Fishing at Hicks Lake, Hastings County, Ontario

• Overview

  Hastings County, Ontario, is where Hicks Lake sits. Land around it is pine and birch. At about 41 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. A shoreline of some 2.6 km keeps the choices simple. On our Hastings County list it sits near the top for size. 35 km away sits Bancroft, the nearest town. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Hicks Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Hastings County, recorded fish include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Hicks Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -12°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The open-water window runs from around late April to about early December in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Hicks Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Potash Lake, 0.5 km away. Rules at Hicks Lake are worth checking on the day.