This area is a good area for northern pike fishing. There are plenty of pike in the area waters and there are enough big lakes here to grow bigger pike in the upper 30 inch range up to and even above 40 inches long too. Lake Temagami is a popular lake for northern pike and with its irregular shape, you can fish big water, although, it doesn’t feel like you’re fishing big water. The Marten River system is another good body of water for pike fishing. All of the lakes connected to this body of water will have pike in them and some big fish are here too.
Most of the smaller lakes in the area will have pike in them also. Bring a smaller boat if you plan on doing a little exploring while here. Many of the smaller lakes will have good action, but won’t have the trophy potential that the bigger lakes will have.
Lake Temagami
Lake Temagami is the main draw here. It is a big lake with lots of fishing opportunities for a variety of fish. Anglers target northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, lake trout and perch. The fishing is very good on the lake for action and some trophy fish too. Most anglers come here for the walleye and northern pike fishing. Some anglers realize how good the smallmouth bass fishing is here too and they target them, but they are usually under fished compared to the walleye. Lake trout anglers do well in shallower water in the spring and in fall, but will be fishing deep for them in the summer. Lake Temagami is a big lake with so many places to fish on it with all its islands, bays and points. Because of how this lake is shaped, you can usually find some place to fish even on windy days, which is not typical of bigger lakes.
Marten River System
Just south of Lake Temagami, the Marten River system is known as an excellent body of water to fish as well. Anglers target a variety of fish here such as walleye, northern pike, lake trout, smallmouth bass and perch. This area has a lot of water to fish, but you can catch plenty of fish on this river system. Some of the lakes that are known for good fishing are Little Marten Lake, Big Marten Lake, Bruce Lake and Mcfee Lake. If you bring a smaller boat that you can drop in, there are plenty of smaller lakes in the area if you want to do some exploring while here.
Red Cedar Lake
Red Cedar Lake is a good-sized lake in Marten River area. Marten River flows into Red Cedar Lake and the Temagami River flows through the lake as well. Anglers catch good numbers of walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass. Lake trout are here in smaller numbers.
5 Connected Lakes
Snake Island, Cassels, Gosselin, Obashkong & Rabbit Lakes
There are 5 connected lakes that start right in the middle of Temagami. Snake Island leads to Cassels Lake, which then leads to Gosselin Lake and Obashkong Lake. South of Cassels Lake is Rabbit Lake.
Snake Island Lake, Cassels Lake and Rabbit Lake all offer good fishing for a variety of fish. Anglers target smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, lake trout and whitefish in these lakes. Gosselin is much smaller, so it’s mostly a northern pike lake, but some bass are there too depending on the time of year. Obashkong Lake is a decent-sized lake that offers walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and whitefish. There are also portages off this chain of lakes to Sunrise Lake or Blueberry Lake. Sunrise Lake is known for its lake trout. From Blueberry Lake, some anglers will then head to Dalton Lake or Telford Lake. These two lakes are known for their excellent smallmouth bass fishing.
Angus Lake
Angus is a fairly narrow lake right off the highway in between Temagami and Marten River. It’s an easy lake to fish and it holds good numbers of walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike.
Herridge Lake
Herridge Lake is located just south of downtown Temagami. There is a lodge on this lake and anglers target northern pike, smallmouth bass and walleye. Many people who visit Herridge Lake will use this as a base camp and they will fish one of the many outpost lakes here.
Jumping Cariboo Lake
Jumping Cariboo Lake is right next to Angus Lake. It is a large lake with plenty of bays and islands to get out of the rougher water on windier days. This lake has so many productive fishing spots and you can target a variety of fish. Anglers catch walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout and whitefish.
Net Lake
Net Lake is just north of Temagami. It is a good lake for a variety of fish. Anglers target good numbers of walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and lake trout here.
Rib Lake / Cliff Lake Conservation Reserve
Rib Lake is a smaller lake with one fishing resort on it. The lake offers good fishing with water as deep as 140 feet. Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, lake trout and whitefish. Rib Lake is also located just to the west of the Cliff Lake Conservation Reserve.
Anglers that stay on Rib Lake can take a short boat ride on Rib Lake followed by a hike through the bush to get to Cliff Lake. This Conservation Reserve was created so people can enjoy this area for years to come. There are 2 campsites on Cliff Lake, one on Roosevelt Lake, one on Slim Lake, one on Fat Lake, 2 on Rib Lake and one on Friday Lake. None of these campsites are maintained and they do not have latrines.
Cliff Lake is part of several canoe routes. Portage trails are available for the canoeists and they run from Rib Lake to Cliff Lake to Fat Lake and beyond.
Wilson Lake
There is a resort on Wilson Lake and anglers target northern pike, walleye and smallmouth bass here. Many people who visit Wilson Lake will use this as a base camp and they will fish one of the many outpost lakes here.
Smaller Lakes & Streams in the Area
This area has so much water here to fish. Some of the smaller lakes will have nicer boat launches, but many of the lakes will require you to drop a smaller boat in to be able to access the lake. There is a lot of good fishing for a variety of species such as northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass and even lake trout on some of the deeper lakes. Brook trout are also common here on some of the area lakes and streams.
Best Baits for Northern Pike
Northern pike are known for eating just about everything they can get the mouths on and there is definitely some truth to that. For the most part, if it swims, pike may eat it. There are some baits that definitely will catch more pike than others though. Spinners, crankbaits, spoons, swimbaits and soft plastics are some of the best lures for targeting pike. Live baits such as minnows and perch are great baits too.
Learn More
Best Rigs for Northern Pike
There are many different rigs you can use for northern pike, however, since pike are so aggressive, you really don’t need to use as many of them as you would if you were trying to get good at largemouth bass fishing. For most situations, you can keep it real simple with a jighead and a minnow or soft plastic bait. To learn about some of the rigs that you can use, take a look at our best rigs for northern pike page.
Best Techniques for Northern Pike
Anglers catch pike with many different techniques. Casting, trolling and drifting are most popular ways to target pike, but there are some other methods that also work well too.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for northern pike page.
Learn More About Northern Pike
Our northern pike fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our northern pike fishing website to learn more.
