Fishing Upper Rideau Lake | Bass, Pike & a Visit to Historic Narrows Lock

New September 11, 2026 1 views

Today we’re heading out for a day of fishing on beautiful Upper Rideau Lake, just north of Kingston, Ontario.

Upper Rideau Lake is part of the historic Rideau Canal system, and getting here is about an hour’s drive from Kingston. Our destination was the public boat launch at Narrows Lock, where we would put the boat in, spend the day exploring and fishing the lake, and then return later in the day to see the historic lock in action.

The Narrows Lock is a particularly interesting place to start a fishing trip because you’re not just launching onto a lake — you’re launching right beside an important part of the Rideau Canal. The Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of Canada’s most impressive historic engineering projects.

Once we had the boat in the water, it was time to leave the lock behind and concentrate on the fishing.

Upper Rideau Lake is a large, beautiful body of water with plenty of shoreline, islands, bays and structure to explore. Like a lot of the lakes in this part of Eastern Ontario, there are plenty of opportunities for bass and northern pike, and half the fun is figuring out where the fish are going to be on any particular day.

We spent the day moving around the lake, trying different areas and looking for the places where the fish might be holding. Some spots looked incredibly promising, while others produced absolutely nothing — which, as any fisherman knows, is just part of the game!

There’s something pretty special about fishing in this part of Ontario. You can be out in the middle of the lake surrounded by beautiful Canadian Shield landscape, forests and cottages, and yet you’re never too far from a piece of Ontario history.

And that’s one of the things I really enjoy about exploring the lakes around Kingston. A fishing trip can easily turn into a sightseeing adventure as well.

After spending the day on Upper Rideau Lake, we eventually headed back toward Narrows Lock. This time, rather than simply loading up the boat and heading home, we decided to stick around and see the lock operating.

The Narrows is a fascinating place because boats travelling along the Rideau Canal have to pass through the lock to continue their journey. Watching the boats arrive, enter the lock and then be raised or lowered is a great reminder that this isn’t just a recreational waterway — it’s a working historic canal system that has been carrying boats through this region for almost two centuries.

We watched several boats make their way through the lock, and it was a great way to finish the day.

So this turned out to be much more than just a fishing trip. We had the drive from Kingston, the boat launch at historic Narrows Lock, a full day exploring and fishing Upper Rideau Lake, and then some time watching the canal traffic make its way through the lock.

If you enjoy fishing, boating, exploring Eastern Ontario or simply discovering some of the beautiful places around the Kingston area, I hope you’ll enjoy coming along with us.

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And as always — get outside and enjoy the adventure!

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