Quick links
The four things most anglers need before a Kawartha trip.
Regulations & licences
Most of the Kawarthas falls in Fisheries Management Zone 17. Always read the current year's summary before you fish.
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Get an Ontario fishing licence
Required for everyone aged 18–64. Choose a one-day, eight-day, or annual sport / conservation licence. Linked to your Outdoors Card.
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Outdoors Card
The plastic ID card every angler needs. Valid for three years. Buy or renew online.
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FMZ 17 regulations
Open seasons, daily limits, and slot sizes for the Kawartha chain. Read this before every season — rules change.
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Report a violation — MNR TIPS line
1-877-TIPS-MNR (1-877-847-7667). Report poaching, illegal nets, or out-of-season fishing.
Weather & water conditions
Wind direction and water temperature drive fish location more than almost anything else.
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Environment Canada — Peterborough
Official seven-day forecast, wind speed, and marine warnings for the Kawartha region.
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Windy.com
Best free wind & weather visualizer. Great for picking which shore to fish each morning.
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FishRanger Canada
Hourly fishing-specific forecasts including barometric pressure and solunar windows.
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Trent–Severn Waterway — Parks Canada
Lock schedules, water-level updates, and navigation notices for the entire waterway.
Lake maps & navigation
Paper or digital — having a real bathymetric map of the lake you're fishing changes everything.
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Navionics Boating App
The standard digital chart for the Kawartha chain. Detailed contours, hazards, and sonar overlays.
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Lakeland Boating — chart books
Print Trent–Severn chart books — still the most reliable backup when your phone dies.
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Fishing Ontario — lake directory
Free overview maps and species data for every major lake in the province.
Lodges, marinas & guides
Where to launch, where to stay, and who to call if you want someone who already knows the lake.
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Kawarthas Northumberland — places to stay
The official regional tourism directory. Resorts, lodges, B&Bs, and cottages across the chain.
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Bobcaygeon marinas
Full-service marinas at the heart of the chain. Boat rentals, fuel, bait, and pump-outs.
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Buckhorn Yacht Harbour
Long-standing marina on Buckhorn Lake — rentals, slips, and a tackle shop that knows the local pattern.
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Kawartha Muskie Guide Service
Specialty muskie guides on Pigeon, Stoney, and Sturgeon. The kind of trip you book months ahead.
Conservation & community
The people who keep these lakes healthy. Worth supporting if you fish here.
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Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH)
Provincial advocacy, the Atlas of Ontario fishing waters, and the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program.
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Muskies Canada
The conservation group behind much of the Kawarthas' modern muskie management. Local chapters meet in Peterborough.
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Kawartha Conservation
Watershed health, water quality reports, and shoreline restoration programs.
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Bass Anglers Alliance
Tournament circuit and conservation work focused on smallmouth and largemouth fisheries.
Emergency & safety
Save these numbers in your phone before you launch.
Police, fire, ambulance, marine rescue
Ontario Provincial Police — non-emergency
MNR TIPS — natural resources violations
Marine emergency channel — Coast Guard
Outbound links are provided for convenience. We do not own or operate the linked sites and cannot guarantee their accuracy or availability. Always verify current regulations directly with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources before fishing.