Travel Fishing the Great Lakes

Fishing the Great Lakes:
Together the Great Lakes contain the biggest mass amount of freshwater in the world. These lakes lie between the United States and Canada. They are home to many different fish species. Some of the most common inhabitants of the Great Lakes are the various species of Trout, Salmon, Perch, and Bass. However, each lake is known for its own popular fish species.

For over 100 years these lakes have housed the world’s largest freshwater fisheries, containing both native and introduced species. Commercial fishing has declined in the past 100 years, but still relies heavily of the fish of the Great Lakes. On each lake there are fishing charters that go out of the many ports each day.

Lake Michigan:
The waters of Lake Michigan vary according to the area. The northern part of the lake is colder and less developed than the other lakes. Around Chicago and Milwaukee, the lake temperatures are warmer and the area is heavily developed. Lake Michigan offers nearly 100 different species of fish, the most popular being Salmon and Steelhead. Other fish located here are Alewife, Bowfin, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Bloater, White Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Chinook Salmon, Lake Herring, Coho Salmon, Northern Pike, and White and Yellow Perch. Some of the ports and marinas of Lake Michigan are; Port Sheldon, Benton Harbor, Chicago, Winthrop Harbor, Frankfurt, Aradia, and Grand Haven.

Lake Huron:
The second largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Huron is located on the US-Canada border. A popular port on Lake Huron is Port Austin, where the Trout fishing is said to be the best in the world. There are also many other freshwater fish such as; Bass, Whitefish, Salmon, Steelhead, Walleye, Perch and Brown Trout. Lake Huron also has underwater ledges and deep water reefs that are bursting with fish. Ports and marinas located on Lake Huron are; Port Elgin, Port Huron, Port Austin, Port Franks, Grand Bend, and Saginaw Bay.

Lake Superior:
Lake Superior is the largest of all of the Great Lakes, and has the most surface area of any lake in the world. This lake holds enough water to submerge both North and South America under 1 foot of water. It is the coldest and deepest, reaching over 1,300 ft in depth. With most of the land surrounding still left as forest, it is not heavily populated. There are more than 60 different fish species located in Lake Superior. Some of these species include; Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Bloater, Carp, Chinook Salmon, Lake Herring, Coho Salmon, Lake Sturgeon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Rainbow Smelt, Ruffe, Round Whitefish, Smallmouth Bass, and White and Yellow Perch. Some of the marinas and ports located on Lake Superior are; Port Wing, Duluth Seaway Port, Twin Ports, St. Louis Bay, and Presque Isle Marina.

Lake Erie:
Lake Erie produces the most fish of all of the Great Lakes, and is the second smallest. The most prized game fish of this lake is the Chinook Salmon, also known as the “King Salmon”, recording up to 47” and 44lbs. Lake Erie also houses Yellow Perch, Coho Salmon, Brown Trout, Carp, Lake Herring, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Walleye, and Yellow and White Perch. It is said that there are Jumbo Perch now in Lake Ontario. Some of the popular marinas and ports of Lake Erie are; Port Clinton, Port Stanley, Port of Monroe, and Port of Erie.

Lake Ontario:
Lake Ontario, best known for its salmon and trout fishing, is located between Upstate New York and Canada. There are several different species located in this lake; Atlantic Salmon, Carp, Brown Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake Herring, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, and White and Yellow Perch. This lake holds many species that are unique to the area and not found in the other Great Lakes. These species include; Atlantic Salmon, American Eel, Bullheads, and Sunfish. The actual fishing season starts as soon as the ice melts. Most of the fishing in the spring takes place near the shore where the waters are warmer. The best trout fishing is in April, May and June. Once July hits, it is time to fish for Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and steelhead. These are located farther into the lake. There are numerous fishing charters at the local Lake Ontario ports. Kingston, Little Sodus Bay, Niagara River, Oswego, Sackets Harbor and Port Dalhousie and a few of the ports surrounding Lake Ontario.

For the competitive angler; there are many fishing tournaments scheduled year round on the Great Lakes. Most occur during the spring, summer and fall months because of the ice on the lakes and the frigid temperatures in the winter. Once you have reeled in your prize winning fish, SellUrBoat.com offers helpful tips to clean and preserve your catch.

Lake Huron

Lake Michigan

Lake Superior

Lake Erie

Lake Ontario

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Ontario Lake Tourism Along The Great Lakes

There are five Great Lakes. Only one of them, Lake Michigan, lies entirely within the borders of the United States. The other four Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, form the largest part of the southern border of the Canadian province of Ontario. They also form portions of the northern borders of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin and the eastern border of Minnesota.
These inland seas were formed during the earths most recent Ice Age. Officially called the Pleistocene Epoch, the Ice Age started 1.6 million years ago and did not end until 10,000 years ago. The Lakes are connected to the Atlantic by the deep draft, 3,700 kilometer, 2,340 mile, St. Lawrence Seaway. This engineering marvel allows ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic to the middle of the continent.
The Seaway enters the Lakes at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, which as a surface area of 19,500 km, or 7,540 sq mi. The largest city on the shore of Lake Ontario is Toronto, Ontario. Other large cities on the Ontario side are Kingston, Mississauga, Oshawa and Pickering. On the US shore the only major city is Rochester, New York. The 18th and 19th Century fortifications in Kingston are popular Ontario lake tourism attractions.

Southeast from the Seaway at the opposite end of Lake Ontario a series of deep water locks allow ships to cross into the 25,700 square km, 9,940 sq mi, of Lake Erie. On Eries shores are Buffalo, New York, Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania. The lock system that bisects the land bridge between Lakes Ontario and Erie is known as the Welland Canal, a favorite stop for Ontario lake tourism.
To travel further west on the Great Lakes of Canada, one exits Lake Erie heading due north into the Detroit River. The St. Lawrence Seaway was built by dredging out and building locks along the St. Lawrence River. The passage for ocean-going ships between Lake Erie and Lake Huron involved dredging out and building locks along two rivers, the Detroit and the St. Clair.
The Detroit runs south from Lake St. Clair into Lake Erie. The St. Clair River runs south from Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair. Lake St. Clair, which lies on the Canada-USA border, was also dredged to deep draft depths.
Once in Lake Huron, one can travel for northwest to Michigan and Superior or one can head due north to Georgian Bay. This body of water is 320 km or 200 mi, long and 80 km or 50 mi wide and covers approximately 15,000 sq km. It is sometimes referred to as the sixth Great Lake.
Georgian Bay is separated from Lake Huron by the Niagara Escarpment, one of the most stunning features of Ontario lake tourism. The Escarpment is a ridge of bedrock that was forced to the surface by the glaciers that formed the Great Lakes. It runs from eastern New York State, is bisected by Niagara Falls and curves up north along the eastern shore of Lake Huron. At the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, a part of the Escarpment, are some of the most spectacular landscapes to be found in Ontario lakes tourism.

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Travel Washington State's Olympic National Park a Great Vacation and Travel Destination

Although referred to as three parks in one sometimes the Olympic National Park is really just one park that encompasses several ecosystems. The three ecosystems that divide the park are the rainforest, Olympic mountains, and the Pacific coastline. Olympic National Park is located in the upper northwestern corner of the state in an area known as the Olympic Peninsula.

The park is very interesting to visit because of its location and its three different ecosystems, but also because there are species there that are not anywhere else on earth. The reason why is the mountain range closes the peninsula off from the rest of the land and certain species evolved here that did not elsewhere. The park is a biological reserve and it is studied on a regular basis to better understand what makes the park so special and how animals evolved here.

Tourists love the Olympic National Park because of the beauty, nature, and outdoor sports like hiking and backpacking. It is especially cool to backpack along the beach for several days. This is no problem because the coastline is very long and provides the perfect place for backpackers to trek through the natural beauty. Hurricane Ridge is a great place within the park to visit during the winter months for the Nordic and alpine skiing.

There are several roads on the peninsula, but none of them make it into the depths of the peninsula rendering much of it wilderness that may only be explored on foot. Because of this visiting the park for a brief time will not do it justice. So, plan a couple days or at the very least one full day to dedicate to exploring the beauty of Olympic National Park.

Some of the best things to do in the park, for those who don’t know, include the following. Doing these activities will ensure you get the best of the park. You should definitely climb all 7,965 feet of Mt. Olympus. Also, backpack the 57 miles of coast and raft the rivers. Hike the Grand Ridge Trail that is above the tree line and provides unbelievable views from a very precarious trail. Sea kayak the coast of the park, soak in the hot springs, and watch the salmon migrate. If you can fit all of these activities into your vacation to the park then you will certainly get the best experience possible.

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