Fishing in Ontario

[firefighter ontheside]

I'm fairly excited.  I'm planning a trip to Eagle Lake in Ontario next summer.  I've been there many times, but not in about 7 years.  I first went there when I was 13 and so my oldest will be overdue, because he will be 15 next summer.  My youngest will be 11 when we go.  The thing is that the younger one likes to fish more than the older one.  We decided to invite the older one's best friend and his dad.  The friend is
really into fishing.  Reservations are made.  I can't wait.  This would be me 34 years ago.


 

[WDH]

You are doing something very special for those boys.  Memories are forever.  

[SwampDonkey]

Exactly my words.

[firefighter ontheside]

I hope they enjoy it as much as I did my first time going.  Thanks guys.

[YellowHammer]

Fishing with kids of all ages makes it all worthwhile, even for old kids like me.  

Of course, down here in Alabama, we don't have any of those funny looking trout here.  

[barbender]

YH, you should let one of those "funny looking trout" taste your finger sometime😁

[Old Greenhorn]

Fishing with kids of all ages makes it all worthwhile, even for old kids like me.  

Of course, down here in Alabama, we don't have any of those funny looking trout here.  

Barbender is right. I had a buddy I was fishing with for a week one year and he lip lifted a small one around 18" to get the hook out. For the entire next week his thumb bothered him the whole time just raw meat, like grabbing a cactus. The holes from the teeth healed up in a couple of days though. :D The bigger ones have a pretty good bite. they are like freshwater barracuda and those gill plates can be nasty. Heard of one guy getting his zodiac half sunk when he pulled in a 50" fish and it commenced to flopping the boat to death and cutting it to ribbons.
I do love catching Northerns though.

[SwampDonkey]

I've caught salmon up to 32 lbs up here, not land locked, but sea run Atlantic Salmon. Some rivers are resident fishing only. Hook one of them babies and your in for some work. They like to jump. :D

I have not fished in 24 years. ;)

[firefighter ontheside]

Northerns are great if you're fishing for them, but annoying when you're trying to catch smallmouth or walleyes.  Now, there are also the days when nothing seems to be biting and getting into some northerns can make the day all better.  I'm sure that we will be netting most of our northerns especially with the boys who are new to fish with teeth.  I don't mind lifting some of the bigger ones by the gills.  The last thing we need up there is treble hooks in the wrong kind of flesh. 

[Old Greenhorn]

When I fish in Pike country I always keep a pair of those heavy leather gauntlet gloves with me. Keeps the gill plates from cutting your hand and if you need to stick a thumb in the mouth you can get away with it excpet on bigger fish. Also helps with that slime they can put off a little bit. Oh and I also keep a short billy club in the tackle box for the big keepers and eels. Calms them right down. ;D

[YellowHammer]

"Northerns!?"

"Eels!?"

What kind of fish have y'all got up there??

[Ianab]

"Eels!?"

If they are anything like the local ones, a club comes in handy!!!  We have some like this living in the stream that runs through the back garden. 

See What Happens When Jeremy Wade Covers Himself In Fish Guts | EELS | River Monsters - YouTube

[Old Greenhorn]

"Northerns!?"

"Eels!?"

What kind of fish have y'all got up there??

The kind that are more challenging than catfish or trout? I like fish that can give me a good run for my money and might have a good chance of winning. I didn't even mention Muskies. Now THAT'S a fish. Still waiting to boat one.

[firefighter ontheside]

The lodge we are going to stay at is within sight of the spot where my dad caught a 55" muskie.  I still remember retrieving a cast and seeing the behemoth following my lure right to the boat.  I told dad about it and he made cast where I had cast and he hooked it right away.

[olcowhand]

It's providential that this post started about the time I got back from a 3/4 day trip to the Eastern UP to fish the St Mary's River. I'm putting together a post to summarize that trip, but all this discussion about about Musky, Northerns, Walleye, Atlantic Salmon (yes, there is a prolific Atlantic Salmon fishery in Northern Michigan- and yes; they are very acrobatic!), Smallmouth, etc; triggered some memories. My dad took us to northern Ontario the first time when I was 14. We had been frequent visitors to Ontario for many years, until Dad passed.
With the Border closure in effect, the closest I could come was the Eastern UP, which is right across the river from Ontario.
Having said all that, I'll post that trip in a different thread. I wanted to comment on Northerns and Muskies, which I fish for- (Musky in particular) quite frequently.
The following are a few pics of Musky that we've caught over the years; there are many more...
I say "we", because I "Captain" the Boat, set out the bait and troll. When we get a hit, I give the rod to a participant (after ensuring the hook set is good) and I clear the other lines and steer the boat to ensure a good catch- then I'll net the fish. Only when I'm alone will I fight a fish and net it. The Boat catches fish, not the people (ask any Charter Captain who can honestly boast of the thousands of fish in their pics...).
One of my favorite Musky lakes is but a stone's throw from our Fearless Leader's home- Budd Lake. The DNR stocks this lake with Northern Musky and Tiger Musky, to my knowledge, and it's been a favorite and convenient lake for me.

 

 

 

 

 

At least three of these were caught in Budd Lake, the others were from the St Mary's river, where the experts all say the next world record will come from....
Good Luck on the trip, FFOTS- you're setting in motion a potential Life-long passion in a young soul. God Bless you for taking the time to do that.
Steve

[thecfarm]

I hope you have a great time. And catch some fish too.  ;D

[Old Greenhorn]

I hope you have a great time. And catch some fish too.  ;D

Muskies are a bi powerful fish and exciting to have on the line. I have only been lucky enough to have tied into 2 of them. One was between 48 and 52" and I got it up to the side of the boat before it's teeth finally bit off the line (not enough stainless leader) and the other I never saw, but he took my line and just ran with it until the reel was down to the backing. It ws effortless for him and all I could do was hold on and watch. Anything over 50" is a real nice fish for sure. Olcowhand, you are a very lucky guy to have hunted and boated so many! I fished the St. Lawrence for many summers and when the kids were old enough we began bringing them along. It is truly where my son got bit by the bug. He still gets out every evening he can make time and just got a small boat and put it on the local reservoir. The best time to hunt those is in the fall when the water cools down and they start to load up for the iced over months. Notice I say 'hunt' them, not 'fish for them'. There is a difference and Muskies require dedicated hunting. Most of my Musky lures are about 7" long. I use those small ones because I can often snag a nice northern on them. AH, I really miss that. I never caught the salmon run, but my son used to go up with a group of guys every year until his kids came along. On our side the best place is in a river off the southeast end of Lake Ontario in Pulaski, NY.
 Yeah Bill, take a day and try your luck at muskie hunting. If you can tie into one fish, those boys will never forget it. Getting some follows is the first part of the game. Muskie like to think about things a bit but they might 'instinct hit' on a fast moving bait. Use stainless leaders and sharp hooks and set it good then hang on. You'll need a pretty stiff rod too. ;D :D

[olcowhand]

Most of my Musky lures are about 7" long. I use those small ones because I can often snag a nice northern on them.

Tom, I use big Musky baits (9"-15"), but that doesn't scare off the Northerns; they like to "Punch Up", and definitely pick fights above their weight class.
I also pick up the occasional Smally on my Musky baits; the biggest was about 5 lbs that went airborne a couple times with that lure attached; and hit on my most prolific Musky bait (until it was pulled apart at the joint...)- a 15" Jointed Believer in Sucker color.
I cut my "Musky Teeth" (Pun intended) in Lake St. Clair in Southeast Michigan, and that's where one can procure many fine Musky lures.
I also agree on the term: "Musky Hunter" but until one goes into them, they don't understand the term....
Bill, if you're coming through West Michigan to get into Ontario, we can meet (I'm only 1 mile from US 131) and I'll send along some Terminal Tackle if you you want to fight the good fight.....
Steve

[Old Greenhorn]

DANG! I messed up bigtime. I had always been very jealous of the big muskies that came out of MI when I was fishing them. Never thought I would get there although I did have a strictly business trip there to Detroit in the 80's that was in and out and nothing but work in between. In fact I never even thought of Detroit as being in MI, always just looked at it as 'yet another city'.
 Anyway, traveling to the pigroast put me right through the heart of it, and my mind wasn't on that game so I missed a good opportunity to pick up some good quality terminal tackle. I should put this in the 'did something dumb' thread because that was really dumb. >:( Now I realize I was even in that HUGE sporting odds store (I forget the name) and they surely would have had a nice selection. I'm an idiot. ;D
 Ontario is a big province. Bill could get up there a number of ways and he didn't say where the destination is. Where I fished in the Thousand Islands, Ontario was just over the line painted on the bottom of the river and I had to be careful not to cross that line. Probably he will head through your country though, just guessing based on the land mass. We took a ferry over there one year that sailed out of Cape Vincent (mouth of the St. Lawrence), NY to Wolfe Island, Canada, then drove across the island having lunch on the way (neat place BTW), and catching a ferry on the other end to the mainland in Kingston, Canada. Then we spent the day driving east through the province and crossed back over the Thousand Islands Bridge (CA 137 or US 81) just east of where we rented as place in Clayton. Years later I returned to Cape Vincent in February for a LODD Funeral. Man it was cold with that wind coming off the lake and river. I think the air temp was -10 and we were glad we had a warm spell. Those dress uniforms are not made for those temps. But I digress.
 Thanks for the memories. Bill I am sure you all will have an epic trip!

[olcowhand]

Ontario was just over the line painted on the bottom of the river and I had to be careful not to cross that line.

There are many places in the St. Mary's River that both citizens fish the same channel (Combat fishing with boats....). The standard practice for the Law Enforcement agencies is that they apply the law based on the occupants citizenship and Boat registration. Creel Limits and Fishing methods (most of these are "tighter" on the Canadian side. For example- Michigan allows three rods per angler on the Big water and connecting waterways, where Ontario limits it to two) are enforced for the the "Homies", in respect to where they reside. The only exception is if you launch your boat or enter the water from the other shore, you must be licensed to fish there, and "Home" laws are in effect. Right near the Soo are two examples:
The mouth of the Garden River in the North Channel is a Hot Spot for Chinook Salmon, having been planted by the Hundreds of thousands by MDNR and Ontario- mainly to benefit the 1st Nation residents who have a reservation for the first 8 miles of the Garden. The channel is maybe 70 yards wide by 1/4 mile long, and there will be hundreds of boats trolling Downriggers, snagging each other, fighting and landing fish- general Mayhem in its finest form. Everyone is expected to be good neighbors and respect each other, but the Boundary can't be accurately located, and it wouldn't matter anyway- because everyone makes the same loop. The Law Enforcement Officers can stop anyone at any time and issue citations based on the Anglers' respective laws.
The other example is right in the Soo(s) proper. Due to the fact that the Locks are constructed on the American side, the rapids are only accessible from the Ontario side. Americans can fish the American side of the rapids, but they must have an Ontario License to ingress and egress the waterway.
BTW; That stretch of rapids is one of the primo fishing locations in the world. If you want to go for the "Grand Slam" of Trout and Salmon- it's possible to hook up Chinook, Atlantic, Coho, Pink (in the years they run...), as well as Lake Run Browns and Steelhead- all on the same day (in the Fall). I'll post some pics of some of the Chinook I've hooked up there...
It probably is also one of the most dangerous rapids anywhere. The river drops 21 feet in a 1/4 mile, with Lake Superior ~39*F water flowing at a very respectable rate. One must be "Squared Away", inside and out- to fish there..... If you get swept away and your waders fill with water, it's likely that they'll never find you.

 

 


That's the International Bridge you can see over my Buddy- Pete's shoulder. The last pic is from the Lake St. Clair days; Hunting Musky and landed a 40" Northern.... I sure miss Dad!

[Old Greenhorn]

Those sound like tight waters and tight fishing. I can see why the officials gave up and worked out a compromise. In the thousand Islands anyway it is vastly wider and the boundary is pretty clear. Up there you simply need  CA license if you fish on that side and a US license if you are on that side. Crossing the border in these covid days is allowed as long as you stay in the water, if you approach a dock or tie up on whichever side it the 'other side' for you, they will be on you like mosquitoes. Border patrol is seen routinely patrolling, from both sides. I have seen more different brands of law enforcement on that river than I can count. Customs, Coast Guard, border, sheriffs, state, DEC, DEP, etc. Even saw Military once or twice. Only got stopped once or twice by DEC and that was an easy pleasant encounter, all in good order, followed by a pleasant chat about fishing spots. A good lesson for my then 11 year old son.

[firefighter ontheside]

Well, I missed a bunch of posts.  I went to work without my laptop charger and couldn't use my laptop.  Steve those are some great fish.  I need to look for a pic of my dad's big muskie from Eagle Lake.  Eagle is in far western Ontario and about 100 miles north of International Falls MN so I will go thru MN.  Thanks 
@olcowhand for the tackle offer though.  I'm sure I will take some of my dad's stuff.  He has a bunch of big stuff that he uses when muskie are around.  They don't fish for them, but when one follows his smaller crankbaits, he will switch to something much bigger.  I think he has caught a dozen or so nice muskies at Eagle Lake over the years.  There's no salmon in Eagle, but there are lake trout and I've caught a few accidentally over the years.  I tend to use mostly 8 pound line with steel leaders, but I also have rods with 12lb line for catching bigger pike.