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Fishing West Lake: what the data says
4,695-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.
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at West Lake
Start shallow in spring: cisco (lake herring) sit in 6 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish hold in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 21 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Walleye fishing at West Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at West Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| 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) |
Northern Pike fishing at West Lake
Spring northern pike on West Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at West 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. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 8 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Largemouth Bass fishing at West Lake
Spring largemouth bass on West Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
West Lake also holds rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), white bass (8 to 25 ft in summer), white perch (8 to 25 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), freshwater drum (7 to 25 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
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
- Shoreline point: point, around 3.336028918223941 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2.8163527532224433 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2.429452862529284 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 1.9920180957764968 ft
Common questions
How deep is West Lake?
West 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 West Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, freshwater drum, common carp, longnose gar, rock bass, white perch, cisco (lake herring), pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on West Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on West Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish West Lake?
For cisco (lake herring), 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
East Lake · Consecon Lake · Fish Lake · Pleasant Bay · Lake Ontario - Bay of Quinte · North Bay
See how West Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best white bass lakes in Ontario
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