High · Low
Solid today
reservoir / Cambridge, ON / FMZ 16Shades Mills Reservoir
Shades Mills is Mill Creek backed up behind a flood-control dam, minutes from central Cambridge. The creek slides in through a long, narrow arm off the northeast, then the water widens southwest into the main basin — "Shade's Reservoir" on the park map — and runs down to the 9.
Target Species
Today's read.
Quick Summary
Warm, with a high of 24° and a low of 10°. Breezy, gusts to 49 km/h. Rising pressure can make for a slower, pickier bite.
Daily max · 0-11
Avg · S · gusts to 49 km/h
rising · 6 hPa/24h
12h 31m daylight
Lunar phase
Peak 0.4 mm/h · 2 wet hrs
B+
Solid today
Choppy — a 12 km/h average over 1.4 km of fetch keeps you on the north shore with short runs. Gusts spike to 49 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 launch1.4 km max fetchPressure rising (6.1 hPa/24h)
Powerboat
Clear to launch — a 12 km/h S average over 1.4 km of fetch stays well within a powerboat's weight and power; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 49 km/h at times — time your launch.
Kayak
Clear to launch — a 12 km/h S average over 1.4 km of fetch stays well within a kayak's low, wind-caught profile; easy to hold position. Gusts spike to 49 km/h at times — time your launch.
Canoe
Launchable but exposed — a 23 km/h average gust and 1.4 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 49 km/h at times — time your launch.
Hourly Conditions
5:00 a.m.
11°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SE6kph
Gust6kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
7:00 a.m.
13°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SE11kph
Gust12kph
Launch ReadFishable
9:00 a.m.
15°Temp
UV1
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S7kph
Gust7kph
Launch ReadAll Clear
11:00 a.m.
17°Temp
UV2
Precip0.4mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S11kph
Gust21kph
Launch ReadFishable
1:00 p.m.
22°Temp
UV4
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S15kph
Gust41kph
Launch ReadCaution
3:00 p.m.
24°Temp
UV4
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S18kph
Gust38kph
Launch ReadCaution
5:00 p.m.
23°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · S14kph
Gust29kph
Launch ReadCaution
7:00 p.m.
21°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW13kph
Gust25kph
Launch ReadCaution
9:00 p.m.
20°Temp
UV0
Precip0.0mm
PressureRising
Fish ActivityHigh
Wind · SW8kph
Gust8kph
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
GRCA states northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and black crappie "are plentiful in the reservoir"
SourceOne of only four GRCA conservation areas with a supervised ice-fishing program (alongside Guelph Lake, Pinehurst Lake and Belwood Lake)
SourceShade's Mills Dam was built in 1973 as a flood-control dam on Mill Creek: 9.8 m high with 3.2 million m³ of storage — one of the GRCA's seven multi-purpose dams
SourceThe reservoir sits on Mill Creek, a groundwater-fed coldwater stream whose upstream reaches hold brook trout and provincially stocked brown trout (104 km² subwatershed)
Source32-hectare (80-acre) urban reservoir open all year for day use, with an electric-only launch and on-site paddle-craft rentals
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
Limit: S-6 / C-2
Official sourceNorthern Pike
Season: January 1 to March 31 and second Saturday in May to December 31
Limit: S-6 / C-2
Official sourceBlack Crappie
Season: open all year
Limit: S-30 / C-10
Official sourceYellow Perch
Season: open all year
Limit: S-50 / C-25
Official source03
Access notes
Boat launch, Shade's Mills Conservation Area, 450 Avenue Road, Cambridge, ON N1R 5S4
Single launch, ramp on the south shore near the beach/boat-rental area (marked "Boat Launch (No Gas-Powered Motors)" on the official map) — electric motors only / non-motorized craft; day-use entrance fee applies (2026: adult 13–64 $9.50, child 4–12 $4.00, senior/disability $7.50; automatic-gate vehicle rate $19.00 per vehicle max six people); no separate launch fee listed — open all year, day use dawn to dusk.
Access sourceShore access
designated shoreline fishing nodes and docks in the day-use area
Official map fishing icons; southeast shore of the creek arm marked "NO PUBLIC ACCESS".
Access source04
Key resources
The actual regs, straight from the source — FMZ 16, Government of OntarioLaunch, hours, and the reservoir itself — Shade's Mills Conservation Area, Grand River Conservation AuthorityDay-use and rental fees — GRCA Shade's Mills feesIce-fishing program and safety status — GRCAStocking record, FMZ 16 — Ontario Fish ON-Line