Why are fishing stories from Canada so ridiculous sometimes?

I've heard stories after stories of Canadian fishing trips being so ridiculous. 150 walleyes and/or pike in a day...fish biting tin foil on a hook, casting a jig to the shore, letting it drop and hits immediately. Fish on multiple casts....etc...

There are a lot of lakes in Northern Wi. with little to no pressure, so I don't know if the lack of fishing pressure is always what makes Canadian fishing so great....Maybe I'm hearing only the "good" stories and plenty of people do poorly in Canada....or perhaps, people are exaggerating their catches...although I've heard so many stories that I doubt that. Is it possible people are usually going during a time of year when fish are stacked up in certain places and either they know that, or the people at the lodging places know that...or do the slot limits in Canada help more than the slot limits here in the states....or do Canadian lakes just have more fish?? At some point though, a lake usually just can't kick out a big size structure and high density that equals a lot of fish and many big fish.

I'm just curious....I have never been to Canada. But, I do wonder why I keep hearing such amazing stories. Fishing is fishing...how can Canadian lakes be SO much better than anything around here....Any thoughts or personal experience? I'd love to hear your "whys" or at least "why you think...." etc...

I have over 30 trips to Canada under my belt. Most of been to a fly in Northwest of Red Lake.

I have experienced many days of 100 to 150  walleyes for two guys in a boat. This past May, on the last day of our trip which ended at 4:30 PM, including an hour and 1/2 for lunch, my partner and I did 165 walleyes.

However, there have been slow days. We always have fish for dinner the first day we arrive and I can remember a few instances where we struggled to get enough for dinner. I would say two guys in the boat who fish exclusively for walleyes should expect 80 -100 walleyes on an average day. We seldom use live bait.

Reading the posts about a lot of traffic on drive-in lakes always makes me wonder why others don't consider fly in trips. I pay less than $1000 for fly in for a full seven days. There's no chance anyone is in the spot I go to, unless it's one of the guys from my group. About the only problem I have with fly ins is that you are restricted to 150 pounds of gear. But it's doable.

Everyone has a different definition of "good fishing'. I've talked with many individuals who are very happy if they catch enough for shore lunch.

The camp I use still allows us to take home four walleyes and four Northern's. I have never understood why some camps don't allow people to take home fish. We customarily have three fish fries during the week we are there. I'll bet those camps from which you can't take home fish just have their guests eat a lot more in camp. The lake I fish is approximately 10 miles wide and 10 miles long. I have done a  calculation that over the course of the season, approximately 3500 walleyes are eaten or taken home. The lake can certainly sustain that number, especially given the size restrictions. Most of us are taking home 16 and 17 inch fish to eat. I have heard the mortality rate for catch and release is as high as 10%. If that's the case, catch and release mortality is a far bigger problem than taking home four walleyes.

I have had good fishing in Canada,1973 was my first year.I have also had bad.Fly in fishing was always the best,but I will say this I would rather fish in the states other than pike and I could even argue that with some of the western flowages.Maybe if you like catching smaller waleyes and lots of them Canada is great.Some of the sheald lakes have good fishing for smallmouths, but I can do better on Greenbay or on some of the rivers.All in all I think I am done with Canada,unless a freind comes up with a can't miss lake.

I would agree that most of the stories are true. I use to go in the 80's and I went about 10 years straight. That 5 days we did catch hundreds of walleye's and in the afternoons we would fish the bays for northern. Non stop pretty much as far as catching. We also got checked by the wardens almost every trip and several times we got checked more than once. We were honest fisherman but it became very apparent that they were serious about their fishing regulations. Really the reason I stopped going was the fishing spoiled you to the point that when I came home I had no desire to go fishing! It wasn't the same catching "nothing" or next to it. Now I appreciate the few fish I catch much more. I use to complain that we could only bring back 6 walleye's but after eating fish for nearly every meal you just got sick of it and craved a hamburger??!! When I did get home with my walleye's they tended to sit in my freezer for a while. They really did not taste as good as fresh shore lunch. I'm not sure I will ever go back. Edit : I have been checked by the wardens in Ontario at least 10 times. In Wisconsin? Once in my entire lifetime.

The stories do sound ridiculous but trust me, many times they are true.  I've only been there once but hope to make it an annual trip.  Last spring we went to Eagle Lake. We were guided 3 days and we put no less than a 100 fish in the boat each day.  Two days were for walleye and pike and one was for lake trout. None of the trout were over 22" but it was one after another. We were an hour late for dinner that night because none of us, including the guide, wanted to leave the spot.  We did pretty well the 3 days that we were on our own too.

I can't say for sure why Canada is so much better than WI, or any other state for that matter (well, maybe not Alaska). Daily bag and possession limits for non-residents are very conservative compared to the Midwest. While Oneida and Vilas have a ton of lakes, there are many more and much bigger lakes in Ontario. Because of the size of the lakes, fishing pressure is lower on a relative basis.  We were there the second week of June and I'm guessing that most lodges were booked to capacity at that time. Yet we had very few other boats around us and never had to compete for a spot. I recall reading something in the Ontario Fishing Regs that 100% of license fees go to managing the resources and enforcing the laws.  I don't think any state in the Midwest can say that.  Who knows? All I know is that I'm going back. This year I've been invited to a private cabin on Sturgeon Lake in May. The owner says it's like shooting fish in a barrel there too.

Do yourself a favor and make the journey once in your life!  BTW, I finally got my first 30" walleye and 40+" pike on our trip last spring.

N.Pike- I have been going to Canada now for over 25 years (Manitoba and NW Ont) and these trips have been some of the best memories I will ever have in my life. And yes the fishing is that good.. We rarely keep track of actual numbers of fished caught in a day but we have had many 100+ walleye days. Last year one of our hot spots was right below a rapids and we could anchor our boats and literally just drop a jig over the side and just catch fish after fish and this went on for hours (1st picture). Another hot spot was in a deep channel next to a beaver dam. Once again we would anchor on the damn and just drop jigs and catch fish after fish (2nd picture).. Heck we could even just sit on the dock at night and catch 20-30+ walleyes (3rd picture) while having a few () adult beverages and relaxing.. Plus then you factor in the peace and quiet of being the only guys on a remote lake and the bonus wildlife (last year caribou and bear) and it makes for a priceless vacation for our group. 

You have to remember these remote/fly-in lakes may only see a few dozen fisherman in a year. The outfitter we use has a conservation policy so we do not bring any fish home but we sure eat enough on our weekly trips.. You still have to know what you are doing but anyone who has basic fishing experience and picks a good lake will catch alot of fish in Canada. I highly recommend it..  

Speaking for myself. Last year was my first in Ontario. Last year, (6 days), was the best 6 days of fishing I've ever had. Go early after ice-out! 

Ive only gone in late august and september and mostly skunked, catch enough for a few meals.  The smart guys go in June.

Timing is important.  The diaires of old timers report humongous catches of fish in Lake superior and its feeder streams at certain time frames, just a few weeks per year.  The rest of the year is famine. Consider the wolf river. In May everyone catches dozens of white bass each day, weather depending. The rest of the year not as good.

Lakes in Canada are so much larger. If I had a guess the sheer numbers in these lakes along with the fact that they all are highly successful in natural reproduction allows for better fishing. The slots also compound the quality of reproduction. There are also probably other factors. Better forage. Possession limits vs daily limits. 

I havent put in a ton of time in northern wisconsin. But it seems as though the way the smallmouth thrive in vilas, is the same way walleyes thrive in Canada. 

This summer with be my 25th year going to Canada and it never disappoints. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it at least once.