Richardson Lake

Lake Northern Ontario FMZ 4 Crown Land (Free)

21.3 m

Deepest charted contour

About this spot

Richardson Lake is a lake in the Northern Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 4. MNR fish surveys (2009) recorded 11 species here, including walleye, yellow perch and lake whitefish. An MNR depth chart exists for this lake; its deepest charted contour is 21.3 m. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence.

Location

Fish Species

Walleye Yellow Perch Lake Whitefish Northern Pike Rainbow Smelt Smallmouth Bass Rock Bass Cisco Lake Trout Sucker

No species reported for this spot yet.

Lake data from Ontario government surveys

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources holds 19 fish survey records from 2009. Survey methods: Broad-scale Monitoring.

Species recorded (11)

Walleye · 12 Yellow Perch · 10 Lake Whitefish · 8 Northern Pike · 8 Rainbow Smelt · 5 Smallmouth Bass · 4 Rock Bass · 3 Cisco · 2 Lake Trout · 1 White Sucker · 1 Spottail Shiner · 1

Number of survey records that list the species.

Depth chart

MNR depth chart on file
Deepest charted contour: 21.3 m
The deepest contour line on the chart. The true maximum depth is at least this deep.

Sources: Land Information Ontario — Aquatic Resource Area survey points, Bathymetry Index and Bathymetry Line, Fisheries Management Zones, Fishing Access Points. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Fisheries Management Zone 4

Richardson Lake is in Fisheries Management Zone 4. 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 4 rules before you fish.

FMZ 4 regulations on ontario.ca

Ice fishing on Richardson Lake (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Richardson Lake is in Fisheries Management Zone 4, where 9 of 13 species groups are open for the whole ice season (December 1 to March 31) under the zone-wide rules. Of the game fish government surveys recorded in this lake, lake trout, lake whitefish, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and yellow perch are open at least part of the winter under the zone-wide rules.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Lake trout recorded here	Part of the season Jan 1 – Mar 31	January 1 to September 30	S-2; not more than 1 greater than 56 centimetres, and C-1; no size limit
Lake whitefish recorded here	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined recorded here	Open	open all year	S-2 and C-1; must be less than 35 centimetres from January 1 to June 30 and December 1 to December 31, S-4 and C-2; no size limit from July 1 to November 30
Northern pike recorded here	Open	open all year	S-4 and C-2; none between 70-90 centimetres, not more than 1 greater than 90 centimetres
Walleye and sauger combined recorded here	Open	January 1 to April 14 and third Saturday in May to December 31	S-4 and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 46 centimetres
Yellow perch recorded here	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
Brook trout	Part of the season Jan 1 – Mar 31	January 1 to Labour Day	S-5 and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 30 centimetres
Crappie	Open	open all year	S-15 and C-10
Lake sturgeon	Closed	closed all year
Muskellunge	Part of the season Dec 1 – Dec 15	third Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 102 centimetres, and C-0
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

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.

Richardson Lake 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 4

No hut registration is required in this zone. There is no fixed removal date, but every hut must be off 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 4 ice fishing rules Ice fishing in Ontario guide

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Zone 4 (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.