High · Low
Solid 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
Cool, with a high of 13° and a low of 2°. Breezy, gusts to 41 km/h. Falling pressure often fires up the bite.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · NW · gusts to 41 km/h
falling · -6 hPa/24h
10h 22m daylight
Lunar phase
Dry through the launch window
B+
Solid today
Choppy — a 11 km/h average over 6.2 km of fetch keeps you on the southeast shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 41 km/h at times — check the hourly and time your launch. The bite should be firing — a falling barometer often trips a pre-front feed. Fish the southeast shore where wind stacks bait and keep it tight to cover.
Craft Verdicts
Trailer launchCarry-in launch6.2 km max fetchPressure falling (-5.7 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h NW average over 6.2 km of fetch stays well within a powerboat's weight and power; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 41 km/h at times — time your launch.
Kayak
Clear to launch — a 11 km/h NW average over 6.2 km of fetch stays well within a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 41 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Launchable but exposed — a 20 km/h average gust and 6.2 km of fetch will test an open canoe's shallow draft; put in on the southeast shore and stay tight to it. Gusts spike to 41 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
5°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW10kph
Gust10kph
Launch ReadFishable
7:00 a.m.
5°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 a.m.
5°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW9kph
Gust9kph
Launch ReadFishable
11:00 a.m.
10°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW8kph
Gust41kph
Launch ReadDo Not Launch
Windy!1:00 p.m.
10°Temp
UV2
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW13kph
Gust36kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
13°Temp
UV3
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · NW13kph
Gust30kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
11°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW13kph
Gust28kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
8°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW12kph
Gust12kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 p.m.
6°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureFalling
Fish ActivityMaximum
Wind · NW8kph
Gust8kph
Launch ReadFishable
Weekly Outlook
LaunchCaution
BiteMaximum
LaunchAll Clear
BiteFair
LaunchFishable
BiteHigh
LaunchFishable
BiteHigh
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