Tie the right rig. Catch more fish.
Clear diagrams and step-by-step instructions for 26 freshwater fishing rigs, written for Canadian lakes and rivers — from the drop shot to the slip bobber to the steelhead float rig.
Start with these
The six rigs that cover most Canadian fishing.
Drop-Shot Rig
The weight goes on the bottom and the hook is tied above it, so the bait hovers off the bottom right where suspended fish feed. The number one finesse rig for smallmouth in Ontario and Quebec.
Slip Bobber Rig
A bobber stop, a bead and a sliding float let you fish live bait at any exact depth and still cast easily. The rig that puts walleye in the boat on rock reefs at dusk.
Texas Rig
The weedless soft-plastic rig every bass angler learns first. A bullet weight slides on the line above a hook buried in the plastic, so it slips through weeds and wood without hanging up.
Jig and Minnow
A lead-head jig with a live minnow hooked through the lips. The rig for spring walleye in the rivers and fall walleye on the reefs, from the Bay of Quinte to the Winnipeg River.
Steelhead Float Rig
A fixed float, a shot pattern that tapers down the line, a swivel and a light fluoro leader to a roe bag, bead or jig. The Great Lakes tributary rig fished on a centrepin or long spinning rod.
Wire Leader and Spoon Rig
A snap swivel, a short wire or heavy fluoro leader and a red-and-white spoon. The rig that has caught more Canadian pike than any other, and still the first thing to tie on at a new lake.
By species
What to tie for the fish you\'re after.
Walleye
Canada's most-fished species. Light-biting, light-shy, and best at dawn, dusk and after dark.
Smallmouth Bass
The hardest-fighting fish in Canadian fresh water, pound for pound. Rock, current and clear water.
Largemouth Bass
The weed-and-wood fish. Shallow, warm, cover-oriented and the reason weedless rigs exist.
Northern Pike
The apex predator of nearly every Canadian lake. Aggressive, toothy, and the reason you carry wire.
Trout (Brook, Brown, Rainbow, Lake)
Cold, clean water fish. From brook trout in a beaver pond to lake trout in 100 feet.
Steelhead & Salmon
Migratory fish running from the Great Lakes and the Pacific into rivers. Float fishing, drift fishing and fly fishing.
Yellow Perch
The best-eating fish in the lake and the most fun on light tackle. Schools, so find one and stay.
Black Crappie
Spring shallow-water fun on tiny jigs under floats; deeper brush and timber the rest of the year.
Channel Catfish
Big, strong river fish that pull hard and taste great. The Red River is world class.
Sunfish & Rock Bass
The first fish for most Canadians. Docks, weeds and a worm under a bobber.
By region
Waters, seasons, bait rules and the rigs that work locally.
Ontario
Great Lakes smallmouth and steelhead, Shield walleye and pike, Kawartha largemouth — the most varied fishing in the country.
Quebec
Doré, brochet, achigan and truite mouchetée across 29 fishing zones, plus the best Atlantic salmon rivers on the continent.
British Columbia
Steelhead and salmon rivers, interior rainbow lakes, and the smallmouth of the Okanagan.
Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta)
Master Angler walleye and pike, Red River catfish, mountain trout and reservoir perch.
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic salmon, sea-run brook trout, striped bass and the country's most storied salmon rivers.
Northern Canada (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Trophy lake trout, Arctic grayling, Arctic char and pike in water most people only see on a fly-in trip.
Rig kits: everything in one order
Each rig has a matching kit — the exact hooks, weights, floats and plastics — with links to buy in Canada or the US. No guessing at the tackle wall.
See the kitsGuides & charters
A directory of Ontario and Quebec fishing guides, charters and outfitters, organized by water and species. More provinces coming.
Find a guideBrowse by category
All rigs are drawn to the same convention: rod at the top, terminal tackle at the bottom, dashed line for the leader. Every page includes components, step-by-step tying, how to fish it, common mistakes and the regulation notes that matter in Canada.