High · Low
Grind today
reservoir / Woodstock, ON / FMZ 16Pittock Lake
Pittock Lake is the Thames River backed up behind a flood-control dam on the edge of Woodstock — 10 km of long, narrow, green water run by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. It runs shallow and warm, nutrient-rich enough to bloom in a hot summer, and deepens only toward the Pittock Dam at the west end.
Target Species
Today's read.
Quick Summary
Mild, with a high of 24° and a low of 10°. Breezy, gusts to 42 km/h. Rising pressure can make for a slower, pickier bite.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · S · gusts to 42 km/h
rising · 6 hPa/24h
12h 30m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 0.4 mm/h · 1 wet hr
C+
Grind today
Choppy — a 11 km/h average over 6.2 km of fetch keeps you on the north shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 42 km/h at times — check the hourly and time your launch. Good bite potential — the rising barometer leans toward a pickier bite. Fish the north shore where wind stacks bait and keep it tight to cover.
Craft Verdicts
Trailer launchCarry-in launch6.2 km max fetchPressure rising (6 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h S average over 6.2 km of fetch stays well within a powerboat's weight and power; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 42 km/h at times — time your launch.
Kayak
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h S average over 6.2 km of fetch stays well within a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 42 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Launchable but exposed — a 21 km/h average gust and 6.2 km of fetch will test an open canoe's shallow draft; put in on the north shore and stay tight to it. Gusts spike to 42 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
13°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SE8kph
Gust8kph
Launch ReadFishable
7:00 a.m.
14°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 a.m.
17°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S11kph
Gust24kph
Launch ReadCaution
11:00 a.m.
18°Temp
UV3
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S10kph
Gust22kph
Launch ReadCaution
1:00 p.m.
22°Temp
UV4
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S14kph
Gust39kph
Launch ReadDo Not Launch
Windy!3:00 p.m.
24°Temp
UV3
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S17kph
Gust36kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
21°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW13kph
Gust27kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
21°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 p.m.
20°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW6kph
Gust6kph
Launch ReadFishable
Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteHigh
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchFishable
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
01
How it fishes
In 2016 UTRCA and partners built a purpose-made fish-habitat complex in the reservoir: 300 tonnes of river stone for shoals and gravel spawning beds, 125 metres of wooden cover structures, plus shoreline and aquatic plantings — targeting bass, pike, perch, walleye and pumpkinseed.
SourcePittock Dam was built 1964–1967 (about $6M) for flood control and summer low-flow augmentation of the Thames through Woodstock and downstream to London.
SourceThe reservoir is 10.3 km long with about 452 ha of summer surface area and a 50 ha cattail marsh at its upstream end; it is a designated Important Bird Area (ON027) known for fall waterbird concentrations on the drawdown mudflats.
SourceNo stocking record exists for Gordon Pittock Reservoir in the Ontario Fish ON-Line FMZ 16 dataset; the warm-water fishery is self-sustaining, and the 2016 project added spawning habitat rather than fish.
Source02
Regulations snapshot
This is a summary, not the legal regulation — confirm current rules with the official source before fishing.
Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass (Combined)
Season: Fourth Saturday in June to November 30 (2026: Jun 27–Nov 30)
Limit: S-6 / C-2 (Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass combined)
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 sourceYellow Perch
Season: Open all year
Limit: S-50 / C-25
Official source03
Access notes
Pittock Conservation Area
1st Launch (north shore, west basin near the Day Use area / Oxford Yacht Club)
Motorized trailer launch; permit and fee required. Motorized launching is north-shore only, dawn to dusk during the May–October operating season; no personal watercraft. A boat pass does not guarantee season-long access — drawdown can close the launch.
Access sourcePittock Conservation Area
2nd Launch (north shore, near the campground, mid-reservoir)
Second motorized launch shown on the CA boating map; north-shore only, same operating rules and drawdown caveat.
Access sourceRoth Park (south shore, City of Woodstock / UTRCA)
Shore fishing and non-motorized / carry-in launch (Woodstock Dragon Boat Club); paved South Shore / Pittock trail network reaches the dam.
Access source04
Key resources
The actual regs, straight from the source — FMZ 16, Government of OntarioLaunch, permits, and gate hours — Pittock Conservation Area day useBoat passes, season, and reservoir drawdown notes — Upper Thames River Conservation Authority boatingReservoir water levels before you launch — UTRCA Pittock level gaugeStocking record, FMZ 16 — Ontario Fish ON-Line