Fishing Lake Simcoe: the fish, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Lake Simcoe sits in south-central Ontario, about 70 minutes north of Toronto, in Fisheries Management Zone 16. It is a large but fairly shallow natural lake, roughly 722 km² (about 280 sq miles), mostly under 15 m (50 ft) deep but with deeper holes to about 41 m (135 ft) off the eastern shore and in Cook's Bay.

The lake is big and open, but the depth is what shapes the fishing. Much of the main basin is under 15 m (50 ft), so it warms and freezes readily, and it freezes hard enough to drive on in most winters. That is the heart of its reputation. The deeper water, the holes to about 41 m (135 ft) off the eastern shore and down in Cook's Bay at the south end, is where the lake trout and whitefish go as the season runs on (figures from Destination Ontario and the Ontario regulations summary for FMZ 16).

It is an easy lake to reach. It sits just off the main routes north of Toronto, with the city about 70 minutes south, and towns ring the shore: Barrie and Innisfil to the west, Beaverton on the eastern shore, the Georgina shore and Sutton at the south end. Most visiting anglers base around the south end and Cook's Bay or on the eastern shore at Beaverton, which is where most of the ice-hut operators run from.

What makes Simcoe unusual is that it is genuinely a four-season fishery, and the winter is the headline rather than an afterthought. When the ice is safe it becomes one of the busiest hard-water fisheries on the continent, with hut villages out over the perch and trout grounds. The same trout that come up through the ice are trolled in open water from late spring to autumn. That is the trip: a winter lake first, an open-water trout lake second.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Lake trout, lake whitefish and jumbo yellow perch are the three that built Simcoe's name, and all three come up through the ice in winter. Lake trout also troll the open water in summer. Northern pike, lake herring (cisco) and burbot are here too; walleye are present but a minor, regulated target. The cards below give you where, when and how for each.

Others, for context. Lake Simcoe also holds lake herring (cisco) and burbot (a winter catch, and good eating once you get past the look of it), and walleye, which are present but a minor and regulated target here (a tight S-4 limit, with a protected over-size; see licence and rules). Lake herring and burbot come on the ice gear; walleye is not what most visiting anglers travel for. The four cards above are the trip.

I have set each species out as a card. Read the one for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how its depth moves through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method.

How the fishing changes by season

Winter is the main event: from about January to mid-March the lake freezes hard and the hut villages go out for perch, trout and whitefish. The trout season closes 15 March. Open-water trout reopens the second Saturday in May and runs to 30 September, trolled deep through summer. Perch fish year round, on the ice and in open water.

Here is the year in plain terms, tied to the depths from the cards above.

• Hard winter (January to mid-March), the signature trip. Once the ice is safe, perch, lake trout and whitefish all come up through the ice. Trout and whitefish hold shallower early, around humps and shoals in about 6 m (20 ft), and slide out toward 30 m (100 ft) as winter runs on. Perch sit over weed and flats in 3 to 12 m (10 to 40 ft). The trout and whitefish season closes 15 March, so the trout part of the ice fishery has a hard end date.
• Late ice and break-up (mid-March into April). After the trout close on 15 March, perch carry on, but the ice gets unreliable as it warms. This is the most dangerous time to be on it, and the time to stay off unless you really know the lake. Open-water access is patchy until the thaw is done.
• Spring opener (the second Saturday in May). Open-water lake trout reopens. Early in the open-water season the trout are still relatively high in the water as it is cold, so they can be trolled shallower before they go deep. Perch and pike fish the warming shallows and bays.
• Summer (June to August). The lake trout drop deep over the main basin and the eastern-shore holes, so trolling deep with a downrigger or leadcore is the method. Perch fish the flats and weed edges; pike work the weedy bays, best early and late in the day.
• Autumn (September). Lake trout fish well as the water cools and they move up, often the best open-water trolling of the year, but the season closes 30 September. Perch and pike feed up before winter.
• Late autumn (October to December). A quieter spell between the open-water trout close and safe ice. Perch and pike still fish from a boat or the accessible shore; everyone is watching the temperature and waiting for the hard water.

What you can eat (and what to check first)

Lake trout, whitefish and perch are all fine eating and the reason many people keep a few, within the size and bag limits below. But before you keep trout or pike, check the Ontario Guide to Eating Sport Fish for any size-based consumption advisories. They exist for some larger fish in some waters and are easy to look up by species and length.

This matters, so it is worth being exact. There is no blanket ban here as there is on some lakes, but Ontario publishes the Ontario Guide to Eating Sport Fish, which gives meal advice by water, species and fish size. Larger predators (the bigger lake trout and pike) can carry advice to eat fewer meals, because mercury and other contaminants build up with size. The guide is searchable, so look up Lake Simcoe, your species and the length of the fish you plan to keep before you keep it.

Whatever you keep, check the size and bag limits and the open season first, handle fish in wet hands, return anything over the limit or out of season carefully, and clean your kit between waters so you do not carry anything from one lake to the next.

Licence and rules

Yes, you need an Ontario fishing licence and an Outdoors Card, from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Buy both online through Hunt & Fish Ontario in a few minutes. For a non-Canadian resident in 2026, a one-year sport licence is CAD $83.19, an 8-day $54.38, and a 1-day $24.86; the Outdoors Card is $8.57 and lasts three years.

What you need. Lake Simcoe is in Fisheries Management Zone 16, managed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). You need two things: an Outdoors Card (your angler ID, good for three years) and a current fishing licence on it. The 1-day licence is the exception: it needs no Outdoors Card. Carry the licence (paper or on your phone) while you fish, on the ice as much as in a boat. The licence still applies on the ice.

How to get it

• Go to Hunt & Fish Ontario, the official MNRF site, and create an account.
• Buy your Outdoors Card (unless you are only buying a 1-day licence) and your fishing licence. Choose Sport or Conservation, and the term.
• Pay, and download or print the licence. Carry it while you fish.
• Or buy in person at a ServiceOntario location or an authorised licence issuer.

2026 non-Canadian-resident licence fees (source: ontario.ca fishing-licence fees for non-Canadian residents; these are the listed fees, and 13% HST is added at checkout, so the total you pay is a little higher, as of 5 June 2026):

A Conservation licence costs less and carries reduced limits (the C-limits below); a Sport licence allows the fuller bag. Canadian-resident and Ontario-resident fees differ; the figures above are the non-Canadian-resident prices, the ones a visiting reader most often needs.

Sizes, limits and seasons

Source: Ontario fishing regulations summary, FMZ 16, 2026; S = Sport licence, C = Conservation licence.

• Lake trout and whitefish carry the smaller bags (2 on a Sport licence, 1 on Conservation), so plan to keep a couple at most.
• Yellow perch are the generous one: 50 a day on a Sport licence (25 on Conservation), with a Sport daily possession of 100.
• Walleye are tightly limited here (S-4 / C-2) with a protected over-size: not more than one over 46 cm (about 18 in). It is a minor, regulated target on Simcoe, not a headline fish.

Other rules that matter

• The licence applies on the ice as much as in open water. Carry it.
• Ice safety is the real risk. Go with an established hut operator if you are new to the lake (see huts and charters below).
• Check the Ontario Guide to Eating Sport Fish for size-based consumption advice before you keep larger trout or pike (see what you can eat).
• Clean your kit between waters so you do not move invasive species or disease.

Where to fish: ice, bank and boat

In winter you fish out on the ice, reached on foot or by hut operators who run you out by snowmobile or track vehicle. The bank fishing is limited; this is mostly an ice and boat lake. In open water you launch a boat or take a charter. The main areas are the mouth of Cook's Bay in the south, Beaverton on the eastern shore, and the Innisfil and Georgina shores.

A boat helps in open water, but in winter it is not required, and that is the draw: the ice gives you the run of water you could only reach by boat in summer. The lake is shaped around a few areas (from Destination Ontario and the hut operators):

• Cook's Bay (south end). The southern arm of the lake, off Innisfil, and a busy ice-fishing area with hut operators running off the mouth of the bay. A natural base for the winter trip, with launch ramps for open water.
• Beaverton (eastern shore). A long-established ice-fishing town with hut operators, near some of the deeper water off the eastern shore where the trout and whitefish hold.
• Innisfil and the western shore. Launch ramps and access on the Barrie/Innisfil side, with Kempenfelt Bay reaching west toward Barrie.
• Georgina and the south-east shore. Sutton, the Georgina shore and the area around Georgina Island, with access and ramps.

What depth and structure mean for method

• The shallows, weed edges and flats (3 to 12 m / 10 to 40 ft): perch through the ice and in open water. The ice fishing rig over a hole in winter, a drop shot from a boat in open water.
• Humps, shoals and drop-offs (early-winter trout and whitefish, about 6 m / 20 ft): the ice fishing rig with a jigging spoon and a still bait nearby.
• The deep holes (toward 30 to 41 m / 100 to 135 ft, off the eastern shore and in Cook's Bay): late-winter trout and whitefish through the ice, and the summer trolling water in open season (the trolling rig down deep).
• Weedy bays and shoreline cover: pike, on the pike rig with a trace, open water or through the ice on a tip-up.

The bank fishing is limited on Simcoe. If you are coming without a boat in open water, the winter ice trip is the way to fish the whole lake, which is exactly why the hut operators below matter.

A decision table: fish, where and when, to a rig

Pick your fish, pick whether you are on the ice or in open water and when, and the table gives you the rig. In winter, perch, trout and whitefish come on the ice fishing rig over the right depth. In open water, troll deep for trout, drop shot for perch, and fish the pike rig with a trace for pike. The middle of a bright day is often slow either way.

Plain version: winter is mainly an ice trip for perch, trout and whitefish over the right depth. Open water is a deep troll for trout and a drop shot for perch, with pike in the bays. The middle of a bright day is often slow either way.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Read it as: pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the rig.

Huts, charters and your own boat

Three ways onto the water. In winter, book a heated ice hut with an operator who runs you out by snowmobile or track vehicle and points you at the fish (the simplest first visit). In open water, take a charter or launch your own at one of the ramps round the lake. Rates vary, so the links below are the ones to book through. The licence still applies on the ice.

A hut operator is the safe and simple way to do the winter trip, especially if you are new to the lake, because they know the ice, the depth and the marks, and they get you out and back. Ice safety is the real risk on Simcoe, so going with an established operator your first time is the sensible call.

Ice-hut operators (winter)

They rent heated day huts and overnight "bungalows" and run you out by snowmobile or track vehicle. Book directly:

• Lucky's Sons, off the mouth of Cook's Bay – simcoeicefishing.com.
• Floyd Hale's Fish Huts – floydhalesfishhuts.com. Floyd Hale's has advertised a weekend ice bungalow at about CAD $225 per person (four-person occupancy); confirm current rates when you book.
• Mitchell's Fish Huts, Beaverton, on the eastern shore – mitchellsfishhuts.com.
• Many more operators are listed at fishingsimcoe.com/local-businesses.

Open-water charters

Charters ring the lake for the open-water lake-trout troll and the perch fishing, working out of Innisfil, Beaverton, Cook's Bay and Georgina. Several of the ice-hut operators above also run open-water trips; the directory at fishingsimcoe.com is the place to find a current charter for your dates. Confirm the trip, the species and the rate with the operator when you book.

Launch your own

Open-water launch ramps ring the lake (Innisfil, Beaverton, Cook's Bay and the Georgina shore). Check the local municipality or marina for the current ramp fees and any permit, and watch the weather: Simcoe is large and open, and it builds a chop quickly in wind.

Where to stay

To base yourself near the fishing, stay around the south end and Cook's Bay (Innisfil and the Sutton/Georgina shore) for the southern ice grounds, or at Beaverton on the eastern shore for the deeper trout water. Some ice-hut operators offer overnight bungalows out on the ice. Toronto is close enough for a day trip.

Stay near the water

• Around Cook's Bay and the south end (Innisfil, Sutton, the Georgina shore). The closest base for the southern ice-fishing grounds and the south-end launches, with motels, lodges and rentals in the towns round the bay.
• Beaverton (eastern shore). Handy for the deeper eastern-shore trout and whitefish water and the hut operators there.
• On the ice (winter, overnight). Some operators, such as Floyd Hale's, rent overnight ice "bungalows" so you can stay and fish out on the lake; book direct (see huts and charters).
• Barrie and the western shore. A larger town base with more accommodation, near Kempenfelt Bay and the western launches, within easy reach of the lake.

Toronto is about 70 minutes south, so a day trip is realistic if you would rather not stay over, especially for a guided ice day.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

Four rigs cover Lake Simcoe, and the winter one is the headline. The ice fishing rig (a jigging spoon plus a still bait) takes perch, trout and whitefish through the ice. The trolling rig takes lake trout deep in open water. The drop shot takes perch in open water. The pike rig adds a trace for pike. Each links to its own build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions, the ice-safety basics and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Perch, trout and whitefish through the ice → ice fishing rig. The signature winter method: a small jigging spoon or jig worked by hand over a hole to call fish in, with a tip-up or dead-stick bait nearby. This is the page to read before a first hard-water trip, because it covers the ice safety as well as the setup. The terminal end is the vertical jig.
• Lake trout deep in open water → trolling rig. A downrigger or leadcore line to put a spoon at the depth the trout are holding, then troll the deep water. A guided or boat-and-gear method rather than a knot-by-knot DIY rig, so book a charter or fish your own boat with the gear.
• Perch in open water → drop shot. A small soft plastic or a worm hovering just off the bottom over the flats and weed edges, worked actively. The all-rounder for open-water perch.
• Pike, open water or through the ice → pike rig. A wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace, then a big soft shad or a spoon (lure version), a deadbait under a float, or a tip-up bait on the ice. The trace is the one non-negotiable, because pike teeth cut a light leader.

The knots that tie these rigs are the Palomar (the workhorse, for spoons, jigs, swivels and the trace), the dropper loop (for a dropper above the jig), and the non-slip loop (a free-swinging spoon or jig). Each rig page links to the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are on the ice or in open water, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to exactly what you need. For winter, add an auger (or book a hut), a short ice rod and a jigging spoon or two. For open water, a light spinning outfit covers the perch, with a trace for pike; the deep trolling is a charter's gear. No brands, no prices.

That is the whole list. One light spin outfit and a small terminal box cover the open-water perch and pike; a short ice rod, a couple of spoons and jigs, an auger (or a booked hut) and the ice-safety kit cover the winter trip; the deep troll is a charter's gear. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a perch.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the seasons (the trout season closes 15 March and reopens the second Saturday in May), buy the Ontario licence and Outdoors Card, decide ice or open water and book a hut or charter, pack the one kit (with the ice-safety gear for winter), and note the limits. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Check your dates against the seasons. Confirm the fish you want is open on your days (the "what's on" strip above). Lake trout and whitefish: ice fishing roughly January to 15 March, open water from the second Saturday in May to 30 September. Perch are open all year.
2. Buy the licence and Outdoors Card. Online at Hunt & Fish Ontario (the 8-day suits most visiting trips), or at ServiceOntario. The 1-day licence needs no Outdoors Card. Carry the licence on the ice as much as in a boat.
3. Decide ice or open water, and book it. Winter: book a hut with an operator who runs you out and knows the ice (see huts and charters). Open water: take a trolling charter for the deep lake trout, or launch your own and fish perch and pike.
4. Pack the one kit. Spinning outfit, a short ice rod, braid, a fluoro leader, the terminal box, spoons and jigs, soft plastics, net and a way to keep your catch. For winter, add the auger (or skip it with a booked hut) and the ice-safety kit. The shopping list above (trimmed by the kit builder) is your packing list.
5. Note the limits. Lake trout S-2 / C-1, whitefish S-2 / C-1, perch S-50 / C-25 (Sport possession 100), walleye S-4 / C-2 with not more than one over 46 cm. Check the Ontario Guide to Eating Sport Fish before keeping larger trout or pike. Wet hands, release carefully.
6. Mind the ice. If you are new to the lake, go with a hut operator. Carry ice picks and a rope, test the ice, and if in doubt, stay off.
7. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: going on unsafe ice, missing the 15 March trout close, expecting much from the bank, fishing the bright middle of the day, forgetting the Outdoors Card as well as the licence, and bringing the wrong line for trout or pike. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Trusting the ice without checking it. Ice safety is the real risk on Simcoe. It varies across the lake and through the season, and the worst time is the warming late-ice spell after 15 March. If you are new, go with a hut operator. Carry ice picks and a rope, test it, and if in doubt, stay off.
• Missing the trout close. The lake trout and whitefish season closes 15 March, so the trout part of the ice fishery has a hard end date. Perch carry on, but check your dates against the season before you book.
• Expecting a bank trip. The bank fishing is limited here. This is an ice lake in winter and a boat lake in open water. Without a boat in summer, the winter ice trip is how you fish the whole lake.
• Fishing the bright middle of the day. A clear, bright midday is often slow, on the ice and in open water. Fish the first and last light and the changes of light.
• Buying the licence but not the Outdoors Card. Unless you are on a 1-day licence, you need both the Outdoors Card and the fishing licence. Buy them together at Hunt & Fish Ontario.
• Bringing the wrong line. A light fluorocarbon leader is what makes the clear-water perch and trout fishing work; for pike, a wire or heavy fluoro trace is essential, because pike teeth cut a light leader.
• Skipping the consumption guide. Before you keep a larger trout or pike, check the Ontario Guide to Eating Sport Fish for the size-based advice. It is quick and it matters.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Lake Simcoe: what is here, the ice fishing, the Ontario licence and Outdoors Card, the prices, the seasons, going on the ice safely, bank versus boat versus hut, what you can eat, the limits, and the kit.