Why Anglers Are Falling for Golden Lake in Ontario’s Ottawa Valley

The Ottawa Valley is more than a rural community. It’s a sense of place with a warm, creative and proud vibe that invites everyone who visits to stay awhile, play awhile and fish a lot! The Ottawa Valley spans Renfrew County, the largest county in the province of Ontario, parts of Western Quebec (the Pontiac Region) and the outskirts of the City of Ottawa.

Fishing the Ottawa Valley: A Multi-Species Playground in Eastern Ontario

Embracing the Ottawa, Madawaska and Bonnechere Valleys, the Ottawa Valley covers an area of over three thousand square miles between the mighty Ottawa River and the wilderness of Algonquin Park. The Valley boasts 158,000 acres of water (that's over 900 lakes and rivers for those who are counting) filled with more than 20 species of fish. And to make it even more enticing, this fishing paradise is located within a day's drive of major centres in Ontario, Quebec and the Northeastern United States.

Mountainview Cottage Resort: Family-Friendly Fishing on Golden Lake

Our visit to the Ottawa Valley included a visit with the gracious hosts of Mountainview Cottage Resort on Golden Lake, just off Highway 60, east of Barry’s Bay.

For the avid fisherman, Golden Lake offers bass fishing at its best! There is also pike and walleye fishing throughout the season. For the very young and the pan fisherman, there are perch, rock bass and sunfish. The lodge offers a fish hut for cleaning and preparation is available to all guests. They also offer deep-freeze fish storage at no additional charge.

Techniques That Work Here: How We Caught Ottawa Valley Bass

We decided to explore and fish Golden Lake and nearby lakes for the full “Valley Experience” as we targeted smallmouth bass on this trip, and as it was after the September Labour Day long weekend, we knew the lakes would be somewhat void of angling or boating pressure.

Rigged with all the smallmouth favourites like topwaters, minnow baits and soft plastic Ned rigs and tubes, we were loaded for anything the Ottawa Valley bass might have wanted on this trip.

We fished Golden Lake the first evening we arrived and the second morning for both walleye and smallmouth bass with a variety of year size class fish up to the two-pound range but wanted to find some bigger bass on the limited timeframe we faced, we loaded the boat onto the trailer and choose a few smaller lakes within a twenty-minute drive and we’re back on the water in no time.

The first lake we fished had ultra-clear water conditions with lots of rocky points, shoals and mid-lake humps that showed fish all over the boat’s electronics.

We started with topwaters with limited success, then picked up the crawfish imitating Ned Rig and started connecting with bigger bass immediately using a soft lift and drop off bottom with slow drags to kick up sand and knock against rocks to attract Mr. Smallmouth and Largemouth bass to our baits. As the sun rose and the fish got shallower, we began to catch bass after bass on just about every rock pile we found on several different flats, points and weed beds. As this was only our second trip to the Ottawa Valley, we were very impressed with the quality and number of bass and northern pike we connected with in the short time we had to actually fish.

Back at the resort cottage, evenings are spent around the BBQ and beach fire pit overlooking the magnificent sunsets and lake view from the deck of our cottage.

Evenings on the Water: Cottage Life, Campfires and Valley Sunsets at Mountainview Cottage Resort

All cottages are located on the beautiful sandy beach and equipped with a fire pit. A view of the lake and the surrounding mountains is for you to enjoy and appreciate, together with the natural beauty of Golden Lake and the Bonnechere River. Mountainview Cottage Resort is very family-friendly with a wide, sandy, safe beach, beach toys, a general store with ice cream and anything else you may have forgotten to bring stocked on the shelves. If you want to fish or just paddle around on the lake, they rent canoes, row and motor boats or bring your own.

Plan a fun vacation in the Ottawa Valley this year.

Contact the Resort

13613 Highway 60, Golden Lake, Ontario
PH: (613) 625-2971
Web:  https://www.mountainviewcottagerentals.com/index.html

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