Charles Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Charles Lake lies in Nipissing District, Ontario. The surface lies 395 metres up. Roughly 12 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Around 2.0 km of margin, front to back. Start from Mattawa, 51 km down the road. Further out sit Deep River (73 km) and Chalk River (74 km). The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Charles Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Charles Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -13°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That shapes the year on Charles Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try West Thrush Lake, 1.7 km away. Where Charles Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.