Goward Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Goward Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario. This is pine and birch country. Small even by pond standards, it rewards one careful line. Most waters listed here for Nipissing District are larger. Ville-Marie is the closest place, 39 km off. Greater Sudbury sits 112 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Goward Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Goward Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 18°C in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Goward Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Arsenic Lake, 0.7 km out. Confirm access to Goward Lake locally before you travel.