Mary Lake Fishing Guide, District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario

• Overview

  Mary Lake sits within District Municipality of Muskoka in Ontario. Beyond the shoreline you have rolling bush. At 10.66 sq km you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. The shoreline runs about 21 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in District Municipality of Muskoka are bigger. Huntsville sits 10 km from the bank. Beyond it, Bracebridge at 24 km and Gravenhurst at 37 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Mary Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for District Municipality of Muskoka list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Mary Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -11°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That is the shape of the year on Mary Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a pier recorded roughly 1.1 km away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Gardiner Lake, 2.5 km out. Treat Mary Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.