Armstrongs Lake in Frontenac County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Armstrongs Lake falls in Frontenac County, part of Ontario. This is rolling bush country. Surface area runs to about 10 hectares — small enough to read in one session. For supplies, Sharbot Lake is 34 km out. It is 94 km to Kingston, the nearest city. More in the same country: Kring Lake 0.9 km away, Shaw Lake within 1.2 km, Hills Lake 3.3 km away, Fawn Lake within 3.7 km and Little Cards Lake 4.1 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Armstrongs Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Public occurrence data for Frontenac County names pumpkinseed, bluegill, rock bass and smallmouth bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The shape of Armstrongs Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 19°C, with January the cold end at about -11°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Armstrongs Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Kring Lake, 0.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Armstrongs Lake is worth confirming on the day.