Fishing at Little Lake, Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Little Lake is a Cochrane District water, in Ontario. The surface lies 266 metres up. This is a pocket water of some 7 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Our Cochrane District list holds plenty of bigger water. Cochrane sits 16 km from here and is the nearest stop. It is 271 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Little Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. 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. Cochrane District records list northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker and Iowa darter among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Little Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Little Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is a mapped slipway roughly 630 m away. A platform or pier sits within 670 m. There are picnic tables 1.1 km away. Facilities include toilets around 1.2 km from here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Taylors Lake at 1.7 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Little Lake before loading the car.