Fishing at Gallinule Lake, Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Gallinule Lake lies in Cochrane District, in Ontario. It sits at 195 metres above sea level. It covers about 9 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cochrane District. For supplies, Hearst is 44 km out. Then Hornepayne, 89 km, and Kapuskasing, 136 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Gallinule Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Cochrane District: northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, Iowa darter and logperch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Gallinule Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 16°C, the coldest about -19°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Gallinule Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Rogers Lake sits 0.4 km off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Gallinule Lake before loading the car.