by Jim Saric
I travel all across Ontario chasing muskies, and there are lots of great musky waters. Ontario is the dream destination of all musky anglers, for one simple reason: there are lots of big muskies in shallow water. Your ability to catch a trophy musky in excess of 50 inches is greatly enhanced throughout Ontario. Although I have lots of favorite musky waters, here are s five you just have to consider from West to East throughout Ontario.
Lake of the Woods (LOW) in Northwest Ontario is often known as Lake of the Muskies. The lake is huge and relatively shallow, with thousands of islands. The overall fertility of this water supports a tremendous musky population, where you have a realistic opportunity to encounter a 50-inch musky every trip. Plus, the LOW has a large musky population, so once you catch one musky there’s usually more to come.
Island, reefs, bays, and shorelines with characters including rocks, sand, points, and emergent vegetation typically hold muskies. One of your best tools to locate muskies on LOW is simply your eyes. If you catch muskies from weeds on LOW, most likely you’ll notice some type of emergent vegetation or sand along the shoreline. Once you catch a musky, the key is looking for similar areas. So when fishing LOW, look around and you might see a similar area with sand or reeds on an adjacent island. Pull up to that spot and most likely you’ll find a weed bed and more muskies. Taking advantage of the multitude of musky spots and muskies is what makes musky fishing on LOW so enjoyable.
Expect lots of daily musky encounters whenever you fish LOW! There are lots of great places to stay all across LOW.
There are few musky waters as rich in musky fishing lore as Eagle Lake in Northwest Ontario. Talk to any serious musky angler and they have either heard, fished, or are planning a trip to Eagle Lake, home to giant muskies. If you are in search of a trophy, Eagle should be on your bucket list. However, Eagle Lake is not “trophy only” water. Over the last 10 years, many of the resorts and anglers have worked together to promote a strong catch and release ethic and proper musky handling. As a result, there is a solid population of 40-inch class muskies as well as the giants. This has really enhanced the overall musky fishing experience on Eagle Lake.
Eagle is known for its clear waters, where witnessing a 40-pound musky following your lure is the stuff that can make any musky angler’s knees buckle. However, the eastern end of the lake also offers stained water and holds giant muskies as well.
There are lots of islands rimmed with beautiful weeds beds, and spectacular rock points that are classic musky spots, which you can’t imagine looking any better. Also, there are deeper rock humps that hold muskies that any savvy musky angler can’t ignore.
If you are in search of a 54-inch musky reaching 40 pounds or more, there’s no better place in all of Northwest Ontario than Eagle Lake. If you need proof, just look at the photographs from all of the lodges on Eagle Lake; they are simply amazing.
Also known as the sixth Great Lake, Lake St. Clair may be one of the best musky waters not only in Ontario but in all of North America. Two-thirds of Lake St. Clair is located in Ontario. It is a shallow water fishery, with most of the lake being less than 15 feet deep. Therefore, the wind can have a big impact on fish location, as well as fishable areas. The idea is to fish stained water with 3-4 feet of visibility, not muddy water with less than 2 feet of visibility or super clear water with visibility in excess of 6 feet. Fishing on Lake St. Clair is all about locating schools of bait and the packs of muskies following the bait.
Throughout Ontario, you can locate muskies suspended adjacent to many of the rivers on the southern shore such as the Detroit, Pike, Puce, Belle, and Thames Rivers. In summer, the muskies may be located several miles offshore, but in fall, they may be located very close to the mouths of the river.
Given the large size of Lake St. Clair trolling is a great way to locate muskies, as you can cover large areas quickly. However, casting is still viable and becoming more popular. Once you find a pack of muskies making long drifts through an area is an exciting and effective way to catch muskies on Lake St. Clair. Don’t let the large size of Lake St. Clair scare you, as the number of muskies that can be caught in this musky mecca is unbelievable. I know anglers that catch a couple of hundred muskies from the lake every year!
