Gunter Lake Fishing near Bancroft, Ontario

• Overview

  Gunter Lake is a Hastings County water, Ontario side. Beyond the shoreline you have lake country bush. The water covers some 71 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. On our Hastings County list it sits near the top for size. Some 31 km away sits Bancroft, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Kingston, 112 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Gunter Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Hastings County include rock bass, smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Gunter Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 19°C and January near -11°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On Gunter Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Hinchcliffe Lake, 1.6 km away. Check the position on Gunter Lake before loading the car.