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Fishing Lake of Bays: what the data says
16,548-acre lake near Baysville. The lake tops out around 200 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.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake of Bays
Spring rainbow trout on Lake of Bays hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake of Bays
Spring smallmouth bass on Lake of Bays hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake of Bays
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 |
Walleye fishing at Lake of Bays
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 200 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 111 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 94 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 50 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 48 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 45 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 38 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 18 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 17 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 15 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 14 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 12 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 11 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 11 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake of Bays?
Lake of Bays is about 200 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lake of Bays?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, rainbow trout on Lake of Bays.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake of Bays?
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake of Bays?
For rainbow 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.
Nearby waters
Grandview Lake · Shoe Lake · Grindstone Lake · Baysville Narrows · Sprat Lake · Peninsula Lake
See how Lake of Bays stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best rainbow trout lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.