The best of the best
The best of the best
Ok....things are a little too comatose here. Time to stir up some controversy. How 'bout weighing in on the best lakes in eastern Ontario. since I'm starting the thread I get to make the rules.....SO we'll rule out the St Lawrence, Ottawa, Lake Ontario, Quinte etc. Everyone knows they would all likely take top spots. So let's restrict it to inland waters alone.
Here are my picks:
Pike.......Big Gull Lake,
This one is probably the most up in the air and I have to admit most of my research came from fish pics of tourists camps.
Walleye.......Mississippi Lake
My way of thinking this is the best bet of a sorry bunch.
Largemouth Bass..........Newboro lake
Too many lakes could lay claim to this one but despite enormous pressure this place with all the stumps, rocks and weeds spread over 5,000 acres is a veritible bass factory.
Smallmouth Bass.........Charleston Lake
Last September I spent the whole mouth tussling with 3-6 lbers here. Topwater, crankbaits, jigs whatever I felt like fishing with. So much water.
Lake Trout.........TIE Big Rideau and Charleston
Most of my experience with Lakers is a decade old but when I fished lakers these were the best places. I always felt the fishing was a little better in BR but Charleston is such a nice place to fish.
Panfish........Bob's Lake
Huge bluegills here.
Muskie........Collins Lake
huh? I can hear some died in wool musky hunters saying this.
Best Overall Lake.........between Bob's, Big Rideau, Mississippi, Charleston and Big Gull
Okay...those are my pics. Things were getting a little slow in here.
Here are my picks:
Pike.......Big Gull Lake,
This one is probably the most up in the air and I have to admit most of my research came from fish pics of tourists camps.
Walleye.......Mississippi Lake
My way of thinking this is the best bet of a sorry bunch.
Largemouth Bass..........Newboro lake
Too many lakes could lay claim to this one but despite enormous pressure this place with all the stumps, rocks and weeds spread over 5,000 acres is a veritible bass factory.
Smallmouth Bass.........Charleston Lake
Last September I spent the whole mouth tussling with 3-6 lbers here. Topwater, crankbaits, jigs whatever I felt like fishing with. So much water.
Lake Trout.........TIE Big Rideau and Charleston
Most of my experience with Lakers is a decade old but when I fished lakers these were the best places. I always felt the fishing was a little better in BR but Charleston is such a nice place to fish.
Panfish........Bob's Lake
Huge bluegills here.
Muskie........Collins Lake
huh? I can hear some died in wool musky hunters saying this.
Best Overall Lake.........between Bob's, Big Rideau, Mississippi, Charleston and Big Gull
Okay...those are my pics. Things were getting a little slow in here.
My pics
walleye= well for quantity I would say wolfe lake, this fall I was getting 5-6 a night. I just started fishing them this fall soI dont know if thats good.
large mouth= Loughborough Lkae lots of pressure but still get tons of them and they do come huge.
small mouth= have never fished charlston, so Wolfe, I have got tons over 4 pounds and a few over 5.
pike= Buck lake.....some huge pike come out of there every year.
lake trout....N/A
crappie= Loughborough lake....HUGE crappie!
blue gill.....dont spend a lot of time on them
muskie= never fished them. P.S. I knew there was Muskie in Collins but does it produce well????
best overall lake for me would be loughborough. I know there is big lakers in there as well. I have seen guys catch them by mistake in the spring while crappie fishing. Let me tell you the surprise on their faces. (and yes they throw them back)
walleye= well for quantity I would say wolfe lake, this fall I was getting 5-6 a night. I just started fishing them this fall soI dont know if thats good.
large mouth= Loughborough Lkae lots of pressure but still get tons of them and they do come huge.
small mouth= have never fished charlston, so Wolfe, I have got tons over 4 pounds and a few over 5.
pike= Buck lake.....some huge pike come out of there every year.
lake trout....N/A
crappie= Loughborough lake....HUGE crappie!
blue gill.....dont spend a lot of time on them
muskie= never fished them. P.S. I knew there was Muskie in Collins but does it produce well????
best overall lake for me would be loughborough. I know there is big lakers in there as well. I have seen guys catch them by mistake in the spring while crappie fishing. Let me tell you the surprise on their faces. (and yes they throw them back)
Simcoe for all ( except Walleye and Lakers) ... just kidding... it just happens to be close to home .
Serious Smallie action for sure and Pikie landed a Monster LM last year.
Pike fishing is a blast as well but we havn't landed a trophy ... yet!
When you guys talk about Collins for Muskie you are not talking about a small lake just North of Kingston are you ?
Tinbanger
Serious Smallie action for sure and Pikie landed a Monster LM last year.
Pike fishing is a blast as well but we havn't landed a trophy ... yet!
When you guys talk about Collins for Muskie you are not talking about a small lake just North of Kingston are you ?
Tinbanger
- Northern King
- Bronze Participant
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- Joined: Tue May 04, 2004 6:08 am
- Location: Ktown
Well I haven't fished too many of the lakes that ganman mentioned except for Charleston and Mississippi. I have to say you are exactly right about Charleston, it definitely has lots of big smallies. I caught one last year that was about 5 to 5.5 pounds and many this year between the 3 to 5 pound range. And the lake trout fishing is still really good too.
- fishforfun
- Gold Participant
- Posts: 1408
- Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 2:45 pm
- Location: Georgetown Ont.



Re: Collins Lake A guy I knew real well who was big in Muskies Canada and a real expert told me once about a lake he would guarantee me a muskie...he thought about it for a minute and said.....no, I'll guarantee you 2 muskies. I said yeah but how many hours do I have to drive......he said about 15 minutes (we were in downtown Kingston)
I used to fish bass there alot and one of the best ways to catch big bass was dunk deep coontail beds. Every trip I would sneak up on a muskie sitting high up in the coontail.
I'm sure there are some people who could kill me right now for putting this on the net.
- wolfe
- Diamond Participant
- Posts: 7588
- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2004 11:04 am
- Location: Marietta, NY & Wolfe Lake, Ont.
Although I've been to several lakes in the range you mention, ganman, I haven't fished enough of them consistently to offer an educated opinion. I will say that my best smallies always come from Wolfe. My best largemouth came from Bob's.
My brother mentioned Collins Lake had muskellunge, so this doesn't surprise me. But do you think it ranks as #1 for them, ganman? WOW.
It's so close to Wolfe, maybe I should check it out next summer.
Since joining this site, I've heard a lot of good things about Charleston.
W.
My brother mentioned Collins Lake had muskellunge, so this doesn't surprise me. But do you think it ranks as #1 for them, ganman? WOW.
It's so close to Wolfe, maybe I should check it out next summer.
Since joining this site, I've heard a lot of good things about Charleston.
W.
Thanks, Dad, for taking me fishing when I was a kid.
This is great stuff, this kind of info is exactly why I joined Fish-Hawk in the first place!!! This is only my second year fishing Eastern Ontario and it's hard to find good info when starting out fresh ( I would like to know the lakes in part of Canada as well as I knew the lakes back in Manitoba)!!!
So for my pics, I'll just have to get back to you in a decade or so (maybe even sooner with all the help and tips I'm finding on this great site!!!).
So for my pics, I'll just have to get back to you in a decade or so (maybe even sooner with all the help and tips I'm finding on this great site!!!).
Muskie in Collins really surprises me . I grew up in Glenburnie about 1 mile from Collins we used to fish Collins creek were it crosses Division st as kids . Caught lots panfish and bass.
My Dad and I would often run our old 12 footer up the creek into Collins , but can't recall having too much luck.I know we didn't target Muskie in fact I doubt I knew what a muskie was then
May it try again this year.
Tinbanger
My Dad and I would often run our old 12 footer up the creek into Collins , but can't recall having too much luck.I know we didn't target Muskie in fact I doubt I knew what a muskie was then
May it try again this year.
Tinbanger
I was up that way for a weekend to fish last summer, my uncle has a cottage of Charleston. We went up to Wolfe on the Saturday got skunked for pickeral but we caught a few pike and smallies. We went into a lodge on Wolfe, I think it was Green Shingle Cottages or something like that, but he said walleye fishing this year was slow but guys had been catching a few after dark. So we stayed out well past dark but still got nothin. But the best fishing was definately on Sunday back at Charleston. Catching lots of smallies averaging a little over three pounds and a few lakers. So if I had to pick between the two I'd definately have to go with Charleston.
For walleyes specially during winter all go with the Nation river neer Casselman lots of walleyes there and nice one to as for bass I would say the Rideau river. As for pike the Nation also lots of pike there as well and for bass the Nation had some nice smallies as well and lots of cat fish sucker and even muskie below the dam in Casselman. And I forgot to mentioned the crappie popullation blow up in the Nation on the last couple of year. I would say my favourite inland lake or river is the Nation river near Casselman like I was saying lots of fish down there.
Best Lakes
Best LGMBass Lake - Dog
Best SMBass Lake - Charleston
Best Pike Lake - Simcoe
Best Walleye water - Madawaska
Best Lake Trout Lake - Mazinaw
Best Muskie water - Stoco
Best SMBass Lake - Charleston
Best Pike Lake - Simcoe
Best Walleye water - Madawaska
Best Lake Trout Lake - Mazinaw
Best Muskie water - Stoco