This part of Canada is good for muskie fishing. You can find good numbers of them and some very big fish too. Cedar Lake is known as a trophy muskie fishery and many anglers come here every year just for the muskie. You can find muskie in some of the other lakes as well.
Cedar Lake
Cedar Lake is one of the better drive to muskie fishing lakes in Ontario. It is a great lake for a variety of different fish and there are good numbers of a variety of species of fish. Those huge numbers of other fish give a lot of muskie plenty of food to eat year round, which helps to create such an amazing fishery. Eagle Lake probably gets more attention for its muskie fishery, but Cedar Lake is at least in the conversation when you talk about great muskie lakes in Ontario. Anglers can have multiple fish days here with big fish above 50″ a definitely possibility if you put in the time.
Learn more on our Cedar Lake Muskie Fishing page.
Cliff Lake
Some anglers report some very good muskie fishing on Cliff Lake, while many others struggle to consistently find active muskie in this deep water lake. Because of the deep, clear waters here, you are going to have to fish deeper than you might be used to if you are going to target muskie here. Live suckers and jigging baits can be very productive as you target the deeper water here. There are some big muskie in Cliff Lake, however, nearby Cedar Lake is known for putting out many more big muskie. If you enjoy fishing deep, clear water lakes, you might enjoy fishing Cliff Lake for muskie.
Perrault Lake
Perrault Lake is home to some very big muskie, but very few anglers will see one on a trip here. Muskie are not here in large numbers, but there are lakes in the area that do offer good muskie fishing. Nearby, anglers usually fish Cedar Lake for muskie, but you can also head to Thaddeus Lake as well. Good numbers of muskie and big fish are available in both lakes.
Wabaskang Lake
Wabaskang Lake does have muskie, but they are here in very low numbers. Most anglers will never see a muskie, but occasionally, you will see a picture of a big muskie in a report from Wabaskang Lake.
Using Leaders for Muskie
Muskie have some serious teeth. Use quality steel leaders to avoid bite-offs. If you are fishing clear water, you may need to go with a fluorocarbon leader to get bit. Most anglers will not go any lighter than 100 lb. fluorocarbon for muskie and don’t be shocked if you lose a big fish due to a bite-off. Some anglers go as heavy as 140 to 150 pound fluorocarbon. Ideally, you want to be as stealthy as you can so you can get more bites, but if you go too light with the fluorocarbon, you risk losing fish and possibly killing some big fish due to the lures getting stuck in their mouths.
Best Baits for Muskie
There are many types of baits to target muskie. Anglers don’t have as many options when using live baits since many of the fish that muskie eat can not be used as bait. Suckers and big chubs are usually the best options for most anglers that want to use live bait. For artificial lures, there are a variety of big baits to throw. Most anglers fish with bucktail spinners, some type of swimbait, topwater lure or jerkbait when chasing muskie.
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Best Rigs for Muskie
There aren’t too many different rigs for muskie fishing because you only have so many options for throwing some of the gigantic baits needed. Also, most anglers use lures for muskie or big sucker minnows, so you really don’t need too many rigs to target muskie. However, there are still several rigs you should know about, especially if you are going to be using live bait.
The Carolina rig, drop shot rig and quick strike rig are some of the best rigs for muskie.
Best Techniques for Muskie
Anglers use a variety of techniques for muskie. Casting is most popular, but jigging and trolling are also very effective techniques. Learn more about some of the best techniques for muskie page.
Learn More About Muskie
Our muskie fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our muskie fishing website to learn more.
