Fishing at Portage Lake, Parry Sound District, Ontario

• Overview

  Portage Lake is one of the Parry Sound District waters in Ontario. The surface lies 217 metres up. It runs to roughly 20 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 2.9 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Ground here is low by Ontario standards. Sturgeon Falls at 34 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 95 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Portage Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Parry Sound District: smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Portage Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 19°C, with January the cold end at about -12°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Portage Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Robin Lake sits 3.8 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Portage Lake.