Gun Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Gun Lake is a Nipissing District water, Ontario side. The bank is 351 metres above sea level. With some 23 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 3.6 km, small enough to learn in a day. 57 km away sits Bancroft, the nearest town. The nearest city of size is Gatineau, 169 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Gun Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The near bank of Gun Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -13°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Gun Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Redpine Lake at 2.2 km is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Gun Lake.