Dunstan Lake near Huntsville: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Ontario holds Dunstan Lake, in Parry Sound District. The bank is 430 metres above sea level. The water covers some 19 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 2.4 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The closest town, Huntsville, is 31 km distant. After that come South River at 38 km and Powassan at 55 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Dunstan Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Parry Sound District cover smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Dunstan Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 18°C, while January sits near -12°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. At Dunstan Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Snowshoe Lake, 0.9 km out. The position on Dunstan Lake is worth confirming on the day.