Lower Merrick Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lower Merrick Lake is set in Parry Sound District, Ontario. It sits at 251 metres above sea level. Roughly 52 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Size puts it in the front rank of our Parry Sound District list. For supplies, South River is 31 km out. Beyond it, Powassan at 34 km and Callander at 45 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lower Merrick Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Parry Sound District include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Lower Merrick Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -11°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about mid April to early December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Lower Merrick Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A pier 510 m from here gives a platform over deeper water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Upper Merrick Lake, 0.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Lower Merrick Lake may have changed since it was mapped.