Fishing Rat Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Rat Lake belongs to Nipissing District, Ontario. The setting is mixed forest. It measures about 16 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 2.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The nearest place of any size is West Nipissing, 26 km away. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 86 km distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Rat Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 18°C and January reads -14°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Rat Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Sand Lake at 3.2 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Rat Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.