Kelly Lake Fishing Guide, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Kelly Lake is an Ontario water. Elevation runs to 413 metres. With some 20 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.0 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Start from Powassan, 43 km down the road. It is 178 km to Barrie, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Kelly Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Nipissing District names smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of Kelly Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -13°C for January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan around that when you fish Kelly Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Casque Lake, 2.2 km out. For Kelly Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.