Fishing

Lake of the Woods is one of Ontario’s top fishing lakes known for its multi-species opportunities. From its abundant populations of walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass along with its international reputation for muskie, the lake is truly and angler’s paradise. Northern pike, lake trout and crappie are also abundant. With a surface area covering one million acres and 14,000 islands, the lake a maginificent work of nature with fish holding structure everywhere.

Indianhead lodge offers guided fishing trips on Lake of the Woods. Let us help you familiarize yourself with the lake and show you where the fish are holding, and how to catch them. Our experienced guides ensure a great time on the water. We have three guide boats that all offer different experiences. For those walleye and perch fishing, shorelunch is a must. On an open fire, your guide prepares the fresh fish accompanied by potatoes and smoked baked beans.

Walleye

Northwest Ontario's Sunset Country has some of the best walleye fishing in Canada. This tasty fish defines the Canadian shorelunch experience in addition to giving the angler a good fight. Lake of the Woods is an excellent walleye fishery with all year class sized walleye to fish for. Of course there is also the very good chance you'll be able to catch and release a trophy walleye exceeding 30 inches in length.

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass are numerous in Lake of the Woods - there are "deep" and "shallow" bass and they are a schooling fish - meaning if you catch one there's a good chance there are several others in the area. Bass generally stick close to the bottom or near structure like humps and saddles. As ambush predators, bass need cover to feed successfully so casting accuracy and presentation are key elements to consider when fishing for them. Live or artificial baits both work well - nightcrawlers seem to work particularly well as do tube jigs and small spinner baits. Bring a variety of tackle and experiment to find what works best under the particular conditions you're fishing that day.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass are rare in northwestern Ontario but fortunately, there is an excellent population in Lake of the Woods. Preferring warmer waters, look for largemouth in shallower bays and amongst sunken timber along the shoreline. Spinner baits and small crank baits both work well.

Northern Pike

Northern pike are the most widely distributed game fish in Northwest Ontario and play an important part maintaining the predator/pray balance in Lake of the Woods. In a lake environment nothern pike prefer weedy bays, estuaries and shoals as spring and summer habitat. During cool autumn days pike are most likely to seek deeper water. Pike are aggressive feeders through spring, summer and fall. Pike will take just about every kind of live and artificial bait, such as spoons; bucktail spinners; crankbaits; topwater lures; spinnerbaits; and buzzbaits.

Muskie

Feared by all other fish because of their status as the ecosystem's top predator. They usually conceal themselves among aquatic plants at the sides of channels, or lie suspended off shelving rocks and offshore shoals waiting to bring quick death to an unfortunate bait fish. Muskie will generally move into shallower water in the fall so adjust your fishing patterns in the cold weather. With its large size and spectacular fighting abilities, muskie are one of our most sought after game fish in Sunset Country. Bring heavy casting tackle to counter the muskie's great strength and fighting skills. Muskie can reach weights of over 50 pounds and exceed 50 inches in length in Lake of the Woods.

Lake Trout

Lake trout inhabit the cold, dark depths of Lake of the Woods. In many instances, you will require downriggers to reach the depths they inhabit. Averaging between 2 and 12 pounds, these fish grow very slowly and live for an extremely long time. Whitefish Bay has excellent trout fishing throughout the year. You can also troll for lake trout to first locate them and then switch to a vertical jigging technique using heavy jigs or large spoons to reel them in.

Crappie

Black crappie are a favourite of panfish anglers and we have some of the best crappie fishing around. A schooling fish, crappie are not always easy to find but when you do locate them, you're usually over a lot of fish. Crappie fishing is the best just after ice out, when they move inshore to feed. In most cases, you'll find them in 20 to 40 feet of water or suspended along deep weedlines. Live minnows on a small jig work great.

Perch

A cast off just about any dock will yield you a perch and the thrill in your child's eyes as he or she reels in that first fish will be a memory to cherish for a lifetime. For the serious pan fish angler, Lake of the Woods offers tremendous perch fishing. Look along deep weedlines in the summer months and in shallow bays in the spring. Morning and evening tend to be the best times to catch these fish. Good bait options include small minnows, mini-crankbaits and spinner baits. You're guaranteed pan fish success at Indianhead Lodge.