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315-acre lake in Rainy River District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 66 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Drawn out, this is 315 acres of water rimmed by 6.2 miles of bank, with a single island in the mix. With a shoreline index of 2.5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 55% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.3 mi with a 0.7-mi widest point. You'll find it in Rainy River District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Potts Lake, 4 mi east of here.
Come spring, look for lake whitefish tight to the bank in 15 to 45 ft. They move out to 20 to 66 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 66 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 56 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (30 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 66 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep basin (56 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Break off the point (30 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 20 to 66 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (56 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Break off the point (30 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (30 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. Fall smallmouth bass concentrate at Main-lake point, a prime-rated point around 17 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (30 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (17 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (30 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 56 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 Hawknest Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Hawknest Lake is about 66 ft (20 m) deep 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.
Anglers target lake whitefish, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass on Hawknest Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 56 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Hawknest 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.
Potts Lake 4 mi · Clearwater West Lake 4 mi · Barr Lake 5 mi · Crowrock Lake 6 mi · Turtle Lake 6 mi · Kingfish Lake 6 mi · Mae Lake 6 mi · White Otter Lake 6 mi · 5PB10-125, L. 7 mi · Style Lake 7 mi · Jackfish Lake 7 mi · Knight Lake 7 mi
See how Hawknest Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best lake whitefish lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Rainy River District fishing maps (257 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. 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.