Cranberry Lake in Kawartha Lakes: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Cranberry Lake in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. It sits at 256 metres above sea level. This is sizeable water at about 3.08 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The outline measures near 30 km, so a boat opens up water the bank never reaches. The closest town, Amigo Beach, is 28 km away. For a city, Barrie is 64 km off. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Kawartha Lakes list muskellunge, rock bass and pumpkinseed. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Cranberry Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -10°C in January to roughly 19°C in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Cranberry Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Raven Lake, 2.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Cranberry Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.