Lake of Bays in District Municipality of Muskoka: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The District Municipality of Muskoka end of Ontario holds Lake of Bays. The country here is pine and birch. Around 67.66 sq km of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. The bank is deeply indented, so shelter is easy to find in any wind. By surface area it heads our District Municipality of Muskoka listings. You are 19 km from Huntsville. The big place round here is Barrie, 108 km distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lake of Bays

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for District Municipality of Muskoka list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and rock bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lake of Bays fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -11°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Lake of Bays runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Roundabout Lake at 2.1 km is the nearest alternative. Where Lake of Bays is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.