Gum Lake Fishing Guide, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Gum Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario. Height above sea level is 401 metres. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Nipissing District standards. Start from Mattawa, 48 km down the road. Beyond it, Deep River at 57 km and Chalk River at 61 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Gum Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Nipissing District names smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Gum Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Gum Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Bukadawin Lake is 1.3 km distant. Where Gum Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.