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Fishing First Lake: what the data says
63-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 13 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Yellow Perch fishing at First Lake
Spring yellow perch on First Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 4 to 13 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at First Lake
Spring northern pike on First Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 | 4 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at First Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at First Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 13 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 13 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 13 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at First Lake
Spring rock bass on First Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 8 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is the evening. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 3 to 13 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Crappie fishing at First Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 13 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 13 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 4 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
First Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is First Lake?
First Lake is about 13 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 First Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on First Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on First Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish First Lake?
For yellow perch, 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
Windfall Lake · Second Lake · Third Lake · Lioness Lake · Brennan Lake · Horseshoe Lake
See how First Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best crappie lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.