McChesney Lake Fishing Guide, Timiskaming District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for McChesney Lake in Timiskaming District, Ontario. It lies 238 metres above sea level. It covers about 8 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest place of any size is Englehart, 20 km away. Temiskaming Shores is 23 km and Haileybury 31 km. What else is close: Pacey Lake roughly 1.2 km, Henwood Lake about 2.3 km, Wabi Lake roughly 7.4 km, Collacutt Lake about 8.1 km and Gillies Lake roughly 11 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on McChesney Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Timiskaming District include brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At McChesney Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -16°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That is the shape of the year on McChesney Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Pacey Lake is 1.2 km distant. Where McChesney Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.