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Best brown bullhead lakes in Ontario

1390 Ontario waters hold brown bullhead, 761 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Night-feeding catfish of weedy, mud-bottomed lakes — the classic after-dark shoreline bite across the east and Canada.

1. Lake Abitibi — 49 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
2. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
3. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
4. Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
5. Onaping Lake — 160 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
6. Rice Lake — 44 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 12 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
7. Lake Muskoka — 240 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 22 public access sites, 10 carry-in or shore-oriented
8. Pigeon Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
9. Lake of Bays — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 11 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
10. Kakagi Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Yellow PerchWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
11. Namakan Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Lake Manitou — 160 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Panache Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Lake Panache — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
15. Sturgeon Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
16. Lake Scugog — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
17. Loughborough Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
18. Long Lake — 144 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Lake Joseph — 302 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
20. Matinenda Lake — 280 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Yellow PerchWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
21. Agnew Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Lake Rosseau — 292 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites, 6 carry-in or shore-oriented
23. Nepewassi Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
24. Sparrow Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
25. Charleston Lake — 295 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites

…plus 1365 more Ontario waters holding brown bullhead.

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When to fish brown bullhead in Ontario

• Spring 2–8 ft — First warm rains pull bullheads into black-bottomed bays and creek mouths — the classic spring shore bite.
• Summer 3–12 ft — Day fish hold on deeper mud and weed edges; after dark they spread across the shallows to feed by smell.
• Fall 5–15 ft — Fish slide toward deeper soft bottoms as the shallows cool — the evening bite shortens with the days.
• Winter 10–25 ft — Bullheads pod up half-dormant in the deepest mud basins; a long soak with bait on bottom is the lone play.

Also in Ontario: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes

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