Finding the Best Fishing Spots

So where do you fish? Where is your best fishing spot? If you ask that to an experienced angler, you'll receive a certain look and you'll probably won't get a straight answer. The best answer you might get is "Anywhere!". So how do I find the best fishing spots? In this post I will share the tools and resources I use when trying to research a fishing spot. Some may or may not surprise you but they all work.

Photo by: Lotta Tamminen on Unsplash

Google Maps/Earth

It's free, simple to use, and available on your smartphone. Load up Google Maps, go to the area you would like to fish, look for anything that is light blue. It may be a pond, a lake, or a river that is on public ground. You can tell if the land around the water body is public or private based on the color, if it's green it is public (on most occasions), and if it is lighter, it's private. You can even use the 3-D satellite image if you want to know if a bank is steep or flat.

Books

No, we are not going to count Face"book" in here as a source. But getting a fishing map book like the Central Ontario: Zone 15 Fishing Mapbook is extremely helpful. For me, the Backroad Mapbook is my favorite resource when it comes to fishing spots. It tells you what fish are in the lake you want to fish, the access points, and the best time to go fishing the area. If you feel more adventurous, the Top 50 Canoe Routes of Ontario might be for you. Most of the lakes in this books have good fishing. Some are easy to get to some are a more challenging. The harder it is to get to the fishing spot, the better the fishing gets.

Local Tackle Shops

You're already buying fishing supplies for your next fishing trip anyway, you'll most likely ask them to recommend a lure, and there is nothing to loose if you ask the owner/operator of the local tackle shop for recommendations on fishing spots. They really appreciate your business and would love for you to be a returning customer. So have a conversation with your local tackle shop owners and staff. I consider them as extremely valuable friends.

Driving Around

You drive to and from work everyday? Is there a lake, pond, or river you pass along the way? Is it accessible to the public? If the answer is yes to all three questions, there is your potential fishing spot!

I've found a ton of fishing spots just by driving around. Just find a safe parking area, check if it is accessible to the public, and fish on!

Parks

Provincial parks are often packed with lakes. Most campsites are on the lake side and some day use areas have a pond or river near by. Local parks usually have a body of water in the area. It might be a good starter kids if you want to bring them along. My family went for a picnic once on a local park and found that there was a nice flowing river right on the park. We manage to catch a few decent trout on the fly rod and some odd bass. So check the regulations, and if it allows, fish to your heart's content.

Do you have other resources on finding fishing spots? Please let us know in the comments below.