Graham Lake in Renfrew County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Graham Lake sits within Renfrew County in Ontario. The water sits 283 metres up. Surface area runs to about 6 hectares — small enough to read in one session. 44 km away sits Sharbot Lake, the nearest town. The nearest city of size is Nepean, 100 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules. It sits away from the main road, which keeps the noise down.

• Where to Fish on Graham Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Renfrew County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The shape of Graham Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -12°C in January and 19°C in July. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Graham Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Pothole Lake, 0.5 km out. Nothing here settles the position at Graham Lake for certain.