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Best brown trout lakes in Ontario

18 Ontario waters hold brown trout, 18 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. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Drag Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
3. Michipicoten River — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon
4. Grand River section — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
5. Eugenia Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
6. Blackstone Harbour — 62 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
7. Woods Bay — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
8. Moon River Bay — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
9. Darling Long Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
10. Summit Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Brown Trout, Pumpkinseed
11. Earl Rowe Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Brown Trout
12. Silver Lake — 5 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Brown Trout, Rock Bass
13. East Jeannie Lakes — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Brown Trout, Brook Trout
14. Wilcox Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
15. Whitefish River — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
16. Lake Whittaker — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
17. Danielle Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
18. Jessica Lake — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Brown Trout

When to fish brown trout in Ontario

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

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 lake 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 brown bullhead lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes

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