Hay Lake Fishing near Kapuskasing, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Cochrane District, Ontario. Elevation runs to 243 metres. Small at around 3 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Cochrane District are larger. Kapuskasing lies 13 km from the water. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 329 km distant. Round about: South Hay Lake at 0.7 km, Hennessy Lake some 1 km off, Mac Lake at 1.5 km, Line Lake some 2.2 km off and Swanson Lake at 3.2 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Hay Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Cochrane District records list northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Hay Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Hay Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, South Hay Lake is 0.7 km off. Treat access at Hay Lake as something to verify.