Field Guides/Minden Hills/Freshwater Fishing
Strong
Best WindowLake trout Jan 1 – Sept 30; walleye Jan 1 – Mar 15 + 3rd Sat May – Dec 31; bass 4th Sat June – Nov 30
Variantswalleye · smallmouth-bass · ice-fishing
RegionMinden Hills, Ontario

Freshwater Fishing.

Gull Lake, on the Gull River south of the village of Minden, is the township's freshwater anchor — designated for Lake Trout Management by the Ontario MNR in 2006, with documented species including lake trout, walleye, muskellunge, smallmouth and largemouth bass, lake whitefish, cisco, yellow perch, burbot, and rainbow smelt. The Gull River corridor connects upstream to Boshkung Lake (in adjacent Algonquin Highlands) and the Twelve Mile chain, layering walleye and smallmouth bass habitat through the same shield system.

Freshwater Fishing in Minden Hills
01 — What to know

The brief.

All township waters fall under FMZ 15 within the Central Bait Management Zone. Lake trout season is January 1 – September 30 with limits of S-2 / C-1; smallmouth and largemouth bass run from the fourth Saturday in June to November 30 (S-6 / C-2); brook trout open January 1 – September 30 (S-5 / C-2); walleye are January 1 – March 15 plus the third Saturday in May to December 31 (S-4 / C-2, not more than one over 46 cm).

Live or dead baitfish and leeches cannot be transported into or out of a BMZ. Many waterbodies carry per-lake overrides on top of the FMZ 15 baseline; check before fishing each lake.

Gull Lake's Lake Trout Management designation tightens regulation specifically around the cold-water fishery.

02 — Locations

3. places.

  1. 01

    Gull Lake

    Lake trout, walleye, muskellunge, smallmouth and largemouth bass, lake whitefish, cisco, yellow perch, burbot, black crappie, brown bullhead, rainbow smelt; Lake Trout Management designation since 2006.

  2. 02

    Gull River corridor

    Connecting fishery between Boshkung / Twelve Mile and Gull Lake; FMZ 15 regulations apply.

  3. 03

    Boshkung Lake (adjacent)

    Smallmouth bass, walleye, lake trout — sits in adjacent Algonquin Highlands but on the same Gull River chain.

03 — Conditions

Today's read.

Air Quality
20
eu-aqi · low
UV Index
0.8
scale 0–11
Humidity
82%
relative
Visibility
18.1 km
clear
Temp
+0.5°
H 13° · L -3°
Sun
05:49 / 20:33
14h 44m daylight
A+
Prime conditions for freshwater fishing

Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.