Fishing at Lost Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Nipissing District, Ontario. It stands 292 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 29 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 3.6 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Chalk River lies 43 km from the water. Gatineau is the closest city, 182 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lost Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Nipissing District: smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Lost Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -13°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Lost Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Greenleaf Lake, 2.1 km out. What applies at Lost Lake may have changed since it was mapped.