Ontario Lake Depths

Panfish · sunfish family

Bluegill

Lepomis macrochirus · also called bream, sunfish

Native to OntarioRecorded in 154 Ontario lakes
Illustration of a bluegill in side view
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not to scale.
Typical adult
15–22.5 cm (6–9 in), about 200 g (0.4 lb)
Favours
Warm, clear water with moderate weed growth
Spawns
June–August at 19–26 °C (66–79 °F)
Eats
Insect larvae and plankton; fish fry in spring
Lives
Can live more than 11 years

Where bluegill have been recorded

154 of the 1,347 Ontario lakes on this site with angler catch reports list bluegill, across 28 counties and districts. Tap a dot to open that lake’s depth map.

Lake Nipissing, Nipissing DistrictLake Simcoe, York RegionRice Lake, Peterborough CountySturgeon Lake, Kawartha LakesPigeon Lake, Peterborough CountyLake of Bays, MuskokaLake Scugog, Durham RegionBalsam Lake, Kawartha LakesLake Kagawong, Manitoulin DistrictBig Rideau Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleGolden Lake, Renfrew CountyCharleston Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleBobs Lake, Frontenac CountyBig Gull Lake, Frontenac CountyMississippi Lake, Lanark CountyBaptiste Lake, Hastings CountyLoughborough Lake, Frontenac CountyNosebonsing lake, Nipissing DistrictSharbot Lake, Frontenac CountyJack Lake, Peterborough CountyLake Dore, Renfrew CountyCrotch Lake, Frontenac CountyDalrymple Lake, Kawartha LakesKashwakamak Lake, Frontenac CountyNepewassi Lake, Sudbury DistrictLower Buckhorn Lake, Peterborough CountyBright Lake, Algoma DistrictMuskrat Lake, Renfrew CountyLa Cloche Lake, Sudbury DistrictEcho Lake, Algoma DistrictChemong Lake, Peterborough CountyDevil Lake, Frontenac CountySparrow Lake, Simcoe CountyCrowe Lake, Hastings CountyEels Lake, Peterborough CountyCameron Lake, Kawartha LakesCanal Lake, Kawartha LakesPeninsula Lake, MuskokaFour Mile Lake, Kawartha LakesPaugh Lake, Renfrew CountyBuckhorn Lake, Peterborough CountySydenham Lake, Frontenac CountyEagle Lake, Frontenac CountyChristie Lake, Lanark CountyUpper Beverley Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleConstant Lake, Renfrew CountyDalhousie Lake, Lanark CountyVarty Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyWabagishik Lake, Sudbury DistrictRound Lake, Peterborough CountyNoganosh Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBass Lake, Simcoe CountyKennebec Lake, Frontenac CountyPalmerston Lake, Frontenac CountyWhitson Lake, Sudbury DistrictWhitefish Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleDesbarats Lake, Algoma DistrictHorseshoe Lake, Parry Sound DistrictDesert Lake, Frontenac CountyShadow Lake, Kawartha LakesSandy Lake, Peterborough CountyMuskosung Lake, Nipissing DistrictOak Lake, Peterborough CountyHungry Lake, Frontenac CountyMitchell Lake, Kawartha LakesIndian Lake, Leeds and GrenvillePigeon River, Kawartha LakesHazelwood Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictGibson Lake, MuskokaCharlton Lake, Sudbury DistrictSilver Lake, Frontenac CountyLittle Kennisis Lake, Haliburton CountyFanshawe Lake, LondonBass Lake, Algoma DistrictLittle Lake, BarrieBig Cedar Lake, Peterborough CountyBig Bald Lake, Peterborough CountyWadsworth Lake, Renfrew CountyChesley Lake, Bruce CountyRound Schooner Lake, Frontenac CountyShawenegog Lake, Frontenac CountyFarren Lake, Lanark CountyBIG DEER LAKE, Parry Sound DistrictMosque Lake, Frontenac CountyDotty Lake, MuskokaKingsford Lake, Frontenac CountyBull Lake, Frontenac CountyBeech Lake, Haliburton CountyElbow Lake, Frontenac CountyGreen Lake, Haliburton CountyBass Lake, Peterborough CountyTimber Lake, Nipissing DistrictPuzzle Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyKabakwa Lake, Haliburton CountyMacLean Lake, Simcoe CountyLittle Moon Lake, Algoma DistrictLittle Bald Lake, Peterborough CountyKulas Lake, Renfrew CountyRedhorse Lake, Frontenac CountySheffield Long Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyBurride Lake, Frontenac CountyBass Lake, MuskokaLittle Bob Lake, Haliburton CountyDarling Long Lake, Lanark CountyGurd Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGrandview Lake, MuskokaGrundy Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSilver Lake, Kawartha LakesCopper Lake, Peterborough CountyLeech Lake, Sudbury DistrictGrand River section, Waterloo RegionSilver Lake, Bruce CountyBaxter Lake, MuskokaBeaverdam Lake, Renfrew CountyWilcox Lake, York RegionCouchain Lake, Renfrew CountySt. Andrews Lake, Frontenac CountyLong Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleMair Lake, Frontenac CountyDuck Lake, Kawartha LakesRaccoon Lake, Peterborough CountyWabun Lake, Renfrew CountyPooh Lake, Renfrew CountyBlack Lake, Frontenac CountyEarl Rowe Lake, Simcoe CountyDoe Lake, Frontenac CountyMenet Lake, Renfrew CountyFlat Iron Lake, Renfrew CountyKettle's Lake, Simcoe CountySmith Lake, Renfrew CountyLoon Lake, Lanark CountyHeart Lake, Peel RegionGrenadier Pond, TorontoGillies Lake, Cochrane DistrictLittle Cameron Lake, Haliburton CountyCedar Lake, Haliburton CountyLittle Gull Lake, Haliburton CountyWaterford Ponds (Middle Pond), Norfolk CountyStinson Lake, Algoma DistrictBuch Lake, Renfrew CountyStevenson Lake, Renfrew CountyCave Lake, Sudbury DistrictPeterwhite Lake, Lanark CountySand Lake, Renfrew CountyLake Hunger, Norfolk CountyBottle Lake, Lanark CountySecond Lake, Algoma DistrictLemke Lake, Renfrew CountyTooeys Lake, Renfrew CountyLower Twin Lake, Renfrew CountyPerch Lake, Renfrew CountyDon Head Farm Pond, York RegionClearwater Lake, Frontenac CountyChallies Public Fishing Area Pond, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry

Recorded here Other lakes with catch reports

How we know

  • 154lakes where an angler logged one in Fish ON-Line; on 89 of them a single trip, one angler’s report

Self-reported by anglers, not a Ministry survey. A lake that isn’t listed may still have them: a lake appears here only once an angler has logged this fish there.

Inland lakes on this list run from 7 to 221,497 acres (median 526) and from 5 to 300 ft deep (median 50 ft).

When and how anglers catch bluegill

From 345 trip reports naming bluegill on the lakes above, logged by anglers in Ontario’s Fish ON-Line app. These are self-reported trips, not a Ministry survey: they show when and how people fish for them, not how many fish a lake holds.

Trips by month

The busiest month is July (27% of trips); 6% were logged December–February (lighter bars).

How they were fishing

From a boat55%
From shore37%
Through the ice7%

Share of the 345 trips that recorded boat, shore or ice.

Fish reported

2,818 bluegill reported on these trips. Anglers kept 11% of the ones they reported and released the rest. The app records no sizes.

Lakes on this site with the most trips

  1. Chemong Lake, Peterborough 12
  2. Lake Scugog, Durham Region 12
  3. Mississippi Lake, Lanark 11
  4. Grenadier Pond, Toronto 10
  5. Rice Lake, Peterborough 10
  6. Buckhorn Lake, Peterborough 9
  7. Lake Simcoe, York Region 9
  8. Pigeon Lake, Peterborough 8
  9. Waterford Ponds (Middle Pond), Norfolk 8
  10. Canal Lake, Kawartha Lakes 7

Trips that logged this fish on each lake. A busy lake gets more trips; this is not a ranking of fishing quality. 89 of the 154 lakes are listed on a single trip, one angler’s report.

Often found with

Share of these lakes that also list each fish.

How to recognize it

A round, deep-bodied sunfish, green to brown with faint dark vertical bars. Look for a solid black ear flap with no pale edge or red spot, and a dark blotch at the back of the dorsal fin.

Don’t confuse it with

Pumpkinseed — Has a red or orange spot on the tip of the ear flap and wavy blue-green lines on the cheek.
Hybrid sunfish — Bluegill and pumpkinseed commonly cross in Ontario, so a sunfish with a mix of both species' marks may be a hybrid.
Rock bass — Has a large red eye, rows of dark spots, a bigger mouth and six anal spines instead of three.

Up close

Illustration of a bluegill's head from the side, with a small mouth and a dark ear flap that is dark all the way to its edge.
Bluegill: a small mouth; the ear flap is dark right to its edge, with no coloured rim.
Illustration of a pumpkinseed's head from the side, with wavy blue-green lines on the cheek and a bright red-orange spot on the tip of a short dark ear flap.
Pumpkinseed: a bright red-orange spot on the tip of a short dark ear flap; wavy blue-green lines on the cheek.

AI-generated close-ups, not photographs, drawn from the cited descriptions. They show what to look for; they are not a substitute for an expert identification (provenance).

Life in an Ontario lake

Bluegill prefer warm lakes and ponds and shallow, weedy bays of larger lakes, in fairly clear water. They are plentiful in many southern Ontario waters, including the lower Great Lakes, the Kawarthas and the Rideau Lakes, and also occur in some waters of central and northwestern Ontario such as Quetico Provincial Park. They tolerate warm water and low oxygen and often travel in schools.

Bluegill spawn later than pumpkinseed, usually by two to three weeks, with activity peaking in early July. Males clear nests down to hard bottom in shallow water and guard the eggs and young for one to two weeks. Growth is quick at first and then slows: a 17.5 cm (7 in) fish may be about six years old and a 22.5 cm (9 in) fish ten or older.

Source: the sources below.

Rules and eating

Before fishing, check the current Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary for your Fisheries Management Zone, any exceptions for the waterbody, and your licence type. Angler catch reports show what people logged, not what is legal to catch or keep. Fish ON-Line itself (how to use it) maps the zones and exceptions. Before eating fish from a particular lake, check the Guide to Eating Ontario Fish.

All 154 lakes with bluegill

Show every lake, by county

Algoma District 7

Bass Lake, Bright Lake, Desbarats Lake, Echo Lake, Little Moon Lake, Second Lake, Stinson Lake

Barrie 1

Little Lake

Bruce County 2

Chesley Lake, Silver Lake

Cochrane District 1

Gillies Lake

Durham Region 1

Lake Scugog

Frontenac County 27

Big Gull Lake, Black Lake, Bobs Lake, Bull Lake, Burride Lake, Clearwater Lake, Crotch Lake, Desert Lake, Devil Lake, Doe Lake, Eagle Lake, Elbow Lake, Hungry Lake, Kashwakamak Lake, Kennebec Lake, Kingsford Lake, Loughborough Lake, Mair Lake, Mosque Lake, Palmerston Lake, Redhorse Lake, Round Schooner Lake, Sharbot Lake, Shawenegog Lake, Silver Lake, St. Andrews Lake, Sydenham Lake

Haliburton County 8

Beech Lake, Cedar Lake, Green Lake, Kabakwa Lake, Little Bob Lake, Little Cameron Lake, Little Gull Lake, Little Kennisis Lake

Hastings County 2

Baptiste Lake, Crowe Lake

Kawartha Lakes 11

Balsam Lake, Cameron Lake, Canal Lake, Dalrymple Lake, Duck Lake, Four Mile Lake, Mitchell Lake, Pigeon River, Shadow Lake, Silver Lake, Sturgeon Lake

Lanark County 8

Bottle Lake, Christie Lake, Dalhousie Lake, Darling Long Lake, Farren Lake, Loon Lake, Mississippi Lake, Peterwhite Lake

Leeds and Grenville 6

Big Rideau Lake, Charleston Lake, Indian Lake, Long Lake, Upper Beverley Lake, Whitefish Lake

Lennox and Addington County 3

Puzzle Lake, Sheffield Long Lake, Varty Lake

London 1

Fanshawe Lake

Manitoulin District 1

Lake Kagawong

Muskoka 7

Bass Lake, Baxter Lake, Dotty Lake, Gibson Lake, Grandview Lake, Lake of Bays, Peninsula Lake

Nipissing District 4

Lake Nipissing, Muskosung Lake, Nosebonsing lake, Timber Lake

Norfolk County 2

Lake Hunger, Waterford Ponds (Middle Pond)

Parry Sound District 5

BIG DEER LAKE, Grundy Lake, Gurd Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Noganosh Lake

Peel Region 1

Heart Lake

Peterborough County 16

Bass Lake, Big Bald Lake, Big Cedar Lake, Buckhorn Lake, Chemong Lake, Copper Lake, Eels Lake, Jack Lake, Little Bald Lake, Lower Buckhorn Lake, Oak Lake, Pigeon Lake, Raccoon Lake, Rice Lake, Round Lake, Sandy Lake

Renfrew County 21

Beaverdam Lake, Buch Lake, Constant Lake, Couchain Lake, Flat Iron Lake, Golden Lake, Kulas Lake, Lake Dore, Lemke Lake, Lower Twin Lake, Menet Lake, Muskrat Lake, Paugh Lake, Perch Lake, Pooh Lake, Sand Lake, Smith Lake, Stevenson Lake, Tooeys Lake, Wabun Lake, Wadsworth Lake

Simcoe County 5

Bass Lake, Earl Rowe Lake, Kettle's Lake, MacLean Lake, Sparrow Lake

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry 1

Challies Public Fishing Area Pond

Sudbury District 7

Cave Lake, Charlton Lake, La Cloche Lake, Leech Lake, Nepewassi Lake, Wabagishik Lake, Whitson Lake

Thunder Bay District 1

Hazelwood Lake

Toronto 1

Grenadier Pond

Waterloo Region 1

Grand River section

York Region 3

Don Head Farm Pond, Lake Simcoe, Wilcox Lake

Sources

← All fish of Ontario