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Fishing Basket Lake: what the data says
10,588-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 65 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Lake Trout fishing at Basket Lake
In spring, lake trout run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. They move out to 20 to 65 ft in summer and finish the year down in 16 to 65 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 55 ft, rated prime for summer lake trout. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 20 to 65 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 16 to 65 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Lake Whitefish fishing at Basket Lake
Spring lake whitefish on Basket Lake hold shallow, usually 15 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 20 to 65 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 65 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 55 ft, rated prime for summer lake whitefish. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 65 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 20 to 65 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Basket Lake
In spring, cisco (lake herring) run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 20 to 65 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 55 ft, rated prime for summer cisco (lake herring). Best bite is early morning. Tie on a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 20 to 65 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Walleye fishing at Basket Lake
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 29 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Basket Lake
Spring yellow perch on Basket Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Basket Lake
Spring northern pike on Basket Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Basket Lake also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), burbot (20 to 65 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 55 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 29 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 16 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 12.349978429972717 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9.244304988479985 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 7.21197246213264 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6.573399794872323 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 5.953568337303413 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 3.650627849821814 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 3.1953406138638214 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3.1844902019641483 ft
Common questions
How deep is Basket Lake?
Basket Lake is about 65 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Basket Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, lake trout, lake whitefish, burbot, rock bass, cisco (lake herring) on Basket Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Basket Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 55 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Basket Lake?
For lake trout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Unnamed Lake (FMZ04_01) · Abamategwia Lake · Widow Lake · Keike Lake · Hyndman Lake · Dollar Lake
See how Basket Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.