Fish-Hawk.Net

Hi Guys,
I'm new to the forum and new to fishing in the Ottawa area in general. My son just turned 6 and I would like to take him fishing for Cats/Bass in the evenings.
We do not have a boat (yet). I would like some place with easy access, up to a 45 minute drive from Barrhaven area where I could take him once or twice a week where there action is good enough for a 6 year old. He actually has a lot of patience and it a bit of a natural. I'm loving the whole father/son fishing experience so far but we've only been able to go when renting a cottage. I would love to find a few hot spots that we could drive to from time to time. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks

Have you ever tried Dow's Lake? He can catch all kinds of fish bass, sunfish etc... All you need is a hook, worm and bobber.

From Barrhaven the Kars boat launch is near by. There are pannies and rock bass (bounce a worm off the bottom at the edge of the north and south end of the launch)

Try from the top of the Watson's Mill dam.Lots of perch and sunfish.

For big cats nothing beats the ottawa and kids love dragging those fish in (just be prepared to lose a lot of tackle). There are many places with easy parking and access including the britannia water treatment plant, britannia beach (rock pier), dick-bell park, deschene rapids look-out.

Setup that works well is to buy a jack-fish rig (or pickerel rig... but I find especially for kids that the jackfish tangles less). Buy a cheap pack of hooks with looped leaders already attached, about 6 inches long, number 4 to number 2 hooks. A big bell sinker weight (1/2 oz minimum, but I like 1oz). Put the weight on the bottom of the rig, pop two hooks onto the arms of the rig. Worms (or shrimp).

For the rocky-bottom ottawa river (as opposed to soft bottom Rideau) Cast out as far as you can and immediately reel in any slack so the tip of the rod is just bent a little, prop the rod on shore with the tip in the air and wait for it to jiggle indicating a bite (big cats will knock the whole rod over). Reef in an upwards direction to set the hook and then reel in with the rod tip held high in the air to reduce the chance that the weight/fish will tangle in the rocks. This is the hardest part for kids, keeping the fish off the bottom, but they get it pretty quick. Cats are biting pretty much constantly now, I am even catching them in the middle of the day.

Look in your own neighborhood. My son and I started in the Jock River.

Thx for the Feedback.
I'm loving this site and forums, so much information.
We're hoping to find a cottage at some point but the shore will have to do for now!

How about Shirley's Bay - I was told it was a good location for Cats - can anybody validate this?

Thanks!

My kids (7 & 10) and I have had a lot of luck lately using worms and bobbers under the Strandherd-Armstrong bridge. We caught 5 smallmouth (all 6-10" in size, mind you), in under an hour. My son even caught a crayfish on his worm, LOL! He thought it was the best thing ever.
You can part at Independent in Riverside south, or at the old folks home or on Barnstone on the Barrhaven side. Walk across towards the bridge (from either spot) and there's a path to go under the bridge.
The Barrhaven side is paved and is a busy but nice little bike/walk path. The Riverside south side isn't paved but isn't terribly steep.

Shoreguy wrote:Thx for the Feedback.
I'm loving this site and forums, so much information.
We're hoping to find a cottage at some point but the shore will have to do for now!

How about Shirley's Bay - I was told it was a good location for Cats - can anybody validate this?

Thanks!

Shirley bay is good for adults... The water shallow along way out and and has lots of rocks to snag tackle. IMO, it will require casting and weights that are not conducive to a pleasurable experience for a 6 year old.