Fishing In Loughborough Lake, ON

Fishing has never been better than at Loughborough Lake, with over twenty miles of immaculate fishing potential; home to smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and northern pike fishing. Loughborough Lake has a depth of more than 100 feet in its West basin and has a limestone bottom that protects it from acid rain.

Loughborough Inn caters to all individuals looking to take advantage of one of the most impeccable fishing Ontario spots in the area, by providing exclusive fishing lodges & cabins for all sizes of fishing groups including weekend getaways and family vacation packages.

The lake is patrolled by the Ministry of Natural Resources wardens for enforcement of boating and fishing regulations.

Purchase Fishing License

On Loughborough Lake, the fishing season begins on the second Saturday of May for northern pike fishing and on the third Saturday in June for bass, while lake trout are in season year round.

Fishing open seasons can bring a tear of joy to any angler’s eye. Finally – a time free of confusing restrictions and amendments. The open water is calling and bounties of fish are yours for the taking, right?

Well, actually, not really.

About that term ‘open season’ – it’s actually a little misleading. Fishing open seasons, while more lax than most of the year, they still aren’t really ‘open’. There are still rules, regulations and stipulations that apply; they are simply less stringent than the rest of the year when fishing for certain species may be off-limits altogether. For example, anglers must still adhere to their licence and tag restrictions regardless of whether a species is open. Even during fishing open seasons, conservation anglers have to stick to their conservation limits and sport anglers need to stay within those restrictions – and ALL anglers must adhere to aggregate stipulations.

Aggregate limits apply to certain species, meaning that there is a provincial possession limit that caps the total number of fish of a certain species that an angler can have in their possession – including in storage – from more than one zone. We have specified these limits as they apply to our fishing open seasons.

We’re often asked about the fishing open seasons and restricted seasons at Loughborough Lake, so we want to take this opportunity to give you the lay of the land (i.e. way of the waters) for this year. For the most part, regulations in and around Loughborough Lake stay fairly consistent from year to year. This said, it’s imperative that you check in with the Ministry of Natural Resources’ (MNR) Fishing Guide every single year to see what fishing open seasons and regulated seasons may have changed in your zone.

Loughborough Lake is the 18th of Canada’s 20 regulated fishing zones. Zone 18 spans the Brighton area east to the Hawskbury/Rockland/Ottawa River area. It extends as far North as Pembroke.

Loughborough Lake is most famous for its abundance of small and largemouth bass, lake trout and Northern Pike. You can also find perch, crappie, white fish and a variety of popular pan fish including sunfish and rock bass.

Here are your fishing open season times and limits for Loughborough Lake. Please keep in mind that these regulations apply ONLY to Loughborough Lake and are not necessarily universal across all of Zone 18. Check out the MNR Fishing Resource Guide for a comprehensive rundown of all the guidelines for the entire Zone 18 area.

Large and Smallmouth Bass (or any combination thereof)

Open Season: 3rd Saturday in June to December 15th
Sport Limit: 6
Conservaton Limit: 2

Northern Pike

Open Season: January 1st to March 31st & 2nd Saturday in May to December 31st
Sport Limit: 6
Conservaton Limit: 2

Yellow Perch

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 50
Conservaton Limit: 25

Crappie

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 30
Conservaton Limit: 10

Sunfish

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 300 – only 30 may be greater than 18 cm (7.1 in.)
Conservaton Limit: 15

Lake Trout

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 2
Conservaton Limit: 1
Aggregate Limit: 3

Lake Whitefish

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 12
Conservaton Limit: 6

Lake Sturgeon
Closed all year
Channel Catfish

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 12
Conservaton Limit: 6

Walleye and Sauger (or any combination thereof)

Open Season: January 1st to March 1st & 2nd Saturday in May to December 31st
Sport Limit: 4 – must be between 40-50 cm – (15.7– 19.7 in)
Conservaton Limit: 2 – must be between 40-50 cm – (15.7– 19.7 in)

Muskellunge

Open Season: 1st Saturday in June to December 15th
Sport Limit: 1 – must be greater than 91 cm (36 in.)
Conservaton Limit: 0

Brook Trout

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 5
Conservaton Limit: 2
Aggregate Limit: 5

Brown Trout

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 5
Conservaton Limit: 2
Aggregate Limit: 5

Rainbow Trout

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 5
Conservaton Limit: 2
Aggregate Limit: 5

Splake

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 5
Conservaton Limit: 2
Aggregate Limit: 5

Pacific Salmon

Open Season: All year
Sport Limit: 5
Conservaton Limit: 2
Aggregate Limit: 5

Atlantic Salmon
Closed all year
Of course, not all these species can be found in Loughborough Lake, but we wanted to give you a full picture of the fishing open seasons across Zone 18 regardless. Have any other questions about fishing and/or fishing open seasons at Loughborough Lake? Feel free to contact us!

Local independent guides are available. If you wish, we can book one for you. Guides prepare a shore lunch from the days catch at one of several secluded spots on the lake.

Bait is available nearby from Catch All bait shop. It is open daily. For info on bait regulations visit our Ontario fishing relations page or contact us for more info.

If you’re looking for information on Ontario fishing regulations, there’s a wealth of information from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Licenses and Outdoors cards are available at Loughborough Inn. Visit www.huntandfishontario.com for information on obtaining.

Bass Fishing

About Bass Fishing

The name bass refers to many different species of fish, including freshwater and marine species. They belong to the Perciformes family (perch-like fish). The word bass is actually derived from the Middle English word bars, which means ‘perch’.

Large and smallmouth bass are the third most common target for anglers after walleye and northern pike, making bass fishing a popular sport. Part of the reason for this is that bass are plentiful and easy to catch – they go for just about any kind of bait. This lack of discretion means more fish for enthusiastic anglers.

Want to know what the difference between a largemouth and smallmouth bass is?
Click the fish to read a great article about each type of bass!

When bass fishing, it is good to understand a little about the fish so you can better understand their habits.

First, it is important to know that bass are cold blooded. Both the temperature of their bodies and their metabolism is controlled by the temperature of the water. When the water is warm, their metabolism is higher and they will eat more. Bass are most active when the water temperature is between 60 and 75 degrees. Their metabolism slows down when the water temperature is below 50 degrees and they will feed infrequently. Temperatures above 80 degrees cause low oxygen levels and the bass will become stressed.

Bass are schooling fish, so if you catch one, you will probably catch another in the same vicinity. The key is to fish the area thoroughly, but do not put the bass back in the water after you’ve caught it. Not right away, at least. Use a livewell for your catch. Putting an aggravated fish back in the water will scare away other fish.

You’ll usually find bass near bottom or something that looks like bottom. The closer to the bottom they are, the more likely they are to eat. They will also usually be hiding out in or around an object, like rocks, a fallen tree, weeds, so fish around these objects when fishing for bass. They tend to hide out here for 2 reasons: It protects them from potential predators and conceals them while they lie in wait for prey.

From late winter to early spring, bass fishing is most successful in or near their spawning areas. These areas are characteristically pretty shallow and flat with some cover and quick access to deeper water.

Loughborough Lake is a hot bed for bass fishing; home to some of the best smallmouth and sargemouth bass fishing in the Eastern Ontario area, with over twenty miles of fresh water, filled with an abundance of Smallmouth and Largemouth bass for your fishing pleasure.

With 7 stunning log cabins and 13 waterfront cottages, Loughborough Inn offers you complete access to Loughborough Lake with executive lodging, boat rental options, independent fishing guides, free boat launch, dockage and electricity (if you bring your own boat) and gasoline sales to all boaters on Loughborough Lake.

The bass fishing on Loughborough Lake can’t be beat, so join us today and experience everything this area has to offer and more!

Smallmouth and Largemouth bass illustrations

For guest convenience we strongly encourage that you purchase your Outdoors Card and Fishing License online prior to your stay.

Pike Fishing

If you’re looking to go pike fishing, Ontario is the place to be. This beautiful province has the most diverse fishing on the continent, as well as some of the biggest recorded fish.

Pike fish illustration

The heaviest pike caught on record hailed from Germany and weighed an astounding 68lbs!

Pike can be found in both freshwater and brackish water in the northern hemisphere. Due to its length and angular head, this fish gets its name from the Middle English word for pointed, pike. Its genus name, Esox, comes from the Greek word for ‘big fish’.

The pike we see in Canada are usually an olive green colour, with some yellow and white on their bellies. They can also be distinguished by the large sensory pores on their heads and on the bottom of their jaws.

Pikes are a pretty aggressive species of fish, which is something you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re pike fishing. Pike aggression is most evident when it comes to food. In times when food is scarce, pike will even resort to cannibalism. It is because of this aggression that you’re going to want to use a leader with most lures. The incredibly sharp teeth and power of these carnivorous fish can cut through monofilament lines up to 30 pounds. For tackle, we recommend 6-8′ medium to heavy spinning combos with 10-17lb monofilament and 6-7/12′ bait casting combos with 12-20lb monofilament.

One of the most distinct behavioural traits of pikes is their ability to go from sedentary to super fast in a flash. This is very useful for hunting prey. Another interesting trait is that pikes have long feeding periods and short digestion times. These predators are not at all particular about what they eat, so you can throw just about any kind of lure out at them. Spoons, crankbaits and giant mepps are our top picks.

Like most predators, you’ll find pike hanging around their prey. We recommend fishing for pike in large and fairly shallow spawning bays with mucky black bottoms. These areas warm up quickly and attract bait fish.

During the summer, once weeds have begun to re-establish in deeper water, the bait fish will move there. Predictably, the pike will follow.

In the autumn, you are going to have to move out even further to get a pike. Slow-trolled spoons and large deep-lipped diving crankbaits are ideal for pike fishing in the cooler months.

Where ever you go pike fishing, have fun, and be sure you read up on the region’s license requirements and regulations.

Loughborough Lake teems with feisty pike fishing opportunities awaiting your bait and to provide you with the excitement you’re looking for in Ontario. The population of Northern Pike in our area makes Loughborough Lake one of Ontario’s best pike fishing locations. Whether you’re with the family looking for an exciting challenge, or a seasoned pro looking for the next trophy of one of Ontario’s most popular game fishes, the fishing here is exceptional; With over twenty miles of beautiful fresh water, Loughborough Lake is full of great fishing holes for any fishing excursion.

From the serious angler to the casual fisherman, Loughborough Inn provides its guest with an unsurpassed lodging experience that you won’t find anywhere else. The spectacular Loughborough Inn grounds provide you with everything you need for a complete fishing adventure including boat rental options from Loughborough Marina, independent fishing guides, free boat launch, dockage and electricity if you bring your own boat and gasoline sales to all boaters on Loughbrough Lake.

If you’re searching for that next fishing adventure, look no further then Loughborough Inn.

Pike fishing on Ontario’s Loughborough Lake is rewarding for everyone, so join us today and experience everything this area has to offer and more. Contact us to plan your next northern pike fishing trip, or read some of the fishing tips we’ve posted to our blog to ensure it’s a success!