Freshwater Fishing.
The Buckhorn, Lower Buckhorn, Pigeon, Catchacoma, and Crystal lakes carry the multi-species Kawartha fishery across Trent Lakes — walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass, muskie, and panfish across the warmwater chain, with cold-water lake trout in the deeper Shield lakes (Catchacoma and Crystal). The township sits inside Fisheries Management Zone 15 (Haliburton Highlands & Kawarthas) and the Central Bait Management Zone.
The brief.
FMZ 15 seasons govern the township's lakes: lake trout January 1 – September 30 (S-2 / C-1); walleye January 1 – March 31 and 3rd Saturday of May – December 31 (S-4 / C-2, max 1 over 46 cm); brook trout January 1 – September 30 (S-5 / C-2); smallmouth + largemouth bass 4th Saturday of June – November 30 (S-6 / C-2 combined); muskellunge 1st Saturday of June – December 15 (S-1 / C-1). FMZ 15 sits inside the Central Bait Management Zone — live or dead baitfish/leeches may not be transported into or out of the BMZ.
Many waterbodies inside the township carry waterbody-specific overrides; check before fishing. Catchacoma and Crystal are the township's cold-water lake-trout holders; Buckhorn / Lower Buckhorn / Pigeon are the warmwater walleye-and-bass anchors.
4. places.
- 01
Buckhorn Lake and Lower Buckhorn Lake
Multi-species Kawartha lakes; walleye, bass, muskie, panfish under FMZ 15.
Map ↗ - 02
Pigeon Lake
Kawartha multi-species lake; walleye, bass, muskie.
Map ↗ - 03
Catchacoma Lake
Deeper Shield lake with cold-water lake trout in addition to warmwater species.
Map ↗ - 04
Crystal Lake
Deeper Shield lake; cold-water lake trout plus warmwater species.
Map ↗
Today's read.
Cool but comfortable for layered effort · light winds.
