Ottawa Fish School in the Glebe

By John Anderson

Taking a child fishing is one of the most fun things you can do, both for them and for you. Every week during the summer, we take 18 or more of them fishing with the OttawaFish School (OFS). The program was originally organized through Dovercourt Recreation Association, and it has been the first camp to sell out in January when camps go on sale. This year marks the sixth year of the Ottawa Fish School program. We have hosted over 500 students, and this year will be our biggest class ever with more than 200 students. It is being offered for the first time through Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group (GNAG). Fun and learning abound! The initial plan was to go to five different locations around the city to experience different water and conditions. We fished from Britannia to Black’s Rapids to the downtown Rideau River to Petrie Island. We have devolved to mostly fishing out of the canal and Dow’s Lake, both because it offers easy, safe access for our students and because the fishing is good. Our best days see us catch and release more than 200 fish, with the biggest ranging from 10 to 20 pounds or more. The neat thing is that the size of the fish and the size of the smile are not related – the smallest fish can create the biggest smiles.

The team behind OFS is incredible. As we marched from one location to another with our posse in week one last summer, our train was 31 people – two professional fishing guides, two Muskies Canada Hall of Famers, the guy who originated the urban fishing program in Chicago, a lifeguard, a med student, other volunteers, Dovercourt counsellors and one-on-one counsellors for students with special needs. We are also supported by some amazing people – like Cook Labs profs, students from Carleton University and Blue Fish Canada – who have provided lectures on sustainable fishing practices and best-practice equipment like lead-free weights and circle or barbless hooks which are better for the fish. Spencer Landsman started the urban fishing program in Chicago some 25 years ago, and Hedrik Wachelka is the most successful urban musky angler in Canadian history with over 1,000 muskies caught and logged from the shores of downtown Ottawa. We are a diverse and highly experienced team.Friday is the big day of the week at OFS. We take the kids out to Petrie Island where Oziles Marina hosts us, and the kids go out in boats on the Ottawa River to fish some big water. Some kids have never been in a boat before, and that experience alone makes the day, never mind the monster channel cats they catch. Everyone usually catches fish, and we end up with eight or nine species, including some ‘exotics’ like mooneyes or freshwater drum. The energy going back to Petrie is palpable, and we often hear “this was the best day of my summer.”Learning is a big part of this camp, with the goal of helping the kids become self-sufficient as anglers. Shimano has donated over $50,000 worth of rods and reels to support this grass roots project, and Sail has helped us build the tackle boxes that everystudent gets. Learning to assemble and take down your equipment, tie knots, put on worms, choose a good presentation, handle and release a fish well and take care of the water and land are all important parts of the curriculum. There are still a few spots available for the 2026 program through GNAG. You can reach out to them at gnag.ca. Please stop and share a smile with us along the canal this summer. We make new smiles every couple of minutes.

John Anderson founded and operates the Ottawa Fish School, an educational program that teaches kids how to catch fish, use fishing equipment, handle and release fish using best practices. (ottawafishschool.com)Kids love the thrill of catching a fish! You may catch sight of them at Dow’s Lake, the Canal or the Ottawa River this summer