Deer Yard Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Nipissing District, Ontario, sits Deer Yard Lake. The surface lies 404 metres up. Around 18 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. There is roughly 2.1 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Supplies mean a trip to Mattawa, 57 km off. After that come South River at 63 km and Powassan at 65 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Deer Yard Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Deer Yard Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -13°C in January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Deer Yard Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Sandfly Lake at 0.9 km is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Deer Yard Lake as something to verify.