Bittern Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Cochrane District, Ontario, you have Bittern Lake. The water sits 171 metres up. It covers about 8 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cochrane District. Hearst lies 50 km from the water. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 411 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Bittern Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Take Bittern Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -19°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Bittern Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Widgeon Lake is 1.1 km distant. Where Bittern Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.