Scugog River – Old Mill Park, Lindsay
Old Mill Park / Kent St E launch, Lindsay, ON (Scugog River)
About this water
The Scugog system is a legitimate trophy muskie fishery, and the Lindsay river stretch gives shore and small-boat anglers a way in.
Shallow, weedy, stained water — excellent muskie habitat but low visibility. 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).
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 Scugog River – Old Mill Park, Lindsay, 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: Panfish. 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.
- Stained water lets you fish loud, high-vibration baits close — burn a bucktail over the weed tops and always finish with a figure-eight.
- Access: Free public dock and launch parking.
Solunar Calendar— Scugog River – Old Mill Park, Lindsay
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:
- Heavy casting for muskie; medium for bass
- Rod:
- 8' heavy muskie casting rod
- Reel:
- 300-size round baitcaster
- Line:
- 80 lb braid with fluorocarbon or wire leader
- Best bait:
- Large suckers (fall)
- Best lures:
- Double-blade bucktail, Glide bait, Rubber swimbait, Chatterbait (bass)
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