Fishing

As a year round fishery, Crawford’s Camp offers you the best of open water and ice fishing opportunities on Ontario’s famous Lake of the Woods.

Located in Whitefish Bay on Ontario’s Lake of the Woods, Crawford’s Camp is home to a wide variety of game fish to satisfy your leisure and competitive fishing pleasures. Bountiful numbers of Walleye, Northern Pike, Small and Largemouth Bass, Muskie, Crappie and Lake Trout await you.

Towards the end of April we generally have “ice out” and it’s time for some shallow water lake trout fishing. The big ones are up and it’s time for casting and trolling. We generally have cottages open for “ice out” to accommodate those fishermen that come up and get rid of winter cabin fever!

As the bays warm up near Crawford’s Camp, you’ll find the Largemouth, Smallmouth and the Crappies moving in and hanging around last year’s weeds. By the first of June, Bass are hitting heavy and we are seeing many Smallmouth in the 3 – 4lbs + range now. To try and maintain our bass population, we do request that you stick to “catch and release” during the spawning season!

Walleye season on Whitefish Bay opens up on the third Saturday in May and that is traditionally the “opening of fishing season.” During the course of the summer the Walleye move from one area to another, but by utilizing knowledge of their habits from previous years, we are able to stay on top of them.

Muskie season opens the third Saturday in June and this is just after the end of their yearly spawning ritual. Usually the Muskie are still up shallow at this time and it can be great for light tackle! The 54” minimum has been in effect for several years now and we are seeing some beautiful fish being caught, although not many are being brought in! Releasing a fish that size really takes a dedicated person, but try to save a few for the next generation and if you take a picture, or have the dimensions, you can have a replica made that is exactly like a real one, but lasts longer.

Remote Lake Fishing

For those that desire a different wilderness experience, we have several boats cached on portage lakes around the area. Some are a short walk away and some are further, often requiring a couple of rest stops. We usually take a couple of these trips ourselves each summer just for the feeling of solitude and accomplishment that we get. We can also arrange a day, or overnight, fly-in trip to one of the lakes a little further in. We have gear available for an overnight trip and these can either be guided or unguided.

We realize that your vacation is something that you look forward to all year and the friendly hosts of Crawford’s Camp are here to help you make that experience a memorable one. We do not just try to get you booked in and then drop you. You are not turned over to a manager; you are dealing with the owners!! We will take the time upon your arrival to go over working techniques and locations on the lake so you will not have to waste any of your vacation not catching fish. We are here to assist you in whatever way that we can!  Your look of satisfaction from the battle with a large fish, or the completion of a wilderness experience, is what it’s all about!

Tackle Recommendations

To help with your trip planning we have developed a list of tackle for each species that works well on the lake and in our area….

• Northern Pike – Five of diamond spoons, Daredevil spoons, SR9 Shad Raps, Chartreuse and White Spinnerbaits, Rattlin Raps, X-Raps, Clackin Rap, and Mepps Spinners.
• Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass – Zara Spook, Heddon Torpedos, Rebel Crawdad, Berkley Power grubs (black, motor oil, and crawdad), Zoom Super flukes (white), plastic tubes, Mepps Spinners, X-Raps, Crawdad Crank baits (0-4ft), Rattle traps, Rattlin Rogues, and Rapala husky jerks.
• Largemouth Bass – Spinnerbaits, topwater frogs (Spro frogs), Lucky Craft Sammy, Rattlin Raps, Zoom Super Flukes, 5 inch Power Worms, Flippin Jigs (3/8oz), and Flipping Tubes.
• Walleye – ¼ oz round lead head jigs (Chartreuse, white, orange, yellow, gold, red, and green), inline spinner rigs (hammered gold, and nickel spinners), fuzzy grubs, rattlin raps, Berkley Gulp Alive Minnows and leeches.
• Muskie – Cowgirls, bulldawgs, Jake baits, Top Raiders, and Spro Minnows.
• Crappie – 1/8 oz Lead Head round jigs, 1 ½ inch crappie squirt tubes, Northland Slurpie minnows, 1/16oz marabou jigs, 1.5 – 2 inch grubs (Brown, black, yellow, white, silver, green, and orange) and slip bobbers.
• Lake Trout – ¾ and 1 oz Swedish pimples (silver, gold), 4 or 5 inch White Tubes, 4 inch Power tubes (white), Little Cleo spoons, Sonar’s, and buzz bombs.

For Ontario Fishing regulations and additional information – http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsFish/index.html

Guide Service:

Our guide boats are 19′ long with complete convertible tops, walk thru windshield, bow casting platform, comfortable swivel seats, graphs, all safety gear, power by a 150 h.p. outboard, with 9.9 outboard for a rear trolling motor and a Minnkota electric motor on the bow. Our guides are “home grown” and if I won’t go fishing with one of them, I won’t send my guests with them either. A real guide is a teacher, and is there to teach you how, where, and when. Some of our guests use the guide service for a day or two while they are here to learn new areas and then spend the rest of their vacation fishing on their own. New guests often use it to get familiar with the area, local fishing techniques and local hot spots!

The highlight of the day is the “fish fry shore lunch.” The guide will pull into one of the islands, build a fire, fry up some fish, potatoes, vegetables, coffee, and a little dessert. One of these meals and your hooked for life! Be sure to bring a camera!