McGee Lake Fishing near Lakefield, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find McGee Lake in Peterborough County, Ontario. What surrounds it is mixed forest. Roughly 33 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With 5.3 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. The town to know is Lakefield, 25 km out. Bobcaygeon is 32 km and Norwood 33 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on McGee Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Peterborough County records list rock bass, pumpkinseed and smallmouth bass among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On McGee Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 19°C and January about -10°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Expect McGee Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Elm Lake, 2.3 km out. What applies at McGee Lake may have changed since it was mapped.