Dog Lake Fishing near Gananoque, Ontario

• Overview

  Dog Lake is a Frontenac County water, Ontario side. Around the bank it is pine and birch. Surface area runs to some 10.62 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. Few waters listed in Frontenac County are bigger. Nearest place of any size is Gananoque, 17 km away. After that come Elginburg/Silvers Corners/Shannons Corners at 19 km and Greenwood/St. Lawrence South at 20 km. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Dog Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Frontenac County, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, bluegill, rock bass and smallmouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Dog Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -9°C and July at about 20°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about mid December in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Dog Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Cranberry Lake, 2.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Dog Lake before loading the car.