Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Cardinal Lake
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Cardinal Lake: what the data says
32-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 80 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.
Brook Trout fishing at Cardinal Lake
Start shallow in spring: brook trout sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores good in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Splake fishing at Cardinal Lake
Spring splake on Cardinal Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 25 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 36 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a trolled spoon at the thermocline or a white tube jig (deep) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small casting spoon (gold/orange), Inline spinner |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon at the thermocline, White tube jig (deep) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 10 to 45 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon tipped with minnow head, Small white tube |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Cardinal Lake
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Cardinal Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 80 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 68 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 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 |
Yellow Perch fishing at Cardinal Lake
Spring yellow perch on Cardinal Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| 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) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 68 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 36 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 20 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Cardinal Lake?
Cardinal Lake is about 80 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 Cardinal Lake?
Anglers target yellow perch, brook trout, cisco (lake herring), splake on Cardinal Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Cardinal Lake?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 36 ft of water that rates prime for splake in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Cardinal Lake?
For brook trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Canvasback Lake · Redhead Lake · Pintail Lake · Bittern Lake · Widgeon Lake · Scaup Lake
See how Cardinal Lake stacks up: best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best brook trout lakes in Ontario · best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Ontario · best splake lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.