By Angie and Ryan Brown
Gone Fishing!
WE LIKE FISHING! And the Ottawa area is a great place to do it! The Survival Kids are going to let all of you in on a few of our favorite fishing holes, including what type of fish we usually catch (and release) there. • Mooney’s Bay
Right across the street from our home! We just grab our tackle boxes, our rods, a healthy supply of live worms and off we go. We normally catch rock bass, but our friends have caught perch, catfish, pike and largemouth bass. You can just pick a spot along the shore and cast away.
• Hog’s Back Falls
Our spot is actually on the west side, at the foot of the falls. If you have ever seen the movie, “A River Runs Through It”, then you will know what we are talking about. (Actually, we have never seen the movie, but my Dad always says this part of the falls looks just like the scenery in that movie!) Anyway, it is a
great spot for carp, walleye, muskie, perch…basically every fish in the Rideau River. Here’s a little piece of advice. Only fish on the west side! The NCC Conservation Officers make regular patrols of the area.
• The Mill at Manotick & The Locks at Black Rapids
These areas are really pretty (Angie said that). Our parents love them because there is plenty of green grass to lounge on while we try to land the ‘big one’. Perch, rock bass, and sunfish are the main catch of the day. Bring lots of worms, these fish strip your hook as fast as you can bait it!
• Ottawa River, near Dunrobin We went fishing there in September, at dusk. We caught largemouth bass, and the largest sunfish we have ever seen. They say that there are also lots of catfish.
• Calabogie
Our aunt has a cottage on Calabogie Lake. We’ve never seen water so clear! We caught pike, small and largemouth bass, perch and sunfish, right off the dock. We recommend live bait whenever possible. We like the quality of the worms we buy at the Heron Road Canadian Tire. Fishing is a lot of fun. We learn a lot about the waters we are fishing in, and the fish that we are lucky enough to catch. Our biggest fishing accomplishment this year, however, was getting Angie to pick-up her first live worm…maybe next year she will actually bait her own hook!
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Ottawa Outdoors Fall
