Barretts Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Barretts Lake is set in Lanark County, Ontario. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. It covers about 9 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Renfrew lies 34 km from the water. Then Sharbot Lake, 43 km, and Arnprior, 43 km. Others worth noting: Chamber Lake within 2.2 km, Buck Lake just 3.5 km, Straddlebug Lake within 3.5 km, Bartraw Lake just 3.7 km and Larocques Lake within 3.7 km. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Barretts Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Lanark County cover pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Barretts Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -11°C to 19°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Anyone fishing Barretts Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Chamber Lake, 2.2 km out. Nothing here settles the position at Barretts Lake for certain.