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Ontario Drive To Fishing Lodge Guide | Fish'n Canada
Jun 5, 2025
This Fish’n Canada episode will guide you on where to look and what to expect when seeking a drive-to fishing destination in Ontario. From roughing it in a rustic outpost cabin while making your own fresh fish meals, to luxurious accommodations with full-time pampering, Ontario has the perfect easy-to-access fishing oasis for every angler!
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One of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities. First started by brothers Angelo and Reno Viola in 1986, The Fish’n Canada Show has been on the air for over 30 years. Today, Angelo is joined by lifelong fishing buddy, Peter Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years
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0:00
[Music]
0:07
you truly can't script a better buddies
0:09
get together
0:10
than taking a trip to a drive to fishing
0:12
lodge we're going
0:13
fishing what do you think we're doing
0:14
here this truly is the
0:16
ultimate in camaraderie we have walleye
0:20
northern pike smallmouth lake trout
0:23
and the most famous probably the muskie
0:25
you can catch them all
0:26
in the same day if you really want to
0:28
fish
0:30
this is incredible fishing does not get
0:32
any better or not
0:35
the fish in canada show brought to you
0:38
in part by
0:39
ram trucks built to serve
0:43
princecraft boats dominate the waters
0:48
garmin plot your paradise reel em in
0:51
mercury outboards go boldly
0:55
and ontario canada in partnership with
0:58
destination ontario
1:02
[Applause]
1:03
[Music]
1:07
hey we've all heard the expression
1:09
getting there is half the fun
1:11
well nowhere is that more appropriate
1:13
than a drive to fishing trip
1:15
if planned properly traveling to and
1:17
from one of these wonderful fishing
1:18
lodges
1:19
can be an adventure into its own
1:22
now unfortunately or fortunately
1:25
depending on how you look at it
1:26
this global pandemic we find ourselves
1:29
in just might be the perfect reason to
1:31
finally pull the trigger on that fishing
1:33
staycation you've been talking about for
1:35
years
1:36
i i i is
1:44
he's a monster that's awesome that is
1:46
the best fishing in the world
1:51
with restricted travel and effect in
1:53
some areas drive two fishing packages
1:55
are becoming a great alternative
1:57
to the annual vacation down south
2:01
the truth of the matter is that there's
2:02
never been a more affordable and more
2:04
logical time to do it
2:07
whoa down stay down stay down nice
2:10
well i just hit the water ain't poof
2:13
good fish wood it's a commonly known
2:17
fact that tourism
2:19
and tourism-related businesses have been
2:21
severely impacted
2:22
since the global pandemic first hit us
2:24
in 2019
2:26
airlines hotels cruise ships car rentals
2:30
and restaurants
2:30
are the more obvious ones but here in
2:32
ontario as well as the rest of the
2:34
country
2:34
our resource-based tourism in particular
2:37
fishing lodges
2:38
are in dire straits due to covet 19. i'm
2:41
telling you all this
2:42
because they could really use our help
2:44
right now or whatever we've decided that
2:47
on this episode we're going to relive
2:49
some of the more
2:50
interesting drive to trips that we've
2:52
made over the years
2:53
and see if we can't i don't know get the
2:55
juices flowing
2:56
and help you decide to take that plunge
3:01
when you think about it it's just
3:03
amazing how lucky we are to be living in
3:06
a country
3:06
where you can travel from urban to rural
3:09
in a matter of hours
3:10
if not minutes from vancouver to st
3:13
john's regardless of which of canada's
3:15
major urban centers you live in
3:17
a fishing trip is never that far away
3:20
city of sault ste marie right there
3:22
folks i mean you're talking about
3:24
city fishing at its best he's a just a
3:27
gorgeous little
3:28
nice little trout oh easy girl nice
3:32
well done buddy hold on look at that
3:35
like look at the backdrop here folks
3:37
sausage marie right there the city
3:40
nice they're healthy look at the healthy
3:42
as heck eh
3:43
well i'm back buddy i'll let you do the
3:45
honors for me it'll be quick
3:47
nice come on there he goes now let me
3:50
just throw in a little disclaimer here
3:52
you see when it comes to distance and
3:54
time it's all relative to what you're
3:56
used to
3:57
you see for pete and i distance in time
4:00
is irrelevant
4:01
if we think that there's a pot of
4:02
fishing gold at the end of the rainbow
4:04
it's like a pot of gold at the end of
4:06
the rainbow so it's so cool
4:07
it's just an amazing trek
4:11
oh look at that fish folks
4:15
these fish are just beautiful they're
4:18
just beautiful
4:22
wow look at that brook trout an algoma
4:26
piece of gold one time i actually pulled
4:29
a boat from
4:30
oshawa ontario to port alberni bc
4:33
with my entire family in tow in the dead
4:36
of winter
4:38
that's 4 800 kilometers one way
4:42
i dare you to top that one
4:45
now fortunately for pete and i the bulk
4:47
of our trips take place at drive-to
4:49
locations
4:50
places with road access and because
4:53
we're in our own little work or fishing
4:55
canada bubble we can still fish together
4:57
we're going fishing what do you think
4:59
we're doing here
5:00
as long as we abide by provincial
5:02
protocol which we do
5:03
we're good to go and the same goes for
5:06
you oh look at this thing buddy
5:08
angelo that's your biggest muskie ever
5:10
oh for sure without question
5:14
oh my god oh my god show them
5:18
the world what that thing is made of and
5:20
that is a beast
5:23
okay we gotta get her back there are
5:26
great fishing lodges throughout canada
5:28
not just the far reaches of the north
5:30
you're sounding spoiled right now the
5:31
size of that fish
5:32
isn't that beautiful i'd like to see
5:39
even if we fly to a different city many
5:41
of our ultimate destinations can still
5:43
be reached by a vehicle
5:44
and that includes fishing resorts and
5:46
lodges
5:48
most canadians have this perception that
5:50
fishing lodges are only affordable by
5:52
the rich and famous
5:54
now indeed some of them can get pretty
5:56
expensive but for those trips
5:58
you're paying for the full-time
5:59
pampering for this level of bling you'd
6:02
expect to pay the big bucks
6:04
but it has nothing to do with the actual
6:06
fishing experience
6:07
oh bring them home brother
6:11
get in there get in there that's
6:14
beautiful
6:17
there we go there we go whoa whoa
6:22
another mama oh my god yep
6:25
yep there you go i got him how old is
6:28
that dude
6:31
two passes two giant trout
6:34
oh my god drive to ontario fishing lodge
6:38
vacations are much more affordable than
6:39
you may think
6:40
when you take into account that you're
6:42
eliminating that expensive airfare
6:44
by omitting flow planes helicopters or
6:47
even jets
6:48
yeah there are lodges who bring their
6:50
guests in by the jet load
6:52
your travel costs are simply a little
6:54
bit of fuel
6:56
food and maybe an overnight stay in a
6:59
roadside motel
7:04
there are great fishing lodges
7:05
throughout canada not just the far
7:07
reaches of the north
7:08
now that might sound odd but that's only
7:10
because we as canadians
7:12
feel that it's the far frontiers of our
7:14
north country that weren't the specialty
7:16
fishing experiences
7:18
now can you imagine coming into this
7:19
lake come on as a first
7:21
time walleye angler and getting yourself
7:24
a half a dozen of these
7:25
would you be spoiled or would you be
7:26
spoiled you're sounding spoiled right
7:28
now the size of that fish you're just
7:30
going yeah you know well maybe
7:33
unbelievable although pascha's got a ton
7:36
of drive-to lakes
7:37
this one you have to take a bit of a
7:38
hike a bit of a hike a bit of a drive
7:40
and a hike
7:41
about a mile and a half uh hike
7:44
but well worth it believe me it's
7:47
uh it is just an absolute treat to be
7:49
catching these things yeah i'm kidding
7:51
fantastic we're here today
7:54
to dispel that myth there are lots of
7:57
affordable fishing
7:58
lodges throughout this country
8:01
a common question that comes to mind if
8:03
you're looking to book your very first
8:04
fishing lodge trip is what can i expect
8:08
this is where the fun begins this is so
8:10
much fun
8:12
if you're on a budget the drive two
8:14
fishing destination is normally on the
8:16
lowest end of the price scale
8:18
it's usually an isolated cabin on a lake
8:20
or river that can either be accessed by
8:22
vehicle or by boat
8:24
these are normally called outpost camps
8:27
the outpost cabinet is for that hardcore
8:29
angler who's not looking to get pampered
8:32
it could be called roughing it but still
8:33
having basic creature comforts
8:36
that's one of the outpost cabins here
8:37
that's all it is like a little cottage
8:39
tiny little cottage
8:40
it's certainly not a uh certainly not a
8:42
luxury lodge
8:44
this is this is uh roughing it
8:47
with awesome fishing
8:49
[Music]
8:51
this trip is all about fishing during
8:53
the day little smally right where he
8:55
should have been
8:55
that's a beauty great fishing stories in
8:58
the evening
8:59
and winning the lottery for fresh-caught
9:01
meals of fish
9:02
as much as you could stomach no pun
9:06
intended at the opposite end of the
9:09
spectrum in comparison to the outpost
9:11
camp
9:11
is the full-blown drive-to fishing lodge
9:14
experience
9:15
here too you access the facility by
9:17
vehicle but the difference in creature
9:19
covers can be astronomical
9:22
if you're going for the full enchilada
9:24
then you'll be purchasing both
9:25
accommodations
9:26
and meals this is known as the american
9:29
plant
9:29
the accommodations can be anything from
9:31
exquisitely rustic
9:33
to uber luxurious of course this is all
9:36
price dependent
9:38
believe it or not some people will
9:39
actually book an outpost cabin for a
9:41
couple of days
9:42
and then finish off their trip back at
9:44
the main lodge
9:45
this truly is the best of both worlds
9:48
the bottom line here is that drive two
9:51
fishing outfitters
9:52
offer the traveling angler a great
9:54
package into a beautiful destination
9:57
all while saving money by not having to
9:59
pay that extra fee for airline costs
10:01
hey that's the way to do it
10:05
right to fit yes sir
10:08
that's another nice fish absolutely
10:10
buddy nothing wrong with that
10:12
not at all a little french river in the
10:14
sunlight
10:16
yeah with that sun on them isn't that
10:17
beautiful eh that's what i'd like to see
10:21
[Music]
10:30
to get to show deer lodge we first took
10:32
highway 400 north from toronto
10:35
we then took highway 69 north to highway
10:37
64.
10:38
we headed east on 64 to doki's reserve
10:41
road
10:41
we finally arrived at the dokis marina
10:44
shojir lodge is our home away from home
10:47
with its amazing comforts in its access
10:49
to some of the best fishing in the
10:50
province
10:51
whether you're after largemouth
10:52
smallmouth walleye pike or muskie
10:55
showdeer lodge on the upper french river
10:57
is a great choice
11:00
[Applause]
11:01
now here's a little taste of what you
11:02
can expect from drive two fishing
11:04
destinations throughout ontario
11:06
big ol yap they're twins
11:14
now what can you expect fishing wise
11:16
when you take a trip to a drive to
11:18
destination
11:19
well don't go in with expectations of
11:22
catching a fish on every gas
11:24
that rarely happens anywhere remember
11:27
fish as in all things wild are
11:28
unpredictable at best
11:30
that being said the fishing is usually
11:33
very good if you book with a reputable
11:34
operator
11:35
good work johnny the colors i love it
11:37
i'm starting to see some better sized
11:39
fish now
11:40
loving it welcome to tumescene thank you
11:43
let's get them generally speaking if a
11:46
bad day hits
11:47
often a great day follows at old mission
11:50
resort
11:51
here on lake tamesca maine you might
11:53
have one bad day fishing
11:55
but you never have a bad week i
11:57
guarantee it
11:59
whoa nice
12:02
holy did he ever eat that thing
12:05
wow nice fish johnny yeah it's a beauty
12:07
pete that's a lot of those here right
12:09
you do
12:10
wow you do another point don't go in as
12:14
a one technique wonder
12:16
if you're a walleye on spinners kind of
12:18
anglers it's a great idea to bring in
12:20
some crankbaits and jigs
12:22
just in case bring in ample amounts of
12:24
fishing gear
12:25
remember since it's a drive tube there's
12:27
really no restrictions
12:28
got them yeah i got them whoa flopper on
12:32
yours what do we got
12:33
boys mine is a walleye
12:36
nice oh a big walleye buddy yours too
12:40
yeah oh boy mine's about a four and
12:43
yours is probably
12:43
twice the size and mine's a five oh my
12:46
god it's the same
12:47
oh really yeah oh man you can net your
12:50
mine's
12:54
look at this you can do all hand cranks
12:55
folks this is incredible fishing does
12:57
not get any better or not
12:59
those two studs and the fish aren't bad
13:02
either
13:04
whoa uncrank oh man hey
13:08
look great high five with the tails
13:11
put them back oh gosh
13:15
look at that see you girls
13:19
real high five nice wow here's another
13:22
suggestion
13:23
a drive to fishing lodge just may be the
13:26
perfect corporate event destination
13:28
that you and your team have been looking
13:29
for booking a few cabins or maybe the
13:32
entire property
13:33
can lead to one of the best getaways for
13:35
you and your hard-working crew
13:38
the relationship building that happens
13:40
when everybody is removed from their
13:42
office all the corporate
13:45
feel everything is gone and people
13:49
actually are
13:49
themselves and they laugh and have fun
13:53
[Applause]
13:54
[Music]
13:58
now here's a little taste of what you
14:00
can expect from drive two fishing
14:01
destinations throughout ontario
14:04
there are some great facilities in the
14:06
southwest portion of the province
14:08
mostly on or around lake sinclair this
14:10
is a phenomenal body of water for both
14:12
musky and smallmouth bass
14:14
but there's a multitude of other species
14:16
there as well that was the most bizarre
14:18
thing
14:19
i should have never caught that fish
14:21
well no it's not seeing that but
14:25
ange i swear to god what a fish
14:28
i threw into that right there that edge
14:30
yeah
14:31
reeling it halfway swam a halfway back
14:33
okay nothing there
14:34
we move really fast yeah he darted up
14:37
from nowhere
14:37
i dropped the jig right beside the boat
14:39
like i didn't have time to drop it
14:41
almost i thought i got to put this much
14:42
line to drop yeah
14:43
and i thought the jig disappeared yeah
14:46
what they're meant to be that's nice
14:49
quality
14:50
fish big ol yap
14:53
gotta love it eastern ontario has a
14:56
beautiful area
14:57
just north of kingston and west of the
14:59
ottawa river the fish species list there
15:01
is
15:02
incredible all it takes is a little
15:04
research
15:09
a large boat largemouth
15:13
okay i got to talk to a guy yesterday he
15:15
said he's been fishing here 17 years and
15:16
hasn't caught one yet
15:18
i've been here 17 minutes got one
15:22
i love it oh hello
15:26
there are so many great drive-thru
15:28
fishing opportunities in this area
15:30
that it will blow your mind
15:50
ontario's algoma region is just laden
15:53
with drive two fishing destinations
15:55
we travel here every season and are
15:58
always overwhelmed with the results
16:00
you never know what to expect on an
16:02
algoma fishing trip
16:04
well it feels like a walleye head but it
16:05
looks like a walleye oh yeah look at
16:08
this
16:08
oh yellow i i honestly think this is a
16:11
big walleye yeah you know what i think i
16:12
do too the way he's fighting he's just
16:13
taking off like a northern like a crazy
16:15
northern
16:16
he may yeah but right now everything has
16:18
been boom
16:20
boom head shakes just yeah look at those
16:22
head cheeks
16:23
you gotta like the head shake don't you
16:26
just pumping
16:27
and actually i can see that fish on the
16:29
skull right right now how big you look
16:31
look at that he's building
16:32
up he's big here he comes oh giant
16:43
especially for northern ontario wow the
16:45
gomer region like that's a that's a
16:46
fantastic
16:47
fish up here but wow look at that just
16:49
the beauty and look at the golden belly
16:51
on it like that these fish are yeah
16:53
that's a little that's a fact that's an
16:54
old fish up here for them to get that
16:56
big up here they've got to be pretty
16:57
yeah yeah yeah exactly the central area
17:01
of the province and up to the northeast
17:03
has a number of fishing destinations and
17:05
to us
17:06
these are real sleepers we've had some
17:08
of the best fishing ever in this area
17:13
oh that's a good fish of course i got my
17:16
giant
17:17
pike net here
17:19
[Music]
17:23
this guy ate though that's a good one
17:27
chunky stocky fish here here's something
17:30
i when you're in muskie in pike water a
17:33
lot of times they get that on them
17:35
that i'll guarantee it with that is
17:36
that's an esoc somehow grabbed them
17:39
white gorilla muskie and he's just
17:42
living the dream by not being in that
17:44
one's got right now
17:46
maybe i was a younger fish nice awesome
17:49
and finally the king of all fishing
17:52
destinations in the province
17:53
the northwest sunset country there are
17:56
so many great drive-thru fishing
17:58
opportunities in this area that it will
18:00
blow your mind
18:01
here walleye ranks highest for visiting
18:04
anglers however
18:05
this is truly a multi-species mecca
18:08
here on eagle lake we have walleye
18:10
northern pike smallmouth
18:12
perch lake trout whitefish and the most
18:15
famous probably the muskie
18:16
you can catch them all in the same day
18:18
if you really want to
18:19
[Music]
18:22
fish
18:25
no idea what it is nice molly
18:28
nice smallie yeah that's the fun that's
18:30
how a fish can fool you right there
18:32
and then you're you're in a predator
18:34
zone here
18:35
pike and and musky and everything else
18:38
your thoughts are okay is it a smallie
18:40
is it a
18:41
bike is it no ski look at that
18:45
what a gorgeous smallmouth bass that's
18:48
over four pounds that fish
18:49
for sure like it's chunky you got bike
18:53
walleye muskie and smallies
18:57
you truly can't script a better buddies
18:59
get together
19:00
than taking a trip to a drive to fishing
19:02
lodge this truly is the
19:04
ultimate in camaraderie as we say there
19:07
previously though
19:08
please think safety and stay within your
19:10
bubble
19:12
and of course let's not forget about
19:14
family why not take a week's vacation
19:16
where
19:17
mom can chill out and enjoy the outdoors
19:19
kids can go hiking and exploring
19:22
and dad well there could be some fishing
19:25
involved too
19:26
you know i'm just saying catch you next
19:36
week
19:40
this hot spot is a rocky point about
19:41
midway up the southern portion of
19:43
wagatangashi lake in the algoma region
19:45
of ontario
19:46
the wave point on your screen will get
19:47
you there we found fish anywhere from
19:49
eight to twenty plus feet deep so
19:51
definitely use your electronics to scour
19:53
this area for fish
19:55
slow death crawlers along with regular
19:56
jigs and ice fishing jigs work best for
19:58
us
20:03
to get to today's newly mapped walleye
20:05
water i first drove north on highway 400
20:07
to 69
20:08
i turned northwest on highway 17 and
20:11
then turned northeast on 519 to the town
20:13
of duberville
20:14
from there was dirt roads to the meeting
20:16
area of this drive to lodge
20:18
please note lock island lodge has a
20:20
strict policy of using only their camp
20:22
boats
20:23
we were granted special access in order
20:24
to update the camps hot spots with our
20:26
advanced garment mapping system
20:29
the fish in canada show brought to you
20:31
in part by
20:33
ram trucks built to serve
20:37
princecraft boats dominate the waters
20:41
garmin plot your paradise reel em in
20:45
mercury outboards go boldly
20:49
and ontario canada in partnership with
20:52
destination ontario
20:55
closed captioning for this episode was
20:56
brought to you by fishingcanada.com
20:58
the gateway to your next fishing
21:00
adventure
21:04
[Music]
21:13
[Applause]
21:13
[Music]
21:22
you
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