Fishing Harvey Lake in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Harvey Lake belongs to Renfrew County. It stands 181 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 23 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 4.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Ontario listings. The closest town, Deep River, is 19 km distant. It is 174 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Harvey Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Renfrew County list smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. At Harvey Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 19°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Harvey Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Way Lake is 1.4 km distant. Check the position at Harvey Lake before loading the car.