Houghton Lake Fishing near Mattawa, Ontario

• Overview

  Houghton Lake lies in Nipissing District, Ontario. The land about it is rolling bush. It covers about 10 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest town is Mattawa, 25 km away. Then Callander, 72 km, and Powassan, 72 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Houghton Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Houghton Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -13°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Houghton Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. 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. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Aumond Lake is 1.5 km off. The position on Houghton Lake is worth confirming on the day.