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

• Overview

  Nicolson Lake falls in Cochrane District, part of Ontario. Height above sea level is 342 metres. Small at around 6 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Cochrane District list. The closest town, Kirkland Lake, is 39 km distant. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 210 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Nicolson Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Cochrane District names northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker and Iowa darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Nicolson Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -18°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Anyone fishing Nicolson Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Francesca Lake is 0.8 km off. Confirm access to Nicolson Lake locally before you travel.