Fishing at Caribou Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Nipissing District, Ontario, is where Caribou Lake sits. The surface lies 296 metres up. The water covers some 23 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 3.6 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Supplies mean a trip to Ville-Marie, 40 km off. Haileybury follows at 45 km, then Temiskaming Shores at 48 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Caribou Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. Caribou Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -15°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Caribou Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public data has parking about 510 m from the shore. There is a mapped landing stage 510 m away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Pingue Lake at 1.4 km is the sensible second choice. For Caribou Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.