Fishing Edgar Lake in Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Cochrane District, Ontario, sits Edgar Lake. Land around it is spruce and muskeg. Surface area runs to some 12.81 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The shoreline runs about 23 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cochrane District list. Moose Factory is the closest town at 103 km. Further out sit Moosonee (104 km) and Smooth Rock Falls (149 km). It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Edgar Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Cochrane District include northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker and Iowa darter. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Edgar Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -20°C to 16°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about mid May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Edgar Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Kiyask Lake, 2.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Edgar Lake.