Cracking The Code: Lake Simcoe

A while back I ran a live webinar series on my YouTube channel called Cracking the Code.

The focus was Lake Simcoe ice fishing — one of the most pressured lakes in North America year-round. Thousands of anglers are on the ice every winter, and the fish get educated fast. If you want consistent results, you can’t just show up and hope. You have to understand the system.

In the first session I broke down whitefish in detail:

• How moon phases and underwater currents affect the bite
• Migration patterns and how to read them on maps
• The difference between deep and shallow whitefish feeding behaviour
• Presentation, bait size, scent, and why certain colours outperform others
• Gear that actually matters (and what doesn’t)

The second session was all about lake trout — what I called the “cheat codes.” I went deep into key habitat, spawning areas, stocked vs natural fish behaviour, and the specific approaches that consistently produce on a lake where everyone is fishing the same spots.

These weren’t surface-level tip videos. They were full webinars where I shared the knowledge I’ve built over years of tournament fishing and thousands of days on the ice. The same approach I use when I’m guiding or developing my own baits.

You can still watch both sessions for free on the Seabass Outdoors YouTube channel:

• Cracking the Code: Mastering Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing Webinar (Whitefish focus)
• Cracking the Code Part II: Cheat Codes for Lake Trout

If you’re serious about getting better on Lake Simcoe (or any pressured ice fishery), these sessions will save you a lot of trial and error.

The same mindset I use on Simcoe is what I bring to Lake Nipigon every season — reading the water, understanding fish movement, and putting clients on quality fish instead of just covering water.

Feel free to drop any questions in the comments on the videos. I’m always happy to help.

— Seabass Outdoors