Philips Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (ON)

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Lake depth chart

Philips Lake, ON

Max 90 ft

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Where to start

Hopper & ant season (windward banks) window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Hopper & ant season (windward banks)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Sep 15 · hoppers peak July–August; winged-ant falls show up on warm humid afternoons — a wind event, not a hatch

adultwarm, breezy afternoons, roughly 1–5pm — slap the imitation down hard — the splat is the trigger — then wait; count to three after the rise before setting

Work the windward bank on breezy summer afternoons — that's where the food is. Casting-bubble-and-hopper is the direct translation; otherwise run small topwaters and inline spinners tight along the grass edges and blowdown banks in the afternoon warmth.

The event happens over windward grassy banks, overhanging brush and blowdowns — wherever the breeze dumps the bugs

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

Hex (giant mayfly) · mayflyMay 25 – Aug 10 · in ~9 months

June mayfly hatch (walleye lakes) · mayflyJun 1 – Aug 10 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Philips Lake

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Philips Lake on the board.

Fishing Philips Lake: what the data says

27-acre lake in York Regional Municipality, Ontario. The lake tops out around 90 ft. The depth chart comes from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The depth data here comes from a transect sounding survey by the Ontario MNRF. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Traced from the shoreline, Philips Lake runs 26 acres with 0.9 miles of edge. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.3) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. Roughly 60% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 0.3 mi end to end and 0.2 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in York Regional Municipality. For a second option, Thompson Lake lies 1 mi west.

Yellow Perch fishing at Philips Lake

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. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 25 ft of water and rates prime come summer. 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	Break off the point (25 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (25 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (25 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Philips Lake

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. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in 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	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (25 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (25 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Break off the point (25 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at Philips Lake

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. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 6 ft range, prime in fall. 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	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (25 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Pumpkinseed fishing at Philips Lake

Spring pumpkinseed on Philips Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 18 ft. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	midday & dusk	open water	Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	2 to 10 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly)
Fall	4 to 14 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	6 to 18 ft	dawn	open water	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Brown Bullhead fishing at Philips Lake

Spring puts brown bullhead in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 80 ft, rated good for winter brown bullhead. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	2 to 8 ft	dusk & night	open water
Summer	3 to 12 ft	night & dusk	open water
Fall	5 to 15 ft	dusk	open water
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (80 ft)

Notable structure

Count 3 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 80 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 80 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 25 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft

Philips Lake 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 Philips Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Philips Lake?

Philips Lake is about 90 ft (27 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from a transect sounding survey by the Ontario MNRF.

What fish are in Philips Lake?

Anglers target yellow perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Philips Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Philips Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in winter. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Philips 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Philips Lake?

Fishing on Philips 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.

Nearby waters

Thompson Lake 1 mi · Bond Lake 1 mi · Wilcox Lake 2 mi · St. George Lake 3 mi · Haynes Lake 4 mi · Lake Seneca 4 mi · Simeon Lake 5 mi · Mary Lake 5 mi · Preston Lake 6 mi · Hackett Lake 6 mi · Musselman Lake 12 mi · Shadow Lake 13 mi

See how Philips Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best pumpkinseed lakes in Ontario

More water nearby: York Regional Municipality fishing maps (16 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.