Fish-Hawk.Net

I have asked this before. I do not want to make a trip and not be able to fish,

One quick question. I know we have a By-Law for fishing in Cornwall. I have been looking to see if Ottawa has one, but I have not seen anything. Does anyone know if they do for along the bike path near Dowes lake? Thinking of trying my luck up there this spring or summer.

Thank You all

You should be good to go. I've fished along the paths of dows lake many times. It's great for bringing kids because you can get a lot of pan fish action to keep them entertained.

A few years back, maybe 5 I was fishing below the locks downtown. Note, I had fished there for over 20 years with much success. A kind OPP officer came racing across the water to inform me I was fishing in a restricted area. He told me "Anywhere there is blue paint" is un fish able. I had the same issue 3 years ago while fishing the Dows lake marina. I was asked to leave. Now, as for along the bike path, I have fished it often. I have never been asked to leave, though I was stopped once by C.O's while fishing with my wife. It was early June, and they only wanted to make sure we were not targeting bass. We were searching for pan fish on our float rods. They were quite polite, and thrilled we were taking the opportunity to fish within the city. There is a lot of carp, pan fish, and there is bass, when seasons are open. People will stop to ask "Is there really fish in there?" And there is. It's great for the kids, and adults alike. The only thing to be mindful of, is other people using the path. Watch your hooks, and make sure you look before you cast. It is a "Public" area, so you won't have any legal issues from the MNR regs standpoint. It can be quite the gem, as not a lot of anglers choose to fish it.

I wish you luck!!!!

F.F

dows is great, there are alot of area's with space to fish from shore and not be snagging cyclists. i would avoid fishing from colonol by dr. though as it is all bike path right upto the water.

FLOATFISHIN wrote:A few years back, maybe 5 I was fishing below the locks downtown. Note, I had fished there for over 20 years with much success. A kind OPP officer came racing across the water to inform me I was fishing in a restricted area. He told me "Anywhere there is blue paint" is un fish able. I had the same issue 3 years ago while fishing the Dows lake marina.

F.F

What is painted Blue? Thank you for the information. Hoping to make it up there this spring/summer for a try.

My apologies, I should have been more clear. The docks that have blue paint on them, more like a blue stripe or line, according to the OPP and dock staff is "A no fishing area" I found this odd, because the same paint resides at Blacks Rapids Lock, Long Island, and my favorite place "Narrows Locks" There are always people fishing these spots, and are never asked to leave. I have been fishing above listed spots for 30+ years, and only those 2 times I mentioned was I asked to leave. I never pursued the matter, I just found other areas to focus my attention on shore fishing. I still do a fair bit of shore fishing in the Ottawa area, for the boat's new full time home is at the cottage. If you want to target bass "in season" Try finding structure I.E bridge pillars, floating mats of cut weed, or anything out of the norm to the eye. A lot of boat traffic, and minimal cover slash structure, I find makes more fish hold to any sort of structure you can find. Pretoria Bridge is one of my favorite places. Cover, structure to fish, and Elgin St is right there to take the kids out for lunch.

I hope this helps, and if I can provide more, by all means, ask away!


F.F

Thank You for the information. I am looking forward to trying this area from shore. I have heard many stories of the rivers and lakes inside Ottawa. And since my kids Don't care what they catch, it should be fun trip.