Ritchey Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Ritchey Lake lies in Haliburton County, Ontario. Elevation runs to 362 metres. It runs to roughly 12 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 1.9 km on foot. Our Haliburton County list holds plenty of bigger water. Barrie sits 129 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Ritchey Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Haliburton County list smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow perch and lake trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Ritchey Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -12°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It holds true on Ritchey Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. 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. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try West Lake, 4.5 km away. Nothing on Ritchey Lake should be assumed from this page alone.