Pancake Lake Fishing in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Pancake Lake sits within Nipissing District in Ontario. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 10 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Nearest town is Témiscaming, 53 km off. Further out sit Notre-Dame-du-Lac (55 km) and Ville-Marie (56 km). Close neighbours run: Kettle Lake at 0.5 km, Tent Lake at about 1.4 km, Miller Lake at 1.4 km, Jumping Cariboo Lake at about 1.9 km and Packsack Lake at 2.4 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Pancake Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Nipissing District cover smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Treat Pancake Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -15°C at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Pancake Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. A pier or jetty stands 1.5 km away, which helps on a crowded bank. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Kettle Lake, 0.5 km away. For Pancake Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.