For more than 30 years I’ve been traveling north to Ontario every year to target walleye, northern pike, brook trout, lake trout and smallmouth bass. I keep going back for one simple reason -- the fishing is incredible.

     Compared to my home state of Michigan, Ontario has more lakes, better fishing, a wider variety of species to choose from and when I get there chances are I’m going to have the whole lake to myself. 

     There is something special about being up north and fishing with the people you care most about. The atmosphere and fellowship I enjoy on an Ontario fishing trip can’t be duplicated back home and here’s why.

FISHERY MANAGEMENT

     When I was a kid anglers flocked to Ontario because they could fill the boat and their coolers with fish. Today, that is only half true. While the quality of fishing in Ontario has gotten nothing but better over the years, fishery managers have recognized the need to preserve and massage this precious resource. Bag or creel limits on most all species found in Ontario are much more conservative today than they were one or two decades ago.

     That’s actually a good thing because fish harvest is critical to managing a species for maximum benefit. It’s true that fishermen want to keep fish for the table, but it’s also true that when too many fish are harvested, fishing success suffers dramatically.

     Ontario was one of the first regions to recognize the benefits of using slot limits and selective harvest techniques to balance the need for taking a few fish for table fare while, leaving important breeding stock in the lake to perpetuate the species.

     Across Ontario on key species like walleye, a slot limit is in effect that allows anglers to keep only one fish over a certain length. In the case of walleye, only one over 18 inches may be kept in the bag per day. By releasing the majority of adult fish, spawning success is dramatically improved and the overall fishing success skyrockets.

     Reduced daily bag limits is another way that fishery biologists control the harvest and preserve fishing opportunities for future generations. By reducing the daily creel limit from six to four fish, anglers are still allowed to harvest ample fish for consumption, without wasting a resource that has very finite limits.

     Doing away with possession limits is yet another way that in Ontario fish resources are carefully controlled to provide the maximum benefit to the angler. Most states allow a daily and possession limit. For example if the possession limit is 10 walleye, you can have five fish in the freezer back at camp and still harvest five additional walleye.

     In Ontario there are no possession limits, only daily limits. That means if you fished on Monday and kept a legal limit of four walleye, you can’t keep any additional walleye until the four already kept are consumed. 

     Some anglers argue that without possession limits it’s tougher to accumulate fish to take home. I argue that measuring a trip by how many fish you take home is a mistake. I measure my fishing trips by the fish I catch and release, not the ones that go home in the cooler.

THE CONSERVATION LICENSE

     The advent of the Conservation License has been another important tool that fishery managers use to carefully regulate fish harvest. The Conservation License costs less than the regular fishing license and in turn allows anglers to harvest half the number of fish. 

     In the case of walleye, harvesting two fish per licensed angler is more than adequate if your goal is a hearty shore lunch. Because the Conservation License limits harvest of fish, it inherently protects the resource and still allows anglers to harvest a reasonable amount of fish for the table.

COLLECTIVE BENEFITS

     The collective benefits of slot limits, reduced creel limits and Conservation Fishing Licenses has converted Ontario from a place that historically had good fishing to a region that delivers world class fishing opportunities. Again using my home state of Michigan as an example, what inland lake can you visit in Michigan and routinely catch 20, 30 or more adult walleye per day of fishing? The answer is none. Across Ontario there are literally hundreds of lakes you can drive to, fly to or use a train to access that routinely produce this caliber of fishing.

IT’S ABOUT CATCHING NOT KEEPING

     My father’s generation were enthusiastic anglers, but they were also born to parents who survived the great depression, commodity shortages of World War II and other hard times. In those days keeping the “limit” was how a fishing trip was measured.

     These days the measurement of a fishing trip should be judged not in the number of fish kept, but rather in the number of fish caught and released. Thankfully our neighbors to the north have figured this out and created fishing opportunities that are second to none. 

     Besides the popular species like walleye, northern pike and brook trout, Ontario is home to some of the best smallmouth, largemouth, crappie, perch, lake trout, whitefish and muskie fishing in the world. 

     I keep traveling north to Ontario every year because in the end, I’m more interested in the adventure of fishing, than what’s on the fillet table. In my mind, the thrill of catching fish is only surpassed by the joy of releasing them. Yes I do keep some fish for the table and I encourage others to do the same. Eating fish is an important part of the experience, but embracing the concepts of catch and release is how we’re going to insure the fisheries we enjoy today survive for future generations. 



IF YOU GO:

www.northwest-ontario.com

www.gofishinontario.com

www.algomaregion.com

www.ontariossunsetcountry.ca