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    Central Ontario – Muskoka & KawarthasFMZ 15

    Anstruther Lake – Kawartha Highlands

    Public launch on Anstruther Lake Rd (south shore), Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, North Kawartha, ON

    Marker
    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap
    Seasonal availabilityDirections Official FMZ 15 rules

    About this water

    A protected Kawartha Highlands lake with clean water, rocky points, and a wilderness feel less than three hours from Toronto.

    Clear, deep Shield lake inside a provincial park signature site with remote, largely undeveloped shoreline. FMZ 15.

    Lake TroutSmallmouth BassLargemouth Bass

    FMZ 15 regulations — Central Ontario — Parry Sound to Pembroke

    A large inland zone in central and eastern Ontario, reaching from the Georgian Bay shoreline in the west to the Ottawa River valley in the east; Georgian Bay itself (FMZ 14) and the Ottawa River itself (FMZ 12) are separate zones. Its northern boundary follows the Pickerel River, Highway 522 and the northern edge of Algonquin Park. It contains many natural lake trout and brook trout lakes and Algonquin Provincial Park.

    • Lake trout: Jan 1 – Sept 30; S-1/C-1 on most lakes.
    • Smallmouth bass: fourth Saturday in June – Nov 30; S-4/C-2.
    • Brook trout: 4th Sat in April – Sept 30 on most waters; S-5/C-2.
    • Algonquin Park: park-specific rules — barbless hooks required, no live baitfish.

    Zone check: FMZ 15 confirmed from this water's coordinates against the official Ontario zone boundaries (reviewed 2026-08-12).

    Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 15 page before your trip.

    Seasonal availability

    Open-season windows for the species found at Anstruther Lake – Kawartha Highlands, taken from the FMZ 15 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.

    Best months to plan a tripany listed species open
    Lake troutJan 1 – Sept 30
    Smallmouth bassfourth Saturday in June – Nov 30
    Brook trout4th Sat in April – Sept 30 on most waters

    Run & closure notes for FMZ 15

    • Algonquin Park: park-specific rules — barbless hooks required, no live baitfish.

    Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 15 page before your trip.

    Fishing tips

    • Cold, clear lakes — early ice-out lakers stay shallow for two weeks, then plummet.
    • Algonquin brook trout responds to small streamers and slow-trolled spoons.
    • Smallmouth hold tight to the rocky points and boulder fields — a smoke tube dragged slowly is hard to beat here.
    • Access: Free lot at the launch.

    Solunar Calendar— Anstruther Lake – Kawartha Highlands

    🌔

    Waxing Gibbous

    93% illuminated · Age 12.2d

    Solunar rating93/100

    🌔 Tue, Aug 25

    93% · Rating 93
    minor8:37 PM – 9:37 PM
    major2:07 AM – 4:07 AM
    minor8:37 AM – 9:37 AM
    major2:07 PM – 4:07 PM

    🌔 Wed, Aug 26

    97% · Rating 98
    minor9:22 PM – 10:22 PM
    major2:52 AM – 4:52 AM
    minor9:22 AM – 10:22 AM
    major2:52 PM – 4:52 PM

    🌕 Thu, Aug 27

    100% · Rating 100
    minor10:06 PM – 11:06 PM
    major3:36 AM – 5:36 AM
    minor10:06 AM – 11:06 AM
    major3:36 PM – 5:36 PM

    Major windows (~2 h) cluster around moon transit and antitransit; minor windows (~1 h) around moonrise and moonset. Local approximations — verify against a printed almanac for planning.

    Gear setup

    Setup:
    Light spinning for bass; trolling or jigging for trout
    Rod:
    7' medium-light spinning rod
    Reel:
    Size 2500 spinning reel
    Line:
    8 lb fluorocarbon
    Best bait:
    Minnows, Crayfish
    Best lures:
    Tube jigs, Ned rigs, Small spoons, Jigging spoons
    Directions

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