Fishing Panther Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Nipissing District end of Ontario holds Panther Lake. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. With some 22 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The full circuit measures close to 4.0 km on foot. It is high ground by Ontario standards. Head to Huntsville, 39 km away, for anything you forgot. Barrie is the closest city, 143 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Panther Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. 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. Fish documented in Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish Panther Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -12°C in January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Panther Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp 300 m off, which suits an early start. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Thunder Lake sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Panther Lake carry more weight than any list.