Fishing at Le Tret Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Le Tret Lake is a Nipissing District water, Ontario side. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. With some 23 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 3.8 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Start from Témiscaming, 36 km down the road. Beyond it, Notre-Dame-du-Lac at 39 km and North Bay at 48 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Le Tret Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The shape of Le Tret Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -14°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Le Tret Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Little Otter Lake is 2.6 km distant. Where Le Tret Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.