Hughes Lake Fishing in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Hughes Lake sits in Renfrew County, out in Ontario. The water sits 316 metres up. At 4 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Renfrew County. The closest town, Eganville, is 35 km away. Nepean sits 125 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Hughes Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Renfrew County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Hughes Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -12°C for January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Hughes Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, McLaughlin Lake is 1.7 km distant. What applies at Hughes Lake may have changed since it was mapped.