Where to Fish in Canada | Watch 15 Films About Fishing

It’s fishing season!

With so many incredible fishing spots across Canada, it can be a daunting task trying to decide where to go for the best haul. For all you fishing fanatics, we’ve put together a list of 15 films about fishing, and gave you a little map of some of the best fishing spots in Canada.

??The North??

In 1967, director Quentin Brown shot a collection of films called the Netsilik series that examines life in the north. Check out the films for a more nuanced look at hunting, fishing, and gathering.

Jigging for Lake Trout

Travel to the Kugaaruk and Gjoa Haven of the Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut for some ice fishing, despite a severe blizzard.

Jigging for Lake Trout, Quentin Brown, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Fishing at the Stone Weir: Part 1

This short documentary about the Netsilik Inuit was shot at the height of summer where men go into the river to form enclosures to trap fish.

Fishing at the Stone Weir: Part 1, Quentin Brown, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

??The West Coast??

Herring Hunt

Travel up the coastal waters of British Columbia as a herring boat and her crew race to get their catch before the quota is taken and the fishing area closed.

Herring Hunt, Julian Biggs, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Red Runs the Fraser

Travel to a deep gorge of the Fraser River in British Columbia where you’ll find the migration of Pacific salmon. The river shallows appear red with the flailing fish as they push up-river to spawn and die.

Red Runs the Fraser, E. Taylor, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Babine River Story

Travel to the Babine River in British Columbia and watch the Department of Fisheries combat the problems caused by a rockslides during the annual salmon run.

Babine River Story, , provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Plea for the Wanderer

Take a look at threats posed by high-seas salmon fishing and the Canadian government’s attempts to protect the salmon runs in a film that follows east and west coast salmon from river to sea and back again.

Plea for the Wanderer, Jean Coutu, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

???????The Prairie Provinces??

Van’s Camp

Travel to Lac La Ronge in northern Saskatchewan for “the best freshwater fishing in the world”, where big-game fishing means hours of exhausting work for the Indigenous guides.

Van’s Camp, Les Rose & Donald Brittain, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Northern Fisherman

Enjoy an exposé on the style of fishing done by Native fishermen in the Prairie provinces.

Northern Fisherman, Martin Defalco, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

???????Central Canada??

The Annanacks

Travel to the George River community in Northern Québec where the Annanacks formed a joint venture that included a sawmill, a fish-freezing plant and a small boat-building industry.

The Annanacks, René Bonnière, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Oyster Man

Travel to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec for some incredible oyster farming with our film that shows the various stages of oyster cultivation.

Oyster Man, Julian Biggs & Jean Palardy, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

??The Atlantic Region??

In 1967, Colin Low filmed a prolific series of short films on Fogo Island, Newfoundland. These historic films discuss the issues surrounding life in Fogo, with a heavy slant toward fishing and fisheries. Check them out!

Hand.Line.Cod

Travel to Fogo Island, Newfoundland and meet a group of “people of the fish”—traditional fishers who catch cod live by hand, one at a time, by hook and line.

Hand.Line.Cod, Justin Simms, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Bluefin

Travel to North Lake, Prince Edward Island, the “tuna capital of the world”, in a doc that explores the baffling mystery of why the normally wary bluefin tuna no longer fear humans.

Bluefin, John Hopkins, provided by the National Film Board of Canada