Pingue Lake Fishing Guide, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Pingue Lake stands in Nipissing District, Ontario. It stands 311 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 13 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 2.4 km on foot. The nearest town is Ville-Marie, 41 km away. After that come Haileybury at 46 km and Temiskaming Shores at 50 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Pingue Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Pingue Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 18°C in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Pingue Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Parking is not close: 930 m from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Caribou Lake at 1.4 km is the sensible second choice. Rules at Pingue Lake are worth checking on the day.