McPhee Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  McPhee Lake sits in Nipissing District, out in Ontario. Height above sea level is 284 metres. Roughly 82 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. It is among the larger waters listed here for Nipissing District. Témiscaming is the closest place, 40 km off. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 108 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on McPhee Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On McPhee Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -14°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On McPhee Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Gooderham Lake, 3.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on McPhee Lake is worth confirming on the day.