Fishing Booth Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Ontario, this is Booth Lake. It sits in rolling bush. It measures some 5.38 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The shoreline runs to about 35 km, far more than one trip can cover. Size puts it in the front rank of our Nipissing District list. Supplies mean a trip to United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, 54 km off. The big place round here is Barrie, 182 km distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Booth Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch among the fish reported. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Anyone new to Booth Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Booth Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp about 210 m away, going by the mapping. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Ryegrass Lake is 1.8 km distant. For Booth Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.