Fishing at Red Squirrel Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Red Squirrel Lake is set in Nipissing District, Ontario. Elevation runs to 308 metres. Roughly 3.99 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The shoreline runs about 22 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. It is among the larger waters listed here for Nipissing District. The town to know is Haileybury, 43 km out. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 105 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Red Squirrel Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Nipissing District: smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Red Squirrel Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -15°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Red Squirrel Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Beaverpond Lake at 1.5 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Red Squirrel Lake before loading the car.