Fish Dives near Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

[Freshwater Bestwater]

I am planning a trip from Detroit to dive Tobermory +/- Manitoulin Island in Summer 2024. I will be shore diving and am interested in seeing fish. Can anyone recommend shore dives on Lake Huron, within Georgian Bay, or any inland lakes in Bruce Peninsula that are good for fish watching?

 

[davecampbell]

while there is some shore diving in Tobermory, and the surrounding area, the real draw is the wrecks via boat diving. It's also not what I would consider particularly fishy.

 

[Freshwater Bestwater]

while there is some shore diving in Tobermory, and the surrounding area, the real draw is the wrecks via boat diving. It's also not what I would consider particularly fishy.

I appreciate the response. I am hoping to try some little inland lakes while I'm out that way. I've gotten lucky stumbling onto some densely populated weed beds when my Great Lake dives don't offer as many fish interactions. I see you're from Ontario. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Tracy]

I appreciate the response. I am hoping to try some little inland lakes while I'm out that way. I've gotten lucky stumbling onto some densely populated weed beds when my Great Lake dives don't offer as many fish interactions. I see you're from Ontario. Do you have any recommendations?

For freshwater fish dives, you live really close to some of the best. The upper St Clair river is always full of all kinds of fish. Lots of schools and even sturgeon as big as you in the spring spawns.

 

[garyh]

I am planning a trip from Detroit to dive Tobermory +/- Manitoulin Island in Summer 2024. I will be shore diving and am interested in seeing fish. Can anyone recommend shore dives on Lake Huron, within Georgian Bay, or any inland lakes in Bruce Peninsula that are good for fish watching?

Best fish dives I've ever done where on the French River. If you are driving up to Manitoulin Island on Hwy 69 it would be at about the half way point. Site is called Recollet Falls, if u google French River you will see it just to the west of the Hwy. There is a trail on the south side of the river do able but would be a chore with scuba gear. We used to rent a boat from the marina on the east side of the Hwy thats about a 5 minute ride to the falls. Its not really a falls more of an elevation drop of 10/15'. Current is strong so a lot of grab and pull. You will see fish !!!!!! walleye, pike, bass, muskie and sturgeon and lots of them!
Not sure how active they are but the North Bay Scuba Club used to do club dives there every year maybe touch base with them for more info.

 

[Freshwater Bestwater]

Best fish dives I've ever done where on the French River. If you are driving up to Manitoulin Island on Hwy 69 it would be at about the half way point. Site is called Recollet Falls, if u google French River you will see it just to the west of the Hwy. There is a trail on the south side of the river do able but would be a chore with scuba gear. We used to rent a boat from the marina on the east side of the Hwy thats about a 5 minute ride to the falls. Its not really a falls more of an elevation drop of 10/15'. Current is strong so a lot of grab and pull. You will see fish !!!!!! walleye, pike, bass, muskie and sturgeon and lots of them!
Not sure how active they are but the North Bay Scuba Club used to do club dives there every year maybe touch base with them for more info.

Great recommendation! I have been interested in more river dives and this looks like exactly what I want. I appreciate it. How deep is the river where you have dived?

 

[garyh]

Great recommendation! I have been interested in more river dives and this looks like exactly what I want. I appreciate it. How deep is the river where you have dived?

Not very deep maybe 30' max. Enter on the south side of the river, there are some rail tracks laid on the bottom so you can get out through the current. 1st time I dove it was with my son we got out to the middle and at 1 point I looked up and there was a like 25# muskie staring me in the face from like 4' away, kind of creepy cause it followed us for quite a while, it would stare at us for a bit and then circle us and come back and stare some more.
Another good fish dive would be in Trout Lake in North Bay. Water purification intake for the city, follow the intake pipe out, there is a huge crib at the end always full of walleye and bass. May want to touch base with someone from the North Bay Scuba club on this one though, a lot of lets say divers going out there with less buoyancy skills than they should have. A lot of silt getting stirred up and at some point the workers at the plant complained, so the city passed a bylaw that it was a no diving zone.

 

[Freshwater Bestwater]

Thanks a million. I was planning on taking the ferry from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island, but now it's looking like I'll have to detour to dive along the east side of the bay. It's hard to pass up these nature dives. Fingers crossed that I'll see some of those Muskie.