Lake Joseph is located to the west of Lake Rosseau in the central area of Muskoka. Like Lake Rosseau, Lake Joseph also extends into Seguin Township in Parry Sound District. Access may be gained to Lake Joseph via Hwy #69 and #632 as well as Muskoka Roads #7 and #169. Lake Joseph drains into Lake Rosseau by way of the Joseph River and also via the Port Sandfield “cut” located at Cox Bay.
Lakes Joseph, Rosseau flow direction
Lake Joseph is a large, clear, and deep oligotrophic lake. It is the premier lake trout lake in Parry Sound District, possessing excellent lake trout habitat and supporting a large, primarily winter, fishery. The lake is a core lake of the Muskoka Lakes Fisheries Assessment Unit and a large body of inventory and assessment data exists. A review of lake trout population assessment and creel survey data was done in 2010. From 2003-2009, the average abundance of lake trout (>30 cm long) was estimated at 36,000 lake trout. From 1988 to 2009 the winter fishery averaged about 25,000 hours of effort with about 9,000 lake trot being caught and 5,000 harvested. The long term harvest appeared to be sustainable, but a decline in abundance occurred in 2009 that will be monitored to determine if a downward trend is occurring.
In 2016, the end date of the winter fish sanctuary was changed from a fixed date (Feb. 15) to the Friday before Family Day. The change ensures that lake trout fishing can occur during the Family Day weekend as Feb. 15 falls on or after Family Day in some years.