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Fishing Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay: what the data says
127,814-acre section. The twin southwest arms: Owen Sound's salmon harbour and Wiarton's Colpoys Bay, one of Ontario's best splake and whitefish waters, with chinook staging off both sounds each fall. The lake tops out around 405 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.
Chinook Salmon fishing at Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay
Spring chinook salmon on Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 30 to 90 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sydenham River mouth (Owen Sound): a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. Sydenham River mouth (Owen Sound) is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring rainbow trout. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Brown Trout fishing at Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay
Spring brown trout on Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sydenham River mouth (Owen Sound): a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around after dark and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Lake Trout fishing at Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay
In spring, lake trout run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in fall. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Lake Whitefish fishing at Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay
Start shallow in spring: lake whitefish sit in 15 to 45 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 90 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Splake fishing at Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay
Start shallow in spring: splake sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 45 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 26 ft, rated prime for summer splake. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 |
Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 405 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 171 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 146 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 77 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 26 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 12 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 11 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5 ft
- Sydenham River mouth (Owen Sound): inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay?
Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay is about 405 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 - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, yellow perch, common carp, chinook salmon, lake trout, brown trout, lake whitefish, splake on Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay?
Sydenham River mouth (Owen Sound) is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout 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 - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay?
For chinook salmon, 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
Mary Lake · Lake Charles · Gleason Lake · Bass Lake · Francis Lake · Mountain Lake
See how Georgian Bay - Owen Sound & Colpoys Bay stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best rainbow trout lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch 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.