There are so many awesome northern pike fishing destinations. Whether you are looking for action or a trophy fish, you will find plenty of destinations to choose from below.
Canada
Quick Links
| Alberta | Northwest Territories |
| British Columbia | Nova Scotia |
| Manitoba | Prince Edward Island |
| Ontario | Quebec |
| New Brunswick | Saskatchewan |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | |
Ontario
Ontario provides anglers some of the best fishing in North America for numbers and quality of fish. There are so many popular areas to visit in Ontario that offer great fishing plus the business services to have an excellent fishing vacation. From the resorts, guides and outfitters throughout Ontario, you have so many options for planning a great fishing trip. Walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout, perch, crappie and muskie are found throughout Ontario. If you’re looking to target largemouth bass, the better fishing occurs in eastern Ontario. In some places, you will also find other trout too.
Take a look below at the popular regions and destinations to visit for an Ontario fishing vacation.
Lake of the Woods Region
Lake of the Woods is a gigantic lake that has several awesome sections of the lake that serve as their own featured destination. Walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskie make this lake popular, but you can also catch crappie, perch and largemouth bass too. Head just north of Kenora and you will find a bunch of other awesome lakes in Minaki, Ontario.
| Kenora |
| Minaki |
| Morson |
| Nestor Falls |
| Sioux Narrows |
Rainy River Region
The Rainy River Region is home to some excellent fishing and you don’t have to go too far across the border to get to these waters. Rainy Lake and the Rainy River are right at the border and they both offer excellent fishing opportunities. The Rainy River is better in the spring and fall, while Rainy Lake is good during the entire fishing season. Atikokan is one of the better smallmouth bass destinations in Ontario and there are a lot of smaller waters here to fish, so you don’t need a fancy boat to catch nice fish here. The Clearwater-Pipestone Chain of Lakes is another awesome fishery in this region.
| Atikokan |
| Clearwater / Pipestone Chain of Lakes |
| Rainy Lake |
| Rainy River |
Patricia Region
The Patricia Region is home to some outstanding fishing for a variety of fish such as walleye, northern pike, muskie, smallmouth bass and more. Lac Seul is one of the most popular drive-to lakes for walleye fishing and the pike fishing is good there too. The Red Lake chain is another great fishery with excellent numbers of walleye and pike. Sioux Lookout can hold its own with any of the other featured destinations in this area. There are many other excellent fishing destinations in this area as well. Take a look below to learn more.
| Dinorwic Lake & Wabigoon Lake | Perrault Falls |
| Eagle Lake | Pickle Lake |
| Ear Falls | Red Lake |
| Ignace | Sioux Lookout |
| Lac Seul | Sturgeon Lake |
| Lake St. Joseph | Vermilion Bay |
Wilderness Ontario
| Highway 17 – Between Ignace and Highway 11 |
| Highway 502 – Between Dryden and Rainy Lake |
| Highway 622 – Between Atikokan and Highway 17 |
Near Detroit
Head towards Detroit if you want to fish one of the best lakes in the midwest. Lake St. Clair is an amazing fishery for smallmouth bass and muskie with other species of fish available too. Pelee Island is an awesome destination for smallmouth bass and big walleye. Whether you come from Ontario or Sandusky, Ohio to reach Pelee Island, you’re going to be glad you made the visit once you arrive. The fishing is outstanding during the summer around the island.
Fairly Close to Toronto
Within a couple of hours from Toronto, anglers have many options for planning an awesome fishing vacation. You can target huge walleye and smallmouth bass in this region with some excellent largemouth bass fishing, northern pike, muskie and panfish too.
| Bay of Quinte | Rice Lake |
| Kawartha Lakes Region | Rideau Lakes Ontario |
| Lake Simcoe | Thousand Islands |
| Niagara Falls Region | Toronto, Canada |
Superior Country
Superior Country is another awesome area to visit in Ontario. Lake Nipigon is more remote while Thunder Bay is a popular city on Lake Superior. Greenstone, Ontario is somewhere in between the two destinations, so you get a little bit of everything if you visit this area. Plan on having good opportunities to fish for walleye, pike, smallmouth bass, salmon, trout and more.
| Lake Nipigon |
| Thunder Bay |
Northeastern Ontario
Northeastern Ontario provides some excellent fishing for a variety of fish species. Depending on where you go, you may end up catching largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskie, panfish and more.
| Chapleau |
| Temagami |
| French River |
| Lake Nipissing |
| Sudbury |
Georgian Bay Area
Georgian Bay is a huge area with some amazing fishing opportunities. Walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskie and panfish will keep anglers busy throughout this region.
| Almaguin Highlands | Manitoulin Island |
| Georgian Bay | Muskoka |
| Haliburton County | Parry Sound |
Great Lakes
| Lake Huron |
| Lake Michigan |
| Lake Ontario |
| Lake Superior |
Michigan
Lower Peninsula Michigan
There are plenty of really good waters to fish in the lower peninsula of Michigan. There is a lot of variety from big waters to smaller inland lakes, rivers and streams. Below are some of the most popular fishing destinations in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
| Burt Lake & Mullet Lake | Lake Cadillac & Lake Mitchell |
| Detroit River | Lake St. Clair |
| Houghton Lake Area | Traverse City |
| Indian River Area | |
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is home to some of the best salmon fishing in the midwest. Combine the trout and smallmouth bass, there are some awesome fishing ports on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan. Take a look below to learn more about the popular destinations on Lake Michigan in this state.
| Bays de Noc | Manistee |
| Charlevoix | Manistique |
| Douglas & Saugatuck | Muskegon |
| Frankfort | Pentwater |
| Glen Arbor | South Haven |
| Grand Haven | St. Joseph |
| Holland | |
Lake Huron – Lower Peninsula
Due to the decline in the salmon numbers over the years, anglers have turned to lake trout out on the main lake basin. There are still some salmon to be caught, but you won’t find the numbers here like you will on Lake Michigan. Saginaw Bay has become the biggest draw due to its excellent walleye and perch fishing, but you can still find some good fishing opportunities at some of the featured Lake Huron destinations listed below.
| Alpena |
| Cheboygan |
| Mackinaw City |
| Saginaw Bay |
Upper Peninsula Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is home to some awesome fishing opportunities. On most of the lakes in this part of Michigan, you will find less crowds than you would find in the nearby states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Anglers fish for a variety of fish in this part of the state such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, panfish, trout, northern pike and muskie.
| Iron Mountain | Manistique Lakes |
| Iron River | Watersmeet |
| Lake Gogebic | |
Lake Huron – Upper Peninsula
On Lake Huron in the Upper Peninsula, anglers find some very good fishing around Drummond Island and the Les Cheneaux Islands. Anglers fish for salmon, trout, smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch.
| Drummond Island |
| Les Cheneaux Islands |
Lake Superior – Upper Peninsula
On Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, anglers have some good options to target a variety of fish. Some walleye are caught in this area, but the fishing is better for salmon, trout, northern pike and more.
| Grand Marais | Munising |
| Keweenaw Peninsula | Saulte Ste. Marie |
Minnesota
Rivers & Lakes
Featured Towns & Regions
North Dakota
| Devils Lake | Missouri River |
| Lake Sakakawea | Red River of the North |
Wisconsin
| Northern Wisconsin | Central Wisconsin | Southern Wisconsin |
Southern Wisconsin
Southern Wisconsin is home to some incredible fishing opportunities. Anglers target a variety of fish from salmon to muskie to bass to panfish. It’s all here in southern Wisconsin, but these waters get plenty of pressure from Wisconsin & Illinois anglers, so it won’t always be easy to fill a limit of fish on any given day. However, southern Wisconsin is very unique in that you can catch so many different species of fish as well as some very big fish.
| Big Muskego Lake | Lake Wisconsin |
| Browns Lake | Madison, WI |
| Como Lake | Nagawicka Lake |
| Lac La Belle | Okauchee Lake |
| Lake Delavan | Pewaukee Lake |
| Lake Geneva | Wisconsin Dells |
Central Wisconsin
| Beaver Dam Lake | Lake Michigan |
| Castle Rock Lake | Lake Winnebago |
| Eau Claire, WI | Petenwell Lake |
| Green Bay, WI | Puckaway Lake |
| Green Lake, WI | Shawano Lake |
| LaCrosse, WI | Wausau, WI |
Northern Wisconsin
Northern Wisconsin is home to some incredible fishing. There are big waters to fish with trophy fish potential plus plenty of smaller lakes to go along with some good river and stream fishing too. Smallmouth bass and muskie are available in good numbers in so many different bodies of water throughout Northern Wisconsin. Walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish are available in so many places as well.
Popular Large Lakes & Rivers
| Fence Lake | St. Croix River |
| Green Bay | Trout Lake |
| Lake Michigan | Turtle Flambeau Flowage |
| Lake Pepin | Wisconsin River |
| Mississippi River | |
Popular Towns
View by County
Out West
Alaska
| Kenai Peninsula |
| South Central Alaska |
| Southwest Alaska |
Colorado
| Eleven Mile Reservoir | Rio Blanco Lake |
| Crawford Reservoir | Spinney Mountain Reservoir |
| Harvey Gap | Stagecoach Reservoir |
| Navajo Reservoir | Williams Fork Reservoir |
| Rifle Gap | Yampa River |
Idaho
| Coeur d’Alene, ID |
| Lake Pend Oreille |
Montana
| Bigfork, MT |
| Fort Peck Lake |
| Whitefish, MT |
South Dakota
| Glacial Lakes South Dakota | Lake Sharpe |
| Lake Francis Case | Lewis & Clark Lake |
| Lake Oahe | |
Maine
| Kennebec Valley |
| Rangeley Lakes Region |
New Hampshire
| Lake Winnipesaukee |
New York
Rivers & Lakes
| Allegheny River | Lake Erie |
| Lake Champlain | Susquehanna River Valley |
Featured Towns & Regions
| Adirondacks | Rochester, NY |
| Finger Lakes | Thousand Islands |
| Orleans County, NY | |
Pennsylvania
| Allegheny River | Pennsylvania Wilds |
| Erie, PA | Susquehanna River Valley |
Vermont
| Lake Champlain |
