Your Fishing in Ontario guide

Fishing trips in Ontario offer a great getaway and a satisfying outdoor adventure for fishermen and fishing families. We take our fishing seriously in Ontario. Please adhere to our "Catch and Release" and "Catch and Eat" policies to ensure great fishing opportunities and enjoyment for our future generations.

With 250,000 inland lakes, hundreds of navigable rivers and shorelines on four of the five Great Lakes, Ontario offers endless opportunities for exciting fishing experiences. Ontario is home to an astounding 158 of Canada's 228 species of freshwater fish. Though probably best known for its productive muskie waters and abundant walleye fishery, Ontario also offers great fishing for northern pike, lake trout, speckled trout, steelhead, salmon, whitefish and both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

In Ontario fishing is as close or as far as your imagination takes you. Access is by automobile, float plane, boat-in or water taxi, train, or paddle your canoe. You can rough it or be pampered in the lap of luxury as you enjoy all that Ontario has to offer the sportsman and the family.

Check out the great Ontario fishing info for your trip preparation.

Ontario is a great place for a family fishing vacation. With the abundance of species available, children don't have to wait long before the action begins. Provincial parks, camps and resort settings are seldom far from great fishing. Tourist outfitters and resort operators are happy to tailor their packages for families who love to fish. Round out your family holiday with swimming, horseback riding, shopping, theme park or museum visits and everyone will have an array of great memories.


In 1996 1.5 million residents of Ontario fished for recreation. In 1995, Ontario resident anglers caught more than 74 million fish and released almost two-thirds of them. The most frequently caught species were yellow perch, walleye, and bass (smallmouth and largemouth)

In 1995, non-resident, non-Canadian anglers caught 43.7 million fish in Ontario and released more than 70% of them. The most frequently caught species were walleye, northern pike and panfish.