Fishing at Brown Lake, Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Cochrane District end of Ontario holds Brown Lake. Spruce and muskeg runs right down to the water. It covers about 4 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Cochrane District are larger. Head to Smooth Rock Falls, 24 km away, for anything you forgot. After that come Cochrane at 27 km and Iroquois Falls at 69 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Brown Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Cochrane District, recorded fish include northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, Iowa darter and logperch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Brown Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -19°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Brown Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. 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. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Horseshoe Lake at 0.6 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Brown Lake.