Ice fishing in Zone 15 (FMZ 15), 2026–27
Fisheries Management Zone 15, with 4,208 lakes and rivers on our map. Through the 2026–27 ice season (December 1 to March 31), 10 of 17 species groups are open the whole time, 4 for part of it and 3 are closed. Walleye and sauger are open Dec 1 – Mar 15. Lake trout are open Jan 1 – Mar 31. Pike are open all ice season and perch open all ice season.
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What you can fish through the ice in Zone 15
Zone-wide seasons and limits from the 2026 Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary, with the dates worked out for 2026–27. They apply to every lake in the zone except the waters listed further down.
| Species | 2026–27 ice season | Zone-wide season (as written) | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate limits for trout and salmon (including splake) | — | Limit only | S-5 and C-2; total daily catch and possession limit for all trout and salmon species combined |
| Atlantic salmon | Closed | closed all year | |
| Brook trout |
Part of the season
Jan 1 – Mar 31 |
January 1 to September 30 | S-5 and C-2 |
| Brown trout | Open all season | open all year | S-5 and C-2 |
| Channel catfish | Open all season | open all year | S-12 and C-6 |
| Crappie | Open all season | open all year | S-30 and C-10 |
| Lake sturgeon | Closed | closed all year | |
| Lake trout |
Part of the season
Jan 1 – Mar 31 |
January 1 to September 30 | S-2 and C-1 |
| Lake whitefish | Open all season | open all year | S-12 and C-6 |
| Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined | Closed | fourth Saturday in June to November 30 | S-6 and C-2 |
| Muskellunge |
Part of the season
Dec 1 – Dec 15 |
1st Saturday in June to December 15 | S-1; must be greater than 91 centimetres, and C-0 |
| Northern pike | Open all season | January 1 to March 31 and third Saturday in May to December 31 | S-6 and C-2 |
| Pacific salmon | Open all season | open all year | S-5 and C-2 |
| Rainbow trout | Open all season | open all year | S-5 and C-2 |
| Splake | Open all season | open all year | S-5 and C-2 |
| Sunfish | Open all season | open all year | S-50 and C-25 |
| Walleye and sauger combined |
Part of the season
Dec 1 – Mar 15 |
January 1 to March 15 and third Saturday in May to December 31 | S-4 and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 46 centimetres |
| Yellow perch | Open all season | open all year | S-50 and C-25 |
S = sport fishing licence, C = conservation fishing licence. A season "open all ice season" runs December 1 to March 31 without a break. The 2027 summary takes effect January 1, 2027 and can change dates for the rest of the winter; we refresh this page when it is published.
Ice huts and lines in Zone 15
- Ice huts must be registered in this zone if they are made of anything other than fabric, or are fabric tents covering 7 m² or more. Registration is free, done once through the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service or ServiceOntario, and the number goes on the outside of the hut in characters at least 6.3 cm high.
- Huts must be off the ice by March 31. Removing your hut does not end the fishing season; it is a safety deadline.
- In every zone, huts must come off before the ice breaks up, whatever the date.
- You can fish with two lines through the ice in most waters, as long as you stay within 60 m of each line or tip-up and can see them all. Some lakes in this zone limit you to one line through the ice; they are listed below.
Surveyed lakes in Zone 15
Lakes in this zone with the most government fish survey records, the game fish recorded and the deepest contour on the provincial depth chart. Each page shows its own winter rules.
Waters in Zone 15 with their own winter rules
These waters are listed in the zone's exceptions with a rule that mentions the ice or the winter months, or that opens or closes them all year. The zone-wide table above does not apply to them where the rules overlap. Waters linked below have their own page on this site.
Waterbody exceptions
- Algonquin Park: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April and December 1 to December 31
- Lake Opeongo: Lake Whitefish - closed all year
- Bonnechere River and the expansions: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May
- Calabogie Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May
- Carmichael Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April
- Jack Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May
- Kushog Lake: Only 1 line may be used when angling through ice
- Madawaska River: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May in the following areas: Madawaska River - Bagot Township, Lots 17 and 18, Concessions 9 and 10; Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May in the following areas: Madawaska River - from Mountain Chute Hydro Dam to Lots 17-19, Concession 1 (Brougham Township) and Lots 17-20, Concession 9 (North Canonto Township); Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May in the following areas: Madawaska River - from the bridge on Highway 62 at Combermere south to the bridge crossing at Madawaska River at Lot 24, Concession 18 (Raglan Township) on Highway 515; Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May in the following areas: Madawaska River - Griffith and Matawatchan Townships; Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May in the following areas: Madawaska River - McNabb Township, downstream from the Stewartville Hydro Dam, including Lots 9 to 13 in Concession 6; Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May in the following areas: Madawaska River (Calabogie Lake) - Bagot and Blithfield Townships, west of line from Nettleton’s Bay to Barnet’s Point and inflowing streams
- Mud Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April
- Murphy’s Lake (Arabis Lake): Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May and December 1 to December 31
- Royal Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April
- Slipper Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May and December 1 to December 31
- Stocking Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before third Saturday in May and December 1 to December 31
- Stoney Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April
- Trout Lake: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April
- Windigo Lake: Only 1 line may be used when angling through the ice
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - closed all year
Chipmunk Lake (Preston Township), Graphite Lake (Butt Township), Little Mykiss Lake (Preston Township), Major Lake (Murchison Township), Mykiss Lake (Preston Township), Nogies Creek (Galway and Harvey Townships, from Bass Lake Dam to Nogies Cr...), Opeongo River (Preston Township, from immediately downstream from the dam a...), Presto Lake (Preston Township), Shallnot Lake (Clancy Township), Stringer Lake (Lawrence Township)
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - january 1 to friday before family day (ontario)
Lake Joseph and Little Lake Joseph (Humphrey and Medora Townships)
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - january 1 to friday before the third saturday in may and december 1 to december 31
There are a number of Lake Trout waterbodies in FMZ 15 where fish sanctuaries exist with this applicable date. Refer to species exceptions, Anstruther Lake (Anstruther Township), Beaver Lake (Cavendish Township), Bottle Lake (Cavendish Township), Bow Lake (Snowdon Township), Burns Lake (Griffith Township), Catchacoma Lake (Cavendish Township), Cavendish Lake (Cavendish Township), Dixon Lake (Limerick Township), Gold Lake (Cavendish Township), L’Amable Lake (Faraday Township), Miskokway Lake (Simikoka Lake) (Burton and Harrison Townships), Mississauga Lake (Cavendish Township), Murphy’s Lake (Arabis Lake) (refer to waterbody exceptions), Piglet Lake (Maria Township), Slipper Lake (refer to waterbody exceptions), Stocking Lake (refer to waterbody exceptions), Trout Lake (East Burpee Township)
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - january 1 to friday before the fourth saturday in april and december 1 to december 31
There are a number of lake trout waterbodies in FMZ 15 where fish sanctuaries exist with this applicable date. Refer to species exceptions, Algonquin Park (refer to waterbody exceptions)
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - march 1 to friday before the third saturday in may
Bonnechere River (refer to waterbody exceptions), Calabogie Lake (refer to waterbody exceptions), Hansons Creek (McNab Township), Jack Lake (refer to waterbody exceptions), Madawaska River (refer to waterbody exceptions), York River (from Hamlet of Radcliffe/ Mayhews Landing downstream to a li...)
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - march 16 to friday before the third saturday in may
Chartier Lake, parts of Pickerel River and Kimikong River (East Mills Township, Lots 13 to 20, Concession 1 and 2), Drag River (Dysart Township and Village of Haliburton, between Bailey’s...), Head Lake (Dysart Township, from the Drag River west to the western bou...)
Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - october 1 to december 31
Boulter Lake (McClure Township)
Other zone notes
- There are a number of brook trout and lake trout waterbodies that have species-specific regulations in addition to restrictions related to gear, bait and fish sanctuaries. These additional restrictions are applicable to the waterbody, regardless of what species are being targeted. Refer to species exceptions for more details.
Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Fisheries Management Zone 15 and ontario.ca ice fishing rules, read October 25, 2026; zone boundary: Land Information Ontario (Open Government Licence – Ontario). The summary is a guide to the regulations, not the law itself, and this page is a reading of the summary. Check the official text, and test the ice yourself: no regulation makes ice safe.