Lake Simcoe smallmouth hostspots
- Date added:
- Tuesday, 14 September 2010
- Last revised:
- Tuesday, 14 September 2010
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Question and Answer
Question:
Wil,
Enjoyed reading your columns (I had my five years of fame with my "Electronic Executive" column in the Globe and Mail) and was wondering if you could provide a bit of advice about fishing Lake Simcoe this weekend during our visit to Collingwood.
I don't want to put myself at any kind of weather risk in a 14-foot rental this coming Sunday so I need to know whether, in order to have a crack at some smallies, I should rent a boat from the Lake Simcoe Marina or the Blue Beacon Marina. Of course I'm not going to go out in the face of high winds but I would like your advice on which marina is closest to smallie waters and where these waters might be.
BTW, I like tournament ! fishing (BAA in Ottawa) and your article about your "zone" day in August was well-appreciated, given that our team got 'skunked' last Saturday on White Lake. It reminded me why I love fishing.
Chuck Belford
Answer:
Hi Chuck,
Thanks very much for the kind words and the question about wind and fishing Lake Simcoe. Both areas – out from Lefroy where Dwayne runs Lake Simcoe Marine or out of Orillia where Steve runs Blue Beacon are great places to rent boats and both offer great fishing.
If I had to choose though ... more on time of year I suppose ... it would be Orillia and Lake Couchiching. The smallies are beginning to turn on and the largemouth are still active there as well. There were some good bags weighed in during last weekend’s Fall Challenge there. The north end of Cooch has traditionally been a hotspot for autumn smallmouth and even if it’s too rough on Simcoe ... this lake is usually still fishable. Look for rocky shoals ... but be careful as they can take lower units away if you’re in a hurry. The standard green or sand colored ¼ oz tubes jigs work well ... but I love throwing Rapala X Raps, Husky Jerks and even those DT series cranks whenever I can there. You can drop shot effectively as well for those smallies.
So, later on in the season .. my nod would go to Lake Simcoe Marine but for now, you should have plenty of action on Cooch.
Hope that helps and tight lines Chuck.
Wil
Comments
I was very interested in your response to Chuck. My dad is coming up for Thanksgiving weekend. I'm planning to take him up to Simcoe next Friday. Was wondering whether you would still recommend the area near Orillia for smallmouth or if you would suggest further south and east now that it is a few weeks later. I haven't had much luck the last few times I've had my dad out fishing, so I'm looking for any guidance that might help our chances.
Many thanks!
Troy
Orillia and Cooch can still be quite good thru the early part of October ... but around the middle of the month it really tapers off. If you’d like to take your dad for some great perch action ... they’re doing really well at the mouth of the Pefferlaw River. You will see the boats out there. There are a few places you can launch right in the river – such as Quinns Marina, Everglades and the old Johnston’s restaurant off Hwy 48. From there head out to the lake – and the boats should be out a mile or so. A few real good jumbo’s mixed in ... they’ve moved from about 35 feet to around 25 last I heard.
Hope that helps Troy and enjoy fishin with your dad!
Wil
First of all, thanks for your advice a while back, which made for a fun day for my dad and I catching perch at Pefferlaw.
I tried to post this question on your website, but couldn't get it to go through the reCAPTCHA.
I'm planning to take my 4-year-old daughter out fishing in my boat for the first time this Sunday (May 6th). I'm looking for someplace to take her where there is a good chance of catching perch or crappie, preferably within 1.5 hours of Whitby. Any suggestions / tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to make this a memorable experience for her.
Great! I’m glad you and your daughter had a quality fishing outing last fall.
From what I hear perch action has slowed down considerably from a few weeks ago when plenty of big jumbos were shallow and getting ready to spawn. Most have already done so and have dispersed into deeper water. So ... although fishing may be a little tougher, there are still plenty of nice perch to catch out there. Sibbald Point Provincial Park could be a good starting point Troy ... you might actually do well not far from the park itself in waters 8-12 feet. Have a good look in the bay as you motor out from the launch site for scattering fish ... and if you see a few start fishing ... and if not try just at the break into deeper water. If that doesn’t pan out a trip over to the flats in the Virginia Beach area should pan out. Here you’ll likely encounter other perch anglers so good locations may be not be that tough to find. Look for any newly emerging weed growth and if you catch a couple of decent sized fish work the area thoroughly before moving on.
Of course the other option ... is to drive from Whitby up Hwy 12 and cross over at the top of the lake to fish the annual Orillia Perch Festival. There are plenty of fish being caught up there right now - both in Cooch and Simcoe near the bays adjacent to the Atherly Narrows.
Hope this helps Troy and that you and your daughter have a great time.
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