Bercole Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bercole Lake is one of the Nipissing District waters in Ontario. The land about it is rolling bush. The water covers some 42 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. A shoreline of some 4.1 km keeps the choices simple. The closest town, Temiskaming Shores, is 54 km distant. Haileybury lies 58 km off, Englehart another 65 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bercole Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Bercole Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -16°C for January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Anyone fishing Bercole Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Graymud Lake is 2.7 km distant. For Bercole Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.