Fishing Johns Lake in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Johns Lake, in Renfrew County. It lies 289 metres above sea level. At 3 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 town to know is Petawawa, 28 km out. Pembroke lies 34 km off, Chalk River another 35 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Johns Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Renfrew County: smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Johns Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 19°C and January reads -13°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about early December in an average year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Time your trip to Johns Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Little Pike Lake, 3 km out. What applies at Johns Lake may have changed since it was mapped.