Welcome to our Rice Lake, Ontario Fishing Home Page
Rice Lake is a very popular fishing lake in southern Ontario and it is less than a 2-hour drive from Toronto. This Lake is very fertile which allows for excellent weed growth and an amazing fishery for so many different types of fish. Because the fishing is so good and it’s close proximity to Toronto, it is a very popular lake in southern Ontario. There are plenty of accommodations on the lake and some good places to grab a bite to eat as well.
Primary Species of Fish
Muskie, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Panfish
Rice Lake is one of the better multi-species lakes in southern Ontario. Anglers come here to target walleye, muskie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish such as bluegill, crappie, perch, rock bass and other sunfish.
It is a Shallow, Long Lake
Rice Lake is a fairly shallow, weedy Lake that maxes out around 27 feet deep. It is also about 23 miles long and around 3 miles wide, so you will need a boat that can move a little bit if you want to fish both sides of the lake.
It is an Excellent Panfish Lake
If you want to target panfish, Rice Lake is an awesome lake for that. Anglers typically fish the weeds for crappie, perch, bluegill, rock bass and other sunfish. If you’re looking for a meal, this is a pretty easy lake to catch some panfish for the dinner table. However, you will have to sort through some small fish to find the better sized fish to eat.
It is a Popular Bass Tournament Lake
Rice Lake is a popular Bass Tournament Lake. There are plenty of tournaments on Rice Lake every year and anglers usually catch good numbers of bass with plenty of good-sized largemouth bass and smallmouth bass in these tournaments. It is a solid lake if you want to target largemouth or smallmouth bass.
Fish the Bays
Rice Lake has plenty of bays to fish. You will usually find plenty of bass anglers fishing these bays as soon as the bass opener hits. Because the lake is so shallow, you can usually find plenty of bass in the numerous bays throughout the lake from the bass opener through the fall. Fish the weeds, the rocks, the wood and the docks in these bays and you’ll find plenty of bass as well as other fish too.
Fish the Docks
Rice Lake has plenty of docks to fish throughout the lake. It’s a popular lake so plan on seeing plenty of docks with boats occupying them throughout the summer. The deeper docks will usually hold better numbers of quality fish, but you can also find plenty of panfish around the shallower docks from the opener through fall.
Fish the Offshore Structure
Humps
If you take a look at a contour map of Rice Lake, you will see that there are a lot of humps found offshore. These spots will definitely hold fish especially if you have some rocks and or weeds on these structures. The humps provide some very good fishing from mid summer through fall.
Islands
Rice Lake has plenty of islands that you can easily fish this pattern and have plenty of spots to fish. Depending on the island you will have rocks, weeds and some wood to fish. Because Rice Lake is so shallow don’t plan on fishing super steep drop offs off these islands. An island with some wind blowing into it and some cover such as rock, weeds or wood with just a few feet of water is enough to hold some fish. However, islands that do have some deeper water around them will usually be your better spots in the summer and fall to find larger numbers of walleye, smallmouth bass, muskie and other fish too.
Fish the Points
Rice Lake has a lot of points whether you’re looking at the main lake shorelines or all the points on the numerous Islands throughout the lake. The bass anglers are known for going from point to point to find active largemouth or smallmouth bass, however you’ll also find walleye, muskie and panfish around these points too.
Fish the Rivers
Along with the main lake, there are a few incoming rivers that attract plenty of fish. These are the Otonabee, Ouse and the Indian Rivers. The outflowing river is called Trent River and it is located on the lake’s east end. Anglers will fish the mouths of these rivers as well as up into the rivers for a variety of fish. The spring and fall usually attract more fish to these parts of the lake, but don’t rule them out in the summer as well.
Fish the Weeds
Rice Lake has an abundance of weeds which is awesome for so many species of fish. You will find just about everything in and around the weeds from spring through fall. Smallmouth bass will be found more in the rocky areas, however you will find some smallmouth bass relating to the weeds too. Anglers have good success fishing for muskie, largemouth bass, crappie, perch, bluegill and rock bass along the weed lines.
Fish the Wood
You will find some wood along the shorelines. Anglers usually target the wood for largemouth bass, but you’ll find other species of fish around the wood as well. Some of the shorelines will have some overhanging trees or lay downs while other areas will have a lot of taller trees which provide some great shade for the fish to hide on sunny days.
Fishing Regulations
Ontario Regulations (Rice Lake is in Zone 17 for Ontario)