Fishing at Big Cedar Lake, Peterborough County, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Big Cedar Lake in Peterborough County, Ontario. Height above sea level is 253 metres. The water covers around 2.21 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. You are looking at roughly 14 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Few waters listed in Peterborough County are bigger. Head to Lakefield, 21 km away, for anything you forgot. Norwood follows at 29 km, then Bobcaygeon at 30 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Big Cedar Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Peterborough County records list rock bass, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, muskellunge and bluegill among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Big Cedar Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 19°C on average, January about -10°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Big Cedar Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Launching is possible: a slipway lies 710 m off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Church Lake, 1.6 km out. Ask locally about Big Cedar Lake if anything is unclear.