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Fishing Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour: what the data says
150,038-acre section. The French River delta, Key Harbour and Byng Inlet on north Georgian Bay: legendary muskie and walleye water in a maze of granite channels and weedy back bays. The lake tops out around 155 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Muskellunge fishing at Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour
In spring, muskellunge run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Northern Pike fishing at Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Walleye fishing at Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour
Spring walleye on Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it French River main outlet: a inflow / creek mouth around 14 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. 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 |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour
Spring smallmouth bass on Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour
Spring largemouth bass on Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Weed flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch 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) |
Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour also holds rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 155 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 140 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 108 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 88 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 48 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 45 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 40 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 35 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 33 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 25 ft
- Key River mouth: inflow / creek mouth, around 18 ft
- French River main outlet: inflow / creek mouth, around 14 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour?
Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour is about 155 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, muskellunge, yellow perch, rock bass on Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour.
Where is the best fishing spot on Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour?
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour?
For muskellunge, the summer bite is best in the evening and 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
Bass Lake · Eastern Outlet (French River) · French River · Western Channel (French River) · Pike Lake · Allen Lake
See how Georgian Bay - French River & Key Harbour stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA hydrographic surveys. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.