# Lake Nipissing, Ontario



## jomoco

Looking at taking my son (11 year old) and father to Canada next spring '09.
Have heard good stuff about Lake Nipissing - anybody out there ever fished Nipissing? Any thoughts on locations / camps / best times / etc.....?


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## roger23

jomoco said:


> Looking at taking my son (11 year old) and father to Canada next spring '09.
> Have heard good stuff about Lake Nipissing - anybody out there ever fished Nipissing? Any thoughts on locations / camps / best times / etc.....?


we fished here ,http://www.promisedlandcamp.net/ it is under new management as of last spring I don't know what they are like,,fishing depends on the weather,Nippissing would not be my first choice any more,,fishing gets worse every year

this is on the other end of the lake is also a nice place, small pike and a lot of gills , http://www.campraymond.com/


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## iwdavefish

We fish Nip a couple times a year and stay at the mouth of the French. The fishing is always decent. Sometimes it is downright great. The place we stay is called Sandy Haven Camp. Clean camp and friendly people. What time of year are you looking at and what do you want to catch?


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## Phish_4_Bass

My family has been going to Callendar Bay on Lake Nipissing for 50+ years, every year. The fishing varies year to year but we always have a great time. We stay at Nanmark Cottages, and the owner's son Rob Hyatt runs a guid service at the mouth of the French River. I caught this 42'' Northern up there in Aug.


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## BassBlaster

We went there about 5 years ago after reading reports of giant Musky. We stayed at a campground near where the Sturgeon River dumps in. Camping was great, all the folks were great, the fishing was terrible. The locals told us that giant Musky could be caught there but they were actually pretty rare. We did catch a ton of Northerns, nothing over 25" though and a ton of Walleye.


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## mirrocraft mike

Send you a pm on a place


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## jomoco

I appreciate the feedback - this website is awesome. My trip plans are not set - I can either go up end of May or beginning of July. I am not even 100% on Nip - I was looking at it from what I had heard. I am looking for a place for walleye, pike, bass, (muskie) - with good steady action to keep an 11 year old happy (and of course his 65 year old grandpa!) -- and within a 10-12 hour drive of Ohio. The kind of place to make a tradition out of the trip. Other feedback on Nip is appreciated - and any other lakes/camps that you guys would suggest.
Thanks - JoMoCo


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## ohiojmj

You might also try the OGF search feature and type in Canada, Nippissing, etc. There have been many posts over the past few years and they helped me alot!


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## rebu

It sounds like you're emphasizing quantity of fish rather than size. I would recommend that you look at the West Arm area of Lake Nipissing. As the previous poster ohiojmj suggests, do a search of Nipissing. There is a ton of info here. I posted a lot of it myself helping some other guys decide. I can recommend lodges and can also point out some good spots for certain species of fish. It's a nice area.


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## Whopper

I agree with rebu on the West Arm, if you have never been to Nipissing before it is a very large lake and can be somewhat intimidating. The West Arm for a first timer can be more manageable, plus if the wind/weather is bad theres a lot of places you can still fish.
I've stay here http://www.lakair.com/
Kevin & Leslie are great host, very nice clean place with everthing you need.
Kevin will also help with tips and tricks. 

Good luck in your search

Cheers


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## jomoco

Good Info - I read somewhere Nip is 5th largest lake in Ontario - big place. I appreciate the feedback, I was looking at Callander Bay area (which is east) specifically Glen Echo Cottages - I will look at the West Arm and specific to the sites listed. 
I did a OGF search on Cananda-Nip and found a lot of information out there.
AWESOME - this site and you guys.
Planning fishing trips gets me through the long Ohio winters.


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## rebu

All of you guys talking about Nipissing and the West Arm are getting me thinking of going back. I fished the West Arm for over 20 years but quit going there because I started focusing on catching bigger fish and started spending my time on the Georgian Bay. It would be nice to visit the old holes there. I also agree with Whopper's assessment of Lakair.


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## jomoco

I looked at Lakair - looks very nice - thanks for the recommendation. 
I fished Georgian Bay (islands) out of Pt Au Baril several years ago - we caught fish - but it wasn't the best - small pike, few walleye, some bass - only time I fished there - maybe our timing was off - water temp was up - we were up over July 4 - 
would hate to fish the islands without GPS though - wow lots of islands/channels to get turned around.


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## Austin

A group of us have been going to a fly-in outfitter in White River, Ontario about 250 miles northwest of Sault-St. Marie. Their website is northtoadventure.com 
Awesome walleye and Northern Pike fishing!
Check it out.


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## bopperattacker

i dont know anything 'bout ol' lake pissin' but I would highly suggest Rice Lake, ontario Great walleye fishing and non stop panfish action for the kiddies. its basically one giant 12 foot deep weed bed. 4 inch grubs, jiggin beds is the way


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## jomoco

Austin - I will look at the fly in gig -----thanks
doesnt sound like bopperattacker is high on Nipissing - I will check out Rice Lake. Too many places in Canada to choose from and I am thanking all for their input/insight.


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## roger23

I would pick Rice Lake over Nipissing,if you go before the weeds take over


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## bopperattacker

jomoco said:


> I will check out Rice Lake. Too many places in Canada to choose from and I am thanking all for their input/insight.


Rice Lake is a great lake for youngsters. During the morning and afternoon you can easily fill up a five gallon bucket with panfish all over 6inches or bigger. the kiddies love it. Then during the evening, the adults love the great walleye fishing. it's a win win. If you have your own boat, you can get a great cabin for under 750 a week. So it's rather affordable, and only 500 miles from Columbus Ohio. I would recommend heading to Rice Lake in early june, because of the weed beds. Past that they get out of control.


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## mirrocraft mike

I agree Rice lake is a great fishery.Thats the lake Trent River comes out of or goes into that i pm'ed you about..Weeds are not to bad around Late June or 1st week in July.Thats when we go. Besides if your not fishing the weeds your not catching those EYES


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## firehawkmph

I spent eleven years taking the family to Stoney Lake, which is not too far from Rice Lake. Very clean water, great lake for kids. Very scenic also. Good muskie fishing, no northern. Lots of smallmouth and largemouth, walleye, good panfish. We had shore lunches every day. Over 1100 islands, some private, some public. Also had a good time at Lake Riddeau (spelling?). Lots of northern, big smallmouth and largemouth. Little closer than Nippasing. 
Mike Hawkins


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## Austin

Man, I hope that 42" Northern was put back in the water. It takes about 20 years for them to get that big. Better to take a picture and measurements for taxidermy then to keep a fish that big. Just a thought to all.


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## true2plue

Austin said:


> Man, I hope that 42" Northern was put back in the water. It takes about 20 years for them to get that big. Better to take a picture and measurements for taxidermy then to keep a fish that big. Just a thought to all.


Always has to be a bad apple in the bunch! No wonder sooo many people don't share their stories/pics. If he caught this fish legally, that makes it HIS CHOICE whether to keep it or throw it back.


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## rebu

Austin didn't criticize the man if he kept the fish. He stated a wish that an older, larger fish be returned. I think you'll find that the majority of people on here would agree. I do, as well. Eat the smaller ones, return the larger ones. If you feel the need to put it on the wall, get a replica. Like Austin, just a thought.........................


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## true2plue

rebu said:


> Austin didn't criticize the man if he kept the fish. He stated a wish that an older, larger fish be returned. I think you'll find that the majority of people on here would agree. I do, as well. Eat the smaller ones, return the larger ones. If you feel the need to put it on the wall, get a replica. Like Austin, just a thought.........................


Why not give the small ones a chance to get larger? People need to learn to think, and worry about themselves. Is there a law saying you shouldn't keep a larger size fish, if so his decision probably would have been to throw it back. And we wonder what's wrong with this country...too many chiefs, and not enough indians. 

BTW Phish 4 Bass, How did that toothy critter taste??


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## Austin

Thank you for your thought, Rebu. And, yes it was just a thought for all who appreciate fishing and preserving large game fish for future catches. Northern Pike over 40" and Walleye over 30" are certainly prizes that any fisherman would be proud of and having one on a wall is a fantastic testimony to the sport of true fishing. I was just suggesting to measure and take pictures of those fish and release them for another day. Ya never know.....you might catch it again!


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## Whopper

My original post to this thread was on Nipissing, but now that other people have thrown out some other suggestions I'll chime in again.
Hands down if you are looking to keep a youngster busy you cannot beat Rice Lake period. Tons of pan fish, great bass fishing, the walleyes are making a great comeback and there is a small population of muskies but no pike at all. Bass fishing doesn't open until the third or last Saturday in June (you'll have to wait for the new regs to come out), Walleye I believe is May 16th. 
I kills me to hear people complain about the weeds on Rice Lake, the reason the catching is so good in my opinion is because of the weed growth along with closed season they have. The weeds can be a chore for navagation but you can't ask for better structure to fish. Fish the edges, pockets and breaks and you'll catch fish.
Here's link to a place very affordable place, easy to get to and located near some of the best catching spots on the lake that I have been staying since 1978, again great host Dianne & Lloyd
http://www.fishingricelake.com/

Cheers


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## rebu

The fishing in the West Arm cannot be discounted. I believe it can match that of Rice Lake in all categories as well as adding northern pike to the mix. They're both excellent choices, but I have to give the West Arm the edge because of the scenery! Nothing beats those rocks!!!!!!!!!


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## Phish_4_Bass

I am all for releasing a fish of that size, and tried to for about 20 minutes, but she wasn't having it. I dont know if fighting it stressed it out too much or what but I did end up eating it, as well as having a replica made. I suppose if I had a camera on the boat I would have avoided killing it but now I know for the next time...


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## Austin

Nice try saving that huge Northern, Phish! Sometimes it can't be helped. You're right....the stress from a 15-20 minute or so fight can make a Pike so tired out that it can't revive itself when you slide it back and forth in the water as shown in your pic. Awesome catch! Our group goes every year to White River, Ontario to a fly-in lake and my friend caught a 41" Northern last year and I caught a 38" this past June, the largest ones for both of us. Luckily, they both survived. Maybe we'll get 'em again next June. Good Job!


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## Lund Rebel

Like an earlier post, I prefer the south shore of Nipissing, where it starts the Upper French. We stay at Tall Pines Camp, about a mile from Sandy Haven Camp. We started going to Canada over 25 years ago.We went to the Georgian Bay for 10 years, moved up to the Pickerel River for another 8, then to a lake northwest of Sturgeon Falls for 1 year to a place we called "lake of no fish"
We then moved to Tall Pines where we've been quite satisfied.
Bass are fun with 80% of our catches going over a pound, some in the 3-4# range. Pike have been plentiful, but most are less than 30"
Check out the pictures in the Tall Pines website. My buddies and I made two of them. Don't look at the size of the fish, look at the happy faces. That's what makes a great trip. The favorite part for me is sitting on the porch with a good cigar and a cold beverage. We go in September, when there are very few bugs.


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## BMustang

I have been very fortunate to catch many,many, plus 40 inch Northerns over the years and have only killed two. My very first one from Pine Portage lodge back in the 80's which went on my wall and I still enjoy viewing daily, and one which amassed an air pocket in his belly, before I learned about phizzing them.

Many factors enter into the recovery process of a big northern. The colder the water the better chances of recovery, and of course, how quickly you can extract the hooks, get your pictures taken and get the recovery process started. Also it helps if you can keep him from "blowing up" once in the boat, causing him to either be dropped or injured.

This is a 45 incher caught this spring. As you can see it was a cool day and the water temps were in the mid-50's. After about 3 minutes he gave me a kick and swam off under his own power.


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## Austin

Well done, BMustang! Great lookin' Northern. There is nothing more exciting than getting a big Pike on your line and as it gets close to your boat you feel that fish head straight down and you hear your drag wizzing like crazy. I caught a 38" Pike this past June in Canada. We were jigging for Walleye around a shallow, weedy area (one of our favorite spots on the lake) and I had 6lb. test line, a 1/8 ounce jig head with a 2" Gulp grub and no leader! Luckily he got hooked on his lip instead of inhaling it, otherwise my line would have broke for sure. With a lot of play and drag with that 6lb line, I got him in the boat after a 15 minute fight and after the picture was taken he slowly swam away to be caught again another day.


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## PIKEMAN

I've been fishing Nipissing since the early 70's, primarily in the South Bay area (SE side of lake). In this area, you can just about always catch boat loads of perch by fishing with a bobber/minnow in the shallow weeds. For kid entertainment, this is fun. If you go in spring during the 1st week of the walleye season, there is also a white bass run up the South River that is absolutly a blast for kids (and Dads). My youngest son (age 6 at the time)caught 27 bass in under 20 minutes one morning; he would have caught many more except that he said, "Daddy, I'm too tired from catching fish and need to take a nap", and proceeded to take snooze on the floor of the boat.

Wallye fishing can be hit or miss; I've done very good some days, and just strugged other days. Rice Lake is likely better for consistent action. In the spring time, most walleye seem to be small in this area, but this is good in that you can't keep them over ~ 15".

Pike and musky are there, but they can be difficult to find. When the conditions are right, you can catch multiple nice fish in a day. Most days catching good sized consistent pike or musky is not a likely event. For trophy fishing potential, this Lake definitely has some absolute beasts. If you are wanting to connect with 40" pike or 50" musky, I'd say that this lake has better opportunities than most. If you want to keep a kid entertained, pike and musky fishing on Nipissing is not a good idea.

Good luck.

Dave


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## Jackfish

I'll agree with pikeman - I'm usually with him on those trips - plus a couple other points
- I don't like the Calandar area, not enough bays & beds
- panfishing can be great
- smallmouth can be pretty good during the right times
- pike/muskie very hit or miss - have had some great outtings and some very nice fish - but can't consitantly go out and find nice ones - can usually tie into some runts for fun without that much hunting
- south river gives some decent water if the weather is bad out on the main lake

gl in planning your trip


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