Fishing Gilmour Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Gilmour Lake is one of the Nipissing District listings for Ontario. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. At 1.67 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 5.3 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Nipissing District are bigger. The nearest town is Mattawa, 31 km away. Powassan is 66 km and Callander 69 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Gilmour Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Nipissing District: smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Gilmour Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -13°C. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Gilmour Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is camping recorded roughly 1 km off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Brant Lake at 1.3 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Gilmour Lake in what we hold.