Long Lake in Haliburton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, Long Lake falls inside Haliburton County. Height above sea level is 390 metres. The water covers some 85 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Nearest town is Haliburton Village, 11 km off. Barrie sits 125 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Close by you have: Little Dudmon Lake out at 1.6 km, Two Islands Lake at 2.6 km, South Portage Lake out at 2.7 km, Loon Lake at 3.3 km and Miskwabi Lake out at 3.4 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Haliburton County cover smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Long Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -11°C in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Long Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Little Dudmon Lake, 1.6 km away. Confirm before you fish Long Lake.