Fishing at Dead Horse Lake, Haliburton County, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Dead Horse Lake in Haliburton County, Ontario. It sits at 449 metres above sea level. At roughly 5 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Haliburton County. You are 23 km from Bancroft. United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde follows at 26 km, then Haliburton Village at 28 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Dead Horse Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Haliburton County: smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Dead Horse Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -11°C to 18°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Dead Horse Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Cope Lake is 1 km distant. Rules at Dead Horse Lake are worth checking on the day.