Dunns Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Dunns Lake lies in Renfrew County, in Ontario. It stands 197 metres above sea level. The water measures roughly 7 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Ground here is low by Ontario standards. Supplies mean a trip to Deep River, 33 km off. Further out sit Chalk River (40 km) and Petawawa (58 km). Other water nearby: Menet Lake at 0.8 km, Smith Lake lies 2.5 km on, Shirley Lake at 2.6 km, Oliver Lake lies 2.7 km on and Perch Lake at 2.8 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Dunns Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Renfrew County records list smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch among the fish reported. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read Dunns Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 19°C and January at -13°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Dunns Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Menet Lake sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Where Dunns Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.