Extension Lake in Cochrane District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Extension Lake in the Cochrane District part of Ontario. The surface lies 306 metres up. It runs to roughly 18 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. A shoreline of some 3.3 km keeps the choices simple. Nearest town is Kirkland Lake, 43 km off. Further out sit Iroquois Falls (53 km) and Timmins (59 km). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Extension Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, Iowa darter and logperch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Extension Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -18°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Extension Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lockpot Lake is 0.7 km distant. Rules at Extension Lake are worth checking on the day.