Nellie Lake in Cochrane District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Cochrane District, Ontario, sits Nellie Lake. Elevation runs to 294 metres. It measures about 82 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The shoreline runs about 8.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. For supplies, Iroquois Falls is 8.6 km out. Cochrane is 35 km and Timmins 54 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Nellie Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Cochrane District include northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker, Iowa darter and logperch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Nellie Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -18°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Nellie Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Siamese Twins Lake, 1.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Nellie Lake.