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Best brown bullhead lakes in Ontario

1492 Ontario waters list brown bullhead (official records or labelled estimates), 865 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — 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 of the Woods — 36 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
2. Lake Abitibi — 49 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
3. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
4. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
5. Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
6. Lake Timiskaming — 70 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
7. Onaping Lake — 160 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
8. Rice Lake — 44 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 12 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Lake Muskoka — 240 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 22 public access sites, 10 carry-in or shore-oriented
10. Pigeon Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
11. Lake of Bays — 200 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 11 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
12. Kakagi Lake — 180 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Yellow PerchWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
13. Namakan Lake — 150 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Lake Manitou — 160 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Panache Lake — 180 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Lake Panache — 180 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
17. Sturgeon Lake — 35 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
18. Lake Scugog — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
19. Loughborough Lake — 110 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
20. Long Lake — 144 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Lake Joseph — 302 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
22. Matinenda Lake — 280 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
23. Agnew Lake — 120 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Lake Rosseau — 292 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites, 6 carry-in or shore-oriented
25. Nepewassi Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites

…plus 1467 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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