Lac Deschênes
Lac Deschênes is the 11th-largest of 4,097 named lakes in Southern & Central Ontario, with 108 miles of charted shoreline and 44 islands. The lake lies 4 km northwest of Ottawa.
MNRF aquatic resource surveys
Fish species
Also present: American Eel, Banded Killifish, Black Bullhead, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose Minnow, Brook Stickleback, Brown Bullhead, Brown Trout, Burbot, Carps and Minnows, Central Mudminnow, Channel Catfish, Channel Darter, Cisco, Common Carp, Common Shiner, Creek Chub, Eastern Silvery Minnow, Emerald Shiner, Fallfish, Fathead Minnow, Gars, Golden Shiner, Iowa Darter, Johnny Darter, Lake Sturgeon, Logperch, Longnose Dace, Longnose Gar, Longnose Sucker, Mimic Shiner, Mooneye, Mottled Sculpin, Moxostoma sp., Ninespine Stickleback, North American Catfishes, Northern Brook Lamprey, Northern Pearl Dace, Northern Redbelly Dace, Pikes, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Smelt, River Redhorse, Rock Bass, Rosyface Shiner, Sand Shiner, Sauger, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Lamprey, Silver Redhorse, Slimy Sculpin, Spotfin Shiner, Spottail Shiner, Suckers, Sunfishes, Tadpole Madtom, Temperate Basses, Tessellated Darter, Trout-Perch, White Crappie, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead
On this water
Lodges & operators 0
No operators recorded on this lake yet. Know one? It may be listed under a nearby community — browse the map.
2026 regulations
Seasons & limitsFMZ 12
| Species | Season | Sport licence | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Trout | Fri. before 4th Sat. in Apr. - Sept. 30 | S - 5 | C - 2 |
| Channel Catfish | Open all year | S - 12 | C - 6 |
| Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass or any combination | Fri. before 4th Sat. in June - Nov. 30 | S - 6 | C - 2 |
| Muskellunge | Fri. before 3rd Sat. in June - Dec. 15 | S - 1, must be greater than 137 cm (54 in.) | C - 0 |
| Northern Pike | Jan. 1 - Mar. 31 & Fri. before 3rd Sat. in May - Dec. 31 | S - 6 | C - 2 |
| Walleye and Sauger or any combination | Jan. 1 - Mar. 31 & Fri. before 3rd Sat. in May - Dec. 31 | S - 5, must be less than 40 cm (15.7 in.) from Mar. 1 - June 15 | C - 2, must be less than 40 cm (15.7 in.) from Mar. 1 - June 15 |
| Yellow Perch | Open all year | S - 50 | C - 25 |
Compiled from MNRF Recreational Fishing Regulations open data (2026 season, zone-wide rules shown for this lake's species). Regulations change by variation order — confirm with the official FMZ 12 summary before you fish.
Eating what you catch
Consumption advisories
Recommended meals per month from Ontario's fish contaminant monitoring — ranges span the tested fish sizes.
| Species | General | Sensitive* | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Eel | 2–8 | 0–8 | Mercury, PCB |
| Black Crappie | 8–16 | 4–16 | Mercury, PFAS |
| Brown Bullhead | 16 | 16 | Mercury, PFAS |
| Channel Catfish | 2–12 | 0–4 | Mercury, PCB |
| Muskellunge | 4–16 | 0–8 | Mercury |
| Northern Pike | 4–16 | 0–12 | Mercury, PFAS |
| Pumpkinseed | 16 | 8–16 | Mercury, PFAS |
| Redhorse Sucker | 8–12 | 0–4 | Mercury |
| Rock Bass | 16 | 8 | Mercury |
| Sauger | 4–8 | 0–4 | Mercury |
| Smallmouth Bass | 2–16 | 0–12 | Mercury, PFAS |
| Walleye | 4–16 | 0–16 | Mercury, PFAS |
| White Sucker | 16 | 8–16 | Mercury, PFAS |
| Yellow Perch | 8–16 | 0–8 | Mercury |
*Women of child-bearing age and children under 15. Compiled from the MECP Guide to Eating Ontario Fish (2025 guide) — check the guide for size-specific advice before keeping fish.
Comparable trips
Similar water
Same region, overlapping species, comparable size.
- Lac Dollard-des-Ormeaux62 shared species · 39,817 ac
- Lake Erie (lac Érié)58 shared species · 6,296,600 ac
- Lake Ontario (lac Ontario)46 shared species · 2,461,151 ac
- Pefferlaw River45 shared species · 43 ac
- Long Creek41 shared species · 8 ac
Around this water