Fishing Dent Lake in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Dent Lake is a Renfrew County water, in Ontario. It stands 441 metres above sea level. With some 20 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The full circuit measures close to 3.1 km on foot. It sits higher than most water we list in Ontario. Eganville at 26 km is the nearest place to stop. Nepean is the closest city, 130 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Dent Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The near bank of Dent Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -13°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Time your trip to Dent Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Hartwick Lake is 1 km distant. Treat Dent Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.