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12,313-acre lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 70 ft. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1974, a decades-old survey (a transect sounding survey). Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Pakashkan Lake maps at 12,367 acres behind 172.4 miles of shoreline, broken up by 170 islands. A development index of 11.1 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 82% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 16.7 mi, about 8 mi across. Thunder Bay District claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Loganberry Lake, is 6 mi to the east.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: lake whitefish in 15 to 45 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 21 to 70 ft before dropping to 25 to 70 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 59 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (19 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 21 to 70 ft | dawn | Deep basin (59 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (2 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (59 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: cisco (lake herring) in 10 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 21 to 70 ft before dropping to 20 to 60 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 59 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (19 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 21 to 70 ft | dawn | Deep basin (59 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (2 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (59 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Fall walleye concentrate at Sharp break, a prime-rated drop-off around 19 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (6 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (19 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Sharp break (19 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (19 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Weed flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Weed flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Sharp break (19 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (19 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 15 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (19 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (15 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow feeding flat (7 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: rock bass in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 20 ft before dropping to 12 to 30 ft for winter. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for rock bass in spring. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dusk | Main-lake point (6 ft) | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 8 to 22 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Count 16 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 59 ft.
Access data: Land Information Ontario — Fishing Access Point. 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 Pakashkan Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Pakashkan Lake is about 70 ft (21 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1974, a decades-old survey (a transect sounding survey).
Anglers target lake whitefish, cisco (lake herring), walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, rock bass on Pakashkan Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 59 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Pakashkan Lake 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.
Loganberry Lake 6 mi · Dora Lake 7 mi · Weaver Lake 7 mi · Grew Lake 7 mi · Holly Lake 8 mi · Aylsworth L. 8 mi · Mooseland Lake 11 mi · Twining L. 11 mi · Drop Off Lake 12 mi · Kearns Lake 13 mi · Wawang Lake 13 mi · North Mawn L. 13 mi
See how Pakashkan Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best lake whitefish lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Thunder Bay District fishing maps (662 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.