Preston Lake Fishing near Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Preston Lake falls inside York. Elevation runs to 306 metres. At about 27 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 3.6 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It ranks high for size among our York listings. The town to know is Whitchurch-Stouffville, 5.3 km out. Richmond Hill sits 14 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Preston Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for York include yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Preston Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 20°C and January near -8°C on the long-run figures. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. At Preston Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Parking is not close: 1.2 km from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try van Nostrand Lake, 1.4 km away. Nothing here settles the position at Preston Lake for certain.