the past before you go out and spend a bunch of money on fishing gear.

Chris

 

[Jack Ryan]

ok may be a dumb questions but what size daredevils and sweedish pimples should i get.

Big ones, bigger is better, Mepps spinners and rooster tails are good to but you want big ones. Get the biggest ones you think you might EVER use for huge bass in Indiana, that way you can still get use out of them here as well too.

When you are trolling, you will be idling forward for pike with a med pole out the side and the lure will bend the rod a little all by it's self. Pike will literally chase it.

I'll get some of that tackle out and take some pictures of it and get some sizes to post later tonight.

 

[Lex Concord]

ok may be a dumb questions but what size daredevils and sweedish pimples should i get.

Seriously, make sure you pack at least a couple of 3 oz. (yes, that's three-ounce) Daredevle's if you can find them... 1 oz. are good for general casting and most trolling, but you want to have some big ones along.

Okay...it's 3.25 oz. You can order direct from the manufacturer here: Eppinger

 

[EvoVIIIMatt]

Pike are a blast to fish for. Stock up on red and white daredevils, swedish pimples, any thing chrome, shiny with treble hooks on it. If you are looking through your tackle box from bass fishing you want the biggest, shiniest, wobbling things you've got. You need a good stiff medium action rod, 15-20 pound line and a steel leader, three inches or so. Big, shiny, deep diving, rattle traps are good too.

I agree with anything chrome and shiny. I have many rattle traps that are missing the chrome from one week of fishing in Canada. If you go swimming while your there make sure you take off any rings, necklaces, etc. that are shiny. I dont think you want to get in a fight with a pike or muskie.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Here's a little bit but really just about any thing will catch a pike. They aren't exactly the rocket scientist of the fish world. Kinda known as the carp of the north up there. You could catch pike on a beer tab and a treble hook and probably wouldn't need the beer tab.

Note the 20 gauge shot shell hull 2 3/4 for relative size

 

[Jack Ryan]

Pocket full of walleye and small mouth baits

Combine those with a minnow for best results, worm second best and leeches when you run out of every thing else.

Get a pack of those power bait leeches and cut them in half end for end. Black and pumpkin seed colors.

4 or 6 pound mono line, clear, no color, no leader. String your pole with 6 pound and if you are not getting hits tie on a swivel and then about 4 feet of 4 pound line.

Palomar knots on every thing you can use it on.
Palomar Fishing Knots step by step illustrated instructions on Palomar and other fishing knots at Fish4Fun

Learn to tie it before you leave.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Mouth spreader. Get the top one that looks like a spring at Walmart.

Baker Release Tools, Baker Mouth Spreader, Baker Hookout fishing bait, FISHING TACKLE, fishing lures and fishing gear online

It's one of those "gotta have it's" for pike and toothy fish.

Need a pair of long pliers too and a pair of pliers that will cut any hook you are going to use REALLY EASY. Then hope you don't need 'em.

Cabela's Advanced Anglers™ Stainless Steel Pliers

You ain't had "fun" yet until you've got two or three feet of mad pike in one hand on one treble hook and the other hook deep in the fatty part of your palm or else where. You are going to want those dikes where you can get them real quick, easy, and with one hand.

You want some good nail clippers to for cutting the tag ends off knots.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Learn to do this really well before you ever leave home. Make sure your partner can do it. Try doing it with one hand, it's not that hard once you've done it but it's kind of a pain in the butt learning to do it with one hand in a boat rocking, getting dark, raining or all three.

Practice with a nice big hook you can see how every thing works, use a clean one and practice in real meat, second best is practicing on an orange.

Ya don't need it often but it can be the difference between a little owie and a ruined trip.

How to remove a hook from a human painlessly