Fishing at Gosselin's Bay, Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Gosselin's Bay in Cochrane District, Ontario. The land about it is spruce and muskeg. Roughly 1.75 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You are looking at roughly 12 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cochrane District list. Start from Hearst, 26 km down the road. Hornepayne is 87 km away, with Kapuskasing at 120 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Gosselin's Bay

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Reed and marsh margins hold fish through the moving hours. Salt and fresh mix here, and the mixing line is worth finding. Records held for Cochrane District cover northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Gosselin's Bay the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Gosselin's Bay rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Public data records a boat ramp 700 m out. You can camp 760 m off, which suits an early start. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Banks Lake, 2.2 km away. The position on Gosselin's Bay is worth confirming on the day.