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

• Overview

  Hartley Lake is a Nipissing District water, Ontario side. The bank is 446 metres above sea level. It covers about 4 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Nipissing District are larger. The closest town, United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, is 51 km distant. Haliburton Village is 68 km away, with Bancroft at 76 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Hartley Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Nipissing District cover smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Take Hartley Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Hartley Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Little Minnow Lake sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Hartley Lake may have changed since it was mapped.