Land of Nipigon

Fishing
Land of Nipigon Adventure Guide 2021

2022 Land of Nipigon Adventure Guide:

Printed: $19.95 +shipping

 

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Seasonal Fishing Guide

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Places to Fish

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Fishing Essentials

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Ice Fishing

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Stocked Lakes

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Steelhead Rivers

FREE DOWNLOAD - The Original Guidebook

This Guidebook is from 2016/2017 and may contain businesses and phone numbers that may not exist or have changed. The destinations all hold true. For updated information get the new guidebook which is constantly being updated.

Nipigon area Fishing Guidebook

Comprehensive guidebook for fishing in the region. Includes Maps, species information, advice and locations. Available through Northwest Ontario Outdoors.

LAND OF NIPIGON FISHING

Steelhead Rivers of Lake Superior

Steelhead by definition is a sea-run Rainbow Trout. However, the term is applied to the fresh water great lakes rainbow trout because they substitute Lake Superior for the sea.

Steelhead are mainly fished during the two to four-week spring spawning run they make into Lake Superior rivers. Usually, the spring spawn run occurs when water temperatures reach 6 to 7 degrees Celsius, and the water clears from spring run off. Typically the local spring spawn runs from April to mid-May depending on the year. During the spring run, fish can inhabit streams that you would never think would hold such a sized fish. 4-5 pound fish can be seen in less than a foot of water in streams you can jump across.

A false spawn occurs in late fall with some fish entering rivers in October/November. Although not as many fish enter the rivers for the fall run, the fish tend to be much more aggressive with the onset of the cold weather.

At other times of the year, steelhead can be caught trolling spoons in the larger rivers (Nipigon) as well as the shores of Lake Superior. Little Cleos of various size and shapes are a must for trolling the open water.

Angling for Steelhead during their spawn runs is typically done using “spawn” inspired flies, lures and even spawn sacks/fish eggs on their own. A simple hook with an egg or small sack of eggs slowly drifted downstream into large holes is a typical method.

Some spawn imitation flys for drift fishing exist as well with fly fishermen/women entering the rivers and trying to entice the Steelhead into a battle.

Almost all rivers, creeks and streams that enter Lake Superior in our area have a spring Steelhead run starting just before ice-out (April) and into May depending on water temperatures.

Common places for Steelheading

Wadeable Rivers:
JackPine River
Wolf River
Cypress River (25 minutes east of Nipigon)
Whitesand River (Just east of Rossport)
Steel River (15 minutes east of Terrace Bay)

Small Creeks
Ruby Creek
Stillwater Creek
Trout Creek
Coldwater Creek
Ozone Creek

Nipigon River – mostly boat access with some shore access. Holds steelhead year round.

Steelhead rivers, streams and creeks. 

This is not a full listing as pretty much every creek, stream and river on the North shore has some sort of Steelhead run in the spring and/or fall. 

Typically there are footpaths/trails along the sides of the more popular steelhead creeks. Steelhead do not need big rivers, some creeks are just feet across. 

 

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Fishing Nipigon; choose your species

Brook Trout

Lake Trout

Rainbow Trout

Perch

Chinook Salmon

Pink Salmon

Northern Pike

Walleye

Coho Salmon

Lake Whitefish

Lake Cisco

Burbot

Smallmouth Bass

Smelt

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