Fishing Pothole Lake in Renfrew County, Ontario

• Overview

  Pothole Lake sits within Renfrew County in Ontario. It lies 283 metres above sea level. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Renfrew County list holds plenty of bigger water. Renfrew is the closest town at 44 km. Nepean is the closest city, 100 km away. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Pothole Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Renfrew County records list smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch among the fish reported. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Pothole Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -12°C in January up to 19°C in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at early December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Pothole Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Graham Lake at 0.5 km is the nearest alternative. What applies at Pothole Lake may have changed since it was mapped.