>>555834I live 15 minutes from the shore of Lake Erie and have been fishing it and Southwestern Ontario in general since I was 3 years old.
Most shore fishing I do is for perch. It is what I think is really simple and what I take my friends out for if they don't fish often. I use what is called a pickerel rig (pic related on left) which is a bottom fishing rig that you can either make yourself or buy put together from Canadian Tire or Walmart. For Perch specifically which are great eating fish in my opinion I use either minnows or worms. You'll get a lot of freshwater drum or sheepshead hit as well with will give you a decent fight. When fishing near the mouths of rivers and creeks you may also catch catfish. Take along a stringer if you want to keep the perch.
In the spring and fall you can target Rainbow and Brown trout in the tributaries of lakes Ontario and Erie as well.
Walleye and Steelhead are abundant out on the lakes in the summer but are in rather deep water so you'd need to be on a boat.
Shallower weedy areas of Lake Erie such as Long Point and Rondeau Bay are Bass havens. I've had the most success with any sort of topwater popper, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits. You're also likely to catch Northern Pike or even the occasional Muskee in these areas as well.
Any smaller lake or pond in Southwestern Ontario you're likely to catch an abundant amount of pumpkinseed, bluegill, and smaller bass. Maybe some catfish even. A simple hook and bobber set-up I've found to be the best. You could throw a few lures to see if there are any pike around as well
