Family Outdoorsman

Freshwater Fishing

For a truly unforgettable freshwater fishing vacation, British Columbia is the place to beOver24,000 pristine lakes and rivers, spectacular scenery, outstanding facilities and friendly service await freshwater anglers. British Columbia is home to nearly two dozen species of freshwater sport fish, including the much sought-after, high-jumping, hard-hitting Rainbow Trout.

Salt Water Fishing/ Tidal Waters

With over 6,000 coastal islands and islets, 19,200 kilometres (12,000 miles) of glassy fjords, open Pacific shores and inner coastal straits British Columbia offers more miles of fishing opportunity than anywhere else in the world. Countless species of game fish await you including Pacific salmon, giant halibut, rockfish, and a vast array of shellfish. Add in the expert guides and beautiful resorts -

fishing in British Columbia is pretty hard to beat!

Alberta

Alberta is well known for its fishing , enjoyed by residents and sportsmen around the world.

There are 63 species of fish in the province, but only 18 of these species are preferred for food or angling- including pike, walleye, bull trout, sturgeon and arctic grayling.

Compared to other Areas of Canada, Alberta has a small number of fish-bearing water bodies. Eight hundred lakes have natural occurring fish populations and 300 or so are stocked with fish by the Alberta Provincial Government. Because of the high ratio of anglers per lake, the province has the third highest angling pressure in Canada.

Saskatchewan

One of Saskatchewan's most popular attractions is its diverse and plentiful fishery. You can enjoy angling on the productive lakes of the south or the deep cold waters of the north. The fishery provides us with many recreation and economic opportunities. Protecting the fishery for future generations will take the continuing co-operation of everyone who enjoys angling or fishes commercially.

An easy way the individual angler can help protect the fishery is to practice catch and release. The Anglers guide which is provided free of charge to anglers provide suggestions for handling and releasing a fish in a manner that reduces stress and increases its chances of survival. Each year Saskatchewan has a Free Fishing Weekend. It's a chance for everyone to fish without having to buy a license.

Manitoba

With clear, deep water lakes. Wild running rivers. Gentle bays shielded by wilderness. All teeming with trophy fish. Luring you with the anticipation of that next heart-stopping strike. This is your place. No cares, no distractions, only the freedom to fish as never before. Surrounded by sweeping clear-blue skies, the pristine air warmed by the golden sun. More than you imagined. This is fishing as it ought to be...

This is Manitoba where fishing memories big enough to last you a lifetime begin. This prairie province, located in the heart of Canada, is just waiting to reveal the secrets of our ancient waterways and 100,000 lakes.

Manitoba is where the great northern pike unleash their fury time and time again. Where trophy walleye test your tenacity and then tantalize your taste buds. Where 'Namaycush, the dweller of the deep' waits to see if you've got the fight and finesse to master a lake trout. And where the biggest bulldog brute channel catfish in the world take you for a wild ride. You'll find the incredible diversity of our fish matched only by the warmth of the people and places ready to greet you.

Ontario

Ontario's Fish & Wildlife is dedicated to inspiring enthusiasm for fishing Ontario, its abundant lakes, rivers and streams are committed to providing a one-stop source for adventure in

fishing Ontario.

The word “Ontario” is Iroquoian for “beautiful or shining waters” and, with approximately 250,000 lakes, it’s no wonder that Ontario is the number one fishing destination in Canada

Quebec

In Québec, fishing is more than simply a leisure activity or sport—it’s a way of life, a culture that has been passed on from generation to generation since time immemorial. It’s a way of reconnecting with nature and escaping the hectic pace of daily life. But on a territory as vast as Québec, how can one talk about fishing when there is such a wide variety of ways and places to do it? Imagine the peaceful solitude of fishing for brook trout at sunrise on any one of Québec’s tens of thousands of lakes, with a loon as your lone companion. You can also fish in the winter, in little cabins on the ice; in autumn, on the raging currents of any number of rivers emptying into the St. Lawrence; in the summer, on veritable interior oceans or magnificent little lakes; in the spring, as the ice begins to break.

Exhilarating challenge frames every fishing experience in Québec, set against a breathtaking array of landscapes, depending on whether you’re coveting arctic char, ouananiche (freshwater salmon), lake trout, sea trout, rainbow trout, pike perch (sauger), Northern pike, muskellunge, whitefish, Atlantic salmon or any one of dozens of other species that populate the lakes, rivers and marine environments of Québec.

Newfoundland/ Labrador

Sport fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador involves three main species of fish. The most popular of the three being Atlantic Salmon. Sixty percent of North America's Atlantic Salmon rivers are located in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In addition, both the island of Newfoundland and Labrador offers excellent brook trout fishing opportunities. Arctic Char and Northern Pike fishing is more common in Labrador but the northern areas of the island also has some good arctic char fishing.

Labrador is world renowned for its incredible catches of Lake Trout. World record lake trout have been angled in the waters of Labrador, Canada.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick offers excellent sport fishing. It boast some of the best Atlantic Salmon and Small-mouth Bass anywhere. Fishing New Brunswick, Canada for Salmon and Small-mouth Bass is among the best fishing in the world for these species.

What can beat the thrill of a native Trout outing? Trout fishing is done in lakes, streams and beaver ponds. New Brunswick also has a plentiful supply of Landlocked Salmon and Lake Trout.

Nova Scotia

The lakes and brooks in eastern Nova Scotia are plentiful with speckled or brook trout, if salmon fishing is not your style, and there is also excellent sea-run brown trout and rainbow trout fishing as well.

Of course, the fishing is only available during the open season and salmon fishing is limited to catch-and-release using barb less hook fly-fishing only. Excellent fishing can be enjoyed right until the end of October when the seasons close until the springtime.

Mackerel, Cod, Hake, Pollack, Catfish, Blue - Mako - or Porbeagel Shark are some of the deep sea fishing that occurs in Nova Scotia. Sadly Tuna fishing is only permitted to commercial fishermen.

Prince Edward Islands

There may be a limited number of sport fish species on Prince Edward Island, but don't let that fool you. Recreational fishing on Prince Edward Island, both in freshwater and saltwater, is one of the best kept secrets in the angling world.

Prince Edward Island is one of the few places in North America where the brook trout, also called speckled trout, is still king. The large input of mineral rich groundwater, combined with short streams and large estuaries, has created ideal conditions for brook trout. Brook trout can be found in virtually every stream on the Island, with sea run trout, the fish most sought after by anglers, ranging from ½ lb to 6 lbs. Rainbow trout are an introduced species on Prince Edward Island, and there are only a half dozen streams where they can regularly be taken.

Most of the salmon angled on Prince Edward Island are taken in the Morell River, on the north-eastern side of the Island. This is the only river on Prince Edward Island that is a scheduled river, and its main branch can be fished only by fly after June 1. Although the salmon run is primarily composed of grilse, some salmon in excess of 20 lbs have been encountered.

Some of the species commonly caught during deep sea fishing excursions are: mackerel, cod, and dogfish. Various deep sea charters are available throughout Prince Edward Island from mid-summer to early autumn.

North West Territories

With 48 primarily freshwater fish species inhabiting one of the largest rivers in North America, thousands of lakes and a large coastal area (including the Arctic islands), there is no shortage of fishing opportunities in the Northwest Territories. As well as whitefish (both broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) and lake whitefish (C. clupeaformis)) fisheries, commercial fisheries in the Northwest Territories harvest walleye (pickerel) (Stizostedion vitreum), inconnu (coney) (Stenodus leucichthys), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), northern pike (jackfish) (Esox lucius) and burbot (loche) (Lota lota).

While most of these fish stocks remain healthy due to a vast area with a low human population, some stocks have been overexploited due to localized fishing pressure. Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), a species that many people associate with the north, have been over-harvested in the past and are the subject of community based management plans in some areas. These plans use traditional and scientific knowledge and balance the needs of the community with the ability of the stock to sustain harvesting. Integrated Fisheries Management Plans that involve input from all user groups are being developed for stocks that are subject to fishing pressure from multiple users and at multiple locations.

Yukon

Fresh fish is one of the tastiest, healthiest foods available. That's why Yukon anglers eat almost 100,000 wild fish every year. Twenty-seven species of fish can be found in the Yukon's freshwater, eleven of them - rainbow trout, lake trout, Dolly Varden, bull trout, Arctic char, Arctic grayling, broad whitefish, lake whitefish, inconnu, northern pike and burbot - are popular sport fishing catches. Four salmon species - Chinook, Coho, Chum and Sockeye - return from the ocean to spawn in Yukon creeks and rivers. A fifth salmon species, Kokanee, is a small, landlocked sockeye.

Many pot-hole lakes around Yukon communities are stocked with Kokanee, Chinook salmon, Rainbow trout and Arctic Char. There is a lot of joy that comes from the simple act of catching a fish. Practicing respect for the resource will ensure, "that joy" will continue to be known by our children and our grandchildren.

Nunavut

Robust lake trout, battling Arctic char, the spirited Arctic grayling, the whitefish and northern pike – when it comes to fishing, Nunavut is world-class. Many Nunavut outfitters and tour operators specialize in fishing trips. Unless you are an experienced northern traveler, it's probably wise to start out with a package trip that provides a local guide. Some packages also provide visits to Inuit outpost camps or one of Nunavut's few fishing lodges.

There are two schools of thought about using traditional skin clothing as opposed to purchase the utmost in space-age equipment. An unbiased, highly experiences outfitter will suggest the use of both when conditions warrant.

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