Headquarters Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Headquarters Lake lies in Parry Sound District, Ontario. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. Small at around 8 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. With about 2.3 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It is a small entry by Parry Sound District standards. You are 41 km from Parry Sound. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 107 km distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Headquarters Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Parry Sound District include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Headquarters Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 19°C and January near -10°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Headquarters Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Skunk Lake is 0.9 km distant. None of that is settled for Headquarters Lake in what we hold.