Fishing at Cameron Lake, Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Renfrew County, Ontario, sits Cameron Lake. It sits in mixed forest country. Roughly 18 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 2.5 km on foot. Supplies mean a trip to Eganville, 26 km off. The nearest city of size is Nepean, 102 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Cameron Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Cameron Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -12°C to 18°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Cameron Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Louies Lake is 0.9 km off. Confirm access to Cameron Lake locally before you travel.