Dickens Lake Fishing near Bancroft, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Dickens Lake in Hastings County, Ontario. It stands 377 metres above sea level. At 8 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Bancroft at 13 km is the nearest place to stop. Kingston is the closest city, 148 km away. Within a short run: Rutledge Lake some 0.7 km off, Young Lake just 2.2 km, Quirk Lake some 2.4 km off, Salmon Trout Lake just 2.7 km and Bartlett Lake some 3.6 km off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Dickens Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Hastings County include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Dickens Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -12°C in January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Dickens Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Rutledge Lake is 0.7 km off. Check the current arrangement for Dickens Lake.