Southern Ontario: 7 fishing hot spots
A Bass Pro Shops angling expert shares his top bass, pike, steelhead and walleye
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There will soon be five bustling Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World stores in Canada, stocked with everything remotely outdoorsy. When hardcore angler Daniel Notariainni (above) isn’t working in the Vaughan location’s fishing department, he’s casting for bass, fly fishing for trout or float fishing for steelhead. Here’s where.
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More info: Bass Pro Shops, 1-800-227-7776, www.basspro.com
HOLLAND RIVER, ONTARIO
GPS: 44.202, -79.517
FISH: Largemouth bass
HIGHLIGHT: Bass over five pounds hold all year in undercut banks and cover
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WHEN: All season
KEMPENFELT BAY, LAKE SIMCOE, ONTARIO
GPS: 44.392, -79.597
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FISH: Lake trout
HIGHLIGHT: Easy ice access to large, plentiful and cooperative fish
WHEN: January to March
LAKE SCUGOG, ONTARIO
GPS: 44.175, -78.840
FISH: Largemouth bass
HIGHLIGHT: Lots of shallow water and great frog fishing for big bass
WHEN: First two weeks of bass season
LANG, KECIL & TUBE LAKES, ONTARIO
GPS: 46.259473, -82.311144
FISH: Northern pike, smallmouth bass,
HIGHLIGHT: Linked lakes with 40-inch pike, fat smallies and little pressure
WHEN: May to June
NOTAWASAGA RIVER, ONTARIO
GPS: 44.452, -79.898
FISH: Steelhead
HIGHLIGHT: Lots of big ones and room to fish
WHEN: November to ice-up
SPANISH RIVER, ONTARIO
GPS: 46.185, -82.311
FISH: Walleye
HIGHLIGHT: When the walleye run, they carpet the river bottom
WHEN: Victoria Day/walleye opener
UPPER CREDIT RIVER, ONTARIO
GPS: 43.814, -80.016
FISH: Brown trout
HIGHLIGHT: Lots of fishy water, with big trout; single-barbless zones ideal for fly anglers
WHEN: Hatches during trout season