Famous Places to Fish in Canada

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Fishing is the act of catching fish for recreation and sport or for commercial purposes to gain profit. The Canadian fishing industries earn more than CAN $5 billion annually. In the recorded history of Canada a group of anglers and hunters met in Calgary in 1908 and founded a fishing association which currently has more than 14,000 members. Different techniques and equipment has been used for fishing, and they include spearing, hand gathering, angling, netting and trapping. Any equipment or gear used for fishing is termed as tackle and it includes lines, hooks, sinkers, float, reels, rods, baits, nets, gaffs, traps and many other equipment options. The fishing gear or equipment attached to the end of fishing line is known as terminal tackle and includes floats, sinkers, hooks, beads, spoons and blades. The term fishing is additionally applied to catching many edible marine invertebrates like shell fish, crab, prawn, octopus and squid. It is, however, not applied to catching seals or whales, where the terms sealing or whaling are used.

1. Lake Diefenbaker

Lake Diefenbaker
Lake Diefenbaker

Lake Diefenbaker, named after John G. Diefenbaker, former Prime Minister of Canada, is located in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. It emerged following the construction of the Gardiner and Qu’Appelle Dams across the South Saskatchewan and Qu’Appelle Rivers. The construction started in 1959 and the lake was filled in 1967. The lake is 225 kilometers long and has an average depth of 66 meters. Many national parks are situated on the shore of the lake and they include Douglas Provincial Park, Danielson Provincial Park, Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park and Palliser Regional Park, along with many others. Lake Diefenbaker is the home to 26 species of fish, including walleye, Lake Whitefish, burbot, northern pike, lake trout and rainbow trout. Lake Diefenbaker is the most visited place in Canada for recreational fishing, boating, swimming, water sports, camping and hiking. The small town of Elbow has a beautiful harbor, and yachts, motorboats and sailboats are added attractions for the recreational fishers and tourists.

2. The Fishing Lakes

The Fishing Lakes (Echo)
The Fishing Lakes (Echo)

The Fishing Lakes refers to a chain of four lakes, including Echo, Pasqua, Katepwa and Mission Lakes. They are located in the Qu’Appelle Valley to the Northeast of Regina, Saskatchewan. Many provincial parks and public swimming beaches in the area attract many tourists. The Qu’Appelle River is like a small creek in this area and its runoff water contains fertilizers and other contaminants; therefore, prolific algal growth is observed in the beaches during the summer months; therefore, they cannot be used for swimming. The swimmers have to go into deeper waters. Salient features of the area include Fort Qu’Appelle, The Qu’Appelle Residential School, the “Echo” site, Fort San T.B.Sanatorium. B-Say-Tah and Katepwah beaches are the famous places to fish.

3. Candle Lake

Candle Lake
Candle Lake

Candle Lake, named after the flickering lights seen at its northern end, is located to the northeast of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; which is a prairie province in Canada. A resort village of the same name also exists there. The lake is a famous place for fishing and attracts large numbers of tourists every year. The lake is also known for its natural sandy beaches. Abundant sport fish varieties are found here, and they include walleye, northern pike, burbot, yellow perch, lake whitefish, white sucker, longnose sucker and shorthead redhorse.

4. Tobin Lake

Tobin Lake
Tobin Lake

Tobin Lake is located near the Nipawin, which is known as the town of two lakes, in Saskatchewan, Canada. It was formed in 1963 by the construction of the E.B. Campbell Dam on the Saskatchewan River. Originally it was named Squaw Rapids Dam, but as desired by the local resident, it was renamed as E.B. Campbell Dam. Tobin is the habitat of many fish species, including sauger, perch, northern pike, goldeye, mooneye, Lake Whitefish, white sucker, shorthead redhorse, longnose sucker and burbot. The lake is one of the top places to fish walleye. In 2005, Father Mariuz Zajac, caught a 9.8 kg fish, which is the world ice fishing record.

5. Kakagi Lake

Kakagi Lake
Kakagi Lake

Kakagi Lake is located at an altitude of 1,108 feet, to the north of Nestor Falls, Ontario, Canada. It is also known as the Crow Lake. It is 15 miles long and about 7 miles wide. With a maximum depth of 180 feet, its average depth is 68 feet. The lake contains many islands, including Green Island, Mink Island, Gold Point Island, Bear-Beaver Island, Pine Island Alora Island and Mosquito Point Island. Its natural recreational points include Seagull Rock, Jumping Rock and Soft Sand Beach. It is best known for fishing lake trout, but many other varieties of fish also inhabit the Kakagi Lake. The lake is home to smallmouth bass, northern pike, Musky, Lake Whitefish, rock bass, perch, lake shiners and sisco.

6. Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods occupies parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. It is fed by the Rainy River, Kakagi Lake and Shoal Lake. The lake is more than 70 miles long and is the longest coastline of all the Canadian lakes. It is habitat to the piping clover, white pelicans and bald eagles. On account of the abundance and quality of the walleye fish, the Lake of Woods is known as, the Walleye Capital of the World. It is also known for other varieties of sport fish, including; smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, perch, northern pike, sauger, crappie, panfish, lake trout, lake sturgeon, and muskellunge.

7. Rainy Lake

Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake

Rainy Lake is a big fresh water lake covering 345 square miles and it is located on the American/Canadian border. The Rainy River flows from the west of the lake. To the southeast corner of the lake is located a large park. The lake is one of the most famous places to fish in Canada. It is particularly known for recreational fishing of species like Muskellunge, smallmouth bass, northern walleye pike and largemouth bass. The local economy depends mostly upon fishing and tourism.

8. The Fraser River

The Fraser River
The Fraser River

The Fraser River, named after the adventurer Simon Fraser, is the tenth longest Canadian river. It rises from the Fraser Pass in the vicinity of Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains, flowing for 1,375 kilometers into the Strait of Georgia. The Fraser River is one of the best places to fish white sturgeon. Usual white sturgeon catch ranges between 30 and 100 pounds. In July 2010, a giant white sturgeon, measuring 12 feet 4 inches, and weighing over 1,100 was caught and released in the Fraser River. It is considered to be the largest white sturgeon ever caught on rod and reel.

9. Anchor Point

Anchor Point
Anchor Point

Anchor Point is located in the Island of Newfoundland, Canada. In 1740, a British seaman Robert Barlett, along with his nephew Robert Genge, settled here. Both of them hailed from Yeovil, Somerset, England. They used the coastal inlet as a base camp for fishing and sealing. They sold fur and fish to the American vessels. In the 19th century, trapping, salmon fishing and sealing were the most important industries in Anchor Point, which is also known for cod, lobster and herring fishing.

10. Point May

Point May
Point May

Point May is a small but famous fishing place located in the most southern Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, in Canada. Total population of the area does not exceed 500 people. The inhabitants of Point May lived there, before Canada came into existence as a country. Fishing is their most important source of income for them. The area has a diverse landscape and presence of wild berry bushes makes it an ideal location for partridge hunting, while the marshes in the vicinity of the ocean extend an excellent opportunity for saltwater duck hunting.
Conclusion

Archaeological finds of an ancient human skeleton, dating more than 40,000 years ago, on analysis revealed that fish was staple food to the earliest human beings during their gathering and hunting lifestyle. Ancient Egyptian archeological finds also show that fishing was common to them. Their fishing techniques and tackles are illustrated in their tomb scenes and drawings on papyrus. An ancient treatise on fishing, titled Halieulica, written by a Greek author in 177 AD, has survived to the modern age.

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