Fishing at Morris Lake, Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Cochrane District, Morris Lake is an Ontario water. Height above sea level is 223 metres. With some 17 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 2.3 km keeps the choices simple. Ground here is low by Ontario standards. The closest town, Smooth Rock Falls, is 54 km distant. Kapuskasing lies 79 km off, Cochrane another 83 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Morris Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Cochrane District include northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, Iowa darter and logperch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Morris Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -19°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Morris Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Durrel Lake sits 9.6 km off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Morris Lake as something to verify.