With instant access to such sophisticated map and guidance systems as Google Maps ( http://maps.google.com ), and Mapquest ( http://www.mapquest.com ), I’m going to provide very general, main highway directions to the nearest city, town or village to each fishing location, from the junction of either Hwys. 401 & 400, or Hwys. 401 & 404 (the DVP), in Toronto.  Then I’ll give detailed driving, parking and water access from there.  You can use Google or Mapquest to obtain detailed driving information to the closest town.

The Ontario Road Atlas

Clearly, it’s your own choice, but I highly recommend you obtain two mapbooks before you head off to go fishing.  The first, and the one I consider essential, is MapArt Publishing’s Ontario Road Atlas.  There are other similar ones out there but, in my opinion, this is the best.  MapArt Publishing also developed The Golden Horseshoe mapbook which covers in detail the highly urbanized area surrounding the northwest end of Lake Ontario from Bowmanville (east) and the Niagara River (southeast) to Cambridge and Port Dover (west) and from Lake Erie (south) north almost to Georgian Bay.   You can find these volumes in most bookstores, many of the larger service stations, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, etc., etc. , or online at Amazon for about $30.00. ( http://www.amazon.ca/ )

Backroads Map Books

I also recommend you obtain the current edition of the Backroads Map Book for the area you are heading to.  There are 3 books: Southwestern Ontario, Eastern Ontario and Cottage County (Central Ontario), that cover all of Southern Ontario and they cost about $20.00 each in many bookstores, but you can get them in a few days directly from their website at http://www.backroadmapbooks.com/ .

Why So Many Maps?

So, you might ask, why do I need two sets of maps for Southern Ontario?  Well, the Backroads Map Books have considerably more detail than the Ontario Road Atlas such that it is difficult to get an overview from them, but the real reason is the additional data they contain.  There is a wealth of general information about a variety of topics: natural and man-made tourist attractions; general fishing information about hundreds of lakes and rivers in Ontario; dozens of canoe and kayak paddling routes; descriptions of national and provincial parks including places to camp; hundreds of conservation areas; many hundreds of hiking, biking and atv trails; wildlife viewing areas; and winter recreation opportunities.  Don’t leave home without it!  The fishing sections of the Backwoods Map Books do not duplicate the information I provide on this site.  Each fishing opportunity is normally described in one short paragraph of very general information where my mission here is to get you right into the water where the fish are.

Now pick a place, grab your gear and maps, and go fishing!

Tight lines,

Don