You may have heard that the fishing lodges in Ontario Canada are the very best in the world but may have been skeptical about that claim. There are so many reasons why this isn’t just hype.
The first 3 reasons take us back almost 2 million years ago and bring us to the present. They involve geology, biodiversity, and conservation. If you are not interested in the science, skip to reason 4. The reasons from #4 on are all about the remoteness of our resorts and the fish.
1. First came the geology of what is now Ontario Canada.
The rock in Ontario is some of the oldest rock on Earth. It’s mostly Precambrian rock from the earliest part of Earth’s history.
Glaciers scooped out thousands of lake basins during the Pleistocene epoch. That epoch ended 10,000 years ago. That left over 250,000 lakes, many with rivers and streams feeding and draining them.
2. Then came biodiversity in northwestern Ontario Canada.
All that water supports a very diverse ecology of terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals. Human settlement in Ontario is mostly in the south near the Great Lakes. The lakes and rivers in northwestern Ontario are pristine, healthy, and largely untouched.
We know that all the species in an ecosystem are interconnected and dependent. But for our purposes, we are interested in the fish. We have counted more than 150 species of fish here in Ontario!
3. Next came Ontario’s commitment to conservation.
Now we come to the reason Ontario’s remote fishing resorts are the best places in the world today. It is the same reason they will be the best places in the world to fish for your great grandchildren.
Ontarians believe they are stewards of the land and water. More than 90 percent of the province is forest, lakes, streams, and wetlands. These are mostly self-sustaining ecosystems supporting a great diversity of species.
This includes over 150 species of fish. But, why would you care about any other fish than walleye, northern pike, lake trout and muskie?
Because predator fish eat bait fish. Bait fish eat other organisms and aquatic animals. Many of the most successful in each species have the opportunity to reach their maximum age and size when the ecosystems are healthy and thriving.
Ontario has been conserving its fisheries for over 200 years.
At first, baby steps were taken with the 1807 Act for the Preservation of Salmon. From that beginning, conservation efforts have steadily grown. The Ministry of Natural Resources was established almost 50 years ago to manage Ontario’s fisheries in a more environmentally sensitive way.
The MNRF adopted a mandate to promote fishing as a key element of its modern, science-based, and environmentally progressive approach.
Much more can be said about this, but this is more than enough to explain why the fish here are so great. It didn’t happen overnight.
4. The remoteness of many Ontario fishing lodges keeps them pristine.
The land in northwest Ontario is well over 97 percent unincorporated wild and pristine territory. The population centers are either small or tiny. The people here are few, the fish are in the millions. Recreational anglers can do this math very quickly.
5. Few other places in the world offers as many species to fish.
We are always coming back to this. Here is a partial list of fish you can catch at fishing resorts in Ontario.
Walleye, northern pike, muskie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, brook trout, lake trout, salmon, carp, brown trout, catfish, rainbow trout, sturgeon, whitefish and panfish (sunfish, bluegill, bullheads, and rock bass).
6. A published American sportsman makes a case for Ontario being a unique place in the world to fish.
Babe Winkelman is an American sportsman who produces television and internet shows about fishing. He has also been induced into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
During a fishing trip with 2 of his buddies, he is specifically talking about fishing for walleye when he says how great fishing in Ontario is. Babe’s father thought a 10 pound walleye was the goal for walleye fishermen. For him, it was a once in a lifetime experience. Babe says, first you have to find a lake that has 10 pound walleyes. In most lakes that is a freak of nature.
But what he likes about lakes in Ontario. You almost always can catch a 10 pounder. This is definitely NOT true in the lower 48 (states).“This is why fishing in Ontario is so much fun and rewarding.”
Babe likes to fish in Dogtooth Lake in Kenora District in northwestern Ontario. In the video you can hear him exclaim that the fishing is why God made Ontario!
One of Babe’s fishing buddies was saying that on that trip those 3 guys caught 30 walleyes between 24 and 28 inches. The next day, Babe caught a 30 incher.
7. Anglers explain their reasons why Ontario’s remote fishing resorts are the best in the world.
A review by a couple from Missouri fishing at Wildewood on Lake Savant had this to say.
“What a great time we had! Lynda never caught so many and such big fish in her life.”
A party from Illinois also fishing at Wildewood on Lake Savant was more excited.
“All of us caught plenty of larger (20 to 25″) walleye and over the week each averaged about 30 to 40 nice fish per day. I caught two 24″, one 25″, one 26″ and a 28″ walleye in about an hour by myself.”
A father and son fishing at Wildewood on Lake Savant told this story about their first fishing trip to Ontario.
“No matter what we did/did not do, we caught fish…a lot of them. Walleyes 80+, northern we stopped counting, and I even caught a nice 13lb. lake trout on 6lb. test line.”
Another party from Illinois fishing at Wildewood on Lake Savant had a fantastic trip fishing for walleyes.
“Never been around fish that fight that hard. We tried to keep track of the numbers we caught; our best guess is 850-900 walleyes – all on worms.”
To learn more about Wildewood on Lake Savant, click on this video link.
If you’re ready to plan your Ontario fishing trip at a quality resort that’s just the right amount of remote, contact us. We’re eager to hear from you!
