Hurricane Lake Fishing in Haliburton County, Ontario

• Overview

  Hurricane Lake stands in Haliburton County, Ontario. It sits in rolling bush. The water covers some 57 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The shoreline runs about 5.2 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. 7.6 km away sits Haliburton Village, the nearest town. United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde follows at 20 km, then Huntsville at 56 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Hurricane Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Hurricane Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 19°C, with January the cold end at about -11°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It sets the rhythm of the year at Hurricane Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is a jetty 310 m off, worth knowing on a busy day. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Little Soyers Lake, 2.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Hurricane Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.