We've Got Some of the Best Fishing in Ontario

Catch Walleye, Northern Pike, Bass, Perch, and more!

Loch Island Lodge and Camp Lochalsh, located on the shores of Lake Wabatongushi in Ontario, Canada offer some of the best walleye and pike fishing to be found.

The lake is 22 miles long and over 10,000 acres, with an average depth of 22 feet. The 3-mile long by 1-mile wide basin in front of Loch Island is over 100' deep, with the deepest hole coming in at just over 175'. This area is surrounded by points and sunken islands that are perfect habitat for Walleye. Northern Pike are plentiful in the long, weedy, shallow bays that line the shore. Whitefish, Jumbo Perch, and Burbot also inhabit this large body of water. For more information and a detailed map of Wabatongushi Lake, visit our lake page.

In addition to Wabatongushi Lake, we offer over 10 different portage lakes and streams that contain additional Walleye, Northern Pike, Whitefish, Perch, Speckled Trout, and Smallmouth Bass. These lakes and streams are all easily accessible via portage and all have either aluminum boats with motors or canoes to fish from.

Our clean, northern Ontario water not only adds to the flavor but also eases the mind as to its absence of harmful contaminants. Fish fillets from Wabatongushi Lake are as clean and fresh as it gets!

There are many different techniques for Walleye fishing. In our area, it really depends on the time of year you are fishing.

The most common question we get is what is the best time to come up fishing? Well, that depends! If you like shallow water fishing, then May and June are the times for you. That time of year, we use a lot of jigs with live bait, mostly minnows and leeches. Chartreuse or Orange color in the ¼-oz. range works well. During May and June, casting or "twitching" with Rapalas is also productive. Most of the fishing that time of year is done in 5-10 feet of water. Walleye are numerous and easy to catch. It is a very popular time with fishermen of all levels.

Later in July, August and September, the Walleye migrate into deeper water. This migration begins sometime in late June or early July. During this time, the fish are leaving the shallow bays and heading for cooler, deeper water in the main lake. Sunken Islands, points and deep water dropoffs are great spots that hold schools of Walleye this time of year. Our larger Walleye are usually caught during this period. Jigging with live bait is still a good way to catch fish, but you will have to use a heavier jig to get down deep, 15-40 feet. Crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers tipped with night crawlers work very well for deep water Walleye. Many people will also troll with weighted Hot-N-Tots or deep running Rapalas. Gold color always seems to work well.

Northern Pike Fishing
For Northern Pike, the season is pretty consistent. These monsters have been referred to as assimilation machines. They will devour anything that crosses their path—when they feel like eating. At other times, they just lay in the shallow water and "sun" themselves. They are at the top of the fish food chain in our waters, and anything else near them is fair game for a meal. They average 4-5 lbs. and go up to over twenty pounds. Their long, powerful body is a naturally designed aquatic missile perfectly adapted for quick attacks on their prey. We have cut open Pike in the past and found whole Chipmunks inside!

Pike are plentiful in Wabatongushi Lake and are also present in a number of our portage lakes. Crankbaits, big spinners with or without bucktails, or large "Suicks" work well. Another easy way to catch Pike is a big sucker minnow on a bobber. It's a bit lazy, but what the heck!

In addition to Walleye and Northern Pike, we offer exceptional Whitefish fishing in June. During June, usually when the mayflies hatch, the normally deepwater Whitefish come to the surface to feed. It is that time that they can be caught on a fly rod or light spinning rod with artificial flies or a dead mayfly from the surface of the lake. They have very delicate mouths, so you have to be very careful not to set the hook too hard! Whitefish, when properly cooked, are fantastic eating. They are also wonderful smoked.

Perch
Perch are some of the best eating fish available anywhere. They are abundant in Wabatongushi, yet underfished. Their size is what limits most fishermen from pursuing them. Most Perch average in the 8-12 inch range, although some get to be much larger. The small size requires more to make a meal. Generally found in shallow, weedy bays and easily caught on spreader rigs with worms, the larger ones sometimes forget their families and school with Walleye. Those fish can be much bigger. The largest we've had in our fish shack was a whopping 17".

Smallmouth Bass
Another species of aggressive fish located in two of our portage lakes is the Smallmouth Bass. Similar to their southern cousins, the Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth tend to congregate around rocky points and will favor more flowing waters. They are an aggressive fish and can be caught with the same techniques used for Northern Pike. Spinners, Rapalas, and small spoons work well. We do have a two-fish limit on Smallmouth Bass, but you can catch and release all day!

With all the water we have in our area, it would take years to explore and fish. It would be easy to spend an entire week just fishing our portage lakes, then years to tackle Wabatongushi. All of this is yours to explore for three days, four days, a week or more. Use of any of our portage lakes and equipment is free of charge, so get out there and explore!

Welcome to Loch Island Lodge and Camp Lochalsh!