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12-acre lake in Nipissing District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 70 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 12 acres wrapped in 0.5 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.1), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. Roughly 16% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. It sits in Nipissing District. If the bite dies, Lake Temagami is 2 mi to the southeast.
When the water first warms, brook trout slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline break: a drop-off around 32 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (32 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Spring puts pumpkinseed in skinny water — 1 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 10 ft, wintering in 6 to 18 ft. Spring pumpkinseed concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Hillcrest Lake carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 60 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 Hillcrest Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Hillcrest Lake is about 70 ft (21 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 brook trout, pumpkinseed on Hillcrest Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Hillcrest 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.
Lake Temagami 2 mi · Spitzig Lake 2 mi · Secret Lake 4 mi · Spawning Lake 4 mi · Side Rock Lake 4 mi · McLaren Lake 4 mi · Herbert Lake 4 mi · Malloch Lake 4 mi · Joan L. 4 5 mi · Price Lake 5 mi · Kokoko Lake 5 mi · Ferrim Lake 5 mi
See how Hillcrest Lake stacks up: best brook trout lakes in Ontario · best pumpkinseed lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Nipissing District fishing maps (683 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or 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.