McLennan Lake has a good population of Whitefish. They are common in the 2 to 4 pound range but the LakeWhitefish can get up to 15 pounds in bigger lakes.
The best time to fish for them is in the spring before the May Fly hatch. What's become more and more popular is fly-fishing for Whitefish. On a calm evening in the spring guests quietly paddle into one of the back bays and start casting dry flies onto the surface. The Whitefish are right below the surface and at that time of year they have their eyes peeled to look for May Flies hatching on the surface. Whitefish fight like they have the Devil inside them and on a light-action fly-rod they are tons of fun.
Whitefish have tiny mouths so if you are Walleye fishing with small jigs and small lures you have a good chance at catching Whitefish. It can be very tasty if prepared properly. Most people smoke Whitefish but they taste fine broiled or barbequed with some salt and lemon juice. Broiled with sun dried Tomato and Oregano salad dressing is also really nice. They do not taste very good fried or deep fried like Walleye.
The possession limit for Whitefish is 12 with a sports fishing license so it's a good way to bring fish home for the big fish fry. Most of the lakes in the Chapleau area have Whitefish. Their populations are high because nobody ever fishes for them. If you have a trailer hitch and a 2-inch ball you can tow a boat to any number of lakes in the area.
