About The Fishing

You have probably spent a lot of time researching and planning your trip. You want to be sure that you are choosing a location that will provide you quality fishing. At Peffley's Wilderness Camp we understand that. That's largely why we have so many 10, 20, and 30 year camp veterans.

 The camp is clean, the accommodations (especially for a wilderness camp) incredibly comfortable and modern, the view from your cabin breathtaking--BUT this isn't the MAIN reason guests return year after year to Peffley's Camp. The fishing is! Combine the quality of fishing Wabaskang offers with the fact that from our camp almost all of our fishing is done within 10 minutes of camp-you have a great combination that is hard to beat!

Fishing Wabaskang Lake and its adjoining waterways is productive all season long. Walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and jumbo perch are all in abundance, with lake trout and whitefish also present in the lake. If you are looking for a lake that can provide ALOT of fishing action, with legitimate chances at trophy fish of the above species, Wabaskang deserves a close look.

 Wabaskang is a lake that is sure to please almost any angler in terms of both number and size of fish caught and most importantly it is NOT a hard lake to fish.  Many of our camp veterans of twenty and thirty years have commented that it is even better today than ten years ago. Wabaskang Lake is part of the Cedar River watershed and is somewhat unique in that it offers a wide variety of fish species including walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout, jumbo perch and whitefish.

Here is some information from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources "Wabaskang Lake Walleye Status Report Card."

This is information on the Walleye population in Wabaskang Lake obtained from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) during a recent study of samples according to a standard gillnet method used in Ontario and Quebec.

• Abundance is above average (compared to other walleye lakes in the Northwest Region)
• Good size range of fish
• Two very strong year-classes (ages 1 and 2) are entering the population
• Male growth is similar to Northwest Region average. Female growth is higher after age 4
• Male and female condition is slightly higher than the Northwest Region average
• Egg production is much higher than the Northwest Region average

Walleye fishing is outstanding most of the season with good catches often coming in less than 16 feet of water around the many weed beds, rock shelves, sunken islands and points around the north end of the lake. Gawleys Bay, The Hotel, Devils Point, Doe Island, Painted Rock, Birch Point, Duck Point, Sandy Beach, Beavers Dam, Eagle's Nest to name just a few are- all great walleye fishing spots and less than 15 minutes from camp. Wabaskang Lake has a great population of 1-3 pound walleye and it produces many fish every season from 4-12 pounds too. Typically not known as a strong fighter, you might be amazed at the "head-dogging" determined nature of our fat and chunky walleye here on Wabaskang.

For big northern pike, anglers do very well from late July thru the first week of September, although we see "trophy" size fish caught all season long. Northern Pike in Wabaskang  10 pounds and under are plentiful and provide our guests with a lot of excitement and action with their vicious strikes and drag sizzling runs. While we can't guarantee you a trophy northern (15-25 pounds) on every trip, we can guarantee that there are many of them here to be caught.

Jumbo perch fishing is excellent in May, June and July, however, because of the large perch population in Wabaskang, anglers who target these fish report good catches all season long. Incredibly underfished for such a tasty treat--you will struggle to catch many perch from Wabaskang UNDER 9". The vast majority of our perch population on Wabaskang is 9-14" with very few of them being "buggy". Add 50 of these bruisers to your cooler for the trip home and watch some eyes get big back home when the plate of steaming fillets is put on the kitchen table!

For anglers interested in smallmouth fishing, Wabaskang Lake has developed a great reputation as a quality smallmouth fishery, with good numbers of "footballs" being caught in the 3-6 pound range, including many right from the camp docks. This species is a bonus and have provided guests many thrills with their aerial acrobatics and "battle to exhaustion" mentality. It's still hard to match the excitement of casting a topwater bait around the reeds and rocks on Wabaskang on a cool, crisp Canadian morning and have a smallmouth explode on top of the water to take it. They say, pound for pound, the smallmouth is the hardest fighting fish in freshwater and after hooking into some of these "hogs" you just might agree!

"This year was our 32nd year, which says a lot.  When I tell people that we catch 500 to 600 Northerns and Walleyes on a slow year and up to 1000 to 1300 on excellent years they don't believe me but it's true.  All the fish are not "monsters" but a number of trophy fish get caught each year.  As important to us as the fishing is, it is equally important to have good accommodations and equipment especially the outboard motors.  The motors are always either new or in excellent shape and the facilities are clean, neat and comfortable.  I have recommended the camp to numerous people over the years with no fear of them not having a good time and catching fish. Your camp sets a standard that other camps would be proud of."

- Bob Stromberg (32 year camp veteran)

For information on fishing regulations(Refer to Fisheries Management Zone 4) and how to obtain a fishing license by phone, CLICK HERE.