In Sunset Country, we mean business when it comes to the subject of muskie fishing! In this part of the province, the muskie lives long and can grow to enormous sizes. Most of Ontario's famous muskie waters are located in Sunset Country. Everyone has heard of the legendary fishing on Lake of the Woods, but other great waters include Eagle Lake, Crow Lake, Manitou Lake, Lac Seul, and many, many others. There are also numerous smaller lakes that produce abundant fish. In fact, we're not even scratching the surface with that list!
It doesn't matter where you have fished before; there really is no place like Sunset Country when it comes to the sheer number of fish and the average size available. Yes, we have fish pushing 55 inches or more in length. True giants dwell in our waters for you to throw a lure at. Depending on your favourite method of muskie fishing, fishing is excellent all season long. Enjoy casting and catching them in the eights? You'll love the season from the opener until mid-September. Love jigging, trolling, and tailing suckers around? You'll adore late-fall fishing from October through close to December 15th.
Bring a variety of baits with you because you never know what might work. Bucktails, topwater baits and large jerk baits that you can troll will assure you of a good chance at a big fish. Who knows, maybe the next Ontario (or world) record muskie will bite your line! Just remember, once the fish bites you still have to land it and when something weighs close to 50 pounds, there are no guarantees––well there is one guarantee––that you and your buddies will have a great time!
In addition to our natural population of "regular" muskies, several lakes in Sunset Country offer a chance at a hybrid or "tiger" muskie. Tiger muskies are simply a cross between a northern pike and a muskie, as they can successfully breed, being both members of the Esox family. Tigers are generally smaller (up to 45 inches) and cannot reproduce, making them relatively rare. If you catch one, count your lucky stars, as they are a beautiful-looking fish!
There are many great places to stay on these lakes, and you can choose from American Plan, housekeeping packages, or stay at a campground. Boat rentals and experienced guides are also available. Big fish usually means big fun, so if you are an experienced muskie fisherman or you want to try it for the first time, Sunset Country in Ontario is definitely the place to go.
With muskie, the minimum size requirement to keep a fish (and why would anyone do that?) is 54". On some trophy waters, even larger. In Northwestern Ontario, if you come here to fish for muskie, please follow all regulations and quickly release all fish, especially during the summer when the weather is warm. If everyone works together, we can protect this spectacular resource for future generations to enjoy.
