Barry Lake Fishing Guide, Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Barry Lake falls in Renfrew County, part of Ontario. This is pine and birch ground. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It lies lower than most water we list in Ontario. The closest town, Renfrew, is 26 km distant. It is 81 km to Nepean, the nearest city. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Barry Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Species logged across Renfrew County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Barry Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -12°C and July at about 19°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Barry Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is a slipway at Portage, roughly 1 km off. The car has to stay 890 m away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. There is a jetty 1.4 km off, worth knowing on a busy day. 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. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Belanger Lake is 0.8 km off. Where Barry Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.