Lovesick Lake – Lock 30
Parks Canada launch at Lock 30, Trent-Severn Waterway, near Buckhorn, ON
About this water
A small, structure-rich lake in the heart of the Trent-Severn — weed flats, wood, and current all within a short run of the lock.
Fed from Lower Buckhorn via dams and draining toward Stony Lake. Extensive weed flats, submerged logs, rocky shorelines and channels. A 100 m sanctuary zone sits below the dams. FMZ 17.
FMZ 17 regulations — Kawartha Lakes & Trent watershed
The smallest FMZ, in southern Ontario. It includes the Kawartha Lakes, the Trent and Crowe River watersheds, and the eastern rivers and streams of the Oak Ridges Moraine. It is bordered by Lake Ontario to the south (FMZ 20).
- Walleye: 3rd Sat in May – Dec 15; S-4/C-2 with slot on many lakes.
- Muskie: fourth Saturday in June – Dec 15; 137 cm min, S-1/C-0.
- Largemouth / smallmouth bass: 4th Sat in June – Nov 30; S-4/C-2.
Zone check: FMZ 17 confirmed from this water's coordinates against the official Ontario zone boundaries (reviewed 2026-08-12). The FMZ 15 boundary is only 1.69 km away, so confirm which zone your launch falls in.
Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 17 page before your trip.
Seasonal availability
Open-season windows for the species found at Lovesick Lake – Lock 30, taken from the FMZ 17 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.
- S-4/C-2 with slot on many lakes.
No FMZ 17 season line published in our summary for: Yellow Perch. Check the official page before keeping these species.
Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 17 page before your trip.
Fishing tips
- Kawarthas are shallow and weed-heavy — punch mats for summer largemouth.
- Muskie love the Trent's weed edges and lock approaches.
- Respect the 100 m sanctuary below the dams. The submerged timber outside it holds the biggest largemouth on the lake.
- Access: Free lot at the lock station.
Solunar Calendar— Lovesick Lake – Lock 30
Waxing Gibbous
93% illuminated · Age 12.2d
🌔 Tue, Aug 25
93% · Rating 93🌔 Wed, Aug 26
97% · Rating 98🌕 Thu, Aug 27
100% · Rating 100Major 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-heavy casting for weeds and wood
- Rod:
- 7' medium-heavy casting rod
- Reel:
- Size 200 baitcaster
- Line:
- 30 lb braid
- Best bait:
- Minnows, Worms
- Best lures:
- Weedless frogs, Texas rigs, Chatterbaits, Jigs
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