Portage Bay

Lake South Western Ontario FMZ 11 Crown Land (Free)

About this spot

Portage Bay is a lake in the South Western Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 11. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence. Ontario's crown land lakes support a diverse range of species including lake trout, walleye, largemouth bass, and northern pike.

Location

Fish Species

No species reported for this spot yet.

Fisheries Management Zone 11

Portage Bay is in Fisheries Management Zone 11. Open seasons, catch limits and size limits in Ontario are set zone by zone, and some lakes carry their own exceptions, so check the FMZ 11 rules before you fish.

FMZ 11 regulations on ontario.ca

Ice fishing on Portage Bay (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Portage Bay is in Fisheries Management Zone 11, where 8 of 17 species groups are open for the whole ice season (December 1 to March 31) under the zone-wide rules.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Atlantic salmon	Closed	closed all year
Brook trout	Part of the season Feb 15 – Mar 31	February 15 to September 30	S-5; not more than 1 greater than 31 centimetres, and C-2; none greater than 31 centimetres
Brown trout	Closed	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-5 and C-2
Channel catfish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Crappie	Open	open all year	S-30 and C-10
Lake sturgeon	Closed	closed all year
Lake trout	Part of the season Feb 15 – Mar 21	February 15 to third Sunday in March and third Saturday in May to Labour Day	S-2; not more than 1 greater than 40 centimetres, and C-1
Lake whitefish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined	Part of the season Dec 1 – Mar 21	January 1 to third Sunday in March and third Saturday in May to December 31	S-6 and C-2
Muskellunge	Part of the season Dec 1 – Dec 15	third Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 122 centimetres, and C-0
Northern pike	Part of the season Dec 1 – Mar 21	January 1 to third Sunday in March and third Saturday in May to December 31	S-6; not more than two greater than 61 centimetres, of which not more than 1 is greater than 86 centimetres and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 61 centimetres, none greater than 86 centimetres
Pacific salmon	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Rainbow trout	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Splake	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Sunfish	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
Walleye and sauger combined	Part of the season Dec 1 – Mar 21	January 1 to third Sunday in March and third Saturday in May to December 31	S-4 and C-2; none between 43-60 centimetres, not more than 1 greater than 60 centimetres
Yellow perch	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25

S = sport fishing licence, C = conservation licence (daily catch and possession). Dates are worked out for 2026–27 from the wording of the 2026 summary. Ontario publishes a new summary every January 1, so check the 2027 edition for dates after December 31.

Portage Bay is not listed by name in the zone's species or waterbody exceptions or fish sanctuaries. Some exceptions cover whole townships or river systems, so read the zone page before you go.

Ice huts in Zone 11

Huts must be registered (free, once) and show the number outside; fabric shelters under 7 m² are exempt. Remove your hut by March 31, and in any case before the ice breaks up. You may fish with two lines through the ice in most waters, within 60 m and in sight of each.

Zone 11 ice fishing rules Ice fishing in Ontario guide

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Zone 11 (ontario.ca); ice hut rules: ontario.ca/page/ice-fishing. This summary is not the law: check the regulations and local conditions, and never go on ice you have not tested.