Fishing Pieurot Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Pieurot Lake is one of the Nipissing District listings for Ontario. Height above sea level is 320 metres. It runs to roughly 12 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 2.5 km on foot. Supplies mean a trip to Mattawa, 15 km off. Beyond it, Callander at 60 km and Powassan at 62 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Pieurot Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Pieurot Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -13°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Pieurot Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Lalonde Lake is 0.9 km distant. Where Pieurot Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.