Ontario is the top and the best destination in Canada for Smallmouth Bass fishing with some areas of Ontario having really good Largemouth Bass Fishing as well. Ontario has over 100,000 lakes and 70% have Smallmouth Bass. Inland lakes that are close to or connected to the Great Lakes usually have good Largemouth fishing as well.
Ontario's Bronzebacks like rocky lakes, which is why they have been so successful in Ontario, especially where the Canadian Shield is exposed. Actually, they have started to expand their range into the arctic watershed where they are considered an invasive species.
If you are planning on an Ontario fishing vacation and you want a lodge with great good numbers as well as trophies, please take a look through my website. There are links to Ontario's top fishing lodges, records, tips and techniques as well as some pictures of very impressive trophy fish caught by visitors to Ontario.
The scientific name for Smallmouth Bass is Micropterus Dolomieu. They are also called Smallies & Bronzebacks. They evolved from Sunfish and their natural range is the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and the Mississippi River basin and all their tributaries. Over the last 100 years people have been illegally introducing them into other waterways or their eggs have become stuck to duck feathers and flown to new waterways. They have been spreading like wildfire.
Even though bass are an extremely popular game fish in Ontario they have done some major damage to smaller Ontario trout lakes. Bass in low population densities generally stay close to shore and don't harm anything but when the population gets high the bigger Bass will head out to deep open water and go down 40 to 50 feet to feed on Lake Herring, Chad and Cisco, which means they are directly competing for food with trout. There are lakes in Ontario's Algonquin Park and the Haliburton Highlands that have had their trout populations totally decimated by bass. They are found right across Northern Ontario and have now reached the Arctic Watershed.
The Smallmouth feed on everything like bugs, minnows and snails. Their favorite food is crayfish (crawdads), which are illegal to use as bait in Ontario. Smallmouth Bass actually smell like male Crayfish and that prompts the males to come out from under their rocks to defend their territory but they end up getting eaten by the bass. If you are new to Smallmouth Bass fishing, then I can say that all the fishing stories you have heard about their legendary fight are true. They are a very fun fish to catch, taste awesome and are a major attraction of Ontario's fishery. Most people cannot taste the difference between Smallmouth meat and Walleye meat.
About Largemouth Bass
The scientific name for Largemouth Bass is Micropterus Salmoides. They also have many nicknames including Bucketmouth, Swamp Hawg, Grinch Lunker and more.
Largemouth Bass are common in Southern and Eastern Ontario lakes and rivers. As you head north you will find fewer and few lakes have Largemouth. When you get north of North Bay or Sudbury they start to get hard to find. However north of Lake Huron in Killarney Provincial Park, lakes surrounding the park and the North Channel of Lake Huron you will find some fantastic Largemouth fishing.
Largemouth Bass will eat anything. Mice, Chipmunks, minnows, leaches, crayfish, bugs, frogs, salamanders and even small birds that fall into the water are all on the menu. They are the easiest fish to catch and usually the easiest to locate. The best places to start are around logs, bulrushes, lily pads, wild Rice and thick weed beds.
Please take a look through my website and check out the fishing lodges I have listed for right across Ontario. I also have fishing tips, techniques, records and other fishing information for you to enjoy. I want you to have a great Ontario Smallmouth Fishing Trip. There are thousands of fishing lodges in Ontario and if you want to ensure you pick one of the best fishing lodges in Ontario and not sure about your choise, I am here to help. Email me at gary@ontariobass.fishing
