A version of this story originally appeared on BayToday.ca, part of Village Media's network of Ontario news and information sites.
Northern Ontario angler, Emma Bertrand, reeled in quite the catch this week: a near record setting walleye measuring 31.25 inches.
The catch was just over 5 inches shy of the Ontario record.
According to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) record fish registry, the current Ontario record walleye is 36.5 inches long and had a girth of 21 inches.
That fish was caught on May 26, 1943 in the Niagara River by Patrick Noon and weighed 22 pounds and 4 ounces. The bait he used; a worm.
Bertrand says she was out on Lake Nipissing with her parents and family friends on Friday when she felt a mighty tug on her line.
"At first we were thinking it may be a pike the way it was fighting hard and pulling," Bertrand says. "Once I got it up we took a quick photo and released her back to the water."
Emma Bertrand loves to fish Lake Nipissing, and says this is a catch and release she'll never forget.
Lake Nipissing was named the number one ice fishing destination in Canada (2023) by Fishing Booker and is a hot spot for a range of different fish species, although the lake has a long history as a walleye fishery.
If you're looking for a world-class fishing experience and the chance at landing the big one on Lake Nipissing like Emma, there are a number of local fishing lodges to choose from.
Sunbeam Bungalows
A family run business, Sunbeam Bungalows offer cottages along a private sand beach in Callander Bay. A private boat launch and marina with docking facilities caters to anglers who can bring their boat or rent one from the fleet of 16-foot aluminum boats with 25 horsepower outboard motors.
Memquisit Lodge
Memquisit Lodge has twelve housekeeping cabins and five American plan cabins that are built on Nipissing’s West Bay. Anglers choose from a fleet of Geisler 18-foot cedar strip boats or 16-foot aluminum boats equipped with 20 horsepower motors and fish finders to explore West Bay.
Bear Creek Cottages
Bear Creek Cottages offer kitchen-equipped lakefront cabins steps from a natural sand beach. Sheltered docking facilities, boat and motor rentals and available guide service help anglers connect with the game fish of their choice in Nipissing’s South Bay. In winter, Bear Creek Cottages offer ice fishing with daily transportation to heated day huts, or you can spend the night in their heated ice cabins.
For more big fish tales, check out Ontario's top ten record fish.
What do you do if you think you've caught a record-setting fish?
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters has some strict verification guidelines to follow before you can claim the top spot.
- Fish must be legally angled in Ontario public waters during regular open seasons and be entered within 30 days of being caught. Fish artificially raised to maturity or illegally relocated from waters outside of Ontario are not eligible.
- Fish must be caught with hook and line, on rod and reel or ice fishing apparatus, and must be entered only by the person listed as the angler. Fish caught using spears, seines, dip nets, or bow and arrow will not be considered.
- Fish must be weighed on government-inspected scales, and measured for Total Length and Total Girth. Your entry must include a photo(s) of the fish on the scale that clearly displays the weight of the fish. Total Length is the measurement from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail (with the tail collapsed) in order to get the longest possible measurement. Total Girth is measured at the fish’s widest point. * These measurements must be accompanied by validations on the witness statement portion of the application form, or a letter signed by the witness stating the same information.*
- Each entry must be accompanied by high resolution, colour photos, showing full length side view of the fish with fanned out fins (tail fin, dorsal fin, and anal fin). The photograph should include a ruler alongside the fish to verify length. Both the fish and ruler should be the same distance from the camera. The following photos will expedite species identification and processing: close-up side profile of the head; underside and top of fish, and mouth and lips (for suckers only).
- All fish entered must be whole, frozen and in possession of the angler until requested by Registry Officials for species verification. Freeze in a block of ice to prevent freezer burn and protect the fish against damage.
Recognized anglers earn a spot on the OFAH's fish registry web page, are featured in Ontario OUT of DOORS magazine and receive a certificate acknowledging their remarkable catch.
