North Channel (French River) Fishing Map & Spots (ON)

River depth chart

North Channel (French River), ON

Max 98 ft

Today's read

Where to start

Fall shiner run window is on — see the hatch outlook

Target species

Species estimated from nearby surveyed lakes. No fish-species survey is on record for this water, so these species aren't a confirmed catch list. They're an informed estimate: the fish Ontario's MNRF actually recorded in the nearest surveyed lakes, kept only where they fit this lake's depth and habitat. Treat them as what's likely present. (The depth chart itself is real surveyed bathymetry.) How we estimate species →

Hatch outlook

Fall shiner runActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Oct 31 · same push on the Ontario side — Simcoe's shiners migrate shallow as the water cools, and the predators ride with them

adultdaylight for the jig bite; after dark the shiners stack under dock lights with walleyes and pike mixed right in — follow the bait, not the spot — millions of shiners move together and the predators ride with them; silver profile and flash matter

Concentrates hard but travels — the school (and the walleyes under it) can be off a river mouth one week and miles upriver the next.

Jig-and-minnow is the event's signature — a frozen emerald shiner on a 1/4 oz jig drifted along the run; silver jerkbaits and trolled crankbaits take the roaming fish; blade baits under the schools.

The event happens over river mouths and the first miles upriver, warming shallow shorelines, and rocky points where the displaced bait stacks

Next on this water

Hopper & ant season (windward banks) · terrestrialsJul 1 – Sep 15 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at North Channel (French River)

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing North Channel (French River): what the data says

5,116-acre lake in Sudbury District, Ontario. The river tops out around 98 ft. The depth picture is modeled, anchored to the true shoreline and the water's published max depth — a scouting aid, never a chart to run a boat by. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Drawn out, this is 5,139 acres of water rimmed by 112 miles of bank, with 73 islands in the mix. The 11.2 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. About 40% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 19.6 mi of water from one end to the other, 6.9 mi at the beam. You'll find it in Sudbury District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Byrne Lake, 3 mi south of here.

Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at North Channel (French River)

Spring cisco (lake herring) on North Channel (French River) hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. They move out to 40 to 80 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 60 ft. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white)
Summer	40 to 80 ft	dawn	open water	Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver)
Winter	20 to 60 ft	dawn	open water	Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head

Walleye fishing at North Channel (French River)

When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig
Summer	15 to 35 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled)
Fall	12 to 40 ft	dusk & night	open water	Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow
Winter	20 to 40 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait

Yellow Perch fishing at North Channel (French River)

When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	open water	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Northern Pike fishing at North Channel (French River)

The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	open water	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Smallmouth Bass fishing at North Channel (French River)

The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	open water	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at North Channel (French River)

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

North Channel (French River) also holds rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 25 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 98 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 98 ft
Surveyed deep channel: channel, around 98 ft
Surveyed deep channel: channel, around 98 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 53 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 43 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 28 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 27 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 22 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 13 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 7 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 6 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Fishing access — ramp
Fishing access — ramp

Access data: Geospatial Ontario - Fishing Access Points; Government of Ontario - MNR Unpatented Crown Land Shoreline; Government of Ontario - MNR Unpatented Crown Land Shoreline. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

North Channel (French River) fishing regulations

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 North Channel (French River) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is North Channel (French River)?

North Channel (French River) is about 98 ft (30 m) deep 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 North Channel (French River)?

Anglers target cisco (lake herring), walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on North Channel (French River). This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species Ontario's MNRF recorded in the nearest surveyed lakes, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.

When is the best time to fish North Channel (French River)?

For cisco (lake herring), 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.

What are the fishing regulations for North Channel (French River)?

Fishing on North Channel (French River) 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.

Nearby waters

Byrne Lake 3 mi · Bear Lake 6 mi · Scollard L. 44 7 mi · Lac Clair 8 mi · Lac Barbotte 8 mi · Doe Lake 9 mi · Mercer Lake 9 mi · Pakeshkag Lake 10 mi · Lower Sturgeon Lake 10 mi · Beaver Lake 11 mi · Upper Sturgeon Lake 11 mi · Bucke Lake 11 mi

See how North Channel (French River) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario

More water nearby: Sudbury District fishing maps (868 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. 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.

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