Prince Lake in Renfrew County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Renfrew County, Prince Lake is an Ontario water. The ground around here is rolling bush. Surface area runs to about 2 hectares — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Renfrew County list. Supplies mean a trip to Eganville, 36 km off. The big place round here is Nepean, 141 km distant. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Prince Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Renfrew County, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Prince Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -13°C in January up to 18°C in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Prince Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A pier 800 m from here gives a platform over deeper water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Bass Lake, 0.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Prince Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.