Great Fishing

Walleye ~ Northern Pike ~ Smallmouth Bass

“Pakwash Lake is known for its excellent fishing.  Whether you’re looking for some trophy fishing action or want to catch some “eaters” for the “great Canadian shorelunch”, Pakwash Lake will not disappoint.  Our experienced staff are always willing to share tips and tricks to ensure a successful day out on the lake.”

Pakwash Lake and the connected waterways cover in excess of 31,000 acres of prime fishing habitat.  There is over 130 miles of shoreline to explore including numerous islands, rocky points, shallow bays and sandy beaches which provide both excellent fishing opportunities and a beautiful wilderness setting for your next fishing holiday. (download a lake map)  

Walleye

Anglers fishing Pakwash Lake can find these prized game fish along the rocky shorelines, on sunken reefs or off beaches, but wherever they are, there’s a great shore lunch just waiting to be had with these tasty fish.

Walleye are most active during spring and fall. It’s best to fish for them in the morning or evening, on overcast, windy days, or in stained water, as the walleye’s eyes are specialized to help the fish feed in low-light conditions. Many anglers catch walleye by trolling under low light conditions with crankbaits or by jigging off weedlines, rocky points, and over sunken reefs.

During the day, walleye can often be found in deeper water over rocks and in weedy cover. Then, one of the easiest and most effective tactics is to drift and jig just off bottom over likely cover until you locate a school. Some anglers prefer to troll using spinners, spoons, and deep-running crankbaits. Others specialize in the delicate presentations of minnows, night crawlers, or leeches.

Walleye are a schooling fish, so it’s a good idea to throw out a marker once the first fish is caught. Once located, casting to the school can be quite productive.

Northern Pike

Pakwash Lake has some of the best northern pike fishing in Northwestern Ontario, with waters where ducklings are nervous and 30-pounders (13.6 kg) prowl. Spring, early summer, and fall are peak periods for trophy northern pike fishing.

At ice-out in spring, northern pike begin to spawn. This occurs in the weedy shallows as early as March. Prime locations to fish when angling seasons first open are weedlines, flats, points, and creekmouths.

As the water heat ups, northern pike shift to deeper water with submerged weedbeds or other forms of cover or structure. During this period, deep-water trolling is your best bet. The most effective places to fish during summer are along the edges of weedbeds, drop-offs, points, islands, and humps.

In autumn, when water temperature drops, northern pike become very active again. They return to the weedy shallows, rocky bars, or below rapids in rivers or streams.

Effective northern pike lures include large spoons, noisy surface or diving lures, or bucktail spinners. You can also use live bait such as shiners, and large chubs.

Fantastic smallmouth action

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass can be found throughout Pakwash Lake and connecting waterways. Smallmouth are most active from late spring to late autumn and can usually be found in more open water or along rocky points, drop-offs, or shoals.

When targeting smallmouth try curly-tailed jigs, crankbaits, shallow-diving spinnerbaits, in-line spinners, streamer flies, or crayfish imitations.

Smallmouth are noted for providing a good fight far above their weight.  These scrappy fish are also noted for jumping out of the water when caught providing for some of the most thrilling fishing action in Northwest Ontario.

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Call us at 1-800-898-4204