As anglers head up to Eagle Lake, Wabigoon Lake, Dinorwic Lake, Lac Seul, Red Lake and the Perrault Falls area, they will often take Highway 502 between Dryden, Ontario and Rainy Lake. Most people will look at the waters that they drive by and wonder how the fishing is in these waters, but they usually just look and continue on towards their preferred fishing destination. For some people, they will stop and fish some of these lakes for a day and others will actually plan a trip to this area. Lodging is limited in this part of Ontario, however, there are some drive-to lodging options as well as some good boat-in options plus several fly-in fishing outposts.
Some of the popular lakes in this area are Rainy Lake, Esox Lake and Lower Manitou Lake. There are so many smaller lakes in this area that are also home to some very good fishing for a variety of species such as smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, crappie, walleye and lake trout.