Ontario Lake Depths

Game fish · pike family

Northern pike

Esox lucius · also called jackfish, jack, grand brochet

Native to OntarioRecorded in 539 Ontario lakes
Illustration of a northern pike in side view
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not to scale.
Typical adult
45–75 cm (18–30 in)
Found in
Weedy bays of lakes and slow, vegetated rivers
Spawns
March–May, soon after ice-out, at 4–11 °C (39–52 °F)
Eats
Adults eat almost only fish; also frogs, crayfish, small mammals
Favours
Water of about 17–24 °C (63–75 °F)

Where northern pike have been recorded

539 of the 1,347 Ontario lakes on this site with angler catch reports list northern pike, across 30 counties and districts. Tap a dot to open that lake’s depth map.

Lake Abitibi, Cochrane DistrictLake Nipissing, Nipissing DistrictLake Simcoe, York RegionLake St. Joseph, Kenora DistrictMinnitaki Lake, Kenora DistrictRed Lake, Kenora DistrictDog Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictBirch Lake, Kenora DistrictWanapitei Lake, Sudbury DistrictKabinakagami Lake, Algoma DistrictKakagi Lake, Kenora DistrictOnaman Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictNight Hawk Lake, Cochrane DistrictWabigoon Lake, Kenora DistrictManitou Lake, Manitoulin DistrictRice Lake, Peterborough CountyPanache Lake, Sudbury DistrictSturgeon Lake, Kawartha LakesOnaping Lake, Sudbury DistrictPakwash Lake, Kenora DistrictMojikit Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictPashkokogan Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictNungesser Lake, Kenora DistrictNorthern Light Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictBig Vermilion Lake, Kenora DistrictLake of Bays, MuskokaLake Rosseau, MuskokaNorth Spirit Lake, Kenora DistrictWabaskang Lake, Kenora DistrictWhite Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictBalsam Lake, Kawartha LakesRowan Lake, Kenora DistrictLake Joseph, MuskokaDog Lake, Algoma DistrictLake Kagawong, Manitoulin DistrictNagagami Lake, Algoma DistrictPakashkan Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictDinorwic Lake, Kenora DistrictBlack Sturgeon Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictBig Rideau Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleConfederation Lake, Kenora DistrictBark Lake, Renfrew CountyMatinenda Lake, Algoma DistrictIndian Lake, Kenora DistrictLarder Lake, Timiskaming DistrictFrederick House Lake, Cochrane DistrictBrunswick Lake, Algoma DistrictObonga Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictGolden Lake, Renfrew CountyLady Evelyn Lake, Timiskaming DistrictPerrault Lake, Kenora DistrictAgnew Lake, Sudbury DistrictLittle Abitibi Lake, Cochrane DistrictCharleston Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleWakomata Lake, Algoma DistrictWhitefish Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictRound Lake, Renfrew CountyBobs Lake, Frontenac CountyWenebegon Lake, Sudbury DistrictChipman Lake, Cochrane DistrictBluffy Lake, Kenora DistrictPagwachuan Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictMargot Lake, Kenora DistrictOba Lake, Algoma DistrictBig Gull Lake, Frontenac CountyAbram Lake, Kenora DistrictRemi Lake, Cochrane DistrictSilver Lake, Kenora DistrictRed Cedar Lake, Nipissing DistrictPaguchi Lake, Kenora DistrictWabatongushi Lake, Algoma DistrictWinnange Lake, Kenora DistrictNagagamisis Lake, Algoma DistrictMississippi Lake, Lanark CountyGullwing Lake, Kenora DistrictWhite Lake, Lanark CountyLower Shebandowan Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictLauzon Lake, Algoma DistrictLittle Vermilion Lake, Kenora DistrictCliff Lake, Kenora DistrictWeslemkoon Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyBaptiste Lake, Hastings CountyCross Lake, Nipissing DistrictQuirke Lake, Algoma DistrictWatabeag Lake, Timiskaming DistrictIndian Lake, Sudbury DistrictBig Canon Lake, Kenora DistrictPierre Lake, Cochrane DistrictOpeepeesway Lake, Sudbury DistrictTrout Lake, Nipissing DistrictAnima Nipissing Lake, Timiskaming DistrictUpper Shebandowan Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictFrazer Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictLoughborough Lake, Frontenac CountySaganash Lake, Cochrane DistrictGarden Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictIvanhoe Lake, Sudbury DistrictNewboro Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleWenasaga Lake, Kenora DistrictRush Lake, Sudbury DistrictWahwashkesh Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBorden Lake, Sudbury DistrictWababimiga Lake, Cochrane DistrictKapuskasing Lake, Algoma DistrictMesomikenda Lake, Sudbury DistrictLake Vernon, MuskokaWakami Lake, Sudbury DistrictLake Clear, Renfrew CountyNosebonsing lake, Nipissing DistrictBlack Donald Lake, Renfrew CountyAhmic Lake, Parry Sound DistrictEva Lake, Rainy River DistrictWintering Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictCrooked Pine Lake, Rainy River DistrictChandos Lake, Peterborough CountyBlack Sturgeon Lakes, Kenora DistrictSharbot Lake, Frontenac CountyMistinikon Lake, Timiskaming DistrictWicksteed Lake, Nipissing DistrictCentennial Lake, Renfrew CountyBotsford Lake, Kenora DistrictLake Dore, Renfrew CountyCrotch Lake, Frontenac CountyMinchin Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictGloucester Pool, Simcoe CountyDalrymple Lake, Kawartha LakesCalabogie Lake, Renfrew CountyGrey Trout Lake, Kenora DistrictRestoule Lake, Parry Sound DistrictKashwakamak Lake, Frontenac CountySkootamatta Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyDuncan Lake, Timiskaming DistrictNepewassi Lake, Sudbury DistrictFushimi Lake, Cochrane DistrictLower Buckhorn Lake, Peterborough CountyDoe Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBright Lake, Algoma DistrictMuskrat Lake, Renfrew CountyAbazotikichuan Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictPrairie Bee Lake, Sudbury DistrictAmik Lake, Kenora DistrictRound Lake, Timiskaming DistrictLa Cloche Lake, Sudbury DistrictEcho Lake, Algoma DistrictDevil Lake, Frontenac CountyLac Pivabiska, Cochrane DistrictGull Lake, Haliburton CountyVermilion Lake, Sudbury DistrictSparrow Lake, Simcoe CountyThunder Lake, Kenora DistrictKapiskong Lake, Sudbury DistrictKukukus Lake, Kenora DistrictMalachi Lake, Kenora DistrictEnglish River, Kenora DistrictCrowe Lake, Hastings CountyMary Lake, MuskokaRock Lake, Algoma DistrictWhiskey Lake, Algoma DistrictPelicanpouch Lake, Kenora DistrictApps Lake, Kenora DistrictMcAree Lake, Rainy River DistrictSand Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleDog Lake, Frontenac CountyEagle Lake, Parry Sound DistrictLake of the Mountains, Algoma DistrictCameron Lake, Kawartha LakesKahshe Lake, MuskokaVictoria Lake, Kenora DistrictCanal Lake, Kawartha LakesLong Lake, Timiskaming DistrictTrout Lake, Sudbury DistrictShingwak Lake, Kenora DistrictThreenarrows Lake, Sudbury DistrictDonnegana Lake, Sudbury DistrictKenogami Lake, Timiskaming DistrictHealey Lake, Parry Sound DistrictMoira Lake, Hastings CountyKashagawigamog Lake, Haliburton CountyPeninsula Lake, MuskokaBelmont Lake, Peterborough CountyRollo Lake, Sudbury DistrictArtery Lake, Kenora DistrictRamsey Lake, Sudbury DistrictNet Lake, Nipissing DistrictSesekinika Lake, Timiskaming DistrictKabenung Lake, Algoma DistrictPaugh Lake, Renfrew CountyCassels Lake, Nipissing DistrictBear Lake, Sudbury DistrictFairy Lake, MuskokaWasaksina Lake, Nipissing DistrictRib Lake, Timiskaming DistrictSydenham Lake, Frontenac CountyBoshkung Lake, Haliburton CountyEagle Lake, Frontenac CountyFernow Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictKushog Lake, Haliburton CountyWhite Pine Lake, Sudbury DistrictWawa Lake (lac Wawa), Algoma DistrictChristie Lake, Lanark CountyMcCarthy Lake, Algoma DistrictLake St. John, Simcoe CountyLake Belwood, Wellington CountyElliot L., Algoma DistrictJackinnes Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictAnstruther Lake, Peterborough CountyCrystal Lake, Rainy River DistrictUpper Beverley Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleConstant Lake, Renfrew CountyBatwing Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictPickerel Lake, Kenora DistrictHillmer Lake, Cochrane DistrictConestogo Lake, Wellington CountyDalhousie Lake, Lanark CountyLake Cecebe, Parry Sound DistrictEsten Lake, Algoma DistrictWabagishik Lake, Sudbury DistrictKawakanika Lake, Cochrane DistrictRaven lake, Timiskaming DistrictSand Lake, Parry Sound DistrictKokoko Lake, Nipissing DistrictOtter Lake, Parry Sound DistrictOtter Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleSunbow Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictKnife Lake, Algoma DistrictRadisson Lake, Timiskaming DistrictNoganosh Lake, Parry Sound DistrictHanlan Lake, Cochrane DistrictMink Lake, Renfrew CountyKennebec Lake, Frontenac CountyPalmerston Lake, Frontenac CountyBlackstone Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBrace Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictAlford Lake, Kenora DistrictCrane Lake, Parry Sound DistrictHoff Lake, Cochrane DistrictMuskasenda Lake, Sudbury DistrictSpider Lake, Parry Sound DistrictLang Lake, Sudbury DistrictHannah Lake, Sudbury DistrictLake Lulu, Kenora DistrictWhitson Lake, Sudbury DistrictDenmark Lake, Kenora DistrictWhitefish Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleOttertail Lake, Algoma DistrictMuldrew Lakes, MuskokaLaundrie Lake, Sudbury DistrictCloud Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictDesbarats Lake, Algoma DistrictBridge Lake, Kenora DistrictCircle Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictHorseshoe Lake, Parry Sound DistrictDesert Lake, Frontenac CountyThree Mile Lake, Parry Sound DistrictLong Lake, Kenora DistrictMichipicoten River, Algoma DistrictJobammageeshig Lake, Algoma DistrictBawden Lake, Kenora DistrictHangstone Lake, Nipissing DistrictBell Lake, Sudbury DistrictShadow Lake, Kawartha LakesHarris Lake, Parry Sound DistrictTorrance Lake, Cochrane DistrictWalker Lake, Sudbury DistrictWollaston Lake, Hastings CountyPecors Lake, Algoma DistrictRed Horse Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleGananoque Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleMickle Lake, Kenora DistrictFrancklyn Lake, Cochrane DistrictRed Rock Lake, Algoma DistrictMount Lake, Algoma DistrictMuskosung Lake, Nipissing DistrictBig Clear Lake, Frontenac CountyMajata Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictMorrison Lake, MuskokaGranary Lake, Algoma DistrictHungry Lake, Frontenac CountyMiller Lake, Bruce CountyDeer Lake, Nipissing DistrictMitchell Lake, Kawartha LakesHorseshoe Lake, Haliburton CountyLake St. Nora, Haliburton CountyNorway Lake, Renfrew CountyBear Lake, Parry Sound DistrictFrench Lake, Rainy River DistrictBigwood Lake, Sudbury DistrictIndian Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleTurtle Lake, Nipissing DistrictHazelwood Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictPorcupine Lake, Cochrane DistrictCarson Lake, Renfrew CountyCordova Lake, Peterborough CountyFleet Lake, Kenora DistrictGibson Lake, MuskokaCharlton Lake, Sudbury DistrictTrout Lake, Algoma DistrictCanonto Lake, Frontenac CountyBuck Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGodson Lake, Kenora DistrictMiskwabi Lake, Haliburton CountyNeshin Lake, Cochrane DistrictPatten Lake, Algoma DistrictOxtongue Lake, Haliburton CountySilver Lake, Frontenac CountyFrood Lake, Sudbury DistrictDean Lake, Algoma DistrictLoon Lake, Haliburton CountyReynar Lake, Kenora DistrictBass Lake, Algoma DistrictLittle Lake, BarrieCaribou Lake, Algoma DistrictOwlet Lake, Cochrane DistrictLittle Basswood Lake, Algoma DistrictWadsworth Lake, Renfrew CountyChesley Lake, Bruce CountyCross Lake, Nipissing DistrictRound Lake, Parry Sound DistrictMaple Lake, Parry Sound DistrictShack Lake, Cochrane DistrictRelief Lake, Cochrane DistrictHuston Lake, Kenora DistrictFrench River, Sudbury DistrictKecil Lake, Sudbury DistrictLang Lake, Algoma DistrictPichogen Lake, Algoma DistrictJocko Lake, Nipissing DistrictIsabella Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGovan Lake, Frontenac CountyLongpine Lake, Kenora DistrictRoyal Lake, Kenora DistrictRound Schooner Lake, Frontenac CountyJoeperry Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyTrout Lake, Renfrew CountyKetchini Lake, Sudbury DistrictMoore Lake, Haliburton CountyQuimby Lake, Algoma DistrictSucker Lake, Nipissing DistrictL'Amable Lake, Hastings CountyNigick Lake, Algoma DistrictHalfway Lake, Renfrew CountyLower Stewart Lake, Kenora DistrictRosina Lake, Kenora DistrictDotty Lake, MuskokaPuslinch Lake, Wellington CountyRaft Lake, Cochrane DistrictBourinot Lake, Algoma DistrictStewart Lake, MuskokaSugar Lake, Parry Sound DistrictStar Lake, Parry Sound DistrictHowes Lake, Frontenac CountyRiley Lake, MuskokaApungsisagen Lake, Rainy River DistrictLake Laurentian, Sudbury DistrictRankin Lake, Parry Sound DistrictFloranna Lake, Sudbury DistrictClear Lake, Algoma DistrictMcFarlane Lake, Sudbury DistrictKingsford Lake, Frontenac CountyBull Lake, Frontenac CountyBeech Lake, Haliburton CountyBirch Lake, Algoma DistrictHoward Lake, Timiskaming DistrictMcCauley Lake, Nipissing DistrictChateau Lake, Renfrew CountyMcConnell Lake, Kenora DistrictGurney Lake, Cochrane DistrictConger Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGreen Lake, Haliburton CountyNepahwin Lake, Sudbury DistrictStetham Lake, Sudbury DistrictTurtle Lake, Parry Sound DistrictCranberry Lake, Algoma DistrictStony Lake, Sudbury DistrictMarshland Lake, Algoma DistrictOastler Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGiroux Lake, Parry Sound DistrictKaministiquia River, Thunder Bay DistrictOscar Lake, Algoma DistrictPuzzle Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyPine Lake, Haliburton CountyGould Lake, Bruce CountyCrosby Lake, Timiskaming DistrictClear Lake, Parry Sound DistrictMacLean Lake, Simcoe CountyLittle Moon Lake, Algoma DistrictTea Lake, Simcoe CountyGrandeur Lake, Algoma DistrictFaraday Lake, Hastings CountyBass Lake, Algoma DistrictMadalaine Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictMcGown Lake, Sudbury DistrictYoung Lake, Kawartha LakesRedhorse Lake, Frontenac CountyMcKellar Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSheffield Long Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyHeart Lake, Renfrew CountyBeaver Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBurride Lake, Frontenac CountyMountain Ash Lake, Algoma DistrictAntrim Lake, Sudbury DistrictBass Lake, MuskokaLavallee Lake, Hastings CountyCrawford Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBells Lake, Grey CountyLovering Lake, Sudbury DistrictSt. Amand Lake, Cochrane DistrictLong Lake, Haliburton CountyDarling Long Lake, Lanark CountyRichard Lake, Sudbury DistrictOtter Lake, Sudbury DistrictCurriers Lake, Renfrew CountyLittle Dog Lake, Thunder Bay DistrictBig Gibson Lake, Renfrew CountyLac St. Jean, Sudbury DistrictCranberry Lake, Haliburton CountyLittle Hannah Lake, Sudbury DistrictGurd Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBrownlee Lake, Algoma DistrictSilver Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGrandview Lake, MuskokaTee Lake, Renfrew CountyChrysler Lake, Sudbury DistrictWolfe Lake, Cochrane DistrictGrundy Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSilver Lake, Kawartha LakesFosters Lake, Hastings CountyWilkie Lake, Algoma DistrictGrand River section, Waterloo RegionButterfly Lake, MuskokaBonner Lake, Cochrane DistrictSlipper Lake, Algoma DistrictMercer Lake, Nipissing DistrictSilver Lake, Bruce CountyLittle Rice Lake, Algoma DistrictSilver Lake, MuskokaBaxter Lake, MuskokaBeaverdam Lake, Renfrew CountySaw Lake, Sudbury DistrictArrow Lake (North East), Thunder Bay DistrictCopp Lake, Algoma DistrictLower Island Lake, Algoma DistrictHeyden Lake, Algoma DistrictWilcox Lake, York RegionCouchain Lake, Renfrew CountyLac Brochet, Cochrane DistrictLulu Lake, Cochrane DistrictDiamond Lake, Parry Sound DistrictLong Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleTwin Lakes, Algoma DistrictMusselman Lake, York RegionNisbet Lake, Sudbury DistrictRuebottom Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSt. Charles Lake, Sudbury DistrictMoore Lake, Nipissing DistrictFenton Lake, Algoma DistrictBlack Lake, Frontenac CountyFourth Deposit Lake, Frontenac CountyBannerman Lake, Sudbury DistrictHorne Lake, Algoma DistrictCarnahan Lake, Frontenac CountyRoney Lake, Renfrew CountyDaisy Lake, Sudbury DistrictStevenson Lake, Renfrew CountySwanson Lake, Cochrane DistrictLyndhurst Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleBogle Lake, Algoma DistrictBelle Lake, Algoma DistrictParissien Lake, Renfrew CountyRobinson Lake, Sudbury DistrictWabicock Lake, Cochrane DistrictGreens Lake, Sudbury DistrictDoe Lake, Frontenac CountyBurk Lake, Timiskaming DistrictProulx Lake, Cochrane DistrictMinden Lake, Haliburton CountyMisfit Lake, Kenora DistrictWylie Lake, Renfrew CountyCooper Lake, Algoma DistrictFirst James Lake, Renfrew CountyMiddle Lake, Sudbury DistrictFlat Iron Lake, Renfrew CountyHannah Lake, Sudbury DistrictSheba Lake, Timiskaming DistrictBucke Lake, Parry Sound DistrictJacks Lake, Simcoe CountyBlack Lake, Haliburton CountyDuck Lake, Cochrane DistrictPorridge Lake, Algoma DistrictGourlay Lake, Cochrane DistrictHarvey Lake, Renfrew CountyRattrays Lake, Renfrew CountyLittle Lake, Bruce CountyPearce Lake 24, Cochrane DistrictLoon Lake, Lanark CountyTimber Wolf Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGrenadier Pond, TorontoGaf Lake, Cochrane DistrictHuston Lake, Algoma DistrictGilbank Lake, Parry Sound DistrictWaterford Ponds (Middle Pond), Norfolk CountyLong Lake, Nipissing DistrictLa Force Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBond Lake, York RegionBuch Lake, Renfrew CountyUrquhart Lake, Algoma DistrictSkeletonpup Lake, Timiskaming DistrictColton Lake, Renfrew CountySupply Lake, Renfrew CountyLough Garvey, Renfrew CountyEast Trump Lake, Cochrane DistrictWallingford Lake, Cochrane DistrictPotvin Lake, Cochrane DistrictBeaver Lake, Parry Sound DistrictStevenson Lake, Renfrew CountySand Lake, Renfrew CountyNansen Lake, Cochrane DistrictClear Lake, Cochrane DistrictWest Trump Lake, Cochrane DistrictGut Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSteele Lake, Cochrane DistrictKervin Lake, Nipissing DistrictLittle Clear Lake, Peterborough CountySalter Lake, Algoma DistrictLemke Lake, Renfrew CountyMoor Lake, Renfrew CountyLeg of Lamb Lake, Cochrane DistrictWerwolf Lake, Nipissing DistrictDuck Lake, Parry Sound DistrictMoon Lake, Sudbury DistrictBlack Lake, Algoma DistrictTooeys Lake, Renfrew CountyJohnson Lake, Sudbury DistrictWhitefish River, Sudbury DistrictWynn Lake, Timiskaming DistrictGuilfoyle Lake 39, Cochrane DistrictShiner Lake, Renfrew CountySix Mile Lake Pothole, MuskokaChallies Public Fishing Area Pond, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry

Recorded here Other lakes with catch reports

How we know

  • 539lakes where an angler logged one in Fish ON-Line; on 216 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 234,979 acres (median 842) and from 5 to 408 ft deep (median 60 ft).

When and how anglers catch northern pike

From 1,795 trip reports naming northern pike 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 (21% of trips); 12% were logged December–February (lighter bars).

How they were fishing

From a boat72%
From shore12%
Through the ice16%

Share of the 1,789 trips that recorded boat, shore or ice.

Fish reported

7,515 northern pike 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. Clear Lake, Parry Sound District 30
  2. Muskrat Lake, Renfrew 27
  3. Lake Nipissing, Nipissing District 24
  4. Porcupine Lake, Cochrane District 19
  5. Lake Belwood, Wellington 18
  6. Lake St. John, Simcoe 17
  7. Baptiste Lake, Hastings 16
  8. Dalrymple Lake, Kawartha Lakes 16
  9. Nosebonsing lake, Nipissing District 16
  10. White Lake, Lanark 16

Trips that logged this fish on each lake. A busy lake gets more trips; this is not a ranking of fishing quality. 216 of the 539 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 long, duck-billed predator with a dark green to brown body marked by rows of pale yellowish, bean-shaped spots. It has five sensory pores on each side of the lower jaw (10 in all), a fully scaled cheek and a gill cover that is only partly scaled.

Don’t confuse it with

Muskellunge — The muskie shows dark bars or spots on a light background, has six to nine pores on each side of the jaw (12–18 in all), lacks scales on the lower cheek and has more pointed tail tips.
Tiger muskellunge — A natural pike × muskie hybrid that is rare in Ontario; males are sterile.

Up close

Illustration of a northern pike's head from the side and slightly below, showing five sensory pores along each side of the lower jaw, a fully scaled cheek, and scales on only the upper half of the gill cover.
Northern pike: five pores under each side of the lower jaw; the whole cheek is scaled; the gill cover is scaled only on its upper half.
Illustration of a muskellunge's head from the side and slightly below, showing seven and eight sensory pores along the two sides of the lower jaw, with scales on only the upper half of the cheek and gill cover.
Muskellunge: six or more pores under each side of the lower jaw (seven and eight drawn here); the cheek and gill cover are scaled only on their upper halves.

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

Northern pike are found across most of Ontario. They ambush prey from the edges of weed beds, shoals and creek mouths, and in summer they often drop into deeper, cooler water, except in the north. They can tolerate brief spells of very low oxygen and moderately murky water.

They spawn in early spring, sometimes moving toward spawning grounds while ice is still on, and scatter their eggs over shallow, flooded vegetation without building a nest or guarding the young. Males usually mature at 2–3 years and females at 3–4. Pike were historically missing from parts of central Ontario, including the Kawartha Lakes and Algonquin Park, but are slowly spreading into those waters.

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 539 lakes with northern pike

Show every lake, by county

Algoma District 69

Bass Lake, Bass Lake, Belle Lake, Birch Lake, Black Lake, Bogle Lake, Bourinot Lake, Bright Lake, Brownlee Lake, Brunswick Lake, Caribou Lake, Clear Lake, Cooper Lake, Copp Lake, Cranberry Lake, Dean Lake, Desbarats Lake, Dog Lake, Echo Lake, Elliot L., Esten Lake, Fenton Lake, Granary Lake, Grandeur Lake, Heyden Lake, Horne Lake, Huston Lake, Jobammageeshig Lake, Kabenung Lake, Kabinakagami Lake, Kapuskasing Lake, Knife Lake, Lake of the Mountains, Lang Lake, Lauzon Lake, Little Basswood Lake, Little Moon Lake, Little Rice Lake, Lower Island Lake, Marshland Lake, Matinenda Lake, McCarthy Lake, Michipicoten River, Mount Lake, Mountain Ash Lake, Nagagami Lake, Nagagamisis Lake, Nigick Lake, Oba Lake, Oscar Lake, Ottertail Lake, Patten Lake, Pecors Lake, Pichogen Lake, Porridge Lake, Quimby Lake, Quirke Lake, Red Rock Lake, Rock Lake, Salter Lake, Slipper Lake, Trout Lake, Twin Lakes, Urquhart Lake, Wabatongushi Lake, Wakomata Lake, Wawa Lake (lac Wawa), Whiskey Lake, Wilkie Lake

Barrie 1

Little Lake

Bruce County 5

Chesley Lake, Gould Lake, Little Lake, Miller Lake, Silver Lake

Cochrane District 45

Bonner Lake, Chipman Lake, Clear Lake, Duck Lake, East Trump Lake, Francklyn Lake, Frederick House Lake, Fushimi Lake, Gaf Lake, Gourlay Lake, Guilfoyle Lake 39, Gurney Lake, Hanlan Lake, Hillmer Lake, Hoff Lake, Kawakanika Lake, Lac Brochet, Lac Pivabiska, Lake Abitibi, Leg of Lamb Lake, Little Abitibi Lake, Lulu Lake, Nansen Lake, Neshin Lake, Night Hawk Lake, Owlet Lake, Pearce Lake 24, Pierre Lake, Porcupine Lake, Potvin Lake, Proulx Lake, Raft Lake, Relief Lake, Remi Lake, Saganash Lake, Shack Lake, St. Amand Lake, Steele Lake, Swanson Lake, Torrance Lake, Wababimiga Lake, Wabicock Lake, Wallingford Lake, West Trump Lake, Wolfe Lake

Frontenac County 28

Big Clear Lake, Big Gull Lake, Black Lake, Bobs Lake, Bull Lake, Burride Lake, Canonto Lake, Carnahan Lake, Crotch Lake, Desert Lake, Devil Lake, Doe Lake, Dog Lake, Eagle Lake, Fourth Deposit Lake, Govan Lake, Howes Lake, Hungry Lake, Kashwakamak Lake, Kennebec Lake, Kingsford Lake, Loughborough Lake, Palmerston Lake, Redhorse Lake, Round Schooner Lake, Sharbot Lake, Silver Lake, Sydenham Lake

Grey County 1

Bells Lake

Haliburton County 17

Beech Lake, Black Lake, Boshkung Lake, Cranberry Lake, Green Lake, Gull Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Kashagawigamog Lake, Kushog Lake, Lake St. Nora, Long Lake, Loon Lake, Minden Lake, Miskwabi Lake, Moore Lake, Oxtongue Lake, Pine Lake

Hastings County 8

Baptiste Lake, Crowe Lake, Faraday Lake, Fosters Lake, L'Amable Lake, Lavallee Lake, Moira Lake, Wollaston Lake

Kawartha Lakes 9

Balsam Lake, Cameron Lake, Canal Lake, Dalrymple Lake, Mitchell Lake, Shadow Lake, Silver Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Young Lake

Kenora District 58

Abram Lake, Alford Lake, Amik Lake, Apps Lake, Artery Lake, Bawden Lake, Big Canon Lake, Big Vermilion Lake, Birch Lake, Black Sturgeon Lakes, Bluffy Lake, Botsford Lake, Bridge Lake, Cliff Lake, Confederation Lake, Denmark Lake, Dinorwic Lake, English River, Fleet Lake, Godson Lake, Grey Trout Lake, Gullwing Lake, Huston Lake, Indian Lake, Kakagi Lake, Kukukus Lake, Lake Lulu, Lake St. Joseph, Little Vermilion Lake, Long Lake, Longpine Lake, Lower Stewart Lake, Malachi Lake, Margot Lake, McConnell Lake, Mickle Lake, Minnitaki Lake, Misfit Lake, North Spirit Lake, Nungesser Lake, Paguchi Lake, Pakwash Lake, Pelicanpouch Lake, Perrault Lake, Pickerel Lake, Red Lake, Reynar Lake, Rosina Lake, Rowan Lake, Royal Lake, Shingwak Lake, Silver Lake, Thunder Lake, Victoria Lake, Wabaskang Lake, Wabigoon Lake, Wenasaga Lake, Winnange Lake

Lanark County 6

Christie Lake, Dalhousie Lake, Darling Long Lake, Loon Lake, Mississippi Lake, White Lake

Leeds and Grenville 12

Big Rideau Lake, Charleston Lake, Gananoque Lake, Indian Lake, Long Lake, Lyndhurst Lake, Newboro Lake, Otter Lake, Red Horse Lake, Sand Lake, Upper Beverley Lake, Whitefish Lake

Lennox and Addington County 5

Joeperry Lake, Puzzle Lake, Sheffield Long Lake, Skootamatta Lake, Weslemkoon Lake

Manitoulin District 2

Lake Kagawong, Manitou Lake

Muskoka 20

Bass Lake, Baxter Lake, Butterfly Lake, Dotty Lake, Fairy Lake, Gibson Lake, Grandview Lake, Kahshe Lake, Lake Joseph, Lake Rosseau, Lake Vernon, Lake of Bays, Mary Lake, Morrison Lake, Muldrew Lakes, Peninsula Lake, Riley Lake, Silver Lake, Six Mile Lake Pothole, Stewart Lake

Nipissing District 23

Cassels Lake, Cross Lake, Cross Lake, Deer Lake, Hangstone Lake, Jocko Lake, Kervin Lake, Kokoko Lake, Lake Nipissing, Long Lake, McCauley Lake, Mercer Lake, Moore Lake, Muskosung Lake, Net Lake, Nosebonsing lake, Red Cedar Lake, Sucker Lake, Trout Lake, Turtle Lake, Wasaksina Lake, Werwolf Lake, Wicksteed Lake

Norfolk County 1

Waterford Ponds (Middle Pond)

Parry Sound District 44

Ahmic Lake, Bear Lake, Beaver Lake, Beaver Lake, Blackstone Lake, Buck Lake, Bucke Lake, Clear Lake, Conger Lake, Crane Lake, Crawford Lake, Diamond Lake, Doe Lake, Duck Lake, Eagle Lake, Gilbank Lake, Giroux Lake, Grundy Lake, Gurd Lake, Gut Lake, Harris Lake, Healey Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Isabella Lake, La Force Lake, Lake Cecebe, Maple Lake, McKellar Lake, Noganosh Lake, Oastler Lake, Otter Lake, Rankin Lake, Restoule Lake, Round Lake, Ruebottom Lake, Sand Lake, Silver Lake, Spider Lake, Star Lake, Sugar Lake, Three Mile Lake, Timber Wolf Lake, Turtle Lake, Wahwashkesh Lake

Peterborough County 7

Anstruther Lake, Belmont Lake, Chandos Lake, Cordova Lake, Little Clear Lake, Lower Buckhorn Lake, Rice Lake

Rainy River District 6

Apungsisagen Lake, Crooked Pine Lake, Crystal Lake, Eva Lake, French Lake, McAree Lake

Renfrew County 42

Bark Lake, Beaverdam Lake, Big Gibson Lake, Black Donald Lake, Buch Lake, Calabogie Lake, Carson Lake, Centennial Lake, Chateau Lake, Colton Lake, Constant Lake, Couchain Lake, Curriers Lake, First James Lake, Flat Iron Lake, Golden Lake, Halfway Lake, Harvey Lake, Heart Lake, Lake Clear, Lake Dore, Lemke Lake, Lough Garvey, Mink Lake, Moor Lake, Muskrat Lake, Norway Lake, Parissien Lake, Paugh Lake, Rattrays Lake, Roney Lake, Round Lake, Sand Lake, Shiner Lake, Stevenson Lake, Stevenson Lake, Supply Lake, Tee Lake, Tooeys Lake, Trout Lake, Wadsworth Lake, Wylie Lake

Simcoe County 6

Gloucester Pool, Jacks Lake, Lake St. John, MacLean Lake, Sparrow Lake, Tea Lake

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry 1

Challies Public Fishing Area Pond

Sudbury District 64

Agnew Lake, Antrim Lake, Bannerman Lake, Bear Lake, Bell Lake, Bigwood Lake, Borden Lake, Charlton Lake, Chrysler Lake, Daisy Lake, Donnegana Lake, Floranna Lake, French River, Frood Lake, Greens Lake, Hannah Lake, Hannah Lake, Indian Lake, Ivanhoe Lake, Johnson Lake, Kapiskong Lake, Kecil Lake, Ketchini Lake, La Cloche Lake, Lac St. Jean, Lake Laurentian, Lang Lake, Laundrie Lake, Little Hannah Lake, Lovering Lake, McFarlane Lake, McGown Lake, Mesomikenda Lake, Middle Lake, Moon Lake, Muskasenda Lake, Nepahwin Lake, Nepewassi Lake, Nisbet Lake, Onaping Lake, Opeepeesway Lake, Otter Lake, Panache Lake, Prairie Bee Lake, Ramsey Lake, Richard Lake, Robinson Lake, Rollo Lake, Rush Lake, Saw Lake, St. Charles Lake, Stetham Lake, Stony Lake, Threenarrows Lake, Trout Lake, Vermilion Lake, Wabagishik Lake, Wakami Lake, Walker Lake, Wanapitei Lake, Wenebegon Lake, White Pine Lake, Whitefish River, Whitson Lake

Thunder Bay District 31

Abazotikichuan Lake, Arrow Lake (North East), Batwing Lake, Black Sturgeon Lake, Brace Lake, Circle Lake, Cloud Lake, Dog Lake, Fernow Lake, Frazer Lake, Garden Lake, Hazelwood Lake, Jackinnes Lake, Kaministiquia River, Little Dog Lake, Lower Shebandowan Lake, Madalaine Lake, Majata Lake, Minchin Lake, Mojikit Lake, Northern Light Lake, Obonga Lake, Onaman Lake, Pagwachuan Lake, Pakashkan Lake, Pashkokogan Lake, Sunbow Lake, Upper Shebandowan Lake, White Lake, Whitefish Lake, Wintering Lake

Timiskaming District 19

Anima Nipissing Lake, Burk Lake, Crosby Lake, Duncan Lake, Howard Lake, Kenogami Lake, Lady Evelyn Lake, Larder Lake, Long Lake, Mistinikon Lake, Radisson Lake, Raven lake, Rib Lake, Round Lake, Sesekinika Lake, Sheba Lake, Skeletonpup Lake, Watabeag Lake, Wynn Lake

Toronto 1

Grenadier Pond

Waterloo Region 1

Grand River section

Wellington County 3

Conestogo Lake, Lake Belwood, Puslinch Lake

York Region 4

Bond Lake, Lake Simcoe, Musselman Lake, Wilcox Lake

Sources

← All fish of Ontario