Black Lake in Grey County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Black Lake is a Grey County water, in Ontario. It sits in lake country bush. Small at around 4 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by Grey County standards. Nearest town is Markdale, 19 km off. Further out sit Mount Forest (20 km) and Hanover (23 km). Others worth noting: Wilder Lake (1.8 km), 4 km away is Matthews Lake, MacCuaig Lake (6.8 km), 9.3 km away is Moss Lake and Tobermory Lake (13 km). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Black Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Grey County names Chinook salmon, rainbow trout, brook trout and white sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Read Black Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 19°C, the coldest about -8°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Black Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Wilder Lake, 1.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Black Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.