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Fishing Mattawa Lake: what the data says
4,495-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 40 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 Mattawa Lake
Spring lake whitefish on Mattawa Lake hold shallow, usually 12 to 40 ft. Summer fish stay in 12 to 40 ft, and winter fish hold in 12 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 34 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 12 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 12 to 40 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Mattawa Lake
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Mattawa Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. Summer fish stay in 12 to 40 ft, and winter fish hold in 12 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 34 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 | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 12 to 40 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Walleye fishing at Mattawa Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 34 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 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 |
Sauger fishing at Mattawa Lake
In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 40 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 34 ft, rated prime for winter sauger. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Yellow Perch fishing at Mattawa Lake
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 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 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 | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Mattawa Lake
Spring northern pike on Mattawa Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Mattawa Lake also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), burbot (12 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 34 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 10 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 8.11386998147967 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 2.0446841233491457 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.7296408765036888 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.6376649178301026 ft
Common questions
How deep is Mattawa Lake?
Mattawa Lake is about 40 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 Mattawa Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger, northern pike, yellow perch, lake whitefish, burbot, rock bass, cisco (lake herring) on Mattawa Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Mattawa Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 34 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 Mattawa Lake?
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
Queer L. · Cutstone Lake · Palette L. · Eva Lake · Mottle L. · Bell Lake
See how Mattawa Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best sauger lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.