Murphys Lake Fishing in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Ontario, this is Murphys Lake. Height above sea level is 368 metres. The water covers some 76 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Some 5.7 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It ranks high for size among our Nipissing District listings. Chalk River is the closest place, 48 km off. Beyond it, Petawawa at 49 km and Deep River at 54 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Murphys Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Nipissing District cover smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Murphys Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -13°C in January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That shapes the year on Murphys Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Duck Lake, 1.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Murphys Lake may have changed since it was mapped.