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    Central Ontario – Muskoka & KawarthasFMZ 15

    Lake of Bays – Dwight

    South Portage launch, South Portage Rd, or Dwight Beach launch, 1149 Dwight Beach Rd, Dwight, ON

    Marker
    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap
    Seasonal availabilityDirections Official FMZ 15 rules

    About this water

    Muskoka's second-largest lake, with enough bays and points that you can always find sheltered water on a windy day.

    Large, irregularly shaped lake with many bays and points and a mix of rocky and weedy shoreline. FMZ 15.

    Smallmouth BassLargemouth BassNorthern PikeWalleye

    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 Lake of Bays – Dwight, 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
    Smallmouth bassfourth Saturday in June – Nov 30

    Run & closure notes for FMZ 15

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

    No FMZ 15 season line published in our summary for: Northern Pike, Walleye. Check the official page before keeping these species.

    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.
    • The wind-blown points hold the best smallmouth. Save the weedy back bays for pike and largemouth in the morning calm.
    • Access: Free lots at both launches. South Portage has a beach and seasonal washrooms.

    Solunar Calendar— Lake of Bays – Dwight

    🌔

    Waxing Gibbous

    93% illuminated · Age 12.2d

    Solunar rating93/100

    🌔 Tue, Aug 25

    93% · Rating 93
    minor8:41 PM – 9:41 PM
    major2:11 AM – 4:11 AM
    minor8:41 AM – 9:41 AM
    major2:11 PM – 4:11 PM

    🌔 Wed, Aug 26

    97% · Rating 98
    minor9:25 PM – 10:25 PM
    major2:55 AM – 4:55 AM
    minor9:25 AM – 10:25 AM
    major2:55 PM – 4:55 PM

    🌕 Thu, Aug 27

    100% · Rating 100
    minor10:09 PM – 11:09 PM
    major3:39 AM – 5:39 AM
    minor10:09 AM – 11:09 AM
    major3:39 PM – 5:39 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:
    Medium spinning for bass and pike
    Rod:
    7' medium spinning rod
    Reel:
    Size 2500 spinning reel
    Line:
    10 lb braid with 10 lb fluorocarbon leader
    Best bait:
    Minnows, Crayfish, Worms
    Best lures:
    Tube jigs, Spinnerbaits, Jerkbaits, Topwater walkers
    Directions

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