Gash Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Nipissing District, Ontario, sits Gash Lake. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Surface area is around 19 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Around 3.2 km of margin, front to back. Mattawa is the closest town at 43 km. The big place round here is Barrie, 188 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Gash Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Nipissing District cover smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Gash Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -13°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Gash Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Plumb Lake is 1.7 km off. Signs at Gash Lake carry more weight than any list.