High · Low
Solid today
reservoir / Dundas, ON / FMZ 16Christie Lake
Christie Lake is a flood-control reservoir with a dam bolted across Spencer Creek — 180 metres of it, holding back roughly 60 hectares of shallow, warm, weedy water in the Dundas hills west of Hamilton. This is Hamilton Conservation Authority ground: gated, day-use, and it fishes like the warm impoundment it is.
Target Species
Today's read.
Quick Summary
Mild, with a high of 24° and a low of 10°. Breezy, gusts to 46 km/h. Rising pressure can make for a slower, pickier bite.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · SW · gusts to 46 km/h
rising · 6 hPa/24h
12h 30m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 0.1 mm/h · 0 wet hrs
B+
Solid today
Choppy — a 11 km/h average over 1.6 km of fetch keeps you on the northeast shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 46 km/h at times — check the hourly and time your launch. Good bite potential — the rising barometer leans toward a pickier bite. Fish the northeast shore where wind stacks bait and keep it tight to cover.
Craft Verdicts
Trailer launchCarry-in launch1.6 km max fetchPressure rising (6.1 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h SW average over 1.6 km of fetch stays well within a powerboat's weight and power; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 46 km/h at times — time your launch.
Kayak
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h SW average over 1.6 km of fetch stays well within a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 46 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Launchable but exposed — a 21 km/h average gust and 1.6 km of fetch will test an open canoe's shallow draft; put in on the northeast shore and stay tight to it. Gusts spike to 46 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
10°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SE5kph
Gust5kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
7:00 a.m.
12°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SE9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 a.m.
16°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S11kph
Gust11kph
Launch ReadFishable
11:00 a.m.
19°Temp
UV2
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S9kph
Gust16kph
Launch ReadFishable
1:00 p.m.
23°Temp
UV4
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S14kph
Gust39kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
24°Temp
UV4
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S17kph
Gust37kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
22°Temp
UV0
Precip0.1mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S19kph
Gust40kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
21°Temp
UV0
Precip0.1mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW12kph
Gust12kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 p.m.
20°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · W7kph
Gust7kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchAll Clear
BiteMaximum
LaunchAll Clear
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
01
How it fishes
The 180-metre Christie Dam was completed in 1971 to prevent major flooding in low-lying Dundas; the reservoir holds enough water to fill more than 900 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
SourceThe reservoir sits inside the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve and Ontario's Greenbelt, within a 353-hectare conservation area.
SourceHCA manages Christie as a sustainable native warm-water fishery and promotes a voluntary catch-and-release program to support it.
Source02
Regulations snapshot
This is a summary, not the legal regulation — confirm current rules with the official source before fishing.
Largemouth Bass
Season: fourth Saturday in June to November 30 (2026: Jun 27–Nov 30)
Limit: S-6 / C-2 (combined with Smallmouth Bass)
Size: no size limit
Official sourceNorthern Pike
Season: January 1 to March 31 and second Saturday in May to December 31 (2026: May 9–Dec 31)
Limit: S-6 / C-2
Size: no size limit
Official source03
Access notes
Christie Lake Conservation Area boat launch
Marina Pavilion, east end (1000 Highway 5 West, Dundas)
Small-boat ramp by the Marina Pavilion (paddlers report a ramp at the NE-corner parking lot). Electric trolling motors only — gasoline motors prohibited; boats excluded from the swimming area. Gated day-use entry, sunrise to sunset; 2026 fees $16.50 per vehicle+driver, $5.50 per passenger/walk-in.
Access sourceCarry-in / paddlecraft access and rentals
Beach Store and Middletown Parking Lot
Canoe and paddleboard rentals at the Beach Store (lifejackets included; $40/2 hr, $70/4 hr, $100/day). Middletown Parking Lot (405 Middletown Road) provides west-side shore access toward the wildlife-area end.
Access source04
Key resources
The actual regs, straight from the source — FMZ 16, Government of OntarioLaunch, gate hours, fees, and the electric-only rule — Christie Lake Conservation Area, Hamilton Conservation AuthorityFishing rules, the spring closure, and the native-fishery catch-and-release ethic — HCA fishing pageDay-use and boat/canoe rental fees — HCA admission and fees