r/OttawaFishing

I’m still pretty new to fishing around Ottawa area and I keep running into the same challenge when asking for recommendations. People usually reply with just the lake or river name, but I honestly struggle figuring out where exactly to go once I get there.

Some places are huge and I end up wasting hours driving around or stopping at random spots with no luck.

Would anyone be willing to share actual map pins, Google Maps screenshots, parking spots, shore access points, docks, bridges, or exact areas you personally recommend? Even general zones marked on a map would help a lot.

Hello everyone!

I recently visited my brother in law in BC and he got me hooked on fishing! We visited some beautiful lakes and I had so much fun that I immediately got my license for Ontario.

But now I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed as I try to learn what to do on my own.

I’m looking to start fishing on the Rideau River near Old Ottawa South but I don’t know what kinds of rods or bait or anything to get. I already looked at what is in season but beyond that I’m feeling a bit stumped.

Do you recommend certain stores for having helpful salespeople? Are there certain books or websites that were really helpful when you were first learning?

I downloaded Fishbrain as a way to track what I’ve caught. Are there any other recommendations?

Thank you!

Hey, Im looking for suggestions to try bank fishing outside of Ottawa. I’m willing to drive about an hour out if needed. I want to target Walleye and Pike but am unsure of where to try. Manotick offered me nothing, and Mississippi Lake seems to have limited bank spots.

Any Suggestions?

Later this month I plan to fish around Petrie, Dows Lake, Mooney's, on the Canal, and on the Rideau within the city limits. With Bass still being out of season for another 6+ weeks, I am hoping to target Pike mainly.

I plan to use spoons/larger swim baits and avoiding bass specific lures like Senkos or frogs. And if I do bycatch a bass, getting it back in the water immediately + moving locations. However, I have only ever accidentally caught Pike/Walleye when bass fishing, and I don't really know where/how to target them.

I am not looking for any specific spots, more so just general advice on the types of water to focus on, such as shallow or deep, by reeds, maybe not in the canal at all as it's pretty bass heavy? Etc.

I have a small boat but don't like going on the main Ottawa River itself, I stick to slower water.

Thanks in advance for any help.