Multi-species angling in Severn Sound

As our boat left Victoria Harbour en route to Severn Sound’s Beausoleil Island, I reminisced about fishing trips in this same area. We pass Methodist Island, close to where late Ontario OUT of DOORS Editor-in-Chief John Kerr and I chased schools of huge crappie 40 years ago. Back then, many anglers didn’t know much about crappie, but some of us recognized the potential of Severn Sound. Highly respected angler and guide Tyler Brooks was taking me out for a multispecies adventure. Joining us was my friend Peter Suitso, who had retired to Port Severn. This was our second attempt. The first trip, two weeks earlier was cut short due to dangerously high winds. “We’ve had some great days with clients lately so today should be an opportunity to try for different species,” Brooks said. Severn Sound and multi-species action We started off on an underwater hump at about 40 feet deep with four good marks showing on the sonar. Using a drop-shot rig, I hooked a fish that felt like a small bass. When I got it to the surface the mystery fish turned out to be a large white perch. “If you like eating yellow perch, then try a few of these,” Brooks said. Two perch later, I was rewarded with a heavier fish, a nice walleye. Brook’s prediction for a day of multi-species action was starting to unfold. Big channel cats, pike, and smallmouth were still on the agenda. “Severn Sound has a tremendous variety of species,” Brooks said. “Just last week I had a group of clients catch 80 fish with a mixture of different species.” Our next destination was to the north of Beausoleil, where numerous islands and underwater structure provided all the basics for excellent smallmouth habitat. We tried depths of 15 to 20 feet with dropshot rigs. A couple of minutes later, I released a decent two-pound smallie. For the next hour-and-a-half, the three of us landed more than 30 fish, mostly in the two- to three-pound range — outstanding smallmouth action. We finished the day reluctantly, knowing that we’d only experienced a small sample of the potential of Severn Sound. Aerial view of Severn Sound Severn Sound geography Severn Sound is a group of bays covering an area of approximately 130 square kilometres in southeastern Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. The basin is a complex of sheltered to exposed bays with depths ranging