Poverty Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Nipissing District, Ontario, is where Poverty Lake sits. The water sits 401 metres up. The water covers some 25 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 2.5 km, small enough to learn in a day. Some 35 km away sits United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, the nearest settlement. For a city, Barrie is 166 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Poverty Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Anyone new to Poverty Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -12°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Poverty Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Robinson Lake is 3.5 km off. Ask locally about Poverty Lake if anything is unclear.