Delano Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Delano Lake is an Ontario water. It sits at 451 metres above sea level. Around 23 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. With about 2.5 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It is high ground by Ontario standards. The closest town, United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, is 38 km distant. The big place round here is Barrie, 150 km distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Delano Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Delano Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -12°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Time your trip to Delano Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Overnight stays are possible about 380 m out, where camping is mapped. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Hilliard Lake, 0.9 km away. Check the position at Delano Lake before loading the car.