Mangotasi Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Mangotasi Lake lies in Nipissing District, in Ontario. It stands 362 metres above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 8 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. On size it sits at the modest end of our Nipissing District list. The nearest town is Powassan, 32 km away. Beyond it, South River at 35 km and Callander at 43 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Mangotasi Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The shape of Mangotasi Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -13°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Mangotasi Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is a campsite 260 m from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Hornbeam Lake, 0.7 km away. The position on Mangotasi Lake is worth confirming on the day.