Fishing at Bonfield Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Bonfield Lake in the Nipissing District part of Ontario. Everything around it is rolling bush. Around 36 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The bank runs about 2.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Nearest place of any size is United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, 63 km away. Chalk River is 70 km and Mattawa 70 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Bonfield Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Nipissing District, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Bonfield Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -13°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at Bonfield Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is camping recorded roughly 940 m off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Wright Lake, 1.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Bonfield Lake may have changed since it was mapped.