Big Mountain Lake in Peterborough County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Peterborough County entry here is Big Mountain Lake, in Ontario. Elevation runs to 262 metres. At about 32 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 4.9 km on foot. Head to Norwood, 28 km away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Oshawa, 107 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Big Mountain Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Peterborough County include rock bass, pumpkinseed and smallmouth bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Take Big Mountain Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -10°C in January to roughly 19°C in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about early December in an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Big Mountain Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Kasshabog Lake, 2 km away. Check the position on Big Mountain Lake before loading the car.