Dope fishing holes from DJ and hip-hopper Matt Hart

For our 2016 Fishing Special issue, Outdoor Canada recruited a supergroup of acclaimed Canadian recording artists, who also happen to be hard-core anglers. And these fishin’ musicians agreed to sing about their favourite Canadian fishing holes—74 in all. For the full list, see The Fishin’ Musicians.

Matt Hart first came to national attention in the early 2000s the mastermind behind indie-pop band The Russian Futurists. These days, Hart spends weekdays co-hosting the morning show on Toronto’s Indie 88 FM radio station. And when not on air, he’s recapturing his early love of hip hop by writing and recording songs with his fishing-based rap crew, Fish On. With tunes like “The 1That Got Away” and “Casting Call,” Hart mixes slick, legit beats with spot-on angling rhymes. And this June, Fish On films its first video at a cottage on Lake Clear—one of Hart’s bassin’ hot spots. Learn more: www.soundcloud.com/fish-on-1

Favourite fish: Largemouth bass, muskie, yellow perch

Favourite type of fishing: In the weeds, with live bait

Favourite fishing song: “Gone Fishin’” by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong

LAKE CLEAR, ONTARIO

GPS: 45.444, -77.199

FISH: Smallmouth bass

WHY: It’s paradise—near-perfect conditions and crystal-clear water

BEST TIME: All summer

BEST BAITS: PowerBait, crayfish

LOON LAKE, ONTARIO

GPS: 44.778, -76.236

FISH: Largemouth and smallmouth bass

WHY: I grew up camping here, and my dad taught me the dopest spots on the lake

BEST TIME: June and July

BEST BAITS: Frogs, minnows

RICE LAKE, ONTARIO

GPS: 44.162, -78.195

FISH: Yellow perch

WHY: Perch rolls are a delicacy where I grew up in eastern Ontario

BEST TIME: June

BEST BAIT: Small minnows

STONEY LAKE, ONTARIO

GPS: 44.542, -78.164

FISH: Brown bullhead, muskie, walleye

WHY: I’ve seen muskies with heads the size of a dog, in only a foot of water

BEST TIME: Summer

BEST BAIT: Worms

TORONTO ISLANDS, ONTARIO

GPS: 43.619, -79.379

FISH: Largemouth bass

WHY: In the middle of a massive city, there are massive, aggressive bass

BEST TIME: Summer (at dusk)

BEST LURE: Hula Popper