Portage Lake Depth Map (Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury, ON)

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Lake depth chart

Portage Lake, ON

Max 20 ft

Today's read

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 Portage 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 Portage Lake on the board.

Fishing Portage Lake: what the data says

49-acre lake in Ontario. The lake tops out around 20 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 the Ontario MNRF survey of 2002 (an MNRF lake survey). What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

Portage Lake maps at 50 acres behind 2.5 miles of shoreline. An index of 2.5 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.7 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. It sits in Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury. Its nearest charted neighbour, Kukagami Lake, is 1 mi to the east.

Yellow Perch fishing at Portage Lake

In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 6 to 20 ft before dropping to 6 to 20 ft for winter. Fall yellow perch concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 14 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	6 to 20 ft	dawn	Deep basin (14 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (14 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Portage Lake

Early season smallmouth bass use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 6 to 20 ft game here, winter a 6 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 10 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (2 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	6 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	6 to 20 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Break off the point (10 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Notable structure

The chart marks 6 structure features on Portage Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 14 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 14 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft

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

Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Portage Lake?

Portage Lake is about 20 ft (6 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from the Ontario MNRF survey of 2002 (an MNRF lake survey).

What fish are in Portage Lake?

Anglers target yellow perch, smallmouth bass on Portage Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Portage Lake?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Portage 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 Portage Lake?

Fishing on Portage 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

Kukagami Lake 1 mi · Boland's Lake 3 mi · Poulton Lake 4 mi · L. 27 4 mi · Matagamasi Lake 4 mi · Spider Lake 4 mi · Carafel Lake 5 mi · Spar Lake 5 mi · Rathbun Lake 5 mi · Ashigami Lake 5 mi · Donald Lake 6 mi · Kettyle Lake 6 mi

See how Portage Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario

More water nearby: Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury fishing maps (88 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.