Buttermilk Lake in Hastings County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Buttermilk Lake in Hastings County, Ontario. Land around it is lake country bush. At 3 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Hastings County standards. Marmora is the closest place, 14 km off. Kingston sits 108 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Buttermilk Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Hastings County, recorded fish include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and bluegill. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Buttermilk Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 19°C in July and bottoms out near -9°C in January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That is the shape of the year on Buttermilk Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. W. Win Sisters Lake boat launch is the mapped launch, some 1.2 km from here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Twin Sister Lakes, 0.5 km out. Confirm before you fish Buttermilk Lake.