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Dinorwic Lake Muskie Fishing:

They are big, ferocious and unremorseful eating machines. They have been known to hunt in packs of five and shred schools of Walleyes apart like a pack of wolves. They are the apex predators of the fresh water world and the most exciting fish to have on your line.
The Muskie is the king of Ontario's lakes and considered the ultimate prize and a symbol of fishing skills and patients.

Pine Sunset Lodge is lucky to be located on Dinorwic Lake, which is considered one of the top five Muskie lakes in the world and a candidate for a new world record. There have been four Muskie in history to officially weigh over 60 pounds and three of those Muskie have been caught in Ontario. It's not surprising why MNR Biologists feel so confident in Dinorwic Lake. The lake itself is 18,000 acres of prime Walleye, Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike habitat thus giving Muskie an endless banquette. Not only are our Muskie well fed, they grow big. Dinorwic Lake is a chain of lakes connected by the Wabigoon River thus total roaming area is well over 100,000 acres.

Dinorwic Lake looks like a regular Canadian Shield Lake with it beautiful rocky shoreline and towering trees, but Dinorwic is shallow for it's size thus there are more weeds and more variety of weed species including plateaus of Muskie Cabbage. The water in Dinorwic Lake also warms up quicker than deep lakes thus the Muskie have a longer growing season. The lake also has minnows and other food flowing down the Wabigoon River. Combining all these factors is why Dinorwic Lake has such a reputation for Monster Muskie and a top Ontario destination for serious Muskie Hunters.

It's very rare to catch small Muskie. They seem to hide in the cabbage weed until they reach 30 inches. Considering this fact shows why Muskie in the 30 to 40-inch range are the most common sizes caught. Muskie in the 40 to 50-inch range are not as common but many of our guests enjoy catching multiple fish in this size range during a week of fishing. Each year guests bring in Muskie in the 50 to 55-inch range and on rare occasions catch 56 or even 57-inch Muskie. Each year there are rumors of 60-inch fish being caught but as of yet, we cannot confirm that our guests have broken the 60-inch mark. That is an extraordinary fish and you cannot expect to catch a fish like that. We don't want you to think you will catch fish over 50-inches. There are lots of them in the lake but any Muskie hunter knows that's a monster and not common.

The amount of Muskie you can catch in a week depends on so many factors that it's impossible to estimate. Muskie feed better during stable weather. If the wind keeps changing and the atmospheric pressure keep fluctuating, Muskie will slow down. If the weather stays stable, guests tent to catch more. Your fishing skills, knowledge of the lake, willingness to modify methods you use on southern lakes and having the right lures and colors are key factors. The prime time for Muskie is 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and then later on just before dark. To get into some great Muskie fishing and still take advantage of our other great fishing, we suggest you go after Walleye in the morning, Smallmouth and Northerns from late morning until afternoon and then spend the afternoon hunting down Muskie. With the right conditions, techniques and our map showing the Muskie hot spots, you should catch enough Muskie to call the week a great success.

More Muskie Information:

Modern terms such as Muskie or Musky are derived from the word Muskellunge. Scientific name is Esox Masquinongy. The word Muskellunge is actually a modern word derived from the French term Masgue Alongé, which is a French trapper's mispronunciation of the Ojibwe word Maashkinoozhe. Maashkinoozhe means Ugly Pike in the Ojibwe language.

There is only one species of Muskie. There is a hybrid called a Tiger Muskie, which is a cross between a Muskie and a Northern Pike, but it's not a true species because it did not evolve. Muskie exhibit different patterns and colors on their skin. This is caused by many factors but genetics, water depth and water acidity are the three main factors.

There are 5 distinct patterns, which are known as Clear, Silver, Barred, Spotted Leopard and Spotted Black Panther. Spotted Black Panther is rare pattern.


Clear Muskie

Silver Muskie

Barred Muskie


Spotted Leopard
Muskie

Spotted Black Panther
Muskie