Higley Lake near Gananoque: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Higley Lake lies in United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario. The setting is pine and birch on every side. Roughly 35 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 4.6 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. You are 21 km from Gananoque. After that come Alexandria Bay at 22 km and Clayton at 30 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Higley Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for United Counties of Leeds and Grenville cover pumpkinseed, bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. Higley Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 20°C and January reads -9°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Time your trip to Higley Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Killenbeck Lake is 1 km off. Confirm access to Higley Lake locally before you travel.