Russell Lake Fishing near Renfrew, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Renfrew County, Ontario. Land around it is rolling bush. Around 12 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 1.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. For a base, Renfrew sits 40 km out. Nepean sits 95 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Russell Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Renfrew County include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Russell Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 19°C in July and bottom out at -11°C in January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The water is typically free of ice between late April and early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Anyone fishing Russell Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Tumbler Lake is 0.7 km distant. Treat access at Russell Lake as something to verify.