Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Lake Despair
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Lake Despair: what the data says
2,353-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 30 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Lake Whitefish fishing at Lake Despair
Spring lake whitefish on Lake Despair hold shallow, usually 9 to 30 ft. Summer fish stay in 9 to 30 ft, and winter fish hold in 9 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. 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 | 9 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Lake Despair
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Lake Despair hold shallow, usually 8 to 30 ft. Summer fish stay in 9 to 30 ft, and winter fish hold in 9 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Walleye fishing at Lake Despair
Spring walleye on Lake Despair hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 9 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 14 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 9 to 30 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Lake Despair
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 9 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| 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 | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Despair
Spring northern pike on Lake Despair hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| 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 |
Muskellunge fishing at Lake Despair
Spring muskellunge on Lake Despair hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. 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 | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Lake Despair also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), burbot (9 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 14 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Despair?
Lake Despair is about 30 ft 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.
What fish are in Lake Despair?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, muskellunge, yellow perch, lake whitefish, burbot, rock bass, cisco (lake herring), pumpkinseed on Lake Despair.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Despair?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Despair?
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.
Nearby waters
West Jackfish Lake · Footprint Lake · Lake Hope · Jackfish Lake · Burditt Lake · Feather Lake
See how Lake Despair stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best crappie lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.