A couple of us guys are planning a trip to Ontario this May to do a pike/musky trip. We have never been there before, and were wondering if any of you guys have any tips/suggestions on where we should go. We are pretty avid anglers with endless amounts of gear and knowledge, but need some help on where to go so we don't waste our time farting around with bad lakes/rivers. We are thinking the Georgian bay area but are open to any suggestions. I heard the musky season doesn't open til mid June, but was wondering if anglers could still target them, as long as it is catch and release only? Any help will be appreciated.

The Upper French is a great place for both big Pike and Musky. Check out Lunge Lodge. The lodge is located on the upper French River. I have not been there for a while but the fishing was great in the past. The lodge is under new management so I can not speak for the service.

http://www.lungelodge.net/

the lungelodge looks great! prices seem pretty good too for a week...

depends what your looking for tho lots of options

We will be towing our own boat up there, so renting boat/gear isn't a concern.  Also, we don't really want to book a guide, and musky for me at least, is a big concern.  The goal of this trip is to try somewhere new and catch lots of fish without breaking the bank.  French River is definetely and option for us.  Anybody ever go there and do any good?  We were also thinking about the Parry Sound region of Georgian just because from bingmaps, it looks as if there are tons of islands, surrounding lakes and rivers closeby, and still being semi-close to civilization.

Couple things

If you are going to spend the money to drive the 8+ hours to georgian bay, paying for gas, food, the lodging...Why not spend a couple hundred extra to hire a guide to show you the area? Looking at the whole picture that would be a drop in the bucket.

It makes perfect sense to pay a guide on the first day you are there to fish, so the rest of the week you have an idea on what to do and where to go. That guide could make or break your trip. Think about it you might spend half your vaction looking for fish and get a few, or have someone that makes a living on the water show you the pattern that has been happening just days before...

Also make sure you got your ****s in order, you will need them to get back in the states.

Personally I would rather spend a vacation locally fishing, maybe hire a guide or two on more local water. The best part about that is you can sleep in your own bed, and no worries about major issues happening when on your trip. If I had a week to just go musky fishing I would include a trip with Red on the alleghany, and at least one or two days with Todd Young on Chautauqua. But thats is what I would do.

I think if you spent a couple of days at Pyme, Targeting muskies you could save yourself some money. The Next Bite's Pete Mania was there three days and bagged Quite a few big ones. I think you could find the show on you tube, maybe get some pointers.

Just a thought. Good Luck what ever you do!

If you go to lunge it is much better in the Fall, for muskies

french river and georgian bay are good starting points.  if you want to drive a little further lake of the woods is packed with many species.  a GPS unit is 100% necessary on that lake. 

oh, and if you're going in may, just accept that you'll be most likely BUFU'd by black flies.

Lake of the Woods is a top choice. Lots of musky...and big ones!...,+ excellent pike, walleye and big smallies. I recommend Crow Rock Lodge, near the north end. Reasonable prices, excellent food and cabins & boats, and fine guides. I agree that you'll be wasting much of your overall investment if you don't hire a guide for a day or two to show you around...and I also agree you'll need GPS on that big lake.

Better check when musky season opens wherever you are looking into fishing for them. I think where I went it didn't open until first saturday in June