Forbes Lake Fishing near Parry Sound, Ontario

• Overview

  Forbes Lake lies within the bounds of Parry Sound District, Ontario. It sits in lake country bush country. Surface area runs to about 3 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Parry Sound District. Parry Sound lies 10 km from the water. Barrie is the closest city, 110 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Forbes Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Parry Sound District cover smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Forbes Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -10°C to 19°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly early December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Forbes Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Dell Lake sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Forbes Lake may have changed since it was mapped.