Coghlan Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Coghlan Lake is one of the Nipissing District listings for Ontario. The setting is rolling bush. With some 93 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With 7.1 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. On our Nipissing District list it sits near the top for size. Nearest town is Bancroft, 40 km off. It is 174 km to Nepean, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Coghlan Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass among the fish reported. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Coghlan Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -12°C in January up to 18°C in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Coghlan Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Pell Lake is 1.3 km distant. The position on Coghlan Lake is worth confirming on the day.