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Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Ontario

1998 Ontario waters list cisco (lake herring) (official records or labelled estimates), 1190 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. Pelagic coldwater herring — suspends over deep basins chasing plankton, spawns on late-fall shoals, and shines as a winter ice target.

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. Sandy Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
4. Long Lake — 400 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
5. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
6. Lake Nipissing — 230 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
7. Eagle Lake — 100 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
8. Lake Simcoe — 135 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Sturgeon Lake — 260 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
10. Deer Lake — 217 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
11. Lake Timiskaming — 70 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
12. Red Lake — 140 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
13. Missinaibi Lake — 250 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
14. Lac des Mille Lacs — 90 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
15. Trout Lake — 150 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Dog Lake — 328 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
17. Lac la Croix — 168 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
18. Kesagami Lake — 13 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
19. Big Trout Lake — 120 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
20. Birch Lake — 118 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Onaping Lake — 160 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
22. Kabinakagami Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Miniss Lake — 120 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
24. Lake Muskoka — 240 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 22 public access sites, 10 carry-in or shore-oriented
25. Kenogamisis Lake — 98 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake WhitefishWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 1973 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.

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