Canada is famous for a lot of things. Hockey, premium whiskey and beers that are served at room temperature quickly come to mind! No one can measure the amount of pleasure these goods and services provide those who visit Canada, but It's a safe bet that another Canadian resource provides even more anticipation and hair raising excitement.
The remote, pure and placid waters of Canada are home to three of the most sought after gamefish in North America. Staggering numbers of walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass await those who journey north. Anglers are frequently treated to the pleasures of fast action and trophy caliber fish that are rarely found elsewhere.
Walleye to 10 pounds, northerns to 20 and smallmouth topping five pounds aren't fish stories. The fact is, no other region in North America can boast the fishing resources found in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan the four providences where the big three of Canadian sport fish are the most abundant.
There are lots of ways to get in on this outstanding fishing action. Booking a guided trip through a reputable outfitter is the fast track to fishing fun. Outfitters offer prime waters, comfortable accommodations, skilled guides and other fishing essentials. Many of these trips require a float plane to reach remote destinations. Others can be reached by car or a wilderness train ride.
Visiting a sport show is a good way to meet outfitters who speciaize in wilderness fishing adventures. The internet is another great way to shop for potential pike, walleye and bass fishing destinations.
Many of the best Canadian fishing waters are also located near or connected to a host of provincial parks found throughout the region. Provincial parks vary a little in the services they offer, but all are great places to camp while exploring new fishing spots. The web site www.canadaonline.about.com contains a wealth of information about Canada's many provincial and national parks that provide both camping and fishing opportunities.
WALLEYE, CANADA'S FAVORITE FISH
Throughout Canada the walleye is more commonly referred to as the pickerel. Walleye are in fact members of the perch family. Aside from the fact that both walleye and pickerel sport plenty of sharp teeth, the two species have little in common.
Walleye grow to 15 or more pounds in Canadian waters. Any fish approaching 10 pounds is considered a trophy and most of the specimens taken by sport anglers average 1-3 pounds. Usually modest in size, the walleye makes up for this shortcoming by being amazingly abundant, widespread and uncompromised as table fare.
Where abundant, walleyes aren't difficult to catch. In fact, at certain times of year and in certain waters catching a walleye on every cast isn't uncommon.
Walleyes are most abundant in the southern half of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. The further north an angler travels the more walleye numbers are replaced by northern pike and lake trout.
Voracious predators, walleye can be caught using a wide variety of terminal tackle and fishing presentations. Medium weight spinning tackle equipped with six to eight pound test line is ideal for fishing jigs, slip floats and live bait rigs. A baitcasting outfit is best suited for trolling and also drift fishing with bottom bouncer rigs. The best line size for trolling and bottom bouncing is 10 pound test.
NORTHERN PIKE, WATER WOLVES
Northern pike are the fish that put teeth into the excitement of traveling to Canada. Large, powerful and not afraid to strike at a wide variety of lures and presentations, pike are among the most commonly caught fish in all of Canada.
Distributed widely across every providence, the biggest pike tend to come from remote regions. Pike inhabit both lakes and large rivers and the trophy class specimens tend to come from waters that are rarely fished and accessible only by plane or train.
Because pike are relatively easy to locate and catch, areas that receive heavy to moderate fishing pressure do not consistently produce quality pike fishing. To find the best pike action, you have to get off the beaten path and seek out those overlooked or remote destinations.
Also, certain waters seem to produce big pike more consistently than others. Big lakes with an ample forage base of ciscoes, whitefish, suckers or lake trout grow the most and biggest pike. These soft rayed and protein rich fishes are the fuel it takes to grow big pike in cold Canadian waters.
Lakes that do not contain this important forage base make poor pike waters. Pike and walleye often inhabit the same lakes, but each species prefers a slightly different niche.
Because pike are often large and powerful these fish are best handled with heavy action spinning or medium to heavy action baitcasting tackle, 10-20 pound test line and titanium leaders to prevent their sharp teeth from cutting the line.
SMALLMOUTH BASS, BRONZEBACK FURY
Pound for pound, no fish in Canada fights harder or longer than the smallmouth bass. Originally found only in Quebec and Eastern Ontario, stocking efforts have established smallmouth all across the southern rim of Canada as far west as Saskatchewan. The clean and rock filled waters this area is noted for are the perfect habitat for smallmouth bass. Unfortunately, this outstanding species is slow growing and doesn't do well in far north waters.
Found primarily in lakes and larger rivers, smallmouth get far less attention from anglers than the more common walleye and northern pike.
Many anglers simply don't realize how good the smallmouth fishing in many areas of Canada can be. Fish to four and five pounds are common, and many lakes yield the potential for 20-30 fish per day catches!
Because of the cool waters, smallmouth throughout Canada are most often found in shallow to moderate water depths all season long. Rarely will an angler have to look deeper than 10-15 feet to find action. Up until late summer, most smallmouth will be concentrated in water less than 10 feet deep, making them accessible to a wide variety of lures and angling presentations.
Gear similar to that used in walleye fishing is ideal for smallmouth. Medium weight spinning or baitcasting tackle equipped with six to 10 pound test line will handle most any angling situation that comes up.
TACKLING THE BIG THREE
The most popular and productive lure groups for catching walleye, pike and bass include jigs, live bait rigs and crankbaits. A modest assortment of each of these lure types insures anglers will experience good fishing results regardless of the conditions encountered.
An ample supply of leadhead jigs is a good place to start. The most popular sizes include 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ounce.
Often considered "walleye" lures, the fact is jigs are equally effective on pike and bass as well. A jig tipped with a 2-3 inch live minnow is legendary for its allure in Canada. There's no way of telling what will bite when this simple yet effective lure and live bait combination is used.
Unfortunately, jig fishing is a rather slow and tedious angling method when it comes to searching for fish. Best employed once a concentration of fish has been located, jigs can be either casted, drifted or fished vertical beneath the boat with great success. The key in most instances is to select a jig that's heavy enough to easily maintain contact with the bottom.
A minnow ranks as the first choice in live baits when jig fishing, but leeches, nightcrawlers and even salted minnows are also productive. In remote areas where it's difficult or impossible to keep minnows alive, these other alternatives do a fine job. All three bait options work well on Canada's big three.
Soft plastic grub bodies are another essential part of jig fishing. Twister tails, shad bodies, tubes and a host of other grub styles serve an important purpose when threaded onto the shank of a leadhead jig. The grub body adds bulk that makes the lure more visible from a greater distance, the soft plastic also adds action to the lure and the opportunity to explore different colors.
In many cases, a jig dressed with a grub body is all it takes to trigger strikes. When the fish are actively feeding, this simple combination works great. As fish become more lethargic however, it often helps to switch to live bait or to use plastic and live bait in combination.
Good places to use jigs include river mouths, rocky shorelines, the tips of points, saddles between islands, weed edges and along steeply sloping breaklines that join shallow and deep water.
Jigs are one of the most commonly used lures in Canada, but live bait rigs do a better job of covering water when searching for fish. The biggest chore in catching any type of fish boils down to finding them.
A simple, yet effective live bait rig makes the chore of finding active fish much easier. The rig consists of a weight known as a bottom bouncer. This ungainly looking device is simply a 12-14 inch length of wire that is bent in such a way that it resembles an upside down "L". On the short arm a snap swivel is located that accepts a nightcrawler harness or other live bait snell. On the longer arm a weight is molded midway on the wire. The main line is tied on at the elbow formed when the wire is bent.
Bottom bouncers range in size from 1/2 to three ounces and can be used to fish both shallow and deep waters. The name bottom bouncer suggests that this weight system remains in constant contact with the bottom. Actually, a bottom bouncer armed with a crawler harness or other snell works best when the weight simply ticks the bottom occasionally. Keeping the rig close to bottom, without constantly dragging allows the bait to be presented in the most natural manner and reduces the chances of snagging.
Used while drifting or slow trolling, it's important to let out only enough line to maintain this "tick and go" balance. The rule of thumb is to fish a bottom bouncer at approximately a 45-degree angle behind the boat and to use enough weight to maintain occasional bottom contact.
A two hook crawler harness 40-60 inches in length and featuring a No. 2 or 3 size blade is the most popular live bait rig used with a bottom bouncer. Deadly on both walleye and smallmouth, Colorado and Indiana style blades seem to produce best. Crawlers are the preferred bait, but minnows can also be fished in combination with single hook harnesses. Adding a minnow to this bait rig greatly increases the chances of catching big northern pike.
A bottom bouncer rig is a deadly way to explore large flats, deep water in the basin of the lake, outcroppings of submerged gravel or rock, sunken islands and the saddles between islands.
Crankbaits are the third lure group to explore when fishing for Canada's big three. Trolled or casted, crankbaits are the fastest way to cover water while searching for active fish. Equally effective on walleye, pike and bass, crankbaits seem to produce best during the warm days of summer when fish are most active.
Crankbaits that float at rest and dive when retrieved are the most versatile. An assortment of shallow, medium and deep diving models enables anglers to fish a wide variety of water depths and fishing situations.
Like other lures, crankbaits produce best when fished in close quarters with bottom structure or another type of cover such as weed growth, submerged timber, boulders, etc.
When targeting shallow waters, stickbaits or what are sometimes referred to as jerkbaits are essential. Most lures in this category feature slender minnow shaped bodies with a small diving lip. Examples of good jerkbaits include the Salmo Minnow, Rapala Husky Jerk, Storm ThunderStick, Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow, Reef Runner Ripstick and Bomber Long A.
When using jerkbaits cast well past your intended target and work the bait by snapping the rod tip with short and quick motions. When the bait approaches the target area, slow down the retrieve, twitching the bait while moving it as little as possible. This strategy is more than most fish can stand. Sudden and powerful strikes are often the reward.
Jerkbaits work best in water less than 10 feet. For deeper waters, a slightly deeper diving crankbait comes into play.
A host of crankbaits will dive from 10-17 feet when trolled. Some of the most popular models include the Salmo Hornet and Bullhead, Rapala Shad Raps, Reef Runner Deep Little Ripper, Storm Hot n' Tot and Deep Jr. ThunderStick, Bomber A series and the Yo-Zuri Diving Minnow.
Crankbaits that reach these moderate depths are excellent tools for trolling. For walleye or bass it's usually best to adjust the lead length so the crankbait dives to within a couple feet of bottom. The angler's guide Precision Trolling (www.precisionangling.com) provides the depth diving ranges of over 200 popular crankbaits. For northern pike that frequently suspend in the water column, it's not as critical to fish close to bottom.
When trolling crankbaits, in-line style planer boards are a great way to help spread out trolling lines. A couple of these boards makes it easy to cover twice the water in half the time.
For those who long to catch and eat fish in one of the most beautiful settings in North America, Canada is the destination. Fishing licenses are moderately priced and available over-the-counter at most tackle and outdoor shops in Canada and also at all border crossings. Don't forget, effective immediately a passport is required for crossing the borders of Canada and Mexico.
mind! No one can measure the amount of pleasure these goods and services provide those who visit Canada, but It's a safe bet that another Canadian resource provides even more anticipation and hair raising excitement.
Northern pike are the fish that put teeth into the excitement of traveling to Canada. Large, powerful and not afraid to strike at a wide variety of lures and presentations, pike are among the most commonly caught fish in all of Canada.
