Robinson Lake Fishing near Madoc, Ontario

• Overview

  Robinson Lake stands in Hastings County, Ontario. It sits at 269 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 40 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 3.3 km, small enough to learn in a day. On our Hastings County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Madoc, 20 km away. The big place round here is Kingston, 96 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Robinson Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and bluegill. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Robinson Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 19°C at the top of summer and -10°C at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Robinson Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Quinlan Lake sits 1.3 km off and takes the overflow. Where Robinson Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.