Ottawa River fishing

[Pike_lover]

Hi guys. I'm new to Ontario fishing and my 10 year old daughter and I love catching fish. We have fished Rideau river starting at Manotick with a hook and worm with lots of panfish success. Nothing decent size though.

We also tried the ottawa river and fishing near the island and aylmer marina for a few bass. Not much success though. We have tried casting and trolling in various depths 5 ft to 20 ft.

My daughter is doubting my skills for sure! I used to fish on the Quebec side and had no issues catching good fish. Maybe I'm too old, maybe I'm trying too hard for my daughter, maybe it's just bad luck!

I would appreciate a few pointers on decent areas to fish where we might expect a little more action for fish anywhere from aylmer/Shirley's Bay up to constance Bay would be appreciated! Also some tips on fishing techniques and basic lures would be helpful.

Interested in any fish bigger than 1 pound to give my little girl some excitement before she loses interest!

Thanks in advance!

Thanks!

[smitty55]

You could try Shirleys. This late in the summer weeds will be heavy but if you go a bit deeper they won't be as bad for trolling. Could catch anything there including lots of catfish. Been a long time since I was there in a boat but used to do well trolling flatfish type baits basically along the same line that we would ice fish along where it drops from 9-15 ft straight out to the point. The further you get out you'll get into some current and once you reach the point its all rock, no weeds and more current, a good spot to try bottom bouncers and spinner rigs too. Good luck

[Pike_lover]

Thanks for the detailed reply! I never fished that close for fear of rocks and extreme shallow water
Couple questions...when you say flattish baits do you mean spoons? I have mostly old style lures like daredevil Williams and 5 of diamonds spoons and Rapala jointed and wally diver minnows.

Do fish bite less during the day? I used to fish with my dad all day and we caught fish any time but maybe it has been too hot lately? Maybe I should get out on the water earlier?

With the heat of summer I assume most fish are deeper and have seen plenty on the fish finder, but nothing bites. I assume wrong lure, maybe fish not active etc.

Lastly, what's a good trolling speed? My dad had an old 6 he evinrude and he used to just run slow lol but I have a trolling motor with numbers and have no idea what's ideal.

Sorry for all the random questions. I have just recently gotten back into fishing since my daughter showed interest...I had a stretch where I hadn't fished for 15 years or so. I'm a little rusty!

[FLOATFISHIN]

As per Smitty, you can more or less troll anything you like. Spoons, are great for casting and trolling in really any situation. You mentioned Constance Bay, if you launch out of Buckahms Bay, and find any weed growth, a simple white spinner bait will most likely find you and your daughter some aggressive pike all day long. If your looking to fish a little deeper with less current or none, than a simple jig and grub, or live bait might do the trick. Drop shotting is a big one even in current, just match your weight accordingly. Try to find current breaks, off shore structure for deeper fish, but ESP on The Ottawa try to find weedlines and spoons and spinnerbaits will help not only cover water, but get the odd hungry pike or smallie and largie. Time of day everyone has a different opinion. I'll fish all day, heat, rain, cloudy sunny. Just look for visible structure or rely on your electronics for off shore deeper water. And if all else fails, just wacky rig a senko and things will happen

F.F

[smitty55]

No need to worry about rocks in the bay itself, just need to be a bit more careful at the points but you'll be fine if you keep to the 10-15ft range. As per the map there are two humps to watch for a bit further out off Innes point that you could put markers on for reference. For Walleye in particular rocks and current always go together as do lower light conditions at dawn and dusk, plus with this heat lately it will be much more comfortable fishing.
As for the Flatfish lure, it's sometimes referred to as a banana style bait, they have a fast tight wiggle and extra tail action from the jointed ones.The two most common ones are the original Flatfish put out by Helin and the Brooks Reefer.

[Pike_lover]

This is extremely helpful! Thank you. I will likely be out on Saturday assuming the weather cooperates and try out some of those techniques.

I might need a few new crankbaits before then and will try the Ned rig mentioned earlier. My sonar shows lots of sunken islands and dropoffs which should provide good hiding spots for fish. I just need the right equipment to get in front of the fish!

I will provide an update when I actually get out.

[Pike_lover]

Just a quick update on the ottawa.

Went out earlier than usual around 730am on the water. Slight wind and cool but sunny. Started trolling in about 12 feet of water with a small crankbait. Caught 4 or 5 small bass and 1 catfish, which surprised me! Fished until around 11. Fishing was better earlier as I seemed to have more action.

Nothing to write home about but better than previous outings. Haven't tried Ned rigs or other techniques. I'm always struggling with how long to give a particular lure and technique before switching. Time sure does fly on the water!

Sorry no pictures as my daughter was tired and didn't want to be disturbed from her beauty sleep! Hard to take a picture with a wriggling fish.

Hoping to find a walleye, pike, or larger fish next time out.

[JimW]

Just a quick update on the ottawa.

Went out earlier than usual around 730am on the water. Slight wind and cool but sunny. Started trolling in about 12 feet of water with a small crankbait. Caught 4 or 5 small bass and 1 catfish, which surprised me! Fished until around 11. Fishing was better earlier as I seemed to have more action.

Nothing to write home about but better than previous outings. Haven't tried Ned rigs or other techniques. I'm always struggling with how long to give a particular lure and technique before switching. Time sure does fly on the water!

Sorry no pictures as my daughter was tired and didn't want to be disturbed from her beauty sleep! Hard to take a picture with a wriggling fish.

Hoping to find a walleye, pike, or larger fish next time out.

Thanks for the report Pike_lover a few small fish better than nothing!! Best of luck on your next outing. And keep the reports coming.... every report with a photo (even just a scenery or lure photo) gets you a change to win the $100 prize pack.

JimW

[Chevy Champagne]

All i can really say is the ottawa river is a bit of a cruel mistress!
Fish seem to be everywhere yet nowhere all at the same time!

BUT it can spit out some awesome fishing duribg the right times!
Keep at it and you will be rewarded

[Terry in Almonte]

Ottawa River August 2021 pike.jpg (283.97 KiB) Viewed 2396 times

Caught this pike (?) on the Ottawa River after launching at Acres Road and heading downstream towards the dam at Chenaux, on a warm calm day in about 8' of water on a red devil.

[JimW]

Ottawa River August 2021 pike.jpg

Caught this pike (?) on the Ottawa River after launching at Acres Road and heading downstream towards the dam at Chenaux, on a warm calm day in about 8' of water on a red devil.

Nice gator... big head... looks like it needed a few more meals.

Thanks for posting.

JimW