Ontario is a vacationing angler’s dream. Teaming with smallmouths and largemouths, visitors who choose to come to Canada are elated at the bounty found in the thousands of lakes and rivers.

Are you currently planning a summer vacation? When you come up and wet a line, here are five destination hot spots to get you started.

1. Kawartha Lakes
The Kawartha Lakes region is a series of 15 lakes within the vast and serpentine Trent-Severn Waterway in central Ontario. Each lake and each connecting river system is unique in configuration and topography. From shallow lily fields in marshy back bays to deep, clear Canadian Shield granite rock shorelines, visiting anglers in the summer always have something new to fish. Smallmouths and largemouths abound throughout the system too. Numerous towns, lodges and rental units, plus several provincial parks and trailer parks, offer tired anglers a place to rest before another day on the water.

2. Kingston
Once considered a superb site for Canada’s capital city, Kingston is blessed with beauty and bountiful fishing. Framing the eastern boundaries of Lake Ontario, this gateway to the St. Lawrence River‘s rocky outcrops scattering of islands and historic Fort Henry symbolize a rugged Canadian image. The water is clear, cool and full of life. Both green and brown bass flourish here. Anglers should target rocky flats, island points and sunken islands in the main lake. Expect to catch record-book smallmouths.

3. Lake St. Clair
Considered the sixth Great Lake, Lake St. Clair links Lake Huron to Lake Erie via the St. Clair River and Detroit River. Measuring 26 miles from north to south and about the same in terms of width from Ontario to Michigan shorelines, this lake is a smallmouth mecca. St. Clair is best known for numbers, but smallmouths over 6 pounds are caught consistently. Venturing into either river provides excitement of battling bass in the strong currents.

4. Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods in northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and northern Minnesota is a bass fisherman’s paradise. It’s so gigantic that its shore touches two provinces and one state. Where else can you catch largemouths and smallmouths with bald eagles soaring overhead? Thousands of islands and bays shape the vast waters of Lake of the Woods. Bass can be found almost anywhere, so investing in nautical charts and top-notch GPS units before you arrive in summer from your original winter-planned trip are keys to success on this immense Ontario jewel. Dozens of lodges and helpful guides will make any excursion rewarding.

5. Lake Nipissing
Located in central Ontario, Lake Nipissing reflects the ruggedness of the Canadian Shield. Nipissing is the third-largest lake in Ontario (excluding the Great Lakes), offering endless shorelines, shallow bars and boulder flats teaming with smallmouth bass. So large, it is divided into eastern and western portions with North Bay, the area’s largest town found on the northeastern shoreline. Numerous lodges dot the lake, providing accommodations and advice from experts to keep you on the bass hot spots.

For more information…
For Kawartha Lakes, contact Mike Williams, guide, at williamsoutfitters.com. For Lake St. Clair, contact Jon Bondy, guide, at lakestclairfishing.com. And for Lake of the Woods you can contact Dave Bennett, guide, by visiting davebennettoutdoors.com for numbers and emails.