The 10 Best Darn Places An Angler Can Call Home by Gord Pyzer photo by Patrick Walsh Kenora (Ontario) Major muskie: Kenora’s mascot Husky the Musky, stands guard. The first clue is Husky the Musky, Kenora’s giant fibreglass mascot lording over the picturesque waterfront at McLeod Park. But the dead giveaway that this is one serious fishin’ town has to be that Kenora boasts Canada’s only marina-equipped Canadian Tire store, one of 14 marinas and 23 tackle shops serving the angling public. Of course, there’s also the 11-storey Lakeside Inn, which bills itself as the world’s tallest resort hotel offering fishing packages. Then there’s the observation that Kenora residents own more boats per capita than any other place in Canada—a sure sign that fishing plays an important role in this, thriving community just 200 kilometres east of Winnipeg. While the forest industry may be the biggest employer, tourism and sportfishing clearly fuel the local economy as well—hardly surprising when the northern shores of the world’s 17th largest lake laps at Kenora’s doorstep. FACTS OF LIFE Population: 16,365 Average Household Income: $62,917 Average Home Cost: $119,143 Major employers: Forest, manufacturing, service and tourism industries Learn More: City of Kenora, (807) 467-2000; www.city.kenora.on.ca THE FISH Largemouth and smallmouth bass; black crappie; lake trout; muskellunge; northern pike; perch; walleye; whitefish.      Lake of the Woods sprawls across one million acres, and with 14,000 spruce- and pine-studded islands, it offers more shoreline than Lake Superior. And those sparkling blue acres are filled with walleye, bass, northern pike and lake trout, not to mention more than 40 other species of fish. But the main attraction has to be the lake’s monster muskies. Indeed, most muskie anglers agree that Lake of the Woods is the single finest body of water on the planet. If a new world record is ever established, the smart money says it will come from here—or from one of the 3,000 other neighbouring lakes and rivers in the Kenora area, including such famous fishing waters as the Winnipeg and English River systems and walleye-rich Dogtooth Lake. No wonder one of the world’s best anglers, In-Fisherman co-founder Al Lindner, once told a local newspaper reporter that he would love to live in Kenora. And Kenora, the fishing town that it is, would love to have him: at the 2000 Kenora Bass International, the mayor of Kenora made Lindner an honorary citizen. text and photo by Geoff Coleman Peterborough (Ontario) One of the area’s prized walleye. Shimano Canada and the Canadian National Sportfishing Foundation are headquartered here, and so are Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. With such high-profile residents, Peterborough just has to be a good bet for serious anglers. And it is, considering it’s also the gateway to the Kawarthas—the local Huron name for “Land of Shining Waters”—where fans of both warm- and cold-water fish are never more than a leisurely 20-minute drive from some of the province’s best angling. And this just 140 kilometres east of the Centre of the Universe, er, Toronto. Peterborough itself, meanwhile, is no slouch in the good livin’ department. As both a tourist destination and a university town—Trent U and Sir Sandford Fleming College are here—Peterborough has a vibrant downtown core, lots of nightlife and a healthy dose of arts and culture. Good fun is the Festival of Lights, a series of free summer evening concerts—and a good way to end the evening after one last fish. FACTS OF LIFE Population: 69,535 Average Household Income: $56,718 Average Home Cost: $131,164 Major employers: Manufacturing, service and tourism industries Learn more: City of Peterborough, (705) 742-7777; www.city.peterborough.on.ca THE FISH Largemouth and smallmouth bass; carp; chinook salmon; muskellunge; panfish; steelhead; brook, brown and lake trout; walleye.      If you like fresh panfish for breakfast, a great way to start the morning is to head just south of town to Rice Lake. Here, the likes of perch, crappie and bluegill attract anglers from as far away as Michigan, and the walleye fishing is as good as in any of the Kawartha lakes. There’s excellent bassing, too, with pro tourneys almost every weekend during the peak fishing season. Rice aside, there are myriad other productive lakes—Pigeon, Buckhorn and Chemong come to mind—within minutes of town, as are several small trout streams. But when it comes to cold-water species, the big ticket is the famed Ganaraska River, arguably the best trout stream in Ontario. The upper “Ganny,” as the locals call it, harbours elusive eight-pound-plus resident browns, while a mindboggling spring steelhead run makes for the province’s largest. There are also strong fall migrations of chinook salmon, lake trout and steelhead, while bass and brookies have been known to make the odd appearance. Now that’s variety. Read more about Canada`s best fishin` towns: Introduction & Victoria, B.C. Whitehorse, Yukon & Calgary, Alberta Nipawin, Saskatchewan & Selkirk, Manitoba Kenora & Peterborough, Ontario Magog, Quebec & Doaktown, New Brunswick Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador