Ontario Lake Depths

Panfish · sunfish family

Pumpkinseed

Lepomis gibbosus · also called common sunfish, sunfish, sunny

Native to OntarioRecorded in 211 Ontario lakes
Illustration of a pumpkinseed in side view
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not to scale.
Typical adult
18–23 cm (7–9 in), about 0.2 kg (0.4 lb)
Favours
Warm, weedy shallows of lakes and ponds
Spawns
May–August at 17–26 °C (63–79 °F)
Eats
Small aquatic insects such as dragonfly and mayfly nymphs
Lives
About 8–10 years in Ontario

Where pumpkinseed have been recorded

211 of the 1,347 Ontario lakes on this site with angler catch reports list pumpkinseed, across 29 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 Scugog, Durham RegionBalsam Lake, Kawartha LakesLake Joseph, MuskokaBig Rideau Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleFrederick House Lake, Cochrane DistrictGolden Lake, Renfrew CountyKawagama Lake, Haliburton CountyCharleston Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleBobs Lake, Frontenac CountyBig Gull Lake, Frontenac CountyMississippi Lake, Lanark CountyWhite Lake, Lanark CountyRanger Lake, Algoma DistrictBaptiste Lake, Hastings CountyLoughborough Lake, Frontenac CountyLake Clear, Renfrew CountyNosebonsing lake, Nipissing DistrictAhmic Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSharbot Lake, Frontenac CountyWicksteed Lake, Nipissing DistrictJack Lake, Peterborough CountyCrotch Lake, Frontenac CountyDalrymple Lake, Kawartha LakesKashwakamak Lake, Frontenac CountyNepewassi Lake, Sudbury DistrictLower Buckhorn Lake, Peterborough CountyDoe Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBright Lake, Algoma DistrictMuskrat Lake, Renfrew CountyEcho Lake, Algoma DistrictChemong Lake, Peterborough CountyDevil Lake, Frontenac CountyTyson Lake, Sudbury DistrictVermilion Lake, Sudbury DistrictSparrow Lake, Simcoe CountyCameron Lake, Kawartha LakesKahshe Lake, MuskokaCanal Lake, Kawartha LakesLong Lake, Timiskaming DistrictTrout Lake, Sudbury DistrictThree Mile Lake, MuskokaKashagawigamog Lake, Haliburton CountyPeninsula Lake, MuskokaBelmont Lake, Peterborough CountyFour Mile Lake, Kawartha LakesBuckhorn Lake, Peterborough CountyFairy Lake, MuskokaLake St. John, Simcoe CountyAnstruther Lake, Peterborough CountyUpper Beverley Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleDalhousie Lake, Lanark CountyLake Cecebe, Parry Sound DistrictRaven Lake, Haliburton CountyOtter Lake, Parry Sound DistrictOtter Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleMink Lake, Renfrew CountyBass Lake, Simcoe CountyWhitson Lake, Sudbury DistrictWhitefish Lake, Leeds and GrenvilleMuldrew Lakes, MuskokaWashagami Lake, Sudbury DistrictGavor Lake, Algoma DistrictDesbarats Lake, Algoma DistrictGold Lake, Peterborough CountyShadow Lake, Kawartha LakesHarris Lake, Parry Sound DistrictSandy Lake, Peterborough CountySkeleton Lake, Timiskaming DistrictWollaston Lake, Hastings CountySoyers Lake, Haliburton CountyMuskosung Lake, Nipissing DistrictBig Clear Lake, Frontenac CountyHungry Lake, Frontenac CountyDeer Lake, Nipissing DistrictSteenburg Lake, Hastings CountyNorway Lake, Renfrew CountyIndian Lake, Leeds and GrenvillePigeon River, Kawartha LakesCordova Lake, Peterborough CountyGibson Lake, MuskokaCharlton Lake, Sudbury DistrictCanonto Lake, Frontenac CountyGodson Lake, Kenora DistrictMiskwabi Lake, Haliburton CountyLovesick Lake, Peterborough CountyCanning Lake, Haliburton CountyEsson Lake, Haliburton CountySilver Lake, Frontenac CountyLittle Kennisis Lake, Haliburton CountyFanshawe Lake, LondonBass Lake, Algoma DistrictLittle Lake, BarrieBig Cedar Lake, Peterborough CountyCaribou Lake, Algoma DistrictLittle Basswood Lake, Algoma DistrictBig Bald Lake, Peterborough CountyChesley Lake, Bruce CountyBig Mink Lake, Hastings CountyMoore Lake, Haliburton CountyFarren Lake, Lanark CountyElla Lake, Sudbury DistrictHalfway Lake, Renfrew CountyRawson Lake, Sudbury DistrictMosque Lake, Frontenac CountyCameron Lake, Bruce CountyCentre Lake, Haliburton CountyBottle Lake, Peterborough CountyBeaver Lake, Peterborough CountyHowes Lake, Frontenac CountyRiley Lake, MuskokaBeech Lake, Haliburton CountyBay Lake, Parry Sound DistrictWolf Lake, Peterborough CountyConger Lake, Parry Sound DistrictOastler Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGiroux Lake, Parry Sound DistrictTimber Lake, Nipissing DistrictPuzzle Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyPine Lake, Haliburton CountyKabakwa Lake, Haliburton CountyCharlotte Lake, Renfrew CountyMacLean Lake, Simcoe CountySucker Lake, Parry Sound DistrictTea Lake, Simcoe CountyFarlain Lake, Simcoe CountyClear Lake, MuskokaBillings Lake, Haliburton CountyDavis Lake, Haliburton CountyKulas Lake, Renfrew CountyPortage Lake, Parry Sound DistrictCold Lake, Peterborough CountyBeaver Lake, Parry Sound DistrictOld Mans Lake, Parry Sound DistrictBells Lake, Grey CountyDiamond Lake, Renfrew CountyLovering Lake, Sudbury DistrictRichard Lake, Sudbury DistrictLoon Call Lake, Peterborough CountyCurriers Lake, Renfrew CountyBig Gibson Lake, Renfrew CountyGurd Lake, Parry Sound DistrictGrandview Lake, MuskokaSerpentine Lake, Peterborough CountyBon Echo Lake, Lennox and Addington CountyLipsy Lake, Haliburton CountyGrass Lake, Haliburton CountyGrundy Lake, Parry Sound DistrictHead Lake, Haliburton CountyArrowhead Lake, MuskokaSlipper Lake, Algoma DistrictSilver Lake, Bruce CountySheldon Lake, Haliburton CountyCrosson Lake, MuskokaWilcox Lake, York RegionWest Lake, Haliburton CountyJamieson Lake, Hastings CountyDowes Lake, Sudbury DistrictSouth Beaver Lake, Haliburton CountyWabun Lake, Renfrew CountyBitter Lake, Haliburton CountySt. Charles Lake, Sudbury DistrictPooh Lake, Renfrew CountyMoore Lake, Nipissing DistrictShoe Lake, MuskokaWilbermere Lake, Haliburton CountyCarnahan Lake, Frontenac CountyEarl Rowe Lake, Simcoe CountyNelson Lake, MuskokaDoe Lake, Frontenac CountyShark Lake, Peterborough CountyNorth Rathbun Lake, Peterborough CountyConcession Lake, Peterborough CountyKettle's Lake, Simcoe CountySmith Lake, Renfrew CountyGranite Lake, Frontenac CountyAide Lake, Hastings CountyHarvey Lake, Renfrew CountyWalker Lake, Renfrew CountyRaccoon Lake, Nipissing DistrictLoon Lake, Lanark CountyHeart Lake, Peel RegionGrenadier Pond, TorontoHuston Lake, Algoma DistrictGillies Lake, Cochrane DistrictCedar Lake, Haliburton CountyLittle Gull Lake, Haliburton CountyWaterford Ponds (Middle Pond), Norfolk CountySpottiswood Lakes, Brant CountyBond Lake, York RegionLewis Lake 2, Algoma DistrictBeaver Lake, Parry Sound DistrictStevenson Lake, Renfrew CountySand Lake, Renfrew CountyBattery Lake, Renfrew CountyLemke Lake, Renfrew CountyWilson Lake, Parry Sound DistrictWerwolf Lake, Nipissing DistrictGrant Lake, Algoma DistrictOwl Lake, Renfrew CountyTooeys Lake, Renfrew CountyGreen Lake, Lanark CountyLower Twin Lake, Renfrew CountyClearwater Lake, Frontenac CountyMountain Lake, Peterborough CountyChallies Public Fishing Area Pond, Stormont, Dundas and GlengarryTower Lake, Algoma District

Recorded here Other lakes with catch reports

How we know

  • 211lakes where an angler logged one in Fish ON-Line; on 125 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 4 to 221,497 acres (median 420) and from 5 to 302 ft deep (median 55 ft).

When and how anglers catch pumpkinseed

From 392 trip reports naming pumpkinseed 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 (31% of trips); 5% were logged December–February (lighter bars).

How they were fishing

From a boat54%
From shore40%
Through the ice6%

Share of the 390 trips that recorded boat, shore or ice.

Fish reported

2,605 pumpkinseed reported on these trips. Anglers kept 8% of the ones they reported and released the rest. The app records no sizes.

Lakes on this site with the most trips

  1. Mississippi Lake, Lanark 9
  2. Pigeon Lake, Peterborough 9
  3. Chemong Lake, Peterborough 8
  4. Chesley Lake, Bruce 8
  5. Lower Twin Lake, Renfrew 7
  6. Challies Public Fishing Area Pond, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry 6
  7. Lake Scugog, Durham Region 6
  8. Lake Simcoe, York Region 6
  9. Nosebonsing lake, Nipissing District 6
  10. Gillies Lake, Cochrane District 5

Trips that logged this fish on each lake. A busy lake gets more trips; this is not a ranking of fishing quality. 125 of the 211 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 small, round, brightly coloured sunfish with wavy blue-green lines on the sides of the head and an orange-to-red spot on the tip of the ear flap. The belly is often orange-red, and the small mouth does not reach the middle of the eye.

Don’t confuse it with

Bluegill — Its ear flap is entirely black with no red or orange spot, and it has a dark spot at the back of the dorsal fin.
Hybrid sunfish — Pumpkinseed and bluegill commonly cross in Ontario, so a sunfish showing 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 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.
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.

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

Pumpkinseed live in cool to warm lakes, ponds and slow, weedy streams, and are widespread and abundant in Ontario, found north to about Lake Temagami and in parts of the northwest. Small fish gather in loose schools in shallow water near weeds, docks and fallen trees, while larger ones tend to keep to themselves.

Males build nests in very shallow water, often under 30 cm (12 in), among plants once the water reaches about 20 °C (68 °F). A male may spawn with several females, guards the nest for up to about 12 days and can then spawn again; pumpkinseed usually spawn two to three weeks ahead of bluegill, and the two often hybridize. In small, crowded ponds they can be stunted at 10–12 cm (4–5 in).

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 211 lakes with pumpkinseed

Show every lake, by county

Algoma District 13

Bass Lake, Bright Lake, Caribou Lake, Desbarats Lake, Echo Lake, Gavor Lake, Grant Lake, Huston Lake, Lewis Lake 2, Little Basswood Lake, Ranger Lake, Slipper Lake, Tower Lake

Barrie 1

Little Lake

Brant County 1

Spottiswood Lakes

Bruce County 3

Cameron Lake, Chesley Lake, Silver Lake

Cochrane District 2

Frederick House Lake, Gillies Lake

Durham Region 1

Lake Scugog

Frontenac County 17

Big Clear Lake, Big Gull Lake, Bobs Lake, Canonto Lake, Carnahan Lake, Clearwater Lake, Crotch Lake, Devil Lake, Doe Lake, Granite Lake, Howes Lake, Hungry Lake, Kashwakamak Lake, Loughborough Lake, Mosque Lake, Sharbot Lake, Silver Lake

Grey County 1

Bells Lake

Haliburton County 25

Beech Lake, Billings Lake, Bitter Lake, Canning Lake, Cedar Lake, Centre Lake, Davis Lake, Esson Lake, Grass Lake, Head Lake, Kabakwa Lake, Kashagawigamog Lake, Kawagama Lake, Lipsy Lake, Little Gull Lake, Little Kennisis Lake, Miskwabi Lake, Moore Lake, Pine Lake, Raven Lake, Sheldon Lake, South Beaver Lake, Soyers Lake, West Lake, Wilbermere Lake

Hastings County 6

Aide Lake, Baptiste Lake, Big Mink Lake, Jamieson Lake, Steenburg Lake, Wollaston Lake

Kawartha Lakes 8

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

Kenora District 1

Godson Lake

Lanark County 6

Dalhousie Lake, Farren Lake, Green Lake, Loon Lake, Mississippi Lake, White Lake

Leeds and Grenville 6

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

Lennox and Addington County 2

Bon Echo Lake, Puzzle Lake

London 1

Fanshawe Lake

Muskoka 14

Arrowhead Lake, Clear Lake, Crosson Lake, Fairy Lake, Gibson Lake, Grandview Lake, Kahshe Lake, Lake Joseph, Muldrew Lakes, Nelson Lake, Peninsula Lake, Riley Lake, Shoe Lake, Three Mile Lake

Nipissing District 9

Deer Lake, Lake Nipissing, Moore Lake, Muskosung Lake, Nosebonsing lake, Raccoon Lake, Timber Lake, Werwolf Lake, Wicksteed Lake

Norfolk County 1

Waterford Ponds (Middle Pond)

Parry Sound District 17

Ahmic Lake, Bay Lake, Beaver Lake, Beaver Lake, Conger Lake, Doe Lake, Giroux Lake, Grundy Lake, Gurd Lake, Harris Lake, Lake Cecebe, Oastler Lake, Old Mans Lake, Otter Lake, Portage Lake, Sucker Lake, Wilson Lake

Peel Region 1

Heart Lake

Peterborough County 24

Anstruther Lake, Beaver Lake, Belmont Lake, Big Bald Lake, Big Cedar Lake, Bottle Lake, Buckhorn Lake, Chemong Lake, Cold Lake, Concession Lake, Cordova Lake, Gold Lake, Jack Lake, Loon Call Lake, Lovesick Lake, Lower Buckhorn Lake, Mountain Lake, North Rathbun Lake, Pigeon Lake, Rice Lake, Sandy Lake, Serpentine Lake, Shark Lake, Wolf Lake

Renfrew County 23

Battery Lake, Big Gibson Lake, Charlotte Lake, Curriers Lake, Diamond Lake, Golden Lake, Halfway Lake, Harvey Lake, Kulas Lake, Lake Clear, Lemke Lake, Lower Twin Lake, Mink Lake, Muskrat Lake, Norway Lake, Owl Lake, Pooh Lake, Sand Lake, Smith Lake, Stevenson Lake, Tooeys Lake, Wabun Lake, Walker Lake

Simcoe County 8

Bass Lake, Earl Rowe Lake, Farlain Lake, Kettle's Lake, Lake St. John, MacLean Lake, Sparrow Lake, Tea Lake

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry 1

Challies Public Fishing Area Pond

Sudbury District 13

Charlton Lake, Dowes Lake, Ella Lake, Lovering Lake, Nepewassi Lake, Rawson Lake, Richard Lake, St. Charles Lake, Trout Lake, Tyson Lake, Vermilion Lake, Washagami Lake, Whitson Lake

Timiskaming District 2

Long Lake, Skeleton Lake

Toronto 1

Grenadier Pond

York Region 3

Bond Lake, Lake Simcoe, Wilcox Lake

Sources

← All fish of Ontario