Fishing at the remote northern end of Lake Nipigon

Set against a backdrop pine trees and rock outcrops and cliffs in the heart of the Canadian Shield, we are ideally situated for access to remote northern end of Lake Nipigon.

Brook Trout

The world record Brook Trout was caught well over a century ago by fly fisherman Dr. W.J. Cook on July 21, 1915 in the Nipigon River. Taken from Rabbit Rapids below Virgin Falls, Cook’s record brook trout weighed 14.5 pounds (6.58 kg), measuring 31.5 inches long with a 23 inch girth. Today Nipigon is still home to some of those largest brook trout in the world. Annually, anglers might find themselves catching brookies up to an astonishing ten pounds and maybe more, while easily enjoying excellent catch averages of fish 3 to 5 pounds.

Through Onaman River Resort and its access to Lake Nipigon, all throughout the open water season you too can search for your biggest and even a potential world record sized brook trout along the miles of perfect, rocky shoreline structures these fish inhabit.

Lake Trout

Located entirely within Ontario, Lake Nipigon has a total area of 4,848 square kilometers and was once considered to be the sixth Great Lake. Over 500 islands, this sprawling waterbody is 110 kilometers (70 miles) long and 80 kilometers (50 miles) wide with maximum depths of 165 meters (540 feet). How this relates to big cold water lake trout well, it is because size, depth and structure does matter for growing giants!

Each season anglers have the chance to truly hook into a monster lake trout. Average catches throughout the lake often range from 8 to 15 pounds but, through Onaman River Resort’s quick access to some of the most prime deep water basins, grey trout seekers will surely find themselves catching heavy old fish much bigger than that! Twenty, thirty and even forty plus pound lakers are reeled in every summer by lucky fisherman on Nipigon. Historically, even fifty pound fish have been caught! For a drive-to destination in southern Canada, Lake Nipigon’s lake trout fishing rivals that of many world-class Arctic waters.

Walleye

Throughout Lake Nipigon walleye can be found in specific areas generally closer to incoming rivers. At Onaman River Resort that means walleye fishing starts right at the dock! Come the opener in June, from the rapids just steps outside your cabin door to the mouth of the Onaman River, and then even further out into the flats of Humboldt Bay and shoreline structures beyond, the walleye fishing is simply incredible. New anglers every season who were once fly-in trippers to more remote camps throughout the Province, find themselves amazed by the quality and quantity of fish they catch on Lake Nipigon. Twenty to twenty-six inch fish are commonplace while walleye exceeding well over thirty-inches are caught seasonally. Catch numbers for some lucky anglers stretch into dozens and dozens of fish in a single day and sometimes, just catching the under 18-inchers for a shorelunch is your biggest trouble.

Northern Pike

Once the detested or over-looked nuisance of Lake Nipigon, the northern pike has taken the hearts of many new and visiting anglers of this day and age. A hard-hitting, savage, ambush predator, jackfish are a worthy adversary found everywhere throughout the shallows of the lake. Near rivermouths and in warm back bays come spring, then migrating to deeper cabbage beds and shoreline structures come summer and fall, big northerns are constantly on the hunt and ready to crush your lure.

A conservative average size for the pike found on Lake Nipigon would be somewhere around a low 30-inch length at about seven to ten pounds. However, as it is with all fish species on this waterbody, a much…