Return Lake Fishing Guide, Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Return Lake is set in Cochrane District, Ontario. What surrounds it is taiga. It measures about 75 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 8.4 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. The closest town, Smooth Rock Falls, is 34 km away. Cochrane is 55 km and Timmins 67 km. If this one is busy: Crystal Lake 2 km, 2.8 km away is Footprint Lake, Detour Lake 4.6 km, 5 km away is Boundary Lake and Oke Lake 9.3 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Return Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Cochrane District cover northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker and Iowa darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Return Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -18°C in January. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan around that when you fish Return Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Crystal Lake is 2 km distant. None of that is settled for Return Lake in what we hold.