about nipigon nets
Handcrafted, one at a time, in Northern Ontario, for discerning fishermen who truly appreciate the beauty of the Nipigon area and its many beautiful rivers and streams.
Lorne Morrow
My name is Lorne Morrow and I am a retired Forester. I spent most of my working life in the Nipigon/Red Rock area of Northwestern Ontario. This region is blessed with some of the most beautiful scenery, rugged landscapes and some of the best brook trout, steelhead and salmon fishing in the country.
Nipigon District has the highest concentration of brook trout streams and rivers in Ontario: 214 streams and 64 rivers support self-sustaining brook trout populations.
In my retirement I started making custom canoe paddles because of my years of experience as a portage crew member in Quetico Park. It was a natural evolution to expand into designing and building custom fishing nets for the fishermen of the Nipigon area.
2025 Actvities
This year has been particularly busy on the net- building front. I am at over 80 nets so far with a month left to go. I added a very popular new series called “Rabbit Rapids” series which fits between the Split Rock and Guide Special Series Why the name Rabbit Rapids?. The World Record Speckled trout was caught by Dr. Cook at Rabbit Rapids on the Nipigon River. The Rapids was flooded out by the construction of the hydro dams on the river 50 years ago. Nipigon Nets are also available at “the Lodge” in Red Rock (in 2026), The Silver Islet General Store and Fresh Air Experience in Thunder Bay.
Giving Back
I plan to build between 40-50 nets each year with a significant portion going to charities, fund-raisers, silent auctions and deserving individuals. I will always support these types of activities in the Nipigon/Red Rock areas. As usual,I was busy with donations to the following:
Nipigon Fall Fishing Festival
Red Rock Trout Derby
Northshore Steelhead Association
National Team Development Centre Nordic Fest
Live from the Rock Folk Festival
Gravel River Fish Derby
Canadian Institute of Forestry Annual Conference
“I’ve been looking for a custom wooden net that could serve my needs as a guide and an angler for years. So, when I met Lorne, and talked about what I was looking for, it was exciting to see him rise to the challenge. The Split Rock Guide Special net is an awesome net for the boat angler and Lorne has designed a bunch of beautiful and functional nets for all types of fishing. Guide tested and approved!”
Gord Ellis
Gord is a life-long resident of Thunder Bay, Ontario. He is the senior editor of Ontario Out of Doors magazine. He has had a long career in broadcasting with CBC radio in Thunder Bay as a reporter, newsreader and outdoor columnist. He is one of the top guides on the Nipigon River chasing the elusive brook trout. Most importantly, Gord was the first area guide to test the Nipigon Nets Guide Special Model #1.