Gillies Lake Fishing near Englehart, Ontario

• Overview

  Gillies Lake lies in Timiskaming District, Ontario. The setting is pine and birch. Roughly 10 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Bank access stretches around 1.4 km in total. The closest town, Englehart, is 16 km away. Then Temiskaming Shores, 34 km, and Haileybury, 42 km. Nearby, in order: Collacutt Lake at 2.6 km, Hill's Lake a shade over 2.7 km, Reed Lake at 5.1 km, McLeod Lake a shade over 6 km and Fraser Lake at 6.5 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Gillies Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Timiskaming District cover brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Gillies Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 18°C and January about -16°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Gillies Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Collacutt Lake sits 2.6 km off and takes the overflow. For Gillies Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.