Species Guide

Explore Fishing Packages

Walleye

Walleye are the prized catch of the English River system, and Caribou Falls Lodge puts you right in the heart of some of Northwestern Ontario's finest walleye water. Known for their fight and their flavour, walleye are the species most guests come chasing — and rarely leave disappointed.

  • Walleye favour current breaks, rocky points, and the deeper pools found throughout the English River below the Caribou Falls dam. Early in the season, look for them in shallower bays warming in the spring sun. As summer heats up, they push deeper and hold tight to structure. Dawn and dusk are your best windows — walleye are light-sensitive and feed most aggressively in low-light conditions.

  • Jigging with live minnows or leeches is the go-to technique and consistently produces results throughout the season. Bouncing a jig along the bottom in 10–20 feet of water near current seams is a proven method. Trolling with a worm harness or crankbait along deeper drop-offs is equally effective, particularly during midday when fish move away from the shallows.

  • Sport Licence: 4 per day | Conservation Licence: 2 per day. Your daily limit is also your possession limit.

    Fishing regulations are subject to change. Always verify current limits and seasons with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at ontario.ca before your visit. A valid Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence are required for all anglers 18–64.

Northern Pike

Few fish in freshwater match the raw excitement of a northern pike strike. The English River system is loaded with pike of all sizes, and Caribou Falls Lodge offers access to miles of prime habitat where trophy fish are a genuine possibility on any given cast.

  • Pike are ambush predators and love weedy bays, shallow flats, and areas where warmer water collects near river inlets. Early morning is prime time, as pike move into the shallows to feed before retreating to cooler, deeper water later in the day. The extensive weed edges and rocky shorelines of the English River system provide ideal cover for big fish to lie in wait.

  • Large, flashy presentations trigger pike best. Spoons, inline spinners, and swimbaits worked through weedy cover or along the edges of weed beds produce consistent action. For the biggest fish, try large topwater lures during the early morning feeding window — few fishing experiences match watching a trophy pike blow up on a surface bait. Wire leaders are recommended to prevent bite-offs from those razor-sharp teeth.

  • Sport Licence: 4 per day | Conservation Licence: 2 per day. Your daily limit is also your possession limit. Note that slot size restrictions may apply — check current Ontario regulations before your trip.

    Fishing regulations are subject to change. Always verify current limits and seasons with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at ontario.ca before your visit. A valid Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence are required for all anglers 18–64.

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass are pound-for-pound one of the hardest-fighting fish you can catch, and the rocky, clear waters of the English River system are tailor-made for them. If you've never tangled with a smallmouth on light tackle, prepare to be hooked.

  • Smallmouth thrive in the rocky structure that defines the Canadian Shield landscape around Caribou Falls Lodge. Look for them along boulder-strewn shorelines, submerged rock piles, current-washed points, and the edges of rapids. They're most active in warmer water temperatures, making mid-summer some of the best smallmouth fishing of the year. Early morning and evening are peak feeding times.

  • Smallmouth are aggressive and opportunistic. Soft plastic tubes, crayfish imitations, and finesse jigs bounced along rocky bottom are deadly. Topwater lures — particularly poppers and walking baits — produce explosive strikes in low-light conditions and are arguably the most thrilling way to target them. If you enjoy light spinning or fly tackle, smallmouth bass will give you everything you can handle. Expect aerial acrobatics and powerful runs on every hookup.

  • Sport Licence: 6 per day | Conservation Licence: 3 per day. Your daily limit is also your possession limit. Note that seasonal closures may apply during spawning periods — always check current Ontario regulations before your trip.

    Fishing regulations are subject to change. Always verify current limits and seasons with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at ontario.ca before your visit. A valid Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence are required for all anglers 18–64.

Muskellunge

The muskellunge — or muskie — is the apex predator of the English River system and the most sought-after trophy fish in freshwater angling. Called "the fish of ten thousand casts" for good reason, a single muskie encounter can be the defining moment of an entire fishing career. Caribou Falls Lodge puts you in some of Northwestern Ontario's finest muskie territory, where the river's deep pools, complex structure, and abundant forage base grow fish to impressive sizes.

  • Muskie are solitary, territorial fish that claim the best ambush spots in any body of water. On the English River system, focus your efforts on deep current seams below the Caribou Falls dam, large rocky points that drop sharply into deep water, and the transitions between weed beds and open water. Muskie are also known to hold in slower, deeper pools during the heat of the day, moving shallower to feed during low-light periods. Mid-summer through fall is prime time (the season runs from the third Saturday in June to December 15 in FMZ 4 /5), as cooling water temperatures trigger increased feeding activity ahead of winter.

  • Heavy tackle is a must — muskie grow large, fight hard, and will destroy undersized gear. A stout baitcasting rod spooled with heavy braided line and a quality steel or fluorocarbon leader is the standard setup. Large bucktail spinners, glide baits, and jerkbaits are among the most productive lures, worked with deliberate, varied retrieves. One of the most critical — and often overlooked — muskie techniques is the figure-eight: at the end of every single retrieve, sweep your rod tip in a large figure-eight motion beside the boat before lifting out of the water. Muskie are notorious for following a lure all the way to the boat without striking, and the sudden change of direction in a figure-eight triggers reaction bites that would otherwise be missed. 

  • Sport and Conservation Licence: 1 per day. Your daily limit is also your possession limit. Note that as of 2026, a new 137 cm minimum size requirement is in effect for muskie in Ontario — always verify current slot and size regulations with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at ontario.ca before your trip.

    Fishing regulations are subject to change. Always verify current limits and seasons with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at ontario.ca before your visit. A valid Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence are required for all anglers 18–64.