Clyde Lake Fishing in Hastings County, Ontario

• Overview

  Clyde Lake stands in Hastings County, Ontario. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Roughly 13 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 2.1 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It is high ground by Ontario standards. United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde sits 17 km from the bank. It is 149 km to Barrie, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Clyde Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Hastings County include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and bluegill. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Clyde Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -12°C at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Clyde Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. 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 tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Cranjelly Lake, 1.9 km out. Nothing here settles the position at Clyde Lake for certain.