Little McCraney Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Little McCraney Lake is a Nipissing District water, Ontario side. Height above sea level is 440 metres. At about 23 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. The nearest town is Huntsville, 37 km away. Barrie sits 146 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Little McCraney Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Little McCraney Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -12°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Little McCraney Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. O'Gorman Lake sits 1.1 km off and takes the overflow. For Little McCraney Lake in particular, ask before you travel.