Top 10 Trout Fishing Spots in Ontario

""Excuse me, I said. I thought you were a trout stream."
"I'm not, she said."
— Richard Brautigan (Trout Fishing in America)

The Zen-like experience of fly-fishing can be experienced by other fishermen and non-anglers, too, of course. Here's my guide to fishing in Ontario.

With this year's trout fishing season set to open in about two weeks, it's time to get out the tackle, find your waders and head for the stream. Maybe you are thinking of getting into the kayak craze.

A kayak let's you get into remote hot spots no other angler can reach.

Springtime in Canada can be a wild time in the outdoors, with winter slowly giving way to longer days and warmer weather. For trout fishing enthusiasts, that often means dealing with hazards, from lingering ice to cranky bears emerging from their dens.

Many trout waters are most productive right at ice-out, but you need to be extra cautious about lingering ice and be ready for a challenge.

When a large portion of the waterbody is still covered in ice, or chunks are still floating around, vertical fishing with a jig may be your only option, since casting and trolling will be too difficult.

Use a stable boat and avoid heavily iced areas. When wading this time of year, keeping an eye out for fast, high water, as well as chunks of ice.

There are many types of trout to fish for in Ontario. Our lakes are teeming with both Lake Trout and Brook (Speckled) Trout.

Lake trout like the cold, dark depths of deep lakes. The bigger lakers in the region can exceed 30 pounds.

Community activists are giving the Ontario government low marks for its response to a series of attacks on Asian anglers since 2007. A number of Asians had been harassed by people demanding to see their fishing permits and inspect their catch, resulting in some anglers being pushed into the water or attacked in other ways.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission released its final report on the Inquiry into Assaults on Asian Canadian Anglers. Entitled Fishing without Fear: Follow-up report on the Inquiry into Assaults on Asian Canadian Anglers.

Those warnings and that controversy aside, here's my top 10 list.

1. The lakes and rivers around Tweed, north of Belleville, beside The Zen Forest, are famous for muskies, but the trout fishing is also good.

In 1996 the town made news when it applied for a CFL team, in an attempt to become the Green Bay of Canada. Had the attempt been successful, the team would have been known as the Tweed Muskies.

Tweed is also known for some good swimming and awesome fishing spots. Lake Stoco, which borders the town, is home to the popular sport-fish, the muskellunge or Muskie

Perry's Tackle Wholesale Distributor - Perry's Tackle is a Canadian distributor of wholesale tackle located in Tweed, Ontario.

I don't know if the Zen Forest Retreat is open. It appears to have disappeared. I can't find it on-line and a machine takes phone messages.

2. Lake Scugog, pronounced skew-gawg, beside Port Perry, is a man-made lake.  The old river bed is marked by buoys.

The lake is shallow and the waters are murky and very weedy. The dark waters are a perfect home for the elusive walleye.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?