Ice fishing in Zone 17 (FMZ 17), 2026–27

Fisheries Management Zone 17, with 162 lakes and rivers on our map. Through the 2026–27 ice season (December 1 to March 31), 4 of 16 species groups are open the whole time, 2 for part of it and 10 are closed. Walleye and sauger are closed through the ice. Lake trout are closed through the ice. 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 17

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.

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. Not present in this zone and closed all year: splake.

Ice huts and lines in Zone 17

• 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 1. 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.

Surveyed lakes in Zone 17

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 17 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

• Lake Scugog and Scugog River: Walleye - closed all year
• Lake Scugog: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31
• Scugog River: Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31
• Trent River: Fish sanctuary - No fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 in the following areas: Healey Falls - Seymour Township, all water flowing from the north-westerly side of the bridge on County Road 50 to Crowe Bay; Fish sanctuary - No fishing from January 1 to Friday after second Saturday in May and November 16 to December 31 in the following areas: Village of Hastings, 500 metres upstream of the dam and 1 kilometres downstream of the dam
• Trent River: Walleye - open from January 1 to March 1 and second Saturday in May to December 31

Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - closed all year

Cobourg Brook (Town of Cobourg, from the downstream side of the lamprey bar...), Ganaraska River (Town of Port Hope, from Highway 401 downstream to the south...)

Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - january 1 to friday before the second saturday in may and november 16 to december 31

Chemong Lake (Smith and Ennismore Townships, 100 metres on both sides of c...), Crowe River (from the Marmora Dam downstream to the north side of the Hig...), Gannon’s Narrows (Harvey and Ennismore Townships, within 100 metres of both si...), Lake Scugog (refer to waterbody exceptions)

Fish sanctuaries: no fishing - january 1 to friday after the second saturday in may and november 16 to december 31

Bobcaygeon River (Bobcaygeon, from Trent-Severn Dam to Pigeon Lake and Little...), Burleigh Falls, Perry’s Creek, Stony Lake (Smith and Harvey Townships, Trent-Severn Dam to Stony Lake), Fenelon River (Fenelon Falls in Fenelon Township, from Trent-Severn Dam to...), Fishog River (from the mouth of the river at Head Lake to the base of the...), Gull River (Coboconk in Bexley and Somerville Townships, from Trent-Seve...), Katchewanooka Lake (Young’s Point in Smith and Douro Townships, from Trent-Sever...), Lovesick Dams (Smith and Harvey Townships, 100 metres downstream from each...), Lower Buckhorn Lake (Buckhorn Lake) (Smith and Harvey Townships, from Trent- Severn Dam to a poin...), Otonabee River (Peterborough, from Trent-Severn Dam at Lock 19 to Bensfort B...), Pigeon River (Omemee in Emily Township, from Omemee Dam to C.N.R. bridge), Rosedale River (Rosedale in Fenelon Township, from the Trent-Severn Dam to C...), Scugog River (refer to waterbody exceptions), Talbot River (Kirkfield in Carden Township, fronting Concessions 7, 8 and...), Trent River (refer to waterbody exceptions)

Other zone notes

• There are several Great Lakes tributaries that have aligned regulations for rainbow trout, brown trout, Pacific salmon and Atlantic salmon - refer to species exceptions.

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Fisheries Management Zone 17 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.