Douglas Lake Fishing near Parry Sound, Ontario

• Overview

  Douglas Lake lies in District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. Small at around 7 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for District Municipality of Muskoka are larger. Nearest place of any size is Parry Sound, 28 km away. Penetanguishene follows at 37 km, then Midland at 40 km. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Douglas Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for District Municipality of Muskoka list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Douglas Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -9°C in January up to 19°C in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Douglas Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Contin Lake is 0.5 km off. Nothing on Douglas Lake should be assumed from this page alone.