Walleye (pickerel)
Excellent
The fall bite: fish move to the rock and the river mouths; jigs and minnows, stickbaits at night.
Lake of the Woods Fishing Report
Updated Fri, Sep 25, 2026 from live weather and water data
Lake of the Woods at Kenora: walleye, muskie, smallmouth and pike among thousands of islands, with a live level gauge at Keewatin.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
322.63 m
Air / High
15 °C / 18 °C
Wind
SSE 5 km/h
Sources: Water Survey of Canada station 05PE014, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Lake of the Woods rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 322.63 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 5 km/h, steady pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 18 °C. Water sits around 16 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.
Northern pike (jackfish)
Good
The fall feed: big swimbaits and spoons in the shallows where the baitfish gather.
Tie on: Float and roe · Swung fly through the tailout · Jerkbait, long pauses · Hair jig on the rock. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Similar at 18 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Ontario requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from C$12.21. Ontario fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing walleye (pickerel) here? Check the size and bag limits with Ontario MNR before you keep anything; the Walleye (pickerel) page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Lake of the Woods today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:09), sunset (19:09), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM; minor 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Full Moon, 99% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Water Survey of Canada station 05PE014 (LAKE OF THE WOODS AT KEEWATIN).
Lake level, last 30 days
Water Survey of Canada real-time hydrometric data, station 05PE014. Latest reading 2026-09-25 06:25.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp15 °C
High / Low18 °C / 15 °C
WindSSE 5 km/h, gusts 9 km/h
Pressure102.24 kPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset07:09 / 19:09
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~16 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Lake of the Woods
The best day on Lake of the Woods this week looks like Wednesday Sep 30, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today. Every day is scored by the same engine as the report above: pressure trend first, then wind, sky and season. Pick a species and the plan for that day changes with it.
Best day this week: Wednesday, Sep 30 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Sep 25 — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 07:09 to 19:09
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 2%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Lake of the Woods: seasons written for the Canadian year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Walleye (pickerel)
Spring opener to fall, and the ice
Called pickerel in much of Ontario and Manitoba. The fish of Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg and the Red River, Lake Diefenbaker, Tobin Lake, Lake Erie and the Bay of Quinte. Most zones close in spring for the spawn. The fall bite: fish move to the rock and the river mouths; jigs and minnows, stickbaits at night.
Northern pike (jackfish)
Spring, fall and the ice
Called jackfish on the prairies. Found in almost every lake and slow river from Ontario to Alberta; big fish in the cold, deep lakes. The fall feed: big swimbaits and spoons in the shallows where the baitfish gather.
Lake trout
Ice season, and spring after ice-off
The big char of cold, deep lakes: Lake Simcoe, the Kootenay and Shuswap systems, the northern lakes. A winter favourite through the ice, where the season allows. Fish come shallower after the lake turns over; cast or troll the shoals.
Yellow perch
Year-round; the ice season at Lake Simcoe and Long Point
The ice-fishing fish of Lake Simcoe, Long Point Bay and Lake St. Clair, and a summer staple on every Great Lakes shore. Schools move constantly. Schools tighten on the deeper flats; bait near the bottom.
Muskellunge
Opens in June in Ontario; best in fall
The trophy fish of Lake St. Clair, the St. Lawrence, the Detroit River and Lake of the Woods. Catch-and-release is the culture; minimum sizes are large where retention is allowed. The trophy season: large swimbaits and trolling as the water cools.
When to come: the Lake of the Woods calendar
Activity by species and month for the Canadian year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye (pickerel)
Northern pike (jackfish)
Lake trout
Yellow perch
Muskellunge
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 16 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake of the Woods today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at excellent. High of 15 °C, wind to 21 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at excellent. High of 19 °C, wind to 21 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye (pickerel) led the card at excellent. High of 17 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Outdoors Card and Ontario fishing licence, from C$12.21 for a resident adult, with higher prices for other Canadians and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and protected areas are set by Ontario MNR and, in salt water and for salmon, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Ontario licence page before you keep anything.
Access
On the Ontario side, an Outdoors Card and an Ontario fishing licence are needed; non-Canadians pay non-resident fees, and crossing into Minnesota waters needs a Minnesota licence.
About this water
Lake of the Woods is a lake in Ontario, Canada, covered from the Ontario reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Lake of the Woods: the full guide
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods spreads across the border of Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota, a maze of thousands of islands and bays on the edge of the Canadian Shield, with Kenora and Keewatin at its northern outlet. It is one of the best-known walleye and muskie lakes in North America and a major ice-fishing destination in winter. The Water Survey of Canada gauge at Keewatin supplies the lake level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Walleye are the main fish, in open water and through the ice; muskellunge, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie and yellow perch are all important, and the colder northern bays hold lake trout. Ontario’s zone seasons and limits apply on the Canadian side; the Minnesota and Manitoba portions have their own rules.
Where to fish it
The islands and reefs around Kenora, Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls are fished from boats and from the many lodges; the big open water to the south is shared with Minnesota. In winter, walleye and crappie are fished through the ice in the bays.
Planning a visit
Kenora is on the Trans-Canada Highway, about two hours east of Winnipeg, and is the gateway to the lodges and outfitters. The lake is enormous and easy to get lost on: use charts and a GPS, and know where the border runs.
Ice and seasons
The lake freezes from late fall and the ice season runs into spring; no agency certifies the ice, and the currents around narrows and islands keep some areas thin. Open water returns in spring, with the walleye season opening after the spawn.
Reading this report here
The gauge at Keewatin shows the lake level, regulated at the outlets, and the chart shows the last 30 days. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, follows a typical Shield lake. Pressure and sky build the score.
Licence, access and rules
On the Ontario side, an Outdoors Card and an Ontario fishing licence are needed; non-Canadians pay non-resident fees, and crossing into Minnesota waters needs a Minnesota licence. The rules are linked below, and our Ontario licence page has the fees.
Common questions
What is Lake of the Woods known for?
Walleye and muskellunge, with smallmouth bass, pike and crappie among thousands of islands.
Do I need an Ontario licence on Lake of the Woods?
On the Ontario side, yes; the Minnesota and Manitoba parts need their own licences.
Is there ice fishing on Lake of the Woods?
Yes, in winter where the ice is safe; check it yourself, as currents keep some areas thin.
Is fishing good at Lake of the Woods right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Water level and flow readings
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Water Survey of Canada real-time hydrometric data, station 05PE014 — LAKE OF THE WOODS AT KEEWATIN
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Fish stocking
- Ontario fish stocking report
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.