Crawford’s Diamond in the Rough

The size of Northern Ontario's Lake of the Woods intimidates some people, but it also provides anglers with the perfect chance to find peace and tranquillity that only fishing can provide. Nothing says relaxation like drifting around on the water with a fishing pole in one hand and not a person to be seen for miles.

Nothing says intimidation more to a fisherman than encountering a new lake that features over 62,000 miles of shoreline and over thirteen thousand islands.

Where do I start?

How do I get there?

Where do I find the species of fish I came for?

Where do I stay and who can help us?

I've visited many angling lodge operators over the past few years for both business and pleasure, and a great place to start your Lake of the Woods adventure is at Crawford’s Camp, located in Sioux Narrows in Northwest Ontario.

Crawford’s Camp is a year-round resort offering 13 modern summer cabins and 7 modern year-round cabins. They have cabins for relaxing getaways and cabins for the true die-hard fisherman. They also offer boat and snowmachine rentals and everything in between to get you out fishing. If fishing is not your thing, they do offer a wide variety of guided hunting trips for local wildlife that are abundant in the area.

Crawford’s is located on the east-central side of Lake of the Woods, Ontario, and at the east entrance of Whitefish Bay.

Whitefish Bay is by far one of the prettiest areas of Lake of the Woods and has the clearest and purest water on the lake!

It's also the deepest area on Lake of the Woods with a two-hundred-foot-deep hole just around the corner from camp.

Not only is the size of Lake of the Woods impressive, but it also contains numerous species of fish to excite all anglers. The most popular species include walleye, lake trout, muskie, northern pike, large and smallmouth bass, crappie, perch, whitefish, sauger and eelpout.

Our trip to Crawford’s last summer was as perfect as it gets in terms of fishing success for walleye (our targeted species on this trip) but also in terms of overall comfort and relaxation after each day on the water.

what to expect at crawford's camp

Crawford’s offers you vacation cottages that are fully modern and located on the shoreline. Many of the cottages share a dock with one other cottage, but some have their own dock.

The proximity of the docks to the cottages allows you to access your boat without the need for a long walk to the main docks.

The cottages come with fully equipped kitchens with either electric or propane stoves. All cottages have ovens, dishes, coffee makers, toasters, eating and cooking utensils. The cottages are equipped with bedding and clean towels which are available daily.

Heating when required, is either electric or propane, and the winterized cottages have both. To enhance the comfort of the cottages, each one has fully screened-in porches that face the lake, and all of the cottages have showers or tub/shower combinations. There are also two accessible cottages that offer wheelchair access. 

Crawford’s has the guides, the experience and the reputation that brings us back every year.

guided fishing is a big success

Our trip also included a fully guided experience with one of the finest anglers on Lake of the Woods and lodge friend and guide Brian McNanny who has let us share the deck of his boat on many occasions in the past and this trip was no different.

Despite the hot summer climate with high bright sunny skies, Brian had a chuckle when we questioned him on the walleye fishing opportunities during the peak of the day.

“No problems whatsoever,” was his reply.

And true to his word, after a short and scenic boat ride to spot number one, a sheltered bay with reefs and rock shoals ranging in depth from 12 to 17 feet of water we began strolling or long-lining deep diving jerk baits with the aid of the trolling motor to locate the many schools of walleye that inhabit Lake of the Woods and no sooner did we begin stroll number one, did Brian set hook into our first walleye of the trip, a nice seventeen plus inch example of what was to follow.

We zig-zagged across the back bay in our attempts to locate the larger schools of fish marked on his electronics and once located, we picked up our spinning rods spooled with eight-pound line and one-eight-ounce ball head jigs and a live leech and literally caught fish after fish right below the boat!

The walleye ranged in size from 14- and 15-inch ‘eaters’ to some very respectable and drag-pulling ‘eyes in the low to mid-20-inch class which were caught, photographed, and released to continue spawning for future generations to enjoy.

High bright sun.

Slick calm conditions.

Didn’t matter one bit, we continued catching walleye all day long for two straight days on a variety of back bays with not another boat in sight, anywhere!

Talk about diamonds in the rough, this diamond is gold!

Thinking about what vacation options are available this coming season, think about Crawford’s Camp on Lake of the Woods, they have perfected the business of making your vacations as stress-free and as memorable as can be.

Plan your trip to crawford's camp now

Web: crawfordscamp.com
PH: 1-888-COM-FISH (266-3474)
Local: 1 (807) 226-5646

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