Fishing at Little Pugawagun Lake, Parry Sound District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Parry Sound District end of Ontario holds Little Pugawagun Lake. Mixed forest runs right down to the water. The water measures roughly 4 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Parry Sound District are larger. South River lies 35 km from the water. After that come Powassan at 46 km and Huntsville at 48 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Little Pugawagun Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, northern pike and rock bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Little Pugawagun Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 18°C and January about -13°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Little Pugawagun Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A campsite is mapped about 1 km away, which makes an early start easier. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Pugawagun Lake, 0.5 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Little Pugawagun Lake before loading the car.