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Fishing Portage Lake: what the data says
49-acre lake near Ontario. The lake tops out around 25 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Yellow Perch fishing at Portage Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Portage Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 21 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Portage Lake?
Portage Lake is about 25 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 Portage Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, yellow perch on Portage Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Portage 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 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.
Nearby waters
Kukagami Lake · Boland's Lake · Matagamasi Lake · Poulton Lake · L. 27 · Ashigami Lake
See how Portage Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario
Browse all Ontario fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.