Fishing Gardiner Lake in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Gardiner Lake lies in Renfrew County, Ontario. The surface lies 282 metres up. At about 13 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 1.5 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest town is Mattawa, 43 km away. The big place round here is Gatineau, 207 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Gardiner Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Renfrew County: smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Gardiner Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -13°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Time your trip to Gardiner Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Township Line Lake, 1.5 km away. For Gardiner Lake in particular, ask before you travel.