Crab Lake Fishing Guide, Peterborough County, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Crab Lake, in Peterborough County. The water sits 325 metres up. At about 68 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. At about 11 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. For a base, Lakefield sits 33 km out. Beyond it, Bobcaygeon at 34 km and Norwood at 41 km. Also within reach: Wolf Lake sits 1.8 km out, Hemlock Lake after 2.1 km, Red Lake sits 2.4 km out, Anstruther Lake after 2.6 km and Loon Call Lake sits 3.6 km out. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Crab Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Peterborough County, recorded fish include rock bass, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, muskellunge and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Crab Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 19°C in July and bottom out at -10°C in January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Crab Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A campsite is mapped about 210 m away, which makes an early start easier. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Wolf Lake at 1.8 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm access to Crab Lake locally before you travel.