- Mercury Platinum Dealer - Family-owned since 1947 - Mercury dealer since 1965 - Gores Landing, ON - Quote builder available Last reviewed: 2026-06-05 Quick answer: For Lake Simcoe walleye, most anglers want a 90 to 150 HP Mercury FourStroke main paired with a Mercury 9.9...
- Mercury Platinum Dealer
- Family-owned since 1947
- Mercury dealer since 1965
- Gores Landing, ON
- Quote builder available
Last reviewed: 2026-06-05
Quick answer: For Lake Simcoe walleye, most anglers want a 90 to 150 HP Mercury FourStroke main paired with a Mercury 9.9 ProKicker for slow trolling. Pick a hull rated for Simcoe chop - 17 to 19 ft deep-V or modified-V aluminum is our usual recommendation. Build a main-and-kicker package at mercuryrepower.ca.
Lake Simcoe is bigger water than Rice Lake. Wind exposure is meaningful, fish are deeper, and travel between fishing spots takes real cruise speed. A typical Mercury setup for Simcoe walleye is a 90 to 150 HP main motor on a 17 to 19 ft aluminum or modified-V hull, paired with a 9.9 ProKicker for trolling.
Live pricing on every Mercury we sell is at mercuryrepower.ca.
Lake Simcoe at a glance (the stuff that changes the answer)
Simcoe rewards more boat and more motor than Rice Lake or the smaller Kawartha lakes. A few things drive that:
- Wind exposure. Simcoe is open water. Wind builds quickly into uncomfortable chop. Underpowered boats get exposed.
- Depth and structure. Walleye are often in deeper water (40 to 80+ ft) requiring downriggers and bigger trolling rigs. Setup needs to handle that gear.
- Travel distance. Simcoe is roughly 740 km² with multiple fishing zones. Travel from Cook's Bay to Kempenfelt Bay or to the deeper basins takes real time.
- Boat traffic. Heavy summer recreational traffic. Faster cruise speeds reduce time exposed to wakes.
- Tournament fishing. Simcoe hosts walleye and bass tournaments. Tournament-grade hulls and performance motors are common.
- Regulatory zone. Lake Simcoe is in Fisheries Management Zone 16. Confirm current limits and seasons with the Ontario MNRF Fishing Regulations Summary each year.
Recommended Mercury for Simcoe walleye by use case
Recreational walleye trolling (most common)
Recommended setup: 17 to 19 ft deep-V aluminum (Lund Pro V Bass, Crestliner Tournament series, Princecraft) with 90 to 150 HP FourStroke + 9.9 ProKicker.
For many Simcoe walleye anglers, the 115 EXLPT FourStroke is our usual starting point. Plenty of cruise speed for travel between spots, fuel-efficient at trolling speeds, and well-matched to typical Simcoe hulls.
Tournament walleye fishing
Recommended setup: 18 to 21 ft deep-V or modified-V with 150 to 200 HP Pro XS + 9.9 ProKicker.
Pro XS earns its premium on tournament fishing. Faster acceleration to spots, better hole shot when loaded, and the responsiveness tournament anglers want.
Multi-species fishing (walleye + smallmouth + lake trout)
Recommended setup: 18 to 20 ft deep-V with 115 to 150 HP FourStroke or Pro XS + 9.9 ProKicker.
Multi-species fishing on Simcoe means the same boat handling walleye trolling, bass fishing structure, and occasional lake trout deeper trolling. The 115 to 150 HP class with kicker covers all three reasonably well.
Ice-fishing-focused (open-water months only)
Recommended setup: 16 to 18 ft aluminum (used as the open-water boat May to October, then stored for ice season).
Ice fishing operators often use a smaller open-water boat for shoulder seasons and rely on snowmobile or ice-fishing-specific transport in winter. Mercury motor selection for the open-water portion follows typical fishing setup.
What HBW checks before recommending a Lake Simcoe setup
When customers come to HBW for a Simcoe walleye repower or new-boat assessment, we want to know:
- Boat hull type, length, and condition
- Capacity plate HP rating
- Primary fishing zones on Simcoe (Cook's Bay, Kempenfelt, deeper basins)
- Tournament or recreational use
- Solo or family fishing
- Existing kicker and electronics
- Where you store and launch
- Travel to other lakes (Rice Lake, Kawarthas, Lake Ontario)
- Budget and financing tolerance
We rig fishing boats for Simcoe regularly at HBW. Local launch, wind, hull, and fishing-zone details change the recommendation.
Common Lake Simcoe setup mistakes
We see these every season:
- Underpowering. A 60 HP on a 19 ft deep-V on Simcoe in afternoon chop is going to disappoint. Bigger water rewards bigger HP.
- Hull too light. A 16 ft tin boat on Simcoe is exposed in moderate weather. Most serious Simcoe anglers run 17 ft and bigger.
- No kicker. Walleye trolling without a kicker on Simcoe is a compromise. The 9.9 ProKicker is the standard.
- Wrong electronics for depth fishing. Simcoe walleye are often deep. Fish finder / sonar capability needs to handle 80+ ft depths reliably.
- Inadequate trolling motor for fine positioning. Bow-mount electric trolling motors with GPS anchor (i-Pilot, Ultrex) are valuable on Simcoe for working specific structure. Plan for it.
- Ignoring the capacity plate. The capacity plate is the ceiling, not a suggestion. A Mercury 200 on a hull rated for 150 is a problem we won't rig.
Lake Simcoe vs Rice Lake setup differences
For customers who fish both lakes:
| Factor |
Rice Lake |
Lake Simcoe |
| Typical hull length |
16 to 18 ft |
17 to 19 ft |
| Typical HP class |
60 to 115 HP |
90 to 150 HP |
| Hull type |
Aluminum console |
Deep-V aluminum or modified-V |
| Wind exposure |
Lower |
Higher |
| Walleye depth |
5 to 25 ft |
20 to 80+ ft |
| Travel distances |
Shorter |
Longer |
| Tournament traffic |
Lower |
Higher |
| Kicker importance |
High (9.9 ProKicker standard) |
High (9.9 ProKicker standard) |
| FMZ |
17 |
16 |
A boat that fishes well on Rice Lake may be underpowered on Simcoe. A boat that fishes well on Simcoe may be overkill on Rice Lake.
For specific pricing, build a quote.
The HBW on-water test
Every repower gets an on-water test on Rice Lake before pickup. No exceptions.
Related guides
Ready for your Lake Simcoe walleye setup?
Build a quote on the motor selection page. Live Mercury pricing in CAD with full configuration including main motor, kicker, rigging, and prop. Build Your Mercury Quote
If you want to talk through your specific Simcoe fishing setup, call 905-342-2153, email info@harrisboatworks.ca, or book service at hbw.wiki/service.
Phone: 905-342-2153
Email: info@harrisboatworks.ca
Main site: harrisboatworks.ca
Configurator: mercuryrepower.ca
Service booking: hbw.wiki/service
Harris Boat Works - 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON. Family-owned since 1947, Mercury dealer since 1965, current Platinum Dealer.
Pricing ranges in this article are HBW's working 2026 estimates, verified June 2026. The actual price for your specific motor and configuration is on the motor selection page. Mercury model-year and pricing updates can change seasonally, and we refresh article ranges annually.
