Mississagua Lake – Catchacoma

About this water

A Shield lake in the Kawartha Highlands with genuine lake trout water — a different fishery entirely from the shallow lakes to the south.

Deep, clear Canadian Shield lake in the Kawartha Highlands. Colder than the southern Kawartha lakes, which supports a native trout fishery. 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 Mississagua Lake – Catchacoma, 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.

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.
• Lake trout are shallow and castable right after ice-out. By July you'll need downriggers or lead core to reach 50–80 ft.
• Access: Free public launch with limited spaces. A truck or 4x4 is recommended after heavy rain.

Gear setup

Setup:

Trolling for lake trout; spinning for bass

Rod:

7'6" medium trolling rod

Reel:

Line-counter or size 3000 spinning reel

Line:

Lead core or 15 lb braid (trout); 8 lb fluorocarbon (bass)

Best bait:

Smelt, Minnows, Crayfish

Best lures:

Sutton spoons, Williams Wablers, Tube jigs, Ned rigs