Small walk in lakes, How to find

Hey guys, not looking for spots just a general question.
I am fortunate enough to live on the East end of Stoney lake but am interested in finding some smaller lakes around me where I can walk in and maybe try some different species and just enjoy the process of the hike/fish etc.

I have looked around on my maps and used Fish Ontario to research some possibilties but what I cannot figure out is how do I know if I am "allowed " to just walk in and such things as access points if allowed? I've heard some board members speak of such lakes albeit further North and just wonder how you came across them in the first place? Is it just word of mouth?

Is it just going and seeing?

MC

iHunter app for your phone.

Gives you Crown Land and private land boundaries. In conjunction with Fish Ontario and Crown Land Use Policy Atlas.

Thank You, I will have a look!

iHunter is great for crown land.

Also look for lakes that are along roads - road allowances often go right to water's edge and back roads typically don't have parking control.

Look for lakes adjacent or near the ATV/Snowmobile trail systems. The further north you go these tend to be more on crown land and accessible.

Had some pretty fun days trekking in to back lakes that are stocked by the ministry, it's worth the mission to find them and explore access - part of the game.

In my experience if you think you can get to it, someone already has, the game is finding the trail. Google Maps can be helpful too, sometimes you can sleuth the trail path or have an idea where to look.

Be prepared to deal with access issues if there's locals on or near the lake. The entitlement can run deep. We go to one spot where the access is clearly within road easement and there's no parking control but one of the local cottagers has taken it upon himself to enforce non-existent laws - just comes out, takes plate numbers and stands on shore and stares at you. And there's many old unmaintained road allowances that have fallen to logging road state but are still legally accessible even though sometimes people will gate and sign them otherwise. Always better to engage with locals positively and, if there's an issue, be prepared to be the bigger person and just move on.