Midget Lake Fishing near Kirkland Lake, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Timiskaming District, Ontario, you have Midget Lake. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Timiskaming District are larger. For a base, Kirkland Lake sits 8.8 km out. Beyond it, Englehart at 46 km and Rouyn-Noranda at 74 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Midget Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Timiskaming District list brook trout, northern pike and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Midget Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -17°C in January up to 17°C in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Time your trip to Midget Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Rathwell Lake, 1.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Midget Lake in particular, ask before you travel.