Fishing Levey Lake in Oxford County, Ontario

• Overview

  Levey Lake sits in Oxford County, out in Ontario. The bank is 261 metres above sea level. Small at around 4 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Head to Burford, 7.8 km away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Paris (9.9 km) and Brant (12 km). Near neighbours: Cooley Pond 6.9 km off, 9.7 km out stands Burgess Lake, Park Haven Lake 13 km off, 14 km out stands Turnbull Lake and Buchanan Lake 14 km off. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Levey Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Oxford County include common carp, johnny darter, white sucker, rock bass and pumpkinseed. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Levey Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -6°C in January and 20°C in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. The lid tends to go about early April and return around mid December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Levey Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Cooley Pond is 6.9 km distant. For Levey Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.