Fishing at Bartley Lake, Bruce County, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Bartley Lake in Bruce County, Ontario. The surface lies 210 metres up. This is a pocket water of some 8 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Bruce County standards. The closest town, Tobermory, is 14 km distant. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 147 km distant. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bartley Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, lake whitefish and humpback whitefish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Treat Bartley Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 19°C and February near -7°C on the long-run figures. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Bartley Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Parking is not close: 1.5 km from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. Toilets show in mapping about 1.5 km away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Emmett Lake, 2.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Bartley Lake is worth confirming on the day.