Ontario's Fishing is the best in the world and will produce a new World Record some day. Ontario's many fishing lakes and rivers are here for you to enjoy. You will find links to Ontario fly-in lodges, drive-to camps and fly-in outpost cabins in this website. All are top fishing lodges in Ontario with the best fishing are listed in this website.
The best outfitters in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are listed in this site along with some good Ontario fishing tips, fishing techniques and big pictures of beautiful monster trophies.
Due to the continuing catch-&-release policy of many of Ontario's lodges along with habitat conservation, populations of Monster Trophy Northerns are growing. In just the last couple of years there have been a few 40 to 41-pounders caught, which are just under the Ontario record of 42-pounds. A 50-pound, 70-inch pike was caught in Ontario but was not properly documented to receive record status.
The scientific name for Northern Pike is Esox lucius. They are found right across Canada and the Northern US states. They are also found across northern Russia. They should not be confused with the Snoek Pike, which is a much bigger species and is found in Ireland, Scotland, England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark & Finland. The Northern Pike is actually more closely related to Walleye than it is to Muskellunge. Northern Pike and Muskie look similar because they evolved as top predators in a similar environment. They can on rare occasions breed together and create what's called a Tiger Musky.
Northerns spawn right after ice-out and drop their eggs when the water temperature reaches 48 degrees. Newly hatched Northerns grow faster than any other freshwater fish reaching 5-inches in the first 3 months, depending on food supply. After this point growth slows down. Once they hit 30 inches at 5 years old they will only grow an inch or less per year.
In warm water Northerns generally live to be 10 years old, which is about 10 pounds and 35 inches long. In northern lakes that are much cooler and have less nutrients,Northerns not subject to the same parasites and disease that Northerns farther south are exposed to. The cooler water also reduces their metabolic rate. As a result they can live up to 60 years or more and reach great sizes. Due to modern catch-&-release conservation attitudes by anglers, Northern Pike over 50 inches are becoming more common. Northwestern Ontario, Northern Manitoba and Northern Saskatchewan produce the largest Gators anywhere on Earth. Reports of Northerns in the 60 to 70 inch range being caught are becoming more common.
Please look through my website and check out the lodges listed as well as other Northern Pike fishing information I have posted. In this site are Fly-in Lodges, Drive-in Camps as well as Outpost camps. Outfitters are offering either American Plan, which is all your meals, Modified American Plan, which is just dinner and Housekeeping Plan where you buy your own food and cook it yourself. Some lodges have guides. There are thousands of fishing lodges in Ontario so if you are lookings for a camp with big northerns I can help. Email me at gary@northernpikefishing.ca
