Johnston Lake Fishing near Fenelon Falls, Ontario

• Overview

  Johnston Lake belongs to Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. Height above sea level is 273 metres. This is a pocket water of some 8 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kawartha Lakes list. Fenelon Falls is the closest town at 20 km. The nearest city of size is Barrie, 75 km away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Johnston Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Kawartha Lakes list muskellunge, rock bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Johnston Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 19°C; the cold one sits at -10°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Johnston Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Talbot Lake, 2.3 km out. For Johnston Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.