Fishing Norlock Lake in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Renfrew County, Norlock Lake is an Ontario water. The setting is mixed forest. With some 15 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.1 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Head to Bancroft, 45 km away, for anything you forgot. Nepean sits 163 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Norlock Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Renfrew County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Work Norlock Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -12°C to 18°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. On average, late April opens the water and early December closes it again. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Anyone fishing Norlock Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Bark Lake sits 3.1 km off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Norlock Lake as something to verify.