Fishing Barkley Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Barkley Lake sits in Nipissing District, out in Ontario. It sits at 447 metres above sea level. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by Nipissing District standards. Huntsville lies 50 km from the water. South River is 50 km away, with United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde at 59 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Barkley Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Nipissing District, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Barkley Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 18°C, while January sits near -13°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Barkley Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Straight Shore Lake, 0.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Barkley Lake before loading the car.