Dump Lake in Parry Sound District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Parry Sound District, Dump Lake is an Ontario water. It sits in lake country bush. With some 25 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The full circuit measures close to 3.8 km on foot. For supplies, Huntsville is 27 km out. The nearest city of size is Barrie, 137 km away. Neighbouring water: Fox Lake 2.3 km, Bridge Lake at about 2.4 km, Ridge Lake 2.5 km, Travis Lake at about 2.7 km and Morgan's Lake 3 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Dump Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Parry Sound District include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, northern pike and rock bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Work Dump Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -12°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Dump Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Fox Lake, 2.3 km out. Check the current arrangement for Dump Lake.