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Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
279-acre lake in Sudbury District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 35 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Traced from the shoreline, Van Lake runs 276 acres with 7.5 miles of edge. With a shoreline index of 3.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 82% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.8 mi with a 0.7-mi widest point. The water lies in Sudbury District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lipsett Lake, 2 mi west of here.
Spring yellow perch on Van Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (16 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: burbot sit in 11 to 35 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 11 to 35 ft covers summer, 9 to 35 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and midday. Throw a heavy jig + cut bait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 11 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 11 to 35 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 9 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Van Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 30 ft down.
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 Van Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Van Lake is about 35 ft (11 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 yellow perch, northern pike, burbot on Van Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Van 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.
Lipsett Lake 2 mi · Lipsett L. 2 5 mi · Schewabik Lake 6 mi · Wye L. 6 mi · Makonie Lake 7 mi · Stone Lake 7 mi · Yoyo Lake 8 mi · Robson Lake 8 mi · British Lake 9 mi · Floranna Lake 9 mi · Copperfield Lake 9 mi · Chagma Lake 9 mi
See how Van Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best burbot lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Sudbury District fishing maps (868 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or 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.