Mary Lake – Port Sydney
Public launch near Port Sydney, ON, off Hwy 11 (Huntsville chain, via a lock on the North Muskoka River)
About this water
A warm, weedy Muskoka lake that fishes very differently from its deep neighbours — ideal for bass and pike anglers.
Warmer and weedier than the deep Big Three lakes, with strong bass and pike habitat. Port Sydney Falls sits at the north end. FMZ 15.
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 Mary Lake – Port Sydney, 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.
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, Yellow Perch. 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.
- Work the outside weed edge at first light with a topwater, then punch the mats once the sun is high.
- Access: Free public launch lot.
Solunar Calendar— Mary Lake – Port Sydney
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 around weeds
- Rod:
- 7' medium-heavy casting rod
- Reel:
- Size 200 baitcaster
- Line:
- 30 lb braid
- Best bait:
- Minnows, Worms
- Best lures:
- Weedless frogs, Texas rigs, Spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits
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