The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to start planing a fishing adventure. If pike and walleye are at the top of your hit list, may I suggest Ontario? More specifically I’d recommend visiting Northwestern Ontario. 

     During the past 25 years of fishing all across Ontario I’ve come to the conclusion that Northwestern Ontario offers up the best pike and walleye fishing. Many waters can be reached by vehicle and others are serviced for fly-in camps. Either way the fishing is world class and the atmosphere is impossible to duplicate back home. 

     The trek north is going to eat up a little more of the family vacation budget than fishing closer to home, but the rewards of fishing untapped waters speak for themselves. Great fishing, solitude, unmatched scenery, memories that last a lifetime and a crack at some real trophies are just a few of the reasons I keep coming back for more. 

     I’ve packed for Ontario fishing trips so many times I have the list of necessary items memorized. If you don’t have your gear list memorized here are some suggestions to insure your trip is safe and successful. 

RODS/REELS/LINES

     For any pike and walleye fishing trip don’t leave home without packing at least two spinning and two baitcasting rods. The spinning rods will be ideal for targeting walleye with jigs or slip sinker rigs and the baitcasting rods are perfect for casting heavier pike lures or trolling applications.

     A medium or medium/light action spinning rod in the six to seven foot range is perfect when matched up to a 30 series spinning reel. This reel size is capable of holding ample amounts of 10 pound test super braid line, yet small enough to keep the rod and reel balanced. Superbraid is the ideal choice for jig and rig fishing as the low stretch characteristics make it much easier to detect strikes. I’d suggest rigging up both rod/reel combinations with 10 pound test superbraid line.

     The baitcasting rods must do double duty for both casting heavier pike lures and trolling or bottom bouncing chores. A medium action baitcasting rod in the seven to seven and a half foot range is a solid choice. A 250 size round baitcasting reel is the ideal match up. On one of these reels spool up 30 to 40 pound test superbraid line and on the other 12 to 17 pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line.

     The rod/reel combination with the superbraid line will be ideal for casting applications. The rod/reel combination with monofilament or fluorocarbon line is going to make a fine trolling or bottom bouncing outfit.

     Equipped with these four rod/reel options, an angler is going to be well prepared for any walleye or pike fishing situation they are likely to encounter.

WALLEYE TACKLE

     The walleye tackle I take on my Ontario trips is amazingly simple. I pack a good assortment of leadhead jigs in the 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8 ounce sizes and a few 1/2 or 5/8 ounce jigs. To dress these jigs, include a few packages of Berkley Gulp Minnows in the 2.5 and 3 inch sizes and also the Powerbait Ripple Shad in two or three different color options.

     I also pack an assortment of slip sinkers, swivels and No. 4 and No. 2  rig hooks. Sinker sizes should include a few 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 ounce weights suitable for fishing from 15 to 40 feet of water. 

     To my assortment of jigs and rigging gear, I pack a couple 3700 Plano boxes full of assorted walleye crankbaits including the Storm 1/4 ounce Hot n Tot, Rapala No. 7 Shad Rap, Reef Runner Deep Little Ripper, Rapala Deep Husky Jerk, Salmo No. 6 Hornets and Rapala Deep Taildancer baits.

     The last of my walleye tackle comes in the form of bottom bouncer and spinner rigs. I pack half a dozen each of the size 1, 2 and 3 ounce bottom bouncers and at least a dozen Bait Rigs and Wolverine Tackle two hook crawler harness rigs. 

     All of my walleye tackle fits nicely in a single soft tackle bag designed to handle 3700 size boxes. 

     For pike fishing I pack a second soft tackle bag with essentials including jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, weedless spoons, topwater plugs, jigs and oversized soft plastic swimbait bodies. 

     My favorite jerkbaits are oversized saltwater or muskie fishing versions including the Magnum Bomber Long A, Magnum Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow, Salmo Warrior Crank and Musky Mania Jakes.

    In the spinnerbait/bucktail category I favor the Bait Rigs Viper 2 PreyFish Bucktails with No. 7 blades and the Esox Cobra Tandem Willow Spinnerbait.

     The Johnson Silver Minnow is the best weedless spoon I’ve fished and a few in the larger sizes are mandatory in any pike tackle box.

     For topwater fishing I have yet to see anything that can beat the Poe’s Jackpot. This walk the dog style topwater bait has produced countless pike over the years.

     In the pike jig category, I favor the Bait Rigs Esox Cobra Jigs in 1/2 and 3/4 ounce versions. This jig has a heavy duty wide gap hook and a swimming head that makes them perfect for dressing with action tail grubs or shad bodies. 

     A few of PowerBait five inch Split Belly grubs or Swimmin Shad hand poured grubs are ideal for dressing a pike jig. As with the walleye tackle, all this gear fits nicely into a single soft tackle bag capable of holding half a dozen 3700 boxes.

OTHER ESSENTIALS

Other essential pieces of gear that go along on all my trips to Ontario include a rain suit, fleece jacket/pants, waterproof boots, stocking cap, wool  gloves, Mustang Survival Inflatable PFD, first aid kit, portable sonar/GPS unit, tool kit, headlamp/batteries and a drift sock for those days when the wind kicks up. Add to the list a couple spare spools of fishing line, some leader material in sizes suitable for both pike and walleye fishing, a box with an assortment of suitable sized snaps and swivels and a boater’s safety kit.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Northwestern Ontario offers some mind boggling fishing opportunities for both pike and walleye. Both fly-in and drive to destinations offer up world class fishing opportunities and some of the best tasting fish on Earth. It’s hard to beat the atmosphere of fishing in remote wilderness waters. I guess that’s why I pack up my family and head north every year.




IF YOU GO:




www.leuenbergers.ca/

www.northwest-ontario.com

www.pashalake.com