Lake Huron – Tobermory / Big Tub Harbour

About this water

The tip of the Bruce Peninsula offers world-class lake trout fishing in some of the clearest fresh water on earth, with smallmouth bass on the rocky shoals.

Crystal-clear deep cold water of Georgian Bay/Lake Huron. Lake trout hold deep most of the year, shallow at ice-out. Watch for shipwrecks and shoals.

FMZ 14 regulations — Georgian Bay & North Channel

The waters of Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron — the largest bay on the Great Lakes, including the Thirty Thousand Islands. It stretches northwest to the compensation works on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie. The dividing line from FMZ 13 begins at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and runs through the Bruce archipelago to Manitoulin Island. The zone boundary extends across river mouths in most cases. It is not limited to the Bruce Peninsula shore.

• Smallmouth bass: fourth Saturday in June – Nov 30; S-4/C-2.
• Muskie: fourth Saturday in June – Dec 15; 137 cm min, S-1/C-0.
• Lake trout: Jan 1 – Sept 30; S-2/C-1.
• Chinook / coho salmon: open all year.

Zone check: FMZ 14 set by review — Great Lakes water body: Georgian Bay or North Channel access. Coordinate falls on the land side of, or immediately adjacent to, the mapped boundary. Reviewed 2026-08-12.

Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 14 page before your trip.

Seasonal availability

Open-season windows for the species found at Lake Huron – Tobermory / Big Tub Harbour, taken from the FMZ 14 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.

No FMZ 14 season line published in our summary for: Whitefish, Burbot. Check the official page before keeping these species.

Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 14 page before your trip.

Fishing tips

• Rocky Canadian Shield structure — drop-shot smallies on classic humps.
• Muskie prefer transition edges between weed and rock; slow-troll big glide baits.
• Troll Williams spoons 60–120 ft deep with downriggers in summer. Cast tubes on rocky points for smallmouth in late June.
• Access: Free harbour parking and Big Tub Lighthouse lot. Boat launch at Little Tub Harbour.

Gear setup

Setup:

Medium-heavy trolling for lakers; medium spinning for smallmouth

Rod:

Okuma Classic Pro GLT 8'6" Dipsy Rod

Reel:

Shimano Tekota 600

Line:

30 lb braid with 20 lb fluoro leader

Best bait:

Smelt, Cut sucker, Tube jigs

Best lures:

Williams Whitefish C90, Sutton 44 spoon, Rapala Jigging Rap W7