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

• Overview

  Within Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, you have Dalrymple Lake. It sits in lake country bush country. It covers about 13.73 sq km, which means weather matters as much as tactics. The bank runs about 42 km in total, split between open shore and sheltered corners. On our Kawartha Lakes list it sits near the top for size. Amigo Beach sits 23 km from here and is the nearest stop. Then Beaverton, 23 km, and Orillia, 25 km. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Dalrymple Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Kawartha Lakes, recorded fish include muskellunge, rock bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Dalrymple Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 20°C in July and bottoms out near -9°C in January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about early December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Dalrymple Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Failing this one, try Cranberry Lake, 7.3 km away. For Dalrymple Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.