Canoeing may be the main attraction to the park, but it could easily be the fishing. The lakes and rivers within the park boundary are teeming with tasty Walleye, Northern Pike and Lake Trout! In fact, the fishing is so good,you could probably eat fish every night of your trip.
The rugged landscape of the Canadian shield provides clean, deep waters for these fish species to grow in abundance. With less than 700 visitors to the park annually, these fish see virtually no pressure and respond to an anglers bait without any apprehension. The fishing opportunities with the park are truly amazing.
For more information on fishing in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, please see the documents below.
Fishing Options for Non-Canadian Residents
Walleye
Beginning in late May, Walleye can be found in relatively shallow water, and are easily caught while trolling a line from your canoe with a minnow bait such as a Rapala. As the water temp. warms, Walleye will move deeper. Concentrate your efforts around deeper drop-offs or mid-lake reefs. Vertically jigging a 1/4 ounce jighead and grub combination should do the trick.
With the abundance of Walleye and their willingness to bite, tackle can be kept fairly simple. Something that will be appreciated on the portages you’ll encounter! An assortment of minnowbaits such as the Rapala Husky Jerk or Original Minnow, Cotton Cordell CC Shads or Wally Divers and Smithwick Rogues are all that is required. Stick to natural colors. For jigging, a selection of 1/8 and 1/4 ounce jigheads with Berkley Power Grubs or Gulp Grubs rounds out your arsenal. Again, natural colors such as white and black will have you catching tasty walleye in no time!
Lake Trout
Lake Trout are the true gems of fishing within the park. With firm, orange flesh, there is simply nothing better than a Laker cooked over an open fire! As with Walleye, Laker’s will be up shallow in spring making them easy targets for anglers. Troll shorelines and open water alike with spoons such as a Williams Wabler, Mooselook Wabler or Lucky Strike Canoe Spoon. Silver or Gold should do the trick. As summer approaches, Lake Trout seek the colder, more oxygenated water so look for them in deeper holes and drop off’s. This will make trolling difficult as you may not be getting the bait deep enough. Instead try jigging white grubs or tubes or even a heavy spoon off bottom. This is best achieved with a minimum 3/8 ounce jighead or spoon. Set your canoe up with the wind and drift across the lake…. you should have a Laker on before too long!
Northern Pike
The Pike in the park are voracious! Found in almost every lake, they are a great compliment to Walleye and Lake Trout. As with Walleye, minnow baits and the jig/grub combination are effective on these water wolf’s. Make sure to bring a few wire leaders with when targeting these toothy critters.
If you’re looking for specific information on fishing spots, please check with one of the outfitters that service the park. Please click here to go the Outfitters page.