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Fishing McGowan Lake: what the data says
107-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 9 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Yellow Perch fishing at McGowan Lake
Spring yellow perch on McGowan Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 9 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 9 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 9 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at McGowan Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 3 to 9 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 9 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 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 | 3 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at McGowan Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 2 to 9 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 9 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 9 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 8 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at McGowan Lake
Spring largemouth bass on McGowan Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 9 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 9 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 9 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Pumpkinseed fishing at McGowan Lake
Spring pumpkinseed on McGowan Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 9 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 9 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring pumpkinseed. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 9 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | dawn | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Brown Bullhead fishing at McGowan Lake
Start shallow in spring: brown bullhead sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 2 to 9 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 9 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 8 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 2 to 9 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 8 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is McGowan Lake?
McGowan Lake is about 9 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 McGowan Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on McGowan Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on McGowan Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish McGowan Lake?
For yellow perch, 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
Fagan Lake · Rainbow Lake · Little Silver Lake · Christie Lake · O'Brien Lake · Farren Lake
See how McGowan Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario
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