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1,376-acre lake in Cochrane District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 50 ft. The depth data here comes from a transect sounding survey by the Ontario MNRF. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Kawakanika Lake runs 1,382 acres with 19.3 miles of edge, broken up by 15 islands. With a shoreline index of 3.7, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 86% of this chart. Call it 3.9 mi long by 2.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Cochrane District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Truax Lake, 2 mi north of here.
Spring lake whitefish on Kawakanika Lake hold shallow, usually 15 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 50 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 50 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 15 to 50 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Kawakanika Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 50 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 50 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (50 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (1 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 15 to 50 ft | dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 15 to 35 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 1 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (50 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (50 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 1 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
In spring, burbot run shallow here, mostly 15 to 50 ft. Summer keeps them at 15 to 50 ft, and they winter in 13 to 50 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 50 ft, rated prime for spring burbot. Time it for after dark and midday. You won't need more than a heavy jig + cut bait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 50 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (50 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (50 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 15 to 50 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (50 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 13 to 50 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (50 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Kawakanika Lake also holds lake sturgeon (15 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 7 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 50 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 Kawakanika Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Kawakanika Lake is about 50 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from a transect sounding survey by the Ontario MNRF.
Anglers target lake whitefish, cisco (lake herring), walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, burbot, lake sturgeon on Kawakanika Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 50 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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 Kawakanika 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.
Truax Lake 2 mi · Raynar Lake 4 mi · Tilia Lake 5 mi · Obobka Lake 5 mi · Mile 30 Lake 7 mi · E-11 Lake 7 mi · Chipman Lake 8 mi · Mukwa Lake 9 mi · Harp Lake 10 mi · Buell Lake 11 mi · Bessie Lake 12 mi · Ira Lake 12 mi
See how Kawakanika Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best lake whitefish lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Cochrane District fishing maps (673 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.