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Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Ontario

1785 Ontario waters hold cisco (lake herring), 1029 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. Pelagic coldwater herring — suspends over deep basins chasing plankton, spawns on late-fall shoals, and shines as a winter ice target.

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. Sandy Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
3. Long Lake — 400 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
4. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
5. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
6. Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
7. Sturgeon Lake — 260 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
8. Deer Lake — 217 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
9. Lake Timiskaming — 70 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
10. Red Lake — 140 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
11. Missinaibi Lake — 250 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
12. Lac des Mille Lacs — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
13. Trout Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
14. Lac la Croix — 168 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
15. Kesagami Lake — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Big Trout Lake — 120 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
17. Birch Lake — 118 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
18. Onaping Lake — 160 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
19. Kabinakagami Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. Miniss Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Lake Muskoka — 240 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 22 public access sites, 10 carry-in or shore-oriented
22. Kenogamisis Lake — 98 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Pigeon Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
24. Stout Lake — 72 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Atikwa Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites

…plus 1760 more Ontario waters holding cisco (lake herring).

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When to fish cisco (lake herring) in Ontario

• Spring 10–40 ft — Post-ice-out schools roam the upper column over deep water — follow the bait clouds on the graph, not the bank.
• Summer 40–80 ft — Locked below the thermocline, suspended over the deepest basins. Vertical presentations at the school's exact depth or nothing.
• Fall 5–25 ft — The late-fall spawn puts silver schools on shallow gravel shoals and windswept rock — the one time they're everyone's fish.
• Winter 20–60 ft — A premier ice species — suspended schools cruise the basin mid-column. Watch the flasher and chase the marks.

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 splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes

Cisco (Lake Herring) elsewhere: Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Germany · New York · Saskatchewan · Alberta · Manitoba