Mud Lake in Renfrew County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Mud Lake is a Renfrew County water, Ontario side. It stands 276 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 2 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Our Renfrew County list holds plenty of bigger water. Supplies mean a trip to Renfrew, 27 km off. The nearest city of size is Nepean, 80 km away. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Renfrew County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Mud Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 19°C at the top of summer and -11°C at the bottom of winter. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Mud Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Gling Lake is 0.4 km distant. Check the position at Mud Lake before loading the car.