Fishing Little Boulter Lake in Hastings County, Ontario

• Overview

  Little Boulter Lake is one of the Hastings County listings for Ontario. What surrounds it is lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Bancroft lies 31 km from the water. United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde is 32 km away, with Haliburton Village at 46 km. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Little Boulter Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Hastings County, recorded fish include rock bass, smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Little Boulter Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 18°C and January about -12°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Little Boulter Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. A ramp at Dogs Point is mapped 950 m away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Boulter Lake, 0.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Little Boulter Lake is worth confirming on the day.