Charles Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Charles Lake is one of the Frontenac County waters in Ontario. The water sits 268 metres up. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Frontenac County standards. Some 25 km away sits Sharbot Lake, the nearest settlement. Kingston sits 81 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Charles Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Frontenac County include pumpkinseed, bluegill, rock bass, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Charles Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -11°C in January and 19°C in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. From about mid April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. On Charles Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Mannerheim Lake at 0.9 km is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Charles Lake as something to verify.