One of the hottest new travel websites just launched!

northernontario.travel to showcase the incredible travel experiences in the north!

Ontario smallmouth bash fishing - Photo: Ginny Riege

Want to travel to Northern Ontario? Visit the new northernontario.travel website for beautiful photos and articles to help plan your vacation to Ontario. The website covers three sub regions; the Northwest, Algoma and Northeast regions. 

You can also search by experiences such as ATVing, Boating, Fishing, Hunting, Motorcycling, Outdoor Adventures and Snowmobiling. 

So, what are you waiting for? If you want to experience the ultimate Canadian fishing trip, plan a winter vacation, or soak in the wilderness by canoe, head on over to northernontario.travel.

How to Find Out What Species of Fish Are in a Lake

MNR's New Fish ON-Line Tool

In April 2011, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) launched an awesome new Fish ON-Line tool. Anglers no longer need to visit Ministry of Natural Resources offices or find an in-the-know local fisherman to gather information about the various fishing opportunities in Northwest Ontario. It provides a lot of information that used to be hard to find. Now information about the various species of fish found in a certain lake, fish stocked in lakes and some information about the lake itself is available at ontario.ca/fishing.

The MNR used a Google map and overlaid provincial fisheries data on top of it. The ministry then gathered on-hand information on about 13,000 lakes and has made all of that available as well. On those lakes, Fish ON-Line will let you see what fish species are available, the regulations for the lake and if there has been any stocking. Some lakes have the maximum and average depths of the lake. For many more bigger,  popular waterways such as Eagle Lake, the depth contour information has been overlaid as well.

For example, take Wabigoon Lake. If you click on the Lake Depth Contours in the left hand column, you can see the contours of Wabigoon Lake. Click the fish icon and you'll see the surface area of the lake is 9922 ha, the maximum depth is 14.6 m, the average depth is 6.1 m and it's in the Fisheries Management Zone 5. Click on the Wabigoon/Dinorwic Lakes Fact Sheet and you'll see specific Wabigoon/Dinorwic Lakes fishing regulations and lake facts. Under the Fish tab you'll see that Wabigoon Lake has Black Crappie, Whitefish, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Sauger, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye and Yellow Perch.

You can quick link to a popular waterway or search by lake, fish species, stocked water body, GPS Coordinates. Use the Get Directions Tool and you can find your way around quite easily. You can also link to Licence Information, the Fishing Zone Regulations and the Lake Fact Sheet. The ServiceOntario offices are dotted on the map if you are looking to buy a Fishing Licence. You can also type in your location and getting directions to the ServiceOntario.

All in all, it is a pretty impressive fishing information tool.  If you are planning a fishing trip to Ontario, check out the Fish ON-Line website to find out more information on the lake you'll be fishing on. If you are looking for a fishing resort or lodge to stay at in Sunset Country visit www.ontarioresortsandlodges.ca

Rent a Houseboat and Explore Magnificent Lakes

Houseboat Rentals

Northwestern Ontario is home to 70,000 freshwater lakes and three of them, Lake of the Woods, Lac Seul and Dog Lake have houseboat rentals. These lakes are all large in size. Lake of the Woods for example has a surface area of 1 million acres and is dotted with over 14,000 islands. Measure the shoreline of Lake of the Woods and all its islands and it exceeds Lake Superior. It's true, the lake is a paradise for a houseboat vacation. You can rent boats out of Morson, Sioux Narrows or Kenora and chart your way through this maze of forests and water. Wildlife is every where as you'll see white pelicans, bald eagles, whitetail deer, bears and maybe even a moose!

Lac Seul is another immense lake as well stretching from Ear Falls in the west all the way to Hudson and Sioux Lookout on the east. Lac Seul is a massive reservoir of the English River which eventually flows west into the Winnipeg River and then Lake Winnipeg. Fishing on Lac Seul is some of the finest in Ontario. Walleye fishing is almost legendary and the muskie fishing on the east end of the Lake may be the best anywhere. You can rent houseboats from operators in Hudson or Ear Falls. Enjoy a week on the water that you'll never forget.

Dog Lake near Thunder Bay is not of the scale of Lac Seul or Lake of the Woods, but is still a huge lake that has major channels that are great to explore. A week isn't long enough to explore the entire lake but you will see wildlife and enjoy great fishing, swimming or just relaxing. Houseboats are often booked by groups of friends or family and make for a very memorable vacation choice.

Remember that you can order our Free Travel Guide and Fishing Map a great trip planning tool for your Ontario vacation.