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128-acre lake in Nipissing District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 50 ft. The depth chart comes from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1970, a decades-old survey (an MNRF lake survey). Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The drawn water covers 128 acres wrapped in 3.5 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 2.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 42% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 1 mi long by 0.6 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Nipissing District. If the bite dies, Jean Lake is 1 mi to the southwest.
Spring brook trout on Fork Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 20 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 10 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (10 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (10 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
When the water first warms, splake slide up into 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 50 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 10 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a trolled spoon at the thermocline or a white tube jig (deep) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (10 ft) | Small casting spoon (gold/orange), Inline spinner |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (50 ft) | Trolled spoon at the thermocline, White tube jig (deep) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (10 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 10 to 45 ft | dawn | Break off the point (10 ft) | Jigging spoon tipped with minnow head, Small white tube |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 10 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Break off the point (10 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (10 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: pumpkinseed in 1 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 10 ft, wintering in 6 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 1 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (6 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Fork Lake carries 7 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 50 ft down.
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 Fork Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Fork Lake is about 50 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1970, a decades-old survey (an MNRF lake survey).
Anglers target brook trout, splake, yellow perch, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed on Fork Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Fork 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.
Jean Lake 1 mi · Norway Lake 1 mi · Amikeus Lake 1 mi · Pinetree Lake 2 mi · Costello Lake 2 mi · Brewer Lake 2 mi · Bud Lake 2 mi · Sproule Lake 3 mi · Sunday Lake 3 mi · Sylvia Lake 3 mi · Gordon Lake 3 mi · Whitney Lake 3 mi
See how Fork Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best brook trout lakes in Ontario · best splake lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Nipissing District fishing maps (683 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.