Fishing Bancar Lake in Hastings County, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Hastings County, Ontario, you have Bancar Lake. The water sits 372 metres up. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Nearest place of any size is Bancroft, 30 km away. Eganville follows at 53 km, then United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde at 58 km. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Bancar Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Hastings County records list rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Bancar Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 18°C, while January sits near -12°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Bancar Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Lennon Lake is 0.6 km distant. Treat access at Bancar Lake as something to verify.