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 he Madawaska River which we fished lay between Arnprior on the east and Burnstown on the west (see map). The Madewaska River wanders east from Algonquin Park, near Whitney, to the Ottawa River at Arnprior. It is relatively fertile and has some very deep sections, reaching 200 or more feet. The Madawaska River has been incorporated into part of several interconnected reservoir and storm systems. The river has been damed in several areas to produce hydroelectric power which created several lakes, including Bark Lake, Black Donald Lake, Centennial Lake and others. Lake Madewaska was created by a hydroelectric dam which can be seen laying along Hwy 15 driving into Arnprior from Ottawa (see map). The currents on this river are not as dangerous a those on the Ottawa River. The water for the Madewaska River is obtained from the nearby watershed and in 1999 an extreme lack of water (rain and snow) caused the water level in Bark Lake to remain very low. Similarly, water levels in the Great Lakes are at all time lows. |
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Fishing the Madawaska
Game Fish species in the Madawaska River include: walleye (pickerel, doré), smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, channel catfish, brown bullhead, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. The Madawaska River was interesting  to fish because we never knew what we would catch. One day we caught a mooneye and then subsequently learned that this species was locally abundant and was an important forage fish in the Madawaska ecosystem.
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