Canada Fishing Tips
Walleye
Distinguishing Markings:
The walleye is named after its large opaque and almost
blind-looking eye. The large reflective surface of its
eyes gives the walleye a sight advantage over other fish
and enables the predator to find prey in the
dark. Walleyes have a dark green or olive-green back,
light brownish yellow sides, white belly, and five to 12
narrow dark bands across its back. Typical of perches,
the walleye has two separate dorsal fins, with a dark
spot at the posterior base of the first. Walleyes are
obvious carnivores with teeth in the jaws and on the
roof of the mouth.
Size:
The walleye is the largest member of the perch family,
growing to more than 30 inches and more than 10 pounds.
Walleyes typically live to seven or eight years old and
weigh 12-15 pounds. However, individuals in their mid
"teens" have been collected, and the world all-tackle
record is 25 pounds.
Distribution:
The walleye is native to the central portion of North
America from the Rocky Mountain to the Appalachian
Mountain chains, ranging as far south as Arkansas,
Mississippi, and Alabama, and as far north as Great
Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River and the Peace River in
northwest Canada. Introductions have extended the range
beyond the Appalachian Mountains in the east, to the
Columbia River in the west, and as far south as Texas.
Habitat:
Walleye prefer large, clear, cool water with gravel and
sandy substrate.
Food:
Feeding occurs during mainly during the dawn and dusk,
with spottail shiners, emerald shiners, and yellow perch
as favored foods along with bluegills, crappie,
bullheads, and crayfish. Young walleye feed primarily on
zooplankton, aquatic invertebrates, and small juvenile
fish.
Spawning:
Spawning occurs in the early spring, usually just after
ice-out when water temperatures are between 38 and 50
degrees F. Typically, spawning takes place on riffles
after fish have moved upstream, but in lakes it may also
take place on rip-rap dams or reefs There is no nest
building, and no parental care for eggs or fry. The
female broadcasts as many as 495,000 eggs, usually over
stony shoals, and then two or more males release their
milt to fertilize the eggs. The eggs are very adhesive,
sticking to the rocks and gravel. Incubation takes five
days to two weeks. Newly hatched young leave the
spawning areas and grow to be about five to six inches
by fall. Males reach sexual maturity in two to four
years, while females reach sexual maturity in three to
five years.
Fishing Tips:
Fishing for walleye is most productive in the evening
using minnow type lures or jigs fished near the bottom
over rock piles or along the edges of weed beds. Night
crawlers and live minnows worked very slowly are also
good producers. Walleye are considered to be one of the
best tasting freshwater fish.
Northern Pike
Distinguishing Markings:
The northern pike is an elongated fish. Its dorsal
region is bluish-green to gray in color, shading to
white or yellow on the belly. This coloration
distinguishes it from chain pickerel, redfin pickerel,
muskellunge, and other members of the pike family. The
northern pike’s scales have irregular rows of yellow or
gold bean-shaped spots. They also have fully scaled
cheeks and large sensory pores on each side of the
ventral surface of the lower jaw. This characteristic
makes northern pike a close relative to muskellunge, but
with light markings on their dark body backgrounds and
less than 6 sensory pores on the underside of their
jaw. The mouth is duck-bill shaped and lined with many
sharp canine teeth.
Size:
Northern pike can grow more than three feet long and
weigh as much as 50 pounds, although larger sizes have
been reported, particularly in the Great Lakes area.
Distribution:
The voracious and carnivorous northern pike has a range
greater than any other freshwater gamefish, and can be
found throughout the northern half of North America
including northern New England, eastern New York,
Minnesota and the Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes basin and
also the surrounding states of Nebraska and Missouri.
Toward the north, pikes are also found in Alaska and
Canada, except, British Columbia.
Habitat:
Northern pike prefer clear, shallow, vegetated areas of
lakes and larger rivers with plenty of stumps, aquatic
vegetation, or other cover.
Food:
Northern pike primarily eat fish, preying on golden
shiners, yellow perch, bluegills, and suckers. Young
pike feed on zooplankton and aquatic invertebrates,
before switching to a fish diet. Large pike have been
known to eat on ducklings, small waterfowl, and small
muskrats.
Spawning:
Spawning takes place soon after ice-out when
temperatures reach 35 F in shallow waters. The female
broadcasts the eggs over aquatic vegetation while two or
more males fertilize them. A large female northern pike
can produce 250,000 to 500,000 adhesive eggs that stick
to the vegetation and hatch within six to 29 days,
depending on water temperature. Young pike typically
reach six inches by their first fall and attain sexual
maturity in three years. Pike can live to 24 years.
Northern pike can breed with muskellunge to produce a
subspecies known as tiger muskellunge (Esox
masquinongy immaculatus). There is also a silvery-blue
or silver mutation known as the silver pike or
silver muskellunge, occurring in scattered
populations.
Fishing Tips:
A highly prized gamefish, the northern pike is fantastic
to catch because of its sheer size, strength, and
fighting ability. Usually found in cold, clear, rocky
waters, lakes and streams, northern pike are ambush
hunters, laying hidden, waiting for prey, which are
caught sideways with their sharp teeth. Northern pike
are some of the biggest freshwater fish; anglers enjoy
the challenge involved in facing the aerial acrobatics
and explosive hits. Use large spoons or minnow-type
lures fished along the edges of weedbeds to catch
northerns. Another popular method is to fish a large
live golden shiner or sucker beneath a large bobber
early in the season in shallow coves.
The meat is white, flavorful, and has a flaky texture,
but is quite boney. Northern pike is usually filleted
and particularly popular in many German dishes.
References from the ancient Romans depict pikes served
at festivities.
Muskie
Distinguishing Markings:
In general, identifying the hybrid tiger muskie from
the muskellunge is fairly easy, though it can be more
difficult with some individuals. The tiger muskie is
named for the prominent light-colored, branching bars
on a dark blue-green background, with some of the
light-colored pattern continuing across the
back. Muskellunge have much less prominent,
non-branching, dark bars on an olive to tan background
with no pattern across the back. Tiger muskie
generally have five or six chin pores located on the
right and left bottom surface of the lower jaw, while
muskellunge will usually have as many as 10 per side.
Size:
The muskellunge, or muskie as it is commonly called,
is one of the largest freshwater game fish in North
America. A full-grown muskie can exceed 30 pounds.
Distribution:
Muskies have appetites to match—or exceed-- northern
pike and a similar distribution.
Habitat:
Muskellunge and tiger muskie use a variety of habitats
seasonally from deep open water to shallow cover such
as weeds and fallen trees. In rivers, they usually
occupy the deeper pools with reduced current.
Food:
Muskellunge are opportunistic ambush predators,
feeding primarily on other fish. Unlike sharks,
muskies’ teeth do not mesh to take bites, but are used
to hold their prey, which they must swallow whole.
Muskellunge prefer to prey on large, soft-finned
species such as suckers, fallfish, minnows, and small
carp. Due to their size and their ability to prey on
fish up to forty-five percent of their own length,
muskies occupy a unique environmental niche.
Spawning:
Muskellunge begin spawning in April or May when water
temperatures exceed 50°F for several consecutive
days. Tiger muskie are sterile hybrids and do not
reproduce. Spawning takes place near aquatic
vegetation, debris, and leaf litter over a period of a
few days. The eggs are broadcast over a fairly large
area and settle to the bottom, without any parental
care. Surviving eggs hatch in about two weeks.
Muskies grow very rapidly reaching approximately
twelve inches by the end of their first growing
season, 24 inches by the end of the second, 30 inches
by the end of their third, and 36 inches during their
fifth or sixth season. Females grow faster and live
longer than males; the maximum lifespan can be as much
as 25 to 30years.
Fishing Tips:
Tackle for muskie needs to be stouter than tackle used
for bass and walleye; typically, a medium-heavy action
casting rod with twenty pound test monofilament or
braided line. Use a hard monofilament or wire leader
to prevent the line being cut by their teeth. Large
crank baits imitating suckers and fallfish and
bucktail spinners are popular lures for muskie, but
anglers not familiar with handling these fish may want
to stick with single-hook lures such as spinnerbaits
to start with. You will also need several tools to
make releasing muskies safer for both the fish and the
fishermen. Foremost is a large needle-nose pliers or a
hook-out (pistol grip pliers) for removing hooks while
keeping fingers a safe distance away from their teeth. Largemouth
Bass
Distinguishing Markings:
Largemouth bass can be recognized by the lower jaw
that extends past the back edge of the eye.
It is dark green above with silvery sides and belly
and a dark stripe across its body. . The underside
ranges in color from light green to almost white.
They have a nearly divided dorsal fin with the
anterior portion containing nine spines and the
posterior portion containing 12 to 13 soft rays
Size:
Largemouth bass have been known to reach weights of
over 20 pounds.
Distribution:
Find largemouth bass in the St. Lawrence, Great
Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River), and Mississippi River
basins; Atlantic drainages from North Carolina to
Florida and to northern Mexico. The species has been
introduced widely as a game fish and is now
cosmopolitan.
Habitat:
Largemouth bass are found in all waters from
freshwater to brackish (a mix of fresh and
saltwater) waters. They like large, slow moving
rivers or streams with soft bottoms.
They especially like clear water. Immature
largemouth bass may tend to congregate in schools,
but adults are usually solitary. Sometimes several
bass will gather in a very small area, but they do
not interact. Largemouth bass seek protective cover
such as logs, rock ledges, vegetation, and man-made
structures. They prefer clear quiet water, but will
survive quite well in a variety of habitats.
Food:
Greedy carnivores, largemouth bass feast on minnows,
sunfish, gizzard shad, insects, frogs and
occasionally snakes. Adult largemouth bass are the
top predators in the aquatic ecosystem. Fry feed
primarily on zooplankton and insect larvae. At about
two inches in length they become active predators.
Adults feed almost exclusively on other fish and
large invertebrates such as crayfish. Larger fish
prey upon smaller bass. Adult fish feed near water
plants in shallow waters.
Spawning:
Largemouth bass spawn as early as March or as late
as June. The males build saucer shaped nests 20 to
30 inches in diameter and guard the nest and eggs
from all intruders. Largemouth bass grow 4 to 6
inches during their first year, 8 to 12 inches in
two years, and up to 16 inches in three years.
Largemouth bass may live for 13 years.
Fishing Tips:
These fish are an extremely popular sport fish.
They are excellent fighters when caught on light
spinning tackle. Popular methods of fishing are
fly-fishing, bait casting, or bottom fishing, and
good baits include live minnows, night crawlers, and
worms.
Smallmouth
Bass
Distinguishing Markings:
The smallmouth bass is generally green, brown,
bronze, or tan in general color with dark vertical
bands rather than a horizontal band along the
side. There are 13 to 15 soft rays in the dorsal
fin. The best characteristic to distinguish a
smallmouth from a largemouth bass is the position
of the maxillary, or large flap at the
posterior end of the upper jaw. With the fish’s
mouth closed, the maxillary will reach, but not
obviously extend beyond the eye, and the upper jaw
never extends beyond the eye. In largemouth bass
the maxillary always extends past the back edge of
the eye.
Size:
The usual smallmouth is 8 to 15 inches long, and
weighs less than three pounds.
Distribution:
Smallmouth bass originally ranged north into
Minnesota and southern Quebec, south to the
Tennessee River in Alabama and west to eastern
Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas. Today there
are few states, east or west of the Rocky
Mountains, where populations have not become
established. Florida and Louisiana are apparently
free of smallmouth bass.
Habitat:
Smallmouth bass prefer large clear-water lakes
(greater than 100 acres, more than 30 feet deep)
and cool, clear streams with moderate
current. Their preferred habit has a gravel or
rubble substrate, boulders, some shade and cover,
along with deep pools.
Food:
In general, adult smallmouth bass feed on aquatic
and terrestrial insects, crayfish, and
fish. Because they feed on the water surface, in
the water mass, and off the bottom, and consume
such a wide variety of foods, they are considered
“angler friendly”.
Spawning:
Spawning occurs in the spring when water
temperatures approach 60°F. Males move into
spawning areas with the nests usually located near
shore in lakes; downstream from boulders or some
other obstruction that offers protection against
strong current in streams. Mature females may
contain 2,000 to 15,000 golden yellow eggs. Males
may spawn with several females on a single nest.
On average each nest contains about 2,500 eggs,
but nests may contain as many as 10,000 eggs. Eggs
hatch in about 10 days if water temperatures are
in the mid-50s, but can hatch in 2 to 3 days if
temperatures are in the mid-70s. Males guard the
nest from the time eggs are laid until fry begin
to disperse, a period of up to a month. Fry begin
feeding on zooplankton, switching to insect larvae
and finally fish and crayfish as they grow.
Fishing Tips:
Smallmouth bass can be caught on a wide variety of
live and artificial baits. Many anglers prefer
the less expensive soft, plastic artificials,
grubs and tubes, because lure loss is a certainty
when fishing prime smallmouth bass habitat. Light
spinning tackle is the most popular and least
tiresome after casting and catching fish all day.
Fly fishing is next in popularity, followed by
bait casting. Crappie
Distinguishing Markings:
Crappies’ gill covers have spines. The black
crappie can be easily confused with the white
crappie. However, it is deeper bodied than the
white crappie, a silvery-green in color. There
are no distinct vertical bars; rather there are
irregular black blotches. The dorsal fin has
seven or eight spines. Males do not develop
specialized breeding coloration during spawning
season.
Size:
Crappie range in size up to about two pounds or
less.
Distribution:
The native range of the black crappie was very
similar to that of the white crappie, except
that it extended slightly further north into
Canada and east to the coastal plain south of
Virginia. Currently, populations of black
crappie can be found in each of the 48
contiguous United States.
Habitat:
Crappie tend to swim around sheltered areas in
freshwater lakes, seeking protection from
enemies and access to prevalent food source.
Food:
Crappie eat smaller fish such as shad. Black
crappie adults feed on fewer fish, and more
insects and crustaceans, than do white crappie.
Spawning:
Crappie spawn in areas with brush and stumps in
the water, in the springtime when the water
temperatures get warmer. Like other members of
the sunfish family, black crappie are nest
builders. They nest in the spring, generally
when water temperatures reach 60 degrees F. The
biology of black crappie is very similar to that
of white crappie. Growth in terms of weight is
very similar between the two species. White
crappie tend to have higher growth rates in
terms of length, but black crappie are more
robust in body construction.
Fishing Tips:
Although crappie are warm water fish, they are
unique in that they can be caught quite often in
the cooler months, most frequently in November
and March. Fish for crappie by using a float
since crappie do not always stay near the
bottom. Crappie are attracted to a wealth of
bait and artificial lures including small jigs,
hair jigs, minnows, shiners and worms. Fish for
crappie collecting around thick vegetation and
other structure such as stumps, brush and logs.
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