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26,133-acre lake near Manitowaning. The lake tops out around 160 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Traced from the shoreline, Lake Manitou runs 26,202 acres with 65.6 miles of edge, with 11 islands in the mix. A development index of 2.9 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. About 20% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Call it 12.6 mi long by 9.4 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Manitoulin District. The nearest mapped water is Big Lake, 6 mi to the southwest.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: brook trout in 2 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 3 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: lake trout in 10 to 40 ft. As the season builds they drop to 50 to 120 ft, wintering in 20 to 80 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 12 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (12 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Break off the point (53 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (6 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (53 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
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. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 53 ft of water that rates prime for splake in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a trolled spoon at the thermocline or a white tube jig (deep) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (6 ft) | Small casting spoon (gold/orange), Inline spinner |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (53 ft) | Trolled spoon at the thermocline, White tube jig (deep) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (12 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 10 to 45 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (17 ft) | Jigging spoon tipped with minnow head, Small white tube |
Come spring, look for lake whitefish tight to the bank in 15 to 45 ft. Expect a summer slide to 40 to 90 ft, then a winter hold in 25 to 70 ft. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (17 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Break off the point (53 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (6 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (53 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Come spring, look for cisco (lake herring) tight to the bank in 10 to 40 ft. Expect a summer slide to 40 to 80 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 60 ft. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning. A vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (17 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (53 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (6 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (17 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Sharp break first on the milk run — a drop-off near 34 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (17 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (34 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (17 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Lake Manitou also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), burbot (50 to 120 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Lake Manitou carries 19 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 156 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
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 Lake Manitou specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Lake Manitou is about 160 ft (49 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target brook trout, lake trout, splake, lake whitefish, cisco (lake herring), yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, rock bass, brown bullhead, burbot on Lake Manitou.
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout 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 Lake Manitou 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.
Big Lake 6 mi · Mindemoya Lake 10 mi · Lake Kagawong 16 mi · Georgian Bay - Manitoulin & Killarney Shore 18 mi · Harrow L. 28 22 mi · Wright's Lake 23 mi · White's Lake 23 mi · Alexander Lake 24 mi · Elbow Lake 24 mi · La Cloche Lake 25 mi · Florence Lake 25 mi · West Quartzite Lake 25 mi
See how Lake Manitou stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best lake trout lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Manitoulin District fishing maps (10 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.