They say Rondeau Bay is Ontario’s best kept secret and I couldn’t agree more. It is a paradise for fishermen! Located on the north shore of Lake Erie, between Leamington and Port Glasgow, Ontario, both deep sea and inshore fishing are at their best there. Walleye, Rainbow Trout, and good sizes of Smallmouth Bass can be had through Erieau to the main lake. Protected Rondeau Bay provides approximately eleven square miles of weedy paradise, which is perfect territory for largemouth bass. Depth ranges from three to eight feet on average, making great bass and pan fishing in the bay!
My focus that particular weekend was on largemouth bass. I was surprised by the weed growth in Rondeau Bay. Seriously, everywhere he looked there were pockets and pockets of potential loudmouths. The clear water was apparent, for the most part, which is why I found that certain tactics were essential to success. Don’t forget your fluorocarbon line! The cloudy areas were also obvious, but still occurred for me with a normal close proximity cast.
Certain bodies of water change over the course of a season and some more than others. Rondeau Bay, I think, would change frequently due to the winds. There is a section in the north central area that is riddled with tangled weeds on the surface. The wind may change shape here and there, but I’m willing to bet it’s there to stay. This particular tangled paradise of weeds makes it excellent for top water baits. Frogs, rats, buzz baits, you name it and I know that largemouths can be found in this area. Let me tell you, it was painful to watch all the surface activity knowing that my best water baits were sitting on my desk in my home office! In fact, fly baits are a favorite of local fishermen. My family parked our RV at Summer Place Marina and Campground, located on the eastern shore of Rondeau Bay. We quickly realized that night was coming; everyone was throwing fly baits and spin baits until it got dark. Many were successful and proud to release the Bass to fight another day. It was good to see anglers who care enough to release what they catch.
During my family’s short stay, my son Lorenzo and I were able to get out and try some great bass fishing. Wind was a factor for us because this bay is definitely a sight fishing bay. High winds made our visibility very difficult at times. When good deep weed edges were located, marking them on the GPS helped keep us close to them. Thank goodness for the GPS because just remounting the wind would take us off target and many times, way off target!
Dunking pockets with a Lightning Series 916 oz. The jig with a Yum Craw Chunk trailer produced a nice 5lb loudmouth right off the bat. I put it in the nursery to take photos in the RV which was conveniently located on the edge of a pond at the campground. Needless to say, the Bass was released alive and well back where he was captured. I know it sounds crazy, but every time I catch a good sized bass and forget my camera, I take pictures at the cabin or campsite and travel back to the exact spot I caught it and release the bass in its original setup. I think it’s important because the Bass doesn’t get disoriented and is calm because he knows his surroundings.
Weeds in Rondeau’s clear gin water were fished out with Wacky and Texas equipped with Senkos. My son caught the Texas and I caught the Wacky. Distance was key here and Spider Wires Invisi-Braid helped in the clear conditions. We both succeeded many times in producing 2-3 pound largemouth consistently until the wind once again made it difficult to stay in a specific structure.
This excursion to Rondeau Bay was challenging with cold fronts, wind, and water temperatures of 63 to 65 degrees F. That’s cold water for largemouth bass, so slowing down our introduction helped a lot. Still we managed to succeed and couldn’t help but wonder what the outcome would have been if the temperature and conditions were perfect. There was a lot of bass coverage, but we were looking for distinction in the weeds and that took time to find. When we found the right cap, we were rewarded for our efforts. Weed line edges were key!
Largemouth, Smallmouth, Walleye, pan fish, what more could an angler ask for in a body of water with easy access? Best of all, they can be caught in good sizes too!
Our weekend stay at Summer Place Marina and Campground was peaceful and quiet. The people were extremely helpful in making our visit to Rondeau Bay a memorable one. The fish were plentiful and so was the hospitality. Make Rondeau Bay your next fishing destination and you’ll walk away smiling after discovering Ontario’s best kept secret!