Cardiff Lake Fishing in Haliburton County, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Cardiff Lake belongs to Haliburton County. The bank gives way to mixed forest. With some 29 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 3.2 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The nearest place of any size is United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, 24 km away. For a city, Barrie is 139 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Cardiff Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Haliburton County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Cardiff Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 18°C and January near -11°C on the long-run figures. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Cardiff Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Lower Cardiff Lake, 1.5 km out. Signs at Cardiff Lake carry more weight than any list.