Fishing Fly Lake in Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Fly Lake, in Cochrane District. It stands 268 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 9 hectares — small enough to read in one session. The full circuit measures close to 1.9 km on foot. Nearest place of any size is Timmins, 10 km away. After that come Iroquois Falls at 66 km and Cochrane at 72 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fly Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Cochrane District include northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Fly Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -17°C for January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Fly Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Dubroy Lake at 1.4 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Fly Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.