Bertha Lake Fishing Guide, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Bertha Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario. This is rolling bush country. Surface area runs to about 6 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Nipissing District are larger. United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde is the closest place, 46 km off. Haliburton Village lies 64 km off, Bancroft another 65 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bertha Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Nipissing District list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Bertha Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -13°C in January up to 18°C in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It holds true on Bertha Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Airy Lake is 1.2 km off. Signs at Bertha Lake carry more weight than any list.