Book Review: Fishing Mapbook (Zone 15: Central Ontario)

I stumbled across this mapbook online while shopping for Dave Mercer's 135 Secrets Fish Don't Want You to Know.  I needed to buy another book to qualify for free shipping so I figured that getting a bunch of maps would be a good investment.  The book claims to be "Ontario's Most Complete Lake & Stream Guide".  But I don't think it's worth its price.

The fishing tips are generally vague and don't really help you find the hotspots on a particular lake.  I can't count how many times the phrase "ice fishing is perhaps the most productive angling method for lakers" appears in the book.  And I already know that smallmouth like "crayfish imitation lures" and that pike "hang around the edges of rocks and weeds". Only occasionally will you find some more specific advice that is actually useful.  For example, there are some good tips on finding lake trout in Aylen Lake: "The south side of Big Green Island can be productive, as can off the sharp point found along the western shore of Dennison's Bay."

I do like a few things about the book.  I really like how you can find access and facility information for each lake.  This is very useful if you're planning a camping trip, so you know if and where there are campsites on a particular lake.  The quality of the maps is good for a book this size, and the fishing information at the very least tells you what species are in each lake.  Stocking information is also available, so you know, for example, that Baptiste Lake was stocked with 2,000 walleye fingerling in 2007.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book.  The excerpt below nicely represents the kind of information that you can expect to find throughout the book, so take a look for yourself to see whether or not this is something that will be helpful to you.  I've also included a full list of lakes that are included- personally, I expected a few more Algonquin Park lakes in the book, so take a look below to make sure you aren't similarly disappointed if you decide to buy it.  But I'd just recommend registering at The Angler's Atlas.  You can find a bunch of maps and other good information there.  Or just do a google image search.  It beats spending cash, and you'll probably find maps that are good enough as a starting point.  And once you know you're going somewhere, it's probably worth investing in more detailed, navigational maps of specific lakes anyway.

Click on the images below for a higher resolution version.

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