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998-acre lake in Kenora District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 60 ft. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1978, a decades-old survey (a transect sounding survey). Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Deception Lake runs 998 acres with 15 miles of edge, broken up by 7 islands. The 3.4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 36% of this chart. The basin spans about 4.3 mi end to end and 1 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Kenora District. For a second option, Gall Lake lies 3 mi east.
When the water first warms, lake whitefish slide up into 15 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 18 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 18 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 60 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 18 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (60 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 18 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (60 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
When the water first warms, cisco (lake herring) slide up into 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 18 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 60 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 18 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (60 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (60 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Early season walleye use the shallows, holding in 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 15 to 35 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Secondary point — point, 12 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (12 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Secondary point (12 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (60 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, sauger slide up into 4 to 18 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 45 ft one. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (4 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: burbot sit in 18 to 60 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 18 to 60 ft covers summer, 15 to 60 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 60 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and midday. Throw a heavy jig + cut bait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 18 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (60 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 18 to 60 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (60 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 18 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (60 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (60 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
The chart marks 8 structure features on Deception Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 60 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Ontario waters are set by the Ontario fishing regulations (FMZ summary) — and special regulations can apply to Deception Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Deception Lake is about 60 ft (18 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1978, a decades-old survey (a transect sounding survey).
Anglers target lake whitefish, cisco (lake herring), walleye, sauger, northern pike, burbot on Deception Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 60 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For lake whitefish, 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.
Fishing on Deception Lake is regulated by the Ontario fishing regulations (FMZ summary). Check the official Ontario regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Gall Lake 3 mi · Supee Lake 3 mi · Tims Lake 3 mi · Hidden Lake 4 mi · Legros Lake 4 mi · Grove Lake 4 mi · Unnamed Lake 4 mi · Botsford Lake 5 mi · Pape Lake 6 mi · Deek Lake 7 mi · Kirk Lake 7 mi · Limited Lake 7 mi
See how Deception Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Ontario · best sauger lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best lake whitefish lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Kenora District fishing maps (1173 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.