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The UNESCO Rideau Canal through downtown Ottawa - from the Ottawa River locks up past Dow's Lake to Hartwell Locks and Hog's Back. Urban bass, pike, walleye and slab panfish. The river tops out around 16 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. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
The drawn water covers 199 acres wrapped in 9.6 miles of bank. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.9) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 94% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 3.6 mi with a 1.2-mi widest point. It sits in Ottawa. If the bite dies, Ottawa River - Ottawa/Gatineau is 3 mi to the north.
Spring largemouth bass on Rideau Canal (Ottawa) hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. Put Dow's Lake weed flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season smallmouth bass use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 5 to 16 ft game here, winter a 5 to 16 ft one. The chart's best answer is Riffle & run (mile 0.2) — rock pile, 6 ft, prime for spring. 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.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Riffle & run (mile 0.2) (6 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Riffle & run (mile 0.2) (6 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Riffle & run (mile 0.2) (6 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft | midday | Riffle & run (mile 0.2) (6 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 5 to 16 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. The chart's best answer is Dow's Lake weed flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 16 ft before dropping to 5 to 16 ft for winter. The spot to know is Riffle & run (mile 0.2), a rock pile in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Riffle & run (mile 0.2) (6 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 16 ft. Put Dow's Lake weed flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 18 ft | midday | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | midday | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 5 to 16 ft game here, winter a 5 to 16 ft one. The chart's best answer is Hartwell Locks channel — creek channel, 12 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Dow's Lake weed flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Hartwell Locks channel (12 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Rideau Canal (Ottawa) also holds yellow perch (5 to 16 ft in summer), channel catfish (5 to 16 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Hartwell Locks channel, around 12 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Rideau Canal (Ottawa) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Rideau Canal (Ottawa) is about 16 ft (5 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish on Rideau Canal (Ottawa).
Dow's Lake weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Rideau Canal (Ottawa) 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.
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See how Rideau Canal (Ottawa) 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
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.